Strawser & Smith

Profile

The bold industrial furniture at Strawser & Smith perfectly captures the ambiance of the mid-century Midwest. Fred and David (that’s Strawser and Smith, respectively) work in partnership with a Cleveland-based designer and a crew of highly skilled craftsmen; the aesthetic is high-quality restoration hardware. Benches are repurposed from the stands of a high school football stadium, etched graffiti untouched, and dining tables are cut from pristine Douglas firs and balanced atop gnarly, curled sections of railroad track. Alongside curios and vintage art books, chunky, hand-blown glass wall-lamps line counters and surfaces. There is also a series of lamps with shades fashioned from old conveyer belts—the effect is incredibly artful shadowplay. On the walls: large scale maps and anatomical drawings that are both ornate and effortlessly eye-catching. Retro blues play throughout the store, and in another home-spun twist, the price labels are typewritten on luggage tags.  — Alex Rees