Stephen Torrence, a native of Chicago and a North Carolinian since 1994, was destined to become a creative and analytical craftsman. Both his father and grandfather were engineers, and from each he learned technical and hands-on skills that shaped his approaches and applications to furniture making. Stephen's elders encouraged him to be unafraid of learning by smashing his thumb with a hammer, and failing from time to time. They felt that it was necessary for him to get dirty occasionally, and they ingrained in him the essential philosophy that "without failure you will never have of measurement of success."

 

Stephen picked up a hammer at the age of three, and the rest is written in the grain of his furniture.

During his formative years, before Google became the predominant search engine, Stephen's parents encouraged him to meet his inquisitive needs by searching for answers to his questions in large, bulky encyclopedias. It was during these years that he developed an obsession for creativity, and he satisfied his creative urges with art, photography, and carpentry. His skills as a craftsman afforded him the opportunity to build houses during the summers as a teenager, and he eventually worked in the concrete and demolition industries.

 

Stephen believes that "you have to know how things are built in order to disassemble them and put them back together."

Throughout his professional life, Stephen has always had a strong appreciation for nature and all of its offerings. When he and his wife decided to build a house in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, they believed that it was important to incorporate the timbers from their property into the house's flooring, trim, cabinetry, and doors. Stephen, the father of new-born twins, plans to instill in his children the same work ethic and appreciation for creativity and a good days work that he learned from his father and grandfather. He will cover his twins with the influence of a home that was crafted by the calloused hands of their father, and foster an understanding of the true meaning of craftsmanship. He has not merely built a house for his family, he has created a family heirloom that will stand the test of time and welcome countless generations to enjoy and take pride in the work of a true craftsman.

 

"I rehabilitate things of old to ensure that we do not lose sight of the true beauty of our product, and that the skill and knowledge of the craftsman is magnified and upheld for posterity."