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.

Diego and Inamorata Casegoods

A few years ago we received a special commission to make a custom Irenic Bed out of East Indian Laurel. In addition to the bed the clients were keen on having complementary casegoods made - namely a pair of dressers and a pair of night stands.

Inspired by the sweeping arc of the bed design we conceptualized a casegood profile that would emulate the door sweep of the Diego Humidor.

The resulting casegoods are shown below. To counterbalance the warmth of the wood we introduced the coolness of steel through the use of large polished steel pulls. Given the vibrant presence of the wood grain it was necessary to make the size of the custom pulls substantial, with the grips and detailing crafted out of black rubber.



The back of the main dresser was fully finished, which is a standard feature incorporated into all of our custom furniture designs.



The tall chest shown below was initially conceived of as a shorter dresser until a problem was discovered with how the builder proportioned the master bedroom. This unexpected glitch was quickly resolved with the suggestion that we transform the dresser into a vertical chest of drawers, thereby allowing it to fit a niche in the room.



Once again the back is fully finished.



Each of the night stands has a single drawer, with storage below for books.





In tandem with this we crafted another version of the Irenic Bed as shown below - this time out of natural Cherry. Because of the subtlety of the Cherry grain it was decided to cut the wood at slight angles to create a radiating pattern to symbolize a rising Sun.



For this commission the client requested large center drawers on the dresser, and smaller cubbie drawers on each side. Since the wood grain of the Cherry was not as intense as the East Indian Laurel, a more subdued satin nickel pull was selected.





This 7 drawer cabinet is called a semainaire, which is derived from a French word used to describe a lady's lingerie chest having one drawer for each day of the week.





One key feature of this custom piece is the discrete locking compartment that was integrated into the underside of the top. The compartment was lined in black Tuscany leather. Both the lock and hinges were plated in 18K gold.



The night stands each feature 3 large drawers...



and a fully finished back.



This corner detail shows the cascading grain pattern on the pilasters.



Inlaid into the back of each of the cabinets was a small convex inlay of a wood known as Narra. This particular selection of Narra carries a special provenance in the world of sustainable forest management because it comes from the last remaining board known to exist of the very first wood to be sustainably harvested on the Solomon Islands in the early to mid-1990s. This Narra made its way into North American by way of Eco-Timber in California.



All drawers are dovetailed solid maple, running on concealed linear ball bearing self-closing glides.



For management of various electronic devices some custom charging stations were built into each of the night stands, so that cell phones, Bluetooths, Blackberrys and digital cameras could be simultaneously stored and charged.

The power bar and excess wiring were concealed under a removeable tray that was inlaid with slots and pockets for storage.



This resulting casegoods collection is called Inamorata.

Inamorata comes from the Latin words "in" and "amore", with the loose translation being "to inspire with love".




Sustainable, Environmental, Eco Lifestyles, Healthy, All Natural, Home and Garden, Interior Design, Eco Friendly, Green Furniture, Green Furnishings, Green Designs, FSC Certified, Reclaimed Materials. Organic, LEED compliant, NAUF. CARB2, Bamboo, Natural Fibers. Non-Toxic, low-VOC, Non VOC, Natural Finishes.