Some makers find their calling early, others have to carve it out, literally. For Bud of Forrest Design Co., woodworking became more than a craft; it became a path back to joy, balance, and creativity. After years in the high-pressure world of construction, Bud rediscovered his love for building when he shifted focus to furniture and custom woodworking projects. What started as a way to ease stress soon grew into a thriving business, blending craftsmanship, family values, and a deep respect for nature.
From tackling jaw-dropping builds- like a 9-foot claro walnut dining table - to running a Texas showroom complete with a 12-seat cocktail bar, Bud has built a life and business rooted in passion and community. Along the way, he’s also made sustainability a cornerstone of Forrest Design Co., planting two trees for every piece sold and donating a portion of sales to environmental causes.
Whether he’s pouring epoxy, brushing on Halcyon varnish, or mixing up cocktails behind the bar, Bud’s work reflects what we at TotalBoat love most: makers charting their own course, building not just projects but a legacy.
To learn more about Bud, read our interview with Bud below!
Origins & Inspiration
Can you share a little bit about your background and what led you to start Forrest Design Co.?
My dad passed away in 2005 when I was 20 years old. He was a successful home builder, so I decided to dive into the deep end and take over the business at a young age. I felt a ton of pressure and wasn't ready to be locked into a career, and decided it was time to move away and try something new. My wife and I moved to Fort Collins, CO, for a handful of years, where I completely removed myself from any kind of building whatsoever. It was like starting over and not being known as the builder.
Eventually, we moved back to Texas with no intention to get back into the building industry. But what I found was not only my reputation, but my dad's reputation was waiting for me. I picked up where I left off before moving away, and with it came all the stress and trauma that I left behind years ago.
After panic attacks and anxiety started to get the best of me, I knew something had to change. So I started to build and learn about furniture and woodworking. Products started selling, and custom orders kept coming in. I started taking on less and less homes per year and more and more woodworking projects. The scales started to tip a bit in favor of woodworking. I was enjoying what I was doing again. The panic attacks started to get less frequent, not gone, but better. I felt like I was on a path that suited me. So after 4, almost 5 years, I was able to drop construction altogether and put all of my focus into Forrest Design Co.
Was there a moment when you realized building furniture could become more than just a passion project?
The switch was flipped in my mind when I was spending more time working on custom woodworking projects than construction projects. From then, it became clear, and I had to start making those tough calls to turn down construction projects in order to go full-time woodworker. It definitely was super hard to do at times, but I'm so glad I stayed strong.
Craft & Creativity
Do you prefer designing new pieces or building customer commissions?
I love designing and tackling new pieces for sure. It can be daunting at times, but it really is the best way to learn and grow your skills. To be able to physically feel and see something that you've had circling around in your head is a pretty cool feeling.
What’s the most challenging project you’ve ever taken on?
I would say a 9' round diameter dining table. In theory, it shouldn't have been too difficult, but I was building it out of a $24,000 claro walnut slab, which totally made the stress of the whole project skyrocket. A lot of math, angles, and geometry went into figuring out the sizes to cut this thing into, so I had to trust myself with these equations more than I ever had before. And just the sheer size and weight made it a full-on production just to move this thing around. That becomes a challenge as a 1 man operation.
Family & Community
How do you balance being a small business owner, builder, and dad?
Sheeww! The million dollar question. I feel like the answer to this has to evolve as your rolls evolve. The needs of all of those change so drastically, and it can be tough to keep up with it all if you don't evolve with them. When my kids were much younger, I feel like my role as a business owner looked different. There was more time raising kids and a little less time in the shop. Now that they are a bit older it allows me to be more present with the projects I have on my agenda. Now that social media is becoming a big player in my business, I feel like I'm shifting and managing Forrest Design in a different way than I was just a year ago. For me, it was important to have some "non-negotiables" when I started the business. To not let work overshadow my family. To not get sucked back into construction. To charge what I feel I'm worth. To be open to an evolving business model. And to give back and create a business that I could be proud of and my kids later in life might be proud of. These non-negotiables gave me somewhat a clear path on what I wanted this business to be and how to go about pursuing it. I would encourage everyone to be open to evolution in your business. You never know what's around the corner.
Sustainability & Giving Back
Forrest Design Co. is committed to giving back, planting two trees per purchase, and donating 1% of sales to environmental causes. Why is sustainability so important to you?
Nature is just a huge part of who I am. Everything I enjoy doing is something that's outside and in nature. In this business, we unfortunately use trees to make products. There's almost no way around it. That's why I wanted to plant trees for every sale. To help plant and replace some of the trees that I do use. I don't know how many thousands of trees we've put in the ground, but I do know it's been a lot.
Protecting nature for me is nothing political or something I'm doing from a marketing standpoint or anything like that. It's just a place that I find the most fun, the most peace, and the most connection. It's my church. Why not protect it?
One percent of all Forrest Design Co. sales are donated to environmental causes.
Process & Tools
Walk us through your creative process: what does it look like from concept to finished piece?
It definitely depends on the project. I know this sounds like a waste of time, but it's what I almost always do. I like to just walk around and stare at the slab or lumber for a while and get familiar with all the different characters coming from the wood. Kind of analyze it to an extent. See what I don't like from it and see what we have to keep. I've always done better visualizing the final product in my head rather than trying to sketch it out. I know that has some pros and cons, but that's what's always felt natural to me.
Do you have a favorite tool in your shop that you couldn’t live without?
That's a tough one, but with all the huge tables I do, I would have to say the Festool TS75 Tracksaw.
You’ve incorporated TotalBoat products into your builds. Can you share a project where they made a big difference in the final result?
The thing that I was so excited about when I found TotalBoat was not only the amount of products they had, but the quality of those products. My first product I used was Fathom deep pour. I noticed that I wasn't having to do some of the little quirky things I used to do to ensure a good pour. It was curing up so nicely even when maybe I did push the thickness a little too much. It just all worked so much better with less effort. I then started trying some of the varnishes and fell in love with Halcyon for certain scenarios. I couldn't believe it, and still can't, just how durable and bulletproof that stuff is! And then the Wood Honey for cutting boards, the High Performance Epoxy, and the TotalBond. I still don't feel like I've scratched the surface of all the products they have.
Looking Ahead
What’s one dream project you haven’t built yet but hope to tackle in the future?
Chairs! I really want to start getting into chairs. I'm so intimidated by them, but one of these days I'll dive into them.
Where do you see Forrest Design Co. headed in the next five years?
I'd love to keep a good balance with the social media and partnership side of things with my showroom. Where I would love to see things go is to spend more time being able to create furniture and furniture lines to incorporate into my showroom. We all want the freedom to create what we want, and having this space somewhat allows me to do that. As grateful as I am for all the custom orders I get, I'm wanting to put a little more focus into the showroom. My wife and I also just opened a cocktail bar in the back of the showroom called Half Blind, which has been a lot of fun too. We only open on Fridays and it's only 12 seats. We call it our date night! LOL I'm the bartender and she's the barback. First come first serve.
So in a perfect world, keep working on social media and with amazing partners, have a fully stocked showroom, and serve some beer and cocktails!
Make sure to check out Bud on YouTube!
...And follow along Forrest Design Co. on Instagram!
Fathom Deep Pour Epoxy Resin Kits
Halcyon Water-Based Marine Varnish
Wood Honey Food Safe Wood Finish
Clear High Performance Epoxy Kits
