• Little Wolf Cabinet Shop

  1583 First Ave., nr. 82nd St.; 212-734-2120

  This studio, led by the father-son team of John Wolf Sr. and John Wolf Jr., has been churning out some of the most well-crafted hand-carved woodwork in the city since 1956, which is why it’s the best call for anyone looking to pull off a loft-bed job beyond what any regular old neighborhood handyman can do. Nothing rickety or clunky here—no matter the specifics of your custom order, you’re sure to end up with a sturdy piece of grown-up-looking furniture made of top-notch, formaldehyde-free materials. They’ll do just about anything (custom stairs or closets underneath, say) in nearly any style you can draw. That said, it’s their traditional pieces done in cherry and walnut and ornate paneling and molding that get them all the attention. Lofts start at $3,300, and the entire process from beginning (which kicks off with an in-store consultation and estimate before one of the Wolfs comes out to take measurements and make the final drawings) to completion takes about six weeks.

From the 2012 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine