Diego Humidor - The Story Behind its Creation

As the DotCom bubble began to inflate in 1994 the per capita cigar consumption of adult American males began to rise for the first time since the Kennedy administration. Before long this resurgence began to stimulate demand for accessories such as humidors as well.


Like many custom furniture makers the idea of making humidors was completely in sync with any other type of fine woodworking. The most common type of design was the simple lidded box, with an exterior clad in a fancy exotic wood (usually finished in high gloss) and an interior lined in Spanish Cedar.



The most difficult part of this process usually involved finding high quality hardware that was of a level consistent with the quality of the box itself. In my case I could never settle for anything less than finely machined quadrant hinges plated in 18K gold.



Simple rectangular boxes were, frankly, quite boring to make so it didn't take long for me to seek out new challenges. Soon I began to experiment with alternative shapes such as this pyramid design.





By the time this Pyramid Humidor came together I had managed to fine tune my signature detail of using cigar shaped ventilation slots in the bottom of the trays.



By 1998 it was time to set the bar higher again with the Diego Humidor. By now I was looking to create a cabinet that would allow for both individual cigar storage as well as storage for complete boxes of cigars. Of course the biggest challenge for such a concept was going to be humidification and ventilation. This was addressed through the use a commercial grade humidification system set on a slide-out tray built into the center of the cabinet.



The cabinet was designed with a double wall back panel (with cigar shaped cutouts for ventilation) to allow for complete circulation of humidified air throughout the cabinet. The underside of the top features a sunburst inlay of Spanish Cedar, with the top pivoting on inlaid quadrant hinges plated in 18K gold. In addition to a removable tray this upper storage area also has custom inlaid pockets for a cutter and lighter.



The lower part of the cabinet has a pair of thick double doors inset with a diamond shaped medallion and inlaid escutcheon lock. Adjustable shelves made of Spanish Cedar allow for great versatility in customizing the storage space below.

The doors were finished in high gloss Pommelle Sapele, while the cabinet exterior was high gloss Ribbon Sapele. On the very top of the cabinet an inset of figured Pommelle is framed with crossbanded Ribbon Sapele, offset by an inlaid purfling of Mahogany and Indian Ebony. As with all of my pieces the back is fully finished.

Overall dimensions: 27-3/8" (69.5 cm.) wide x 18-1/4" (46.5 cm.) deep x 49-3/4" (126.5 cm.) high.

The Diego Humidor was unveiled at the 1998 Toronto Wine and Cheese Show as part of an exhibit that included the Andiroba Wine Cabinet.



Subsequent to this the Diego Humidor went to Miami where was displayed at the Carriage House showroom.

It is now part of a private collection in Brunei.

Andiroba Humidor

The design of the Andiroba Humidor came about in the late 1990s as I formulated humidor ideas uniquely different from the conventional box designs that were becoming prevalent in the marketplace at the time.


The humidor as shown was sculpted from a wood called Block Mottled Tangare, with the exterior made as two interlocking half shells that pivot/swing open to reveal the cabinet interior.


The cabinet interior features adjustable wood shelves for box storage, a louvered double wall backpanel for air circulation, a concealed central humidification system, and 7 individually sculpted drawers for storage of individual cigars.


Note the undulating shapes on each of the individual drawer faces. Although the drawer boxes were crafted from Spanish Cedar the drawer faces were made of Block Mottled Tangare to match the cabinet exterior.


The Andiroba Humidor is currently entered into a design competition called "Show Us Your Drawers" at Fine Woodworking Magazine.

Please check out the attached link and click "Thumbs Up" if you think it's cool.

500 Cabinets

I have just received word from Ray Hemachandra of Lark Books that 3 of my furniture pieces are now officially published in a new book entitled: "500 Cabinets: A Showcase of Design & Craftsmanship".

This is such an incredible honour to be showcased alongside so many exceptionally talented furniture designers and makers.

Juried by John Grew Sheridan, "500 cabinets" showcases the art and craft of fine furniture making with examples of contemporary works from 300 different makers.

Although the actual release date is August 3, 2010 copies of this book can be pre-ordered at online retailers such as Amazon. In the United States the link is here: http://amzn.to/94rXIv

To my understanding the Andiroba Cabinet was one of the pieces selected. In the photos below you can see this design sculpted out of Mottled Tangare, and fitted as a standing humidor.

For those wishing to respect the Cuban embargo, please close your eyes to the Cohibas.

Also featured is the Gentleman's Valet, which was crafted out of a rare sampling of Curly Birds Eye Maple, and inlaid with Makore and Ebony. Using a technique similar to the Andiroba, the outer case is made as 2 seamless half shells that hinge/pivot open to reveal the interior.

The inside of the valet contains 7 drawers plus a pair of doors for storage at the bottom.

The upper drawer has individual compartments to receive wrist watches and even loose change. Slots for fountain pens are located in the center tray.

The third cabinet accepted for publication is our newest creation called Digitaria/Blue Star.

This multi-angular design was inspired by the Wally 118 superyacht, highlighted by the subtle contrast between the polished stainless steel base and the satin black lacquer cabinetry.

In the isometric view the 3-dimensionality of the design is more apparent.

The interior of Digitaria/Blue star is crafted from natural maple plywood. The 4 drawers are dovetailed solid maple, and pop open using Blumotion slides and Blum's pneumatic touch latch system.

This detail view of the upper corner shows how the angles of the multiple surfaces intersect.

The top is bevel back painted glass, set into a recess.

Hopefully you feel inspired enough to pick up a copy of this book, and see examples of furniture arts and crafts at their finest.

If you feel motivated to write a review at Amazon http://amzn.to/94rXIv , by all means please do so.

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On that note please keep in mind that 5-star reviews are very beneficial, but even 4-star rankings are detrimental.