Remodeling your home is a wondrous journey. Founding Silent Rivers nearly 25 years ago, I wanted to weave together artistry and craftsmanship into people’s homes. I aspired to create spaces for clients that they loved, and that supported their well-being while reflecting their unique personalities. Through the years, this vision has proved to be a constant purpose for Silent Rivers, and this thread of meaning has been woven into every project we have worked on.
Today, Silent Rivers employs 15 talented designers and artisans, all accomplished in their areas of expertise. As a team, we focus on creating highly customized spaces and homes for our clients and we continue to provide custom craft cabinetry and furniture in our own in-house woodshop.
We take an individualized approach for every client – collaborating to create a unique remodeling experience, along with refined cabinets and furniture that fit our client’s personality and style.
Our talented woodworking team worked closely with both our internal designer staff as well as the homeowners to create kitchen cabinetry that is stunning in its natural beauty while seamlessly integrating with the rest of the finishes.
From our woodshop to your home, we generate works of artistry, custom-built specifically for you.
On any given day, there are two Silent Rivers’ team members who work on our clients’ homes without stepping inside. While individual lead artisans manage the sites of individual projects, behind the scenes are our resident craftsmen Tom Bloxham and Alex Schlepphorst. No woodworking project is outside of their wheelhouse and expertise, from ultra-contemporary cabinetry to solid wood dining room tables to custom bedroom pieces and more. Given a vision and clear specifications, they work their magic and make it happen.
Tom and Alex align some prefinished maple veneer plywood for cutting. We use this product to create all of our custom cabinetry boxes, which helps reduces toxicity within our shop and the natural environment. Note: Blade guard has been removed for photography purposes.
Alex and Tom work closely with the designers in our office during the design process because they are literally just steps away; one of the benefits of an in-house woodshop and true to the core of Silent Rivers’ constitutional beliefs. Many of our visiting prospects receive a quick tour of the woodshop, or sometimes might get a sneak peak into one of five custom projects running concurrently.
“Being so close to the designers gives us so much opportunity to contribute to decisions about the ideal woods and finishes to use,” Tom told me in a recent conversation. “And it’s especially gratifying to have clients stop by to see the progress on their project.”
Alex is preparing wood for cabinet making. To the back of the photo, artisan Jon Curry is working on another piece of cabinetry.
Our holistic approach to custom solutions for clients provides not only continuity in quality of work, it also creates efficiencies as the woodworking team is able to be on-site as needed at a client’s home. This team assists with the installation, ensuring that grains and lines match up as intended. As a company with a focus on craft and quality, this is just one more way that Silent Rivers’ design+build process works in the client’s best interest.
Custom woodworking for all styles — Elegant, natural or modern
The elegant custom wood finishes in this expertly crafted master suite transformed a 1980s bedroom into a luxurious retreat.
The detail work on this solid white oak dining room table illustrates the expertise of Silent Rivers’ artisans.
Our client’s compact condo required a creatively designed multi-purpose entertainment and office space. We custom designed and fabricated this fun art-inspired piece using colored stains, giving it a post-modern pop.
The artistry within Alex and Tom runs so deep that when they saw a pile of beautiful scrap pieces of wood, they decided to create this gorgeous console table out of the scrap.
Learn more about our expertly executed custom cabinetry and furniture and see projects that showcase these pieces »
And, for a first-hand look at some of our creative furnishings, come see us at the Des Moines Arts Festival this summer. We look forward to meeting you.
