INTO THE WOOD
the intimate world of flat iron designs

Intimacy is most often expressed with delicate touches, loving innuendos and allowing someone into our private worlds - revealing the most personal of things. If you really think about it, furniture, paintings and other decorative accents become very intimate to our lives. The furnishings and decorations we have ensconced around our homes, apartments, condos and offices not only express something to us on a daily basis and help create certain moods that "touch our psyche," but they seemingly "absorb" or assimilate part of our lives into their fibrous materials. They, like a good horse, canine or feline companion, are always accepting of us. They become constants in our unpredictable lives and are always providing services and comforts as well as atmosphere. We, in turn, massage oils into their wooden planks, sandpaper out blemishes and knock-on-them for good luck - as though these fixtures have special abilities to cast off evil doings.

Making our furniture selections can be equated with getting married. There's a 50/50 chance you'll end up sharing intimate moments with the "chosen one(s)" for a long, long time. So, your choices need to be based on how they were "brought up or constructed" - if you will. As we all know and can attest to, our family nurturing and conditioning play a huge part of who we are today. Similarly, the way in which a fine piece of furniture is constructed and developed will be a sustaining part of its character. Let your eyes first be delighted. There must be a chemistry. Pheromones should bounce off the walls when you know a piece is right for you. To get such a rush and in order to have a selection of top quality hand-hewed furniture and accessories, I recommend visiting Flat Iron Designs on 2122 East Main Street in Montrose , Colorado , or the new Mountain Gallery in Grand Junction on Highways 6 and 50, across from Sam's Club.

Both stores tender a grand array of "intimates." From concept to completion, the furnishings rustle in individuality and originality. You see, the owner and main master craftsman, Jim Smith, goes "into the wood" to bring out unique traits like texture, form, grain and color. This makes each and every piece one-of-a-kind. It's also a bit like spirit dancing, as each piece of wood is treated like it has a soul - rendering its personality to the surface. Crafting distinctive pieces melds nicely into Tellurideians' way of thinking, which is probably why Flat Iron Designs has a large client base from here. From pine, cedar and aspen, Jim and his clique of adroit wood and metal workers, design and build a spectacular assortment of western commodities with a primary focus on beds, armoires, dressers, mirrors, end and coffee tables. Custom metal works are also a large part of Jim and his wife, Natalie's, businesses, as are wildlife and western pictures, rugs, hides, antler chandeliers and sculptures. Natalie says, "Jim can look at a piece of wood and see something unique to make from it."

"Flat iron" designs and furniture pieces are very often custom works. For example, a client may want a grand entryway made for their ranch. Thus, they simply sketch out their ideas or give the Smiths' input, so their graphic artist can computerize the desired imagery. Upon the client's feedback, the graphic artist makes a template for the metal cutting department. A rendition can similarly be made for furniture. Jim and his crew then implement the designs - always trying to "create a masterpiece." Custom signs, fireplace screens, coat racks, towel bars, landscape scenes and interior sculptures are just some of the metal works this prolific company produces.

For 12 years, Jim and Natalie and their children, Brandi and Cody, have been coming West from Texas to the San Juan Mountains to celebrate and partake in the joys of hiking, camping, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, four-wheeling and more. "Just taking a drive in the afternoon was enjoyable as the beauty around here is phenomenal." The abundance of simple pleasures enticed the Smith family to move to Montrose in 1999. Having been in the residential and commercial development in Texas all of his life, Jim in particular wanted to "have a slower paced life and had always wanted to live in the western slopes of Colorado ." Undoubtedly, the "western feel," is an intricate part of the Smiths. Most everything they create, sell or do celebrates the temperament and spirit of the West. Cowboys and Indians, wildlife, cattle ranches and many of the things that are enduring players of the Wild West, are the primarily milieu that make up the atmosphere surrounding the Smith family on a daily basis. Being in the West and being surrounded by the Western decor everyday speaks volumes about them. Like the Old West, the Smiths have a spirit of rugged individualism. They like challenges and love being "on their own." They like the "non-manufactured" feel of life-pieces - obviously in that a large portion of their goods and services are custom-built. They know their "masterpieces" will be around for a lifetime, so they give it their utmost and fine tune each detail so it will remain part of a family's heritage. Jim and his son Cody, 13, hunt regularly. While all four of them ski as often as possible. Natalie says she's Jim's devoted sidekick. Figuratively, mending the fences or picking up the pieces when they need pickin' up. She's the glue betwixt the business and the family.

Operating as the pivotal point to keep both moving along. Stoney Creek Log Furnishings is the Smith's new add-on concept to the Flat Iron Designs company. Stoney Creek Log Furnishings is in a 5,000 square foot home-type of building across from Sam's Club in Grand Junction . Showcases of their fine log furniture and mountain accents will be highlighted to create a warm atmosphere, as unique mountain homes portray. Furnishing mountain homes with their unique style accents is very rewarding to the Smiths, knowing that they have helped in creating that special touch for your home and with your "intimate" choices.