Our Craft and History

This is our craft

We are preservationists, passionate about traditional furniture-craft methods and materials.  We are pioneers, innovating finishing technology and robotic systems that changed furniture factories around the world. Merging old world craftsmanship and modern American factory muscle without compromising quality, personal touch and passion for design and handcraft.

Our factory is located in Grand Rapids Michigan, where all our furniture is proudly made, sourced nearly entirely from within a 30-mile radius, in the heartland of American furniture-craft. Our wood is delivered to us kiln-dried from Michigan-farmed forests within a few hours’ drive from our loading dock doors.

Over a quarter-century, we have grown from a kitchen-table operation to one of the industry’s leading providers of contract furniture and architectural components. As larger contract furniture companies moved production overseas, we expanded our American-made approach. As other furniture manufacturers reduced staff, we added to our team many second-and third-generation woodworkers with experience as craftspeople in the old traditions of furniture manufacturing, whose fathers, uncles or grandmothers built chairs and tables in the glory days of Michigan’s woodland history. These craftspeople brought to our company their knowledge of veneer marquetry, wood joinery and finishing expertise. To their experiences, we added modern machining techniques and laser cutting innovations to create a perfect blend of modern production with traditional craftsmanship. We care deeply about providing you furniture with strong design, lasting quality and durable strength.

This is our history

Founded by Sherri Moore and Blake Ratcliffe in 1998 in Ann Arbor Michigan, TMC got its start in the couple’s century-old farmhouse. It was there they created their first prototypes and established their signature design philosophy.

“Sherri and I trained in the arts and made our early living as artists and educators. By 1984, we’d started our first company, Moore-Ratcliffe Design, doing graphic and product design for education, furniture, fashion and corporate markets. As our interest in furniture design grew, we launched TMC with our much beloved line of children’s and library furniture. TMC was a success from day one. Looking back, I think the secret to our success was the training-in-the-trenches we had done as young designers: listening to clients and focusing our designs around their needs.”

It’s this history that forms the core values of what makes TMC unique: understanding the design process, working closely and collaboratively with clients, pride in craftsmanship and lasting quality, all imbued with the artist’s eye and passion.

Today, with a factory in Grand Rapids and a team of talented artists, engineers, woodworkers, and customer support, we have grown quite a bit since the early days, but have not lost the human connection in all that we do.