Best of Cleveland 2015: Handcrafted Furniture

Freddy Hill's hand-built furniture has lines clean enough to make a maple red with envy. In his woodshop at the Screw Factory in Lakewood, Hill turns hardwoods such as walnut into creations inspired by legendary designers George Nakashima, James Krenov and Sam Maloof — "the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin of woodworking," he says. Hill's bark-covered light fixtures ($250) and end tables ($150), made of cleaned-up, perfectly chiseled walnut stumps that mix minimalism with Midwestern grit, would be right at home among such greats. Hill, who appeared on Spike TV's furniture design competition show Framework earlier this year, uses urban sawmill Metro Hardwoods in Cleveland as a source for kiln-dried hardwood. "I like the idea that I can make a legitimate living working with my hands," says Hill. "I'd never be embarrassed to shake someone's hand with calloused fingers." 13000 Athens Ave., Lakewood, freddyhill1976.com