Against the Grain: Women Woodworkers of the Hudson Valley

In the Hudson Valley, we’re proud to boast that there are many women defying gender stereotypes in woodworking, creating high-end, design-focused furniture and cabinetry, while keeping craftsmanship, sustainability, and the concept of truly local at the fore. These women-owned and led businesses create custom and heirloom-quality work using traditional and contemporary techniques and designs for residences as well as businesses. They are not only crafting extraordinary, earth-thoughtful objects, but they’re also reshaping a field long dominated by men, while building a mutually supportive community as they create and grow their businesses. We hope you’ll follow, visit, and support these talented local makers.

Rowan Woodwork | Kingston NY | @rowanwoodwork

Founded in 2014 by Suzanne Walton, Rowan Woodwork has grown into a thriving, award-winning studio known for sleek, contemporary cabinetry and custom furniture. Walton, originally from northern England, trained in furniture restoration before setting down roots in Kingston to create a different kind of shop: one that is women- and queer-owned, green-certified, and deeply values transparency and collaboration. Over half of Rowan’s ten-person team identifies as female, and apprentices are trained and paid a living wage. From material sourcing to installation, Rowan lives its values—building not just enduring, conversation-starting pieces, but lasting relationships. Almost every client becomes a friend, proof that for Rowan, woodworking is about connection as much as craft.

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Wickham Solid Wood Studio | Newburgh NY | @wickhamsolidwoodstudio

Jessica Wickham’s journey began in Japan, where she spent five years immersed in traditional aesthetics and the precision of hand-forged tools. That early influence continues to guide Wickham Solid Wood Studio, now housed in a 3,200-square-foot brick building in Newburgh. Specializing in custom cabinetry and modern furniture, Wickham and her team explore the expressive possibilities of solid wood, collaborating closely with clients on each project. The studio maintains an impressive inventory of kiln-dried, live-edge hardwoods and offers everything from prototyping to installation. Wickham’s designs reflect a seamless blend of tradition and modernity, rooted in the timeless dialogue between material and maker.

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New York Heartwoods | Accord + Kingston NY | @newyorkheartwoods

Megan Offner founded New York Heartwoods with a mission: to honor local forests by transforming downed or discarded trees into meaningful, lasting pieces. This woman-owned, climate-conscious studio has become a leader in circular, sustainable design—coordinating with mills, kilns, and fabricators to give second life to trees felled by storms, disease, or development. The result is furniture and building materials that are as responsible as they are beautiful. With a zero-waste ethos and an all-female team, New York Heartwoods crafts custom pieces that connect people to place while proving that sustainable design can be both visionary and deeply rooted. Read our exclusive interview with Megan Offner HERE.

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Dzierlenga Furniture | Salt Point NY | @dzierlenga

Casey Dzierlenga’s furniture feels like sculpture, shaped as much by story as by wood. With a background in film studies and set design, she brings a narrative eye to each heirloom-quality piece, believing the objects we live with become part of our lives. Her work draws on generations of American craft, elevated by locally sourced lumber and non-toxic finishes that highlight the natural character of the wood. Each chair, table, or cabinet is built to offer quietude amidst life’s chaos, grounding modern living in heritage and handcraft. Based in Salt Point, Dzierlenga collaborates with both individual clients and design partners, with her work also featured at FAIR in the New York Design Center.

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Nadia Yaron | Hudson NY | @nadiayaron

Working out of a restored 19th-century barn in Hudson, artist and woodworker Nadia Yaron creates vertical sculptural works that celebrate the raw beauty of natural materials, their sacredness, and impermanence. Her pieces often combine salvaged wood, stone, and metal into textured forms that highlight the imperfections and stories carried within each element she brings into balance. A Brazilian-born American artist of Russian and Italian descent, her work creates artful focal points that feel both organic and contemporary. Her wood is intentionally and locally sourced, and as a way of giving back, every year she plants native hardwood trees.

Featured Photo by Meredith Heuer

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