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Finishes on his furniture are also authentic. Milk paints, which were used before oil paints, are mixed from a powdered form and applied to the wood. After hand rubbing, the colors look worn and give the pieces a 200 year-old look.
Everything of Mr. Coombs’ is bench-built. He has a one-man shop, and “I intend to keep it that way,” he said. Right now he is preparing for the Williamsburg Folk Art Show, a juried show in which he will be participating April 8,9 and 10. “It is a well-established show, and is one of the top four shows on the east coast,” said Mr. Coombs. He plans to display 25 to 30 pieces of furniture.
One of Mr. Coombs’ favorite pieces to construct is the grandchild chest. The chest can easily be placed beside a chair or at the foot of a bed. He personalizes the chest with a diamond shape centered in the middle of the top with engraved initials.
Another favorite piece is the spice chest, made from an antique belonging to a client. He reproduced the chest exactly, and the dimensions are 19 inches high, 18 inches wide by 14 inches deep. Spice chests were first used in the mid 1700’s to early 1800’s when clipper ships brought spices to the states. The spices were so valuable that they were locked up in little chests with separate drawers. Usually there was one secret compartment in the chest, for the most expensive spice, possibly saffron.
Some of Mr. Coombs’ furniture is contemporary, but those pieces are usually commissioned. He has made entertainment centers, dining room tables, bedside tables, chests, dry sinks, crock benches, and other furniture. His clients so i&r have been found by word of memth, or by seeing his work in the “Down Under Laurel Mills” store, which his wife manages. The maj >rity of his furniture can be found in Rappahannock County homes, but it is also found in California, Texas, Michigan, Ohio, Connecticut, Maii e, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Even without advertising, Mr. Coombs\has been very successful in his career which began just three years ago.
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