About Black Walnut Studio
Every remarkable piece of furniture begins long before the first cut.
For John Romadka, every tree carries a story worth preserving.
Every Tree Deserves
a Second Life
John Romadka doesn't simply build furniture.
He creates functional art.
Every drought, every storm and every season is recorded inside the grain of a tree. Rather than hiding those marks, John celebrates them.
Twenty years ago he began teaching himself woodworking while building furniture for his growing family. What started with a cherry blanket chest became dining tables, beds, entertainment centers and countless heirloom pieces.
For nearly twenty years he built for exactly one client—his own family.
When his corporate career unexpectedly came to an end, everything changed.
He already had the workshop. The tools. Twenty years of experience.
The business had quietly been preparing itself all along.
Today Black Walnut Studio creates custom furniture built around one simple philosophy:
Every tree deserves a second life.
THE STORY
AT A GLANCE
THE PROCESS
FEATURED
The Burnt Ember Desk
Most craftsmen would have cut away the fire damage.
John built around it.
The Bastogne walnut slab had survived a fire, leaving a charred scar running through its center. Instead of hiding the damage, he stabilized it using ebony bow-tie keys and preserved its history with deep black resin.
The result became one-of-one functional art.
A piece that could never be recreated.
Inside the Workshop
FAVORITE TOOL: Lie-Nielsen No.7 Jointer Plane
FAVORITE MACHINE: Professional Cabinet Saw
FAVORITE PLACE: The handmade maple workbench where every project begins.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Materials Matter
John is drawn to Bastogne Walnut because of its incredible depth, movement and rarity.
Every slab contains dramatic figure and shifting color that simply can't be replicated.
Rather than covering the wood beneath heavy finishes, he uses premium European hardwax oils that protect while allowing you to still feel the grain beneath your fingertips.
SOURCING
Production furniture runs on compromise.
I don't.
If a step makes the piece better, even if nobody will ever see it—I still do it.
Craftsmanship is measured by the details hidden inside every piece; the joints you'll never see, the reinforcements buried beneath the surface, the extra hours spent making something right rather than simply making it done.
Building custom furniture means never apologizing for taking the time to make something exceptional.
Start small.
Build often.
Let every project teach you something.
Craftsmanship is earned one project at a time.
THE WORK
Explore My Collections
Most of my work is large dining and conference tables. This one came from what was left after a commissioned Bastogne walnut dining table, cut from the remnants of the same bookmatched slabs. Bastogne is a rare hybrid of English and Claro walnut, responsibly harvested, and most people have never seen it in person. One live edge survived on this piece, and I loved that, so I made it the focus. It's a small table built with every decision a large one gets.
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Finished in European hardwax oil, hand-applied, on a powder-coated steel C-frame, matte black. Functional art in Bastogne walnut, one of one. Its sibling, South Santiam, came from the same slabs.
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SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions: 18.5" L × 12.5" W × 26" H
Top thickness: 2"
Wood: Bastogne walnut
Slab origin: Pacific Northwest
Base: Powder-coated steel C-frame, matte black
Finish: European hardwax oil
Edition: One of one
Price: $425
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CONSTRUCTION & CRAFT
Built by Black Walnut Studio, LLC in Madison, Wisconsin. The center of the tree runs through this top, and a split runs with it. Black resin fills the split, and a single bow tie crosses it to lock it in place. During sanding, a little moisture made the top begin to bow, a sign the wood still held tension. So I went back and set a steel C-channel into the underside to keep it flat for a lifetime. The finish is European hardwax oil, hand-applied. The base is a powder-coated steel C-frame in matte black.
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SHIPPING
Shipping is calculated at checkout. Ships flat-packed. Assembly takes under five minutes with pre-installed hex-head bolts, and a hex wrench is included.