Local furniture maker and upholsterer Fernando Canchola made a splash in the local design scene last year when he started posting simple photos of his not-so-simple work on his Instagram (@fernandochavezcanchola). Items like vintage chairs upholstered in vibrant watercolor fabric, a pink velvet French-style bedframe, and bright blue Parsons tables beckon to his followers from his Beach Street studio.
"It's hard for me to drive around and meet decorators, so I just figured if I posted pictures maybe they would come to me," Fernando said. "I don't have a website. All I have is my Instagram." He was right. The orders quickly started pouring in. We sat down with him to find out a little more about the life of a Fort Worth furniture maker.
What would we find if we stepped into your studiorightnow? Right now we have a full house worth of furniture. I'm currently working on acustom wooden oak and metal 8-foot door a client wants to surprise his wife with for her birthday, and my dad is working on allthe frames for the TCU Greek houses. You'll also find my 8-month-old French bulldog, Bentley,asleep.
Oh yeah, you're refurnishing the TCU Greek houses; what an exciting project. Can you tell us about any specificpieces you've made forthe houses? We are making 12 pieces for the Kappa Alpha Theta sororityhouse, and probably the most used piece in the house is going to be their huge custom sectional. It's a very modern piece and going to besupremelycomfortable. The second is for theTri Delta house,and thedecorator has asked me to keep it top secret for now, but I canpromise everyonewill be surprised with the colorsand textures he chose.
You receive many requests from designers. What are some common trends you're seeing lately? Very modern andcontemporary. Everydesigner has theirowncertain style, which is often why theclient picksthem.
What fabric brands are your favorite to work with? Fortuny. It's always a pleasure to work with such abeautiful fabricthat alone looks like a piece of art.
Do you have a favorite style of furniture?I like contemporary furniture because it's often moreversatile in ahome.
What do you listen to while making furniture? For as long as I can remember, my dad has had oldies on the radio, and he still does to this day. I usually listen to podcaststhroughout the day, and it's mostly comedy.
Obviously your skill is custom furniture. But what's your favorite place to shop when looking forreadymade furniture? I can honestly sayI've never bought any furniture ever. All of our furniture atthe house is made by us. We made our beds, guestbeds, dining table, dining chairs, sofas, coffee table, my desk, even our drapes for ourwindows wesewed.
How did you learn to make furniture? I learned everything I know from my father at anearly age. My father used to work in a warehouse where he eventually learned the trade andthought he couldmake betterhigh-quality furniture. He went into business alone over 40years ago in California, learning every stepand opening a shop on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. He would bring me to the shop on the weekends,and Iwould play with the staple gun. Eventually I learned the trade and took it seriously at 16 years old when we moved to Texas. On the weekendsand summerbreaks back then youcould find me in the shop with my dad. Now, 10 years laterit's something I canappreciate and amgrateful for.
Any plans for your own line one day? It's a littlehard to find some free time right now, but it hasalwaysbeen adream of mine and my fathers to have our own line ofcustom furniture one day or a showroom where people can come and see our pieces. My father went from being a factory workerthat wouldbring sidejobs home to his apartment and work in his room with a smallcompressor while everyonewas gone at work, to meeting Rose Tarlowand making her custom line of furniture. [Tarlow is a well-respecteddesigner, named one of the world's top 100 interior designers and architects in Architectural Digest in 2014.] Hopefully, I'll have a website and a few piecesbefore the end of the year. I'm currently booked till mid-August but still taking orders for clients that want acustom piece of furniture.
photography by Alex Lepe