About Pacific Elements

How We Got Here

Pacific Elements NW started in 2016 in a rented garage in Southeast Portland. The idea was straightforward: salvage old timber that would otherwise be demolished and wasted, and turn it into furniture worth owning.

The first project was a dining table made from Douglas fir joists pulled from a 1920s schoolhouse in Bend. That table led to word-of-mouth referrals, which led to a proper workshop space, which led to a full order book.

Today we operate out of a 3,000-square-foot shop in the Central Eastside industrial district. We're still a small team — four builders, one finisher, and an office manager who somehow keeps everything on schedule.

Our Process

Every project follows the same basic arc, though no two pieces turn out the same — that's the nature of working with reclaimed material.

Sourcing. We pull timber from demolition sites, old barns, decommissioned structures, and occasionally from private landowners clearing property. We work with demolition crews across Oregon, Washington, and northern California.

Milling. Back at the shop, we de-nail each board by hand, mill it to rough dimension, and let it acclimate to workshop humidity for at least two weeks before any joinery begins.

Building. Joinery is mostly traditional — mortise and tenon, dovetails, breadboard ends. We use modern hardware where it makes structural sense, but the wood does the talking.

Finishing. We favour natural oil finishes (tung oil, hardwax) that let the grain show through. No thick poly coats that hide the character of the wood.