hand tools on top of table

The Artist

Tessa's engineering turns architectural-grade birch plywood into structurally honest, heirloom-quality furniture. Designing custom solutions for architects and design-conscious homeowners using CNC digital fabrication.

Tessa

Livingston- Pooley.

Philosophy

Plywood is an engineered superpower, built to outlast solid timber when layered with mathematical tolerance.

Founded by a designer-engineer, Tessa prioritizes structural honesty. She rejects veneer tricks and hidden fasteners. If a joint holds weight, expose its geometry.

Macro close-up of a CNC router bit cutting a clean path into a birch plywood sheet, bright workshop daylight, wood shavings flying, sharp focus
Macro close-up of a CNC router bit cutting a clean path into a birch plywood sheet, bright workshop daylight, wood shavings flying, sharp focus

The CNC workflow

Combine advanced digital fabrication with meticulous hand-finishing. Every piece of furniture is engineered to exact tolerances in my Torrance workshop, ensuring perfect interlocking joints that last.

+ Step 02

Friction Assembly

Parts lock together with exposed friction-fit joinery. The tight tolerances ensure structural integrity. Fasteners are used when requested.

+ Step 03

Hand Finishing

The CNC machine cuts the path, but the human hand finishes every edge. Tessa sands and oils each piece with natural finishes.

+ Step 01

a person cutting a piece of wood
a person cutting a piece of wood
Hand holding sandpaper with grit number 60
Hand holding sandpaper with grit number 60