About Us
Ernest Thompson Furniture was founded on the values of artisanal woodworking. In New Mexico, this has been characterized by a constant evolution of function and style, a style that constantly changes as we interact with our homes and offices in new and different ways. “New Mexico Style” furniture is essentially the history of adaptation - to our natural environment and to varied cultural influences; from our native New Mexican and Native American roots, to the influence of Spanish cololnization, to the introduction of new styles with the westward expansion and the introduction of the railways, to the effects of globalization. Ernest Thompson fine furniture and cabinet makers is a local New Mexican company of craftspeople doing what we’ve always done best: customizing our craft to the unique needs of every customer. We are proud that each piece of Ernest Thompson Furniture is Made in the USA, right here in our Albuquerque, New Mexico workshop.
We build each and every Ernest Thompson product “to order.” This means that, as a customer, you can always choose one of our classic standard pieces, but you can just as easily work with our designers to invent something completely new and completely “you.” From the style of your piece to the size and finish, our goal is to create impeccably designed original pieces that perfectly suit your home, style, and lifestyle. Now, and for years to come. Nearly half a century later, we are proud to continue building furniture and cabinetry by hand, on site, right here in our Albuquerque workshop, using traditional building methods to produce heirloom-quality furniture that lasts for generations.
Our Heritage
The Early Years
Ernest Thompson began building authentic, southwestern style furniture in his home garage over forty years ago. He sold his fine furnishings at local art shows and in galleries throughout the region, and soon opened his first workshop and showroom in Albuquerque’s south valley in the early 1970s. Classic Ernest Thompson furniture from this time period was constructed in ponderosa pine and featured durable construction drawing upon 400 years of New Mexico woodworking heritage, thoughtfully edited hand carved southwestern motifs, occasional painted accents, ET’s signature mortis and tenon joinery, white or gray washed finishes, and wood nails.
The response to Ernest’s furniture was astounding. ET customers were overjoyed to find that furniture, when crafted by hand using traditional techniques, has a durability that far surpasses mass-produced factory furnishings or import furntiture. Furthermore Ernest Thompson’s unique brand of “New Mexico” style furniture retains a classic quality that remains current and beautiful, even when home styles change. In a time period when “Southwest Style” was hugely popular, and at times adorned with turquoise howling coyotes, ET fine furniture was restrained, timeless, and truly reflected the spirit of the Southwest.
This came naturally to us. Ernest Thompson Furniture is a workshop of craftspeople who, largely, have a family history of hand crafted furniture making. At times, we have employed families: father and son working hand in hand, building in the tradition passed on by grandfathers and great grandfathers. We think this comes through in our furniture. When you own a piece of Ernest Thompson Furniture, you are participating in a tradition of New Mexico craftsmanship that began hundreds of years ago. In 1990, Ernest sold the business to its current owners.
The Evolution of Ernest Thompson
Within the nineties, ET formed a partnership with local Santa Fe artist Hillary Riggs and artist Peter Gould. Out of these partnerships, Ernest Thompson Furniture expanded its collections to include our Sombraje collection of twig covered screens. Sombraje, translating literally as “branch covered screen,” is a centuries-old local and Mexican tradition of creating window coverings from locally gathered twigs and branches. Functionally, Sombraje shutters blocked out light and heat, while still allowing cooling breezes to circulate air inside New Mexico’s adobe homes. Hillary transformed this traditional craft - which originated out of necessity - into functional yet extraordinarily beautiful home window coverings, room dividers, and furniture panels. Initially, Sombraje panels were constructed in a barn along the Rio Grande Bosque (“forest”). In 1995, Ernest Thompson Furniture purchased Sombraje, and the Sombraje workshop was moved to the ET workshop, which had now moved from its original South Valley location to a larger showroom and workshop in Albuquerque’s north valley. Twigs continued to be hand gathered and delivered to our workshop, where our Sombraje master craftsmen could construct Sombraje panels and supervise the project from the selection of wood from our millshop, to the emergence of our Sombraje panels from our custom finish shop.
These moves were all a part of a larger shift within the business. In the mid 1990s and early 2000s, styles were changing once again. While our classic southwestern styles continued to fluorish and remained popular, a demand for more European, contemporary, and traditionally American styles emerged. We continued to build in pine, but a desire for a harder wood with character led to a gradual shift towards using knotty alder as our standard wood for construction. Old world European styles drawing upon French and Tuscan style traditions, the clean lines of Mission furnishings, and mid-century modern, contemporary and transitional styles emerged from our workshop with increasing frequency. And while the traditional white and gray washes remained popular, our customers began asking for a wider range of finishes. More natural, cherry mahogany, darker, multiple-glazed, and painted, scraped and glazed finishes emerged to complement our expanding style collections.
