RN WINTERS - CABINETMAKER

Robert N Winters

I design and build custom kitchens and residential cabinetry with a special interest in the restoration of the period home. I grew up on the Connecticut coast, an area rich in historic properties and, at an early age, developed an interest and an appreciation of its vernacular architecture and woodwork. College, a stint in the military, a bit of travel, and some graduate work found me in Hawaii with, eventually, a longing to return to the changes in climate so characteristic of New England. My career in woodworking began in 1978, shortly after a move to central Maine. A summer job in the Maine woods has now lasted for thirty years.

I began professional woodworking as an apprentice in two cabinet and millwork shops in the Bangor area. Marriage and the purchase of an old farmhouse in Lagrange soon led me to set up shop as R N Winters - Cabinetmaker. I now live with my wife Lynn in a 150-year-old homestead in Sebec, a village of about 500 residents located at the edge of the North Maine Woods. I take satisfaction in employing centuries-old methods of joinery in this wooded and quiet setting.

I design and build to my client’s wishes and needs, but the styles I enjoy the most are those with roots in the Shaker and Arts and Crafts traditions. I use native hardwoods, sustainably harvested, sawn and dried at small local mills, often yielding lumber of unique color and figure, giving individuality and interest to my work.

I work with one client at a time, giving that project the undivided attention to detail that it deserves. Additions to one’s home are an important and personal decision, and I see the client/craftsman relationship as a cooperative process. Clients often become lasting friends. There’s a little part of me in every project, and I see it being used, appreciated, and handed down from one generation to the next.

Bob