Chicago - February 07, 2006

Ask Wai

Custom Wood Furniture

After years of attempting to feel at home in the crowded clutter of shabby chic, you’ve finally found a look that feels right.

Spare.

But there’s one problem: Serious design like that is not within your reach.

Until now. Luke Wong, a recent graduate of The School of the Art Institute, just opened his own place, Studio Wai. His look: wood with straight grains (it reinforces the lines of his impossibly clean pieces). His price: surprisingly affordable.

Imagine your bathroom with a paneled hickory wall and built-to-spec cabinets flanking a pedestal sink. Put your feet up on a simple, square walnut coffee table with hidden drawers. Plop down on a cherry platform bed with attached night tables.

It’s all crafted by hand in Wong’s modest Ravenswood shop, so each and every piece is bespoke beyond its price tag.

If you wanted, you could fill your house to the brim with his designs.

Not that you are into that.

Studio Wai (312-588-0153 or info@studiowai.com). By appointment only.