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Plan Your Project
Plan Your Project

Our experienced staff consists of skilled professionals who can offer advice on a wide range of material and design options. We are known for our solution-oriented approach. At Northwestern Design, we make cabinets to meet your specifications. Not only will they fit your space correctly, they will add beauty and value to your next project.

Custom Design

Our Production department assures that each project is manufactured in a timely manner and that innovative ideas are implemented. Team members are committed to maintaining a high level of detail that ensures projects are completed to our client’s satisfaction.

    • Estimating

    NWD supports a staff dedicated to the construction industry’s need for high quality, accurate and detailed hard bids for casework and millwork scopes. We are skilled at reviewing project documents (plans, specs, addendums, general conditions, bid package specific documents and sample subcontracts), anticipating costs and developing a GMP based on the documents currently available. Our project takeoffs are organized by building/floor/room and also by product (desk/island/display case), giving us the ability to provide a trackable outline of captured scope.

    Meeting the needs of budget-conscious owners is often a requirement in today’s construction market. We represent a reliable source for alternative cost-saving approaches to millwork requirements that don’t sacrifice quality or appearance. This can be critical to keeping a project within budget.

    • Project Management

    Our team consists of project managers, engineers and superintendents working together to bring a client’s vision to reality. Precise document controls and creative design solutions help keep projects on track. SolidWorks and industry-specific Microvellum software create actual code that is utilized through fabrication, while producing CAD drawings for review and coordination. Our field staff is equipped with state-of-the-art technology for accurate field dimensioning, including ELaser Pro 3D for digitizing as-built conditions. The FSC® certification, USGBC membership and LEED accredited professionals on staff make use of the most environmentally-friendly materials and practices. Our team is upbeat and fun to work with, but also proactive and organized to keep projects on schedule.

    • Manufacturing

    State-of-the-art software and equipment, along with a workforce of veteran craftsmen, allow us to produce products of top quality that always meet or exceed NAAWS standards. We are proud to be on the cutting edge of technology while continuing to keep pace with advances in the industry.

    We are a Chain of Custody holder for the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) and can provide FSC-certified casework and millwork upon request.

    • Installation

    NWD has long-standing relationships with experienced union subcontractors that provide quality installation of our product.

    They employ some of the finest craftsmen on the West Coast, who understand the balance of quality and efficiency. Along with assistance from our superintendents, they maintain close coordination with the contractor and other trades, resulting in professional, on-time installation.

    • Need a Millwork Partner Who Can Handle the Details?

    If your project involves custom architectural millwork, casework, or technically challenging design requirements, we are ready to review the scope and help you move forward.
    Let’s Explore Your Project
    See Our Projects

    Clients Share

    Clients value our process and quality of work. Here they share in their own words.
    Katie McLelland
    Cahill Contractors, INC.
    Project Manager

    Northwestern Design provided a quality product and installation for the San Mateo High School Performing Arts Center. The most beneficial asset they brought to the project was their ability to problem‐solve. There were numerous design challenges on this complicated project which included curved wood railings throughout the theater, wood veneer wainscot, casework and countertops. Much of their work required coordination with other subcontractors ranging from the electricians to specialty theatrical subcontractors, such as the orchestra pit lift contractor. Ultimately, these efforts resulted in a beautiful and functional theater for the community of San Mateo.

    Kyle Aldridge
    McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.
    Project Manager

    It is with great pleasure that I write this letter of recommendation for Northwestern Design for the work completed at the Lower Sproul Student Community Center in Berkeley, CA.

    Northwestern Design (NWD) provided and installed quality architectural woodwork in (3) Buildings at the UC Berkeley, Lower Sproul Student Community Center. The black walnut they provided weaves through multiple buildings and unifies both old and new spaces, creating beauty and interest. They were responsive and solution-oriented, and assisted in making the architect’s interior vision become reality.

    It would be a pleasure to work with NWD again based upon the results achieved at the Lower Sproul Student Community Center.

    Herb Moussa
    Stantec

    Architectural millwork was an important facet of the interior design as it plays such a big part in the overall impression of interiors. Aesthetics, durability and sustainability were all considered when designing the millwork and selecting materials. Modular, prefabricated metal casework units were used in the back of house clinical areas for cost efficiency, durability and future flexibility. Furniture systems were used in repetitive reception areas for adaptability and future flexibility. This strategy allowed the team to concentrate and customize the millwork in the more visible areas or those areas where departments had specialized needs. Unique laminates that combine natural veneers with a laminate substrate such as Treefrog, and new synthetic materials such and 3-Form Chroma were introduced for added aesthetic effect. These materials required special care, expertise, and fabrication, and also required non-typical hardware such as point support brackets be integrated into the millwork detailing. Design elements such as the children’s “crawl holes” in waiting areas and “corridor respite alcoves” are a couple of areas that exemplify the special attention to design, detailing, and fabrication and the integration of art and millwork, as well as millwork as art.

    NWD Services FAQs

    • We work on projects in the private, public and institutional sectors. These projects often involve custom millwork/casework, high-end finishes, technical detailing, and complex coordination requirements.
    • No. While standard cabinetry may be part of a project, our strength is custom work that requires design support, engineering expertise, and skilled fabrication.
    • Yes. We are able to support preconstruction from the budgeting phase through final pricing. Estimating is an important part of our service. We review project documents carefully, build detailed takeoffs, and help define the scope clearly.
    • Yes. We help solve constructibility challenges, produce shop drawings and submittals, and support the project before fabrication begins.
    • We partner with experienced union subcontractors for installation and provide superintendent support to help maintain coordination, quality, and schedule performance.
    • Yes. We are a Chain of Custody holder for the Forest Stewardship Council® and can provide FSC-certified work when required.

    Let’s Explore Your Project

    Ready to work with a millwork partner who can handle the details, protect the design, and keep the work moving?
    Tell us about your project using the form below.

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