Hasta La Ideas

A Portland DIY guru’s bags, aprons and more

Like a younger Martha Stewart based in Portland, OR, Matt Pierce’s wide range of skills—from sewing to woodworking and furniture-making—keeps him busy tinkering in the house (that he renovated) and his garden workshop. “I used to worry that because I was so interested in so many different things, that I could never become an expert in any one thing,” he said. “Then I learned to embrace it. It’s just my style to do a lot of different things.”

But Pierce hasn’t always been a chronic tinkerer; he also works as a graphic, interior and web designer (with clients like Adult Swim on his roster). It’s perhaps this background that gives his all his work—from bags to doors and aprons—a distinctly utilitarian feel that doesn’t detract from its handsomeness. “I like looking at Army-Navy stores, and using materials in ways that they weren’t intended to be used,” he said, sitting at the table that he made from metal, red Kevlar and wood given to him by his grandfather in Kansas (Pierce’s native state).

Pierce’s beautifully photographed site Wood & Faulk does perfect justice to his sturdily made and affordable products, which he produces in small batches and rotate frequently. “I think my next project might be a DIY lamp kit,” he said. “I’d provide the die-cut pieces and tubing.” Some of his other items for sale include a handsome heavy cotton carpenter’s bag and pocket notebooks for when you have some inspirations of your own.

Wood & Faulk products sell online. To learn about ongoing projects, check out the blog.