Heirloom-grade furniture, planters, and outdoor pieces — designed and built one at a time in Virginia Beach. Custom dimensions, custom designs, real wood, real joinery. You name it, I build it.
The Red Shade is a small woodshop based in Virginia Beach. Every piece is designed, milled, joined, and finished in-house — not assembled from a kit, not pulled off a pallet, not flat-packed.
Visible mortise-and-tenon joinery. Hand-burned shou sugi ban finishes. Live-edge tops mated to clean modern bases. The work spans heirloom indoor furniture, weather-ready outdoor seating, cedar planters, and one-off pieces designed around whatever you have in mind.
If you can describe it, it can be built. Custom dimensions, custom species, custom finishes — at a price that respects both your space and the time it takes to make something well.
Each piece below was commissioned, designed, and built from scratch. Tap any image to see it full size.
Burnt black frame · live cedar slats
Cedar slats · burnt black frame
Cedar grain composition
Three lanes of work — but the line between them is thin. If you can describe it, we can build it.
Coffee tables, side tables, butcher block surfaces, benches, shelving. Built in the species and dimensions your space needs — not what the showroom had in stock.
Porch swings, Adirondack-style seating, deck lanterns, weather-finished pieces. Built for the Hampton Roads climate — salt, sun, humidity, and all.
Cedar planters, hanging baskets, tiered garden boxes, coolers, custom one-offs. Smaller pieces in small batches; large pieces by commission.
Text, call, or fill out the form. Share what you're thinking, what space it's for, and any inspiration images.
I'll send back dimensions, wood species options, finish choices, and a fair price. No high-pressure sales.
Most pieces take 2–6 weeks depending on size and complexity. Progress photos along the way.
Local pickup or delivery throughout the 7 Cities. Large pieces I'll help place; small pieces ready to take home.
Tell me what you're thinking. I'll respond within a day, usually faster. Quotes are always free.