Keep Furniture

Keep Furniture is a Brooklyn-based woodworking business specializing in custom hardwood furniture and sculpture. Owner Steven Bennett brings together traditional joinery, fine art and ergonomics to make dynamic handmade work.

Steven Bennett, founder and owner of Keep Furniture, doesn’t have the classic story you might expect from someone specializing in traditional joinery and heirloom-quality furniture. He doesn’t come from a family of woodworkers, and he didn’t have an impressive apprenticeship. But he does have a passion for woodworking and years of experience crafting beautiful, thoughtfully designed furniture and art objects. 

Bennett, who was born in Maine, started drawing and thinking about art at age 8 after the deaths of both of his parents. He continued to spend most of his free time making things into his high school years, when he realized he wanted to pursue a career as an artist. He first took up woodworking in 2004, while studying painting at Pratt Institute. He graduated in 2006. Still focused on fine art, Bennett moved to San Francisco in 2007, where he painted in his studio between bartending shifts, working 6-7 days a week at two bars. After returning to New York City in 2010, wood became Bennett’s primary medium. He worked high-end framing jobs for clients including Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Phillips. Ready to set out on his own, Bennett started working for himself part time in a woodshop and school at Makeville Studio in Brooklyn in 2012. In 2015, he officially founded Keep Furniture, the same year he began teaching classes as Makeville. 

“Being a part of the long history and tradition of woodworking and craftsmanship is truly an honor and a blessing,” says Bennett. “I love everything about woodworking and furniture making. Yes, even sanding, on occasion. I love the sound two wood parts that have been cut for partnership make when they snap together. Most of all, I appreciate the opportunity to make a living as a woodworker. Every day I have another chance to work with my hands, be creative, and —at my best— remind the world how beautiful nature can be.”

Hand-picking every board used for every object he makes, Bennett crafts custom work and collaborates with clients to create ergonomic designs imbued with style, strength, and beauty. His work has appeared in the Philadelphia Furniture Show, the Brooklyn Design Show, and the American Fine Craft Show.