Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Built-to-order hardwood furniture from Milwaukee.

Functional furniture in the tradition of Shaker design, with a mid-century modern influence. Built to order from selected hardwoods, in a Milwaukee workshop.

See the collection Talk about your piece
A walnut desk and chair built by Sustar Woodworks, set against a white wall.

Shaker utility with a mid-century influence.

Each piece is built to order from selected hardwoods, with the useful proportions of Shaker furniture and a mid-century modern influence.

Inquiries are welcome for commissions that align with our design language.

  • Function

    Every proportion begins with how the furniture will be used.

  • Hardwood

    Each commission is built from hardwood selected for the piece.

  • Detail

    Edges, legs, drawers, and joinery are considered as parts of one design.

Close view of a walnut dining table edge and shaped leg.

The collection

Designs Ian has drawn and built. Any of them can be made in another wood, at another size, for the room you have in mind.

The Halden Credenza by Sustar Woodworks.
Halden Credenza
The Keystone Table by Sustar Woodworks.
Keystone Table
The Meridian Table by Sustar Woodworks.
Meridian Table
The Milwaukee Bungalow Table by Sustar Woodworks.
Milwaukee Bungalow Table
The Spindle Back Chair by Sustar Woodworks.
Spindle Back Chair
The Tressa Bar Stool by Sustar Woodworks.
Tressa Bar Stool
A walnut gaming table with a recessed felt playing surface, built by Sustar Woodworks.
Gaming Table
The Horizon Table by Sustar Woodworks.
Horizon Table
The Savora Dresser by Sustar Woodworks.
Savora Dresser
The Velora Console Table by Sustar Woodworks.
Velora Console Table
The Strata Coffee Table by Sustar Woodworks.
Strata Coffee Table
The Pencil Post Bed by Sustar Woodworks.
Pencil Post Bed
The Nakara Table by Sustar Woodworks.
Nakara Table
The Simple Stool, a three legged stool by Sustar Woodworks.
Simple Stool
The Mid Modern Side Table by Sustar Woodworks.
Mid Modern Side Table
The Arden Table by Sustar Woodworks.
Arden Table

The wood

Walnut and cherry, chosen for the finished piece.

A walnut case piece with a shaped foot and a drawer front showing open grain.
Walnut

The rich grain the shop keeps coming back to. Dark, quiet, and unmistakable across a room.

A cherry cabinet with two panelled doors and a single drawer.
Cherry

Warm hues that keep deepening for years after the piece leaves the shop.

Don't make something unless it is both necessary and useful; but if it is both necessary and useful, don't hesitate to make it beautiful.

The Shakers

The trees that supply the shop take decades to mature, so materials are sourced with their replacement in mind. It is the same reason the joinery is built to outlast the first owner.

Ian Sustar sighting down a rough board in his workshop. Ian Sustar in the Sustar Woodworks shop.

Designer and maker

Ian Sustar

Ian learned woodworking in his father's shop. Those early lessons in precision, creativity, and respect for materials still shape the furniture he builds in Milwaukee.

Today the work happens one commission at a time in his workshop on East Nash Street.

Bring him a project

Tell Ian what the room needs.

A size, a wood, a photo of the space, a rough sketch on a napkin. Any of it is enough to start the conversation about what gets built.