Exploring the Artisan Craft of Custom Window Treatments from a Whole New Perspective – The Japanese Machiai!
Homeowners often commission custom window treatments out of a desire to create something in their home that is truly unique – something with a story behind it that will last. So few things in our lives, much less in our homes, are handcrafted and designed with a specific narrative in mind.
Custom curtains and drapes and related elements in a room like bedding or upholstery tell a story. They make a statement about the kind of life meant to be lived in a home and the values of the people who live there. Sometimes the design focuses on finding serenity and calm. Other times it’s centered on the idea of community and gathering people together.
Whatever the story, handcrafted, artisan-made window treatments are works of art meant to be enjoyed – for a long, long time.
Well, as owners of a design firm that creates custom window coverings, we want the same thing in our home, but we spend every day around windows! We were looking for fresh inspiration.
So we decided to take on a unique, passion project of our own, a beautiful wooden structure known as a Machiai!
The unique, artisan process behind this woodworking technique is not easy to learn. More so, it’s not easy to find someone who teaches it, and we wanted to experience a rare, artisan craft and do our part to support it.
We also desired, as our clients do, to build something that would last. These structures easily survive for hundreds upon hundreds of years and can be enjoyed by generations to come.
Below, we’ll share the journey with you and what we learned about making your home your own and how the process of doing so strengthens the family!
How We Learned a New Craft and Built Our Custom Japanese Machiai
A Machiai is a traditional Japanese "waiting bench" or "garden viewing structure." You can admire several beautiful examples of these structures at the Portland Japanese Garden.
One of the beautiful Machiai’s at Portland’s Japanese Garden!
This past summer, we decided to seek the guidance of our friend, Robert Laporte, an experienced building consultant and timber framer at the Econest Building Company in Ashland, to help us build a Machiai for our backyard. One of our goals was to safely introduce our 17-year-old nephew, Marc, to the art of timber framing using hand tools and machines. Robert and his architect wife, Paula, are fascinating. They love sharing their knowledge, and they are outstanding teachers.
We drove from Portland to Ashland, Oregon with our nephew to immerse ourselves in a 5-day workshop. We cut, chiseled, planed, sanded, fitted, prepared, and then carefully wrapped the joinery of the posts and beams for our Machiai to be stored onsite.
Each Day, We Experienced the Unique Joys of Artisan Craftsmanship
Lest you think this was an average day in a woodshop, we were invited into a holistic experience. We started each day with stretches to prepare our bodies for the hard work ahead. There were occasional power tools, but much of the work was done by hand – true artisan craftsmanship. It was slow, methodical, and meditative.
We were even learning about nature along the way. Did you know there’s a way to look at a timber post or beam and tell which end is closer to the base of the tree? You want to know because it tells you where the strongest part of the wood is. It’s dense and strong because of the weight it bore. We had no idea!
At the end of the work day, we’d spend a good deal of time cleaning and organizing the shop. We’ve been in so many woodshops where sawdust on the floor is a point of pride. Here it was the opposite. Respect for the tools and the space led the way.
We were also working with wood which had been reclaimed from the terrible fires that swept through this region of Oregon a few years ago. What remained inside the burnt exterior of the trees was still strong as ever. There was a story to the very beams we were crafting for the frame of our structure. Every part of the day was filled with meaning, which made the hard work easier to embrace.
As we built the structure of our Machiai, which would need to travel 280 miles north to our home outside of Portland, we named it "Kolibri." It means hummingbird in German.
Tired and full of pride, we set out for home to prepare for the assembly to come about 12 weeks later.
Craftsmanship Also Leads to Community. Welcome to Modern-Day Barn Raising!
Back home in West Linn, a suburb of Portland, we started the design and layout of a small wooden deck for our "garden viewing structure" to sit on.
First, we dug up the soil of a raised bed and improved the drainage of our site with loads of gravel so the frame of our deck would have dry feet.
Robert had connected us with young builders in the Portland area who had also taken his workshops. Even without having met them before, we were now part of a shared community and craft, and they were happy to help us complete the deck-building phase and make a new home for our new “hummingbird.” (Also, many thanks to Chris Hansen and his team at Parr Lumber for giving us excellent service and advice during this phase!)
With the deck done, Jens headed to Ashland to help Robert with some prep work and to plane the wood for the purlins and rafters. Then, they loaded up tools, ladders, fasteners, and our timber frame that Robert had stored onto a trailer and drove it home.
The following day, our four local builder friends, Robert, and Jens circled up, warmed up with stretches and exercises (it was November and cold outside), and together, we “raised our Machiai."
The sense of community was powerful, like an old-fashioned barn raising, and Marlys cooked delicious, wholesome food for everyone to enjoy together. We got everything done before sunset. It was indeed an extraordinary day in our lives!
We had been part of the Econest community for some time, and Robert told us, "You two have helped friends build several natural buildings in the past 12 years, and it is about time for you to enjoy your own!"
What We Learned #1 – Crafting Your Home Is Better When Done with Others
We are very grateful we could do this project with our friends and family. We look forward to more woodworking and ultimately, building a complete natural-built, timber-frame home in this style.
But rest assured, it will be done in community. The act of sharing this with friends was so meaningful.
And the act of doing it with family was truly special. Our nephew, Marc, had never experienced this kind of handmade craftsmanship. He’d never cut wood with a sharp Japanese chisel or been held to the kind of precise standards needed for the beam joints to fit together.
At first, he was impatient as any teenager. He wondered why we weren’t just taking the shortcut of fitting beams together with metal brackets and bolts. He wondered why we weren’t using more power tools!
In the end, he could feel a deep sense of accomplishment and gave us a high five – high praise from a young man his age! He went home with life skills that went far beyond woodworking.
This made us think about our clients and how joyful it can be for a family to share the design process together. Whether it’s as a couple or inviting children to give their input, custom window treatment design takes on a whole new meaning when shared together instead of delegated to one person.
What We Learned #2 – Handcrafting Is Always Worth the Effort
We love working with the local artisans who cut, sew, and craft our custom window coverings, bedding and upholstery for our clients.
It’s artwork. All of it is special and something to be passed on and shared. All of it is built to last in a way factory-made curtains can never be.
Handmade objects give us grounding in a modern world. We know this as a concept, but feeling it firsthand again really relit the fires of inspiration in our hearts.
We want these artforms and crafts to carry on! It would be a sad world to leave the stories, beauty, and community they create with only mass-produced products and big box stores to turn to.
What We Learned #3 – Don’t Put These Moments Off!
As you read above, we circled the idea of building our Machiai for 10 years! Longer, really. And we can’t figure out why we waited so long.
The joy we feel from this custom-built shelter in our yard is indescribable.
The same is true of “completing” your home with window coverings. They finish the story and the dream of what your home was meant to be. They pull interior design into a cohesive whole and provide daily inspiration for everyone who lives there.
It’s Time to Craft a Vision for Your Home!
Feel free to contact us if you have questions or want to learn more about Robert's Econest Workshops or Paula's work at Econest Architecture.
Meanwhile, Adrette Window Coverings is the Portland region’s premier custom window treatment firm. People often call us “Portland’s Best Kept Secret” because we only work with a finite number of clients each year to ensure the quality of our service. We merge old world craftsmanship and quality with the latest styles and technology to create statement piece looks in your home.
We help you make confidence decisions and create inspiring spaces in the home with custom drapes and shades.
Learn more at Adrette.com.