Ernest Thompson, Fine Cabinetmakers
All of these changes led, inevitably, to our emergence as a leader in custom cabinet making. The 1990s and early 2000s witnessed an unprecedented surge of custom homebuilding in the Rio Grande valley. Our customers, aware of our tradition of high-quality, solid wood custom furniture building, began to request our help in creating unique, furniture-quality custom kitchen cabinetry, kitchen islands, bathroom cabinets, butlers’ pantries, entertainment and media room built-ins, outdoor kitchens, custom bar cabinetry, and home offices. We had been part time cabinet makers for our design clients and customers for years, by request. In the early 2000s, we began to market our cabinetmaking to the public. Our cabinetry is now featured in some of the most luxurious homes in the southwest and across the nation, including several Parade of Enchantment homes.
Ernest Thompson Family
Ernest Thompson Furniture is proud to employ a team of designers, operations specialists, and craftspeople dedicated to providing the best service and the best custom wood furnishings and cabinetry on the market. Read below to learn about our team.
Sales and Operations Team
As co-owner and director of operations, Mike Godwin manages the construction of all Ernest Thompson designs, transforming your unique, custom order from a technical drawing to your next treasured heirloom. From construction, to finish, to installation, Mike works closely with ET’s project manager and our team of skilled craftsmen, carvers, and finishing specialists. While his past career on Wall Street gave Mike a solid foundation in management, his background in architecture helps ensure that all designs meet ET’s unsurpassed quality standards. Mike loves what we do, and you’ll often find him with our customers touring our wood workshop.
Mike is an avid bicyclist, entering several races annually and completing twelve centuries (100 mile courses) in 2009. He also enjoys working in the vineyard at his valley home, reading about the tradition of woodworking craftsmanship in New Mexico, and gathering with family and friends. Mike also serves on the Board of Directors for the the Albuquerque Museum Foundation.
Doreen Godwin is the face of Ernest Thompson design. As co-owner and head designer, Doreen manages our custom design process, from the first concept sketch to the final approved technical drawing. She also manages ET’s commercial and contract accounts and is the designer behind many local Ernest Thompson signature contract projects, including the UNM Zimmerman Library, Hyatt Tamaya Resort, and the Kierland Resort and Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona. Doreen incorporates functionality and beauty into her cabinetry designs, and she brings decades of experience in working with adobe architecture and historic reproductions. Doreen’s design work has been featured in many of the most luxurious homes throughout the southwest, including several Homes of Enchantment Parade homes.
In addition to her tireless dedication to her customers, Doreen recently completed her first half marathon and shows no signs of stopping. In her spare time, you’ll find Doreen taking long walks along the acequias that wind throughout the Village of Los Ranchos, enjoying a glass of wine at Casa Rodena’s 1629 club, gathering with friends and neighbors, and listening to Jimmy Buffet.
As our design consultant, Kirstin Ramsay specializes in new sales and business development, account management, and marketing. When you visit our showroom, Kirstin will welcome you with a smile, determine your needs, consult with you in selecting an Ernest Thompson Original design, or help you design your own custom wood furniture. As your design consultant, Kirstin remains your contact from the time you place your order to the day your ET heirlooms arrive at your home or office. Kirstin has a degree in art history and several years experience in consultative sales and project management.
In her spare time, Kirstin volunteers with the Junior League of Albuquerque and is a member of Young Professionals of Albuquerque. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, seeking out Albuquerque’s best green chile, cheering for the New York Yankees, and roller derby!
Chris Gillespie comes to ET with over 40 years experience in office management and accounting. She manages accounts receivables and payables, human resources, vendor relations, and shipping and receiving. She is also responsible for ordering your custom fabrics and hardware. When it comes to delivering your new Ernest Thompson furniture, Chris does the legwork for you, collecting competitive shipping quotes from high value shipping companies. Chris is the “voice” of Ernest Thompson, answering our phones and connecting you to team member who can best answer your questions.
Chris loves her family life, and is happiest when she is working on home or school projects alongside her husband, children, or grandchildren. Her family has lived and worked the ranch lands of New Mexico for generations, and Chris enjoys researching her family’s New Mexican heritage. A fantastic seamstress, Chris can often be found at the sewing machine crafting table runners and accessories for our showroom floor.
Your Skilled Craftsmen
Production manager Mike Apodaca and master builders Horacio Romero and Paco Andujo bring over 60 years combined woodbuilding experience to the Ernest Thompson workshop. Mike supervises daily workshop operations, logistics, and quality assurance, and he also heads our cabinetry installation team. As master builders, classically trained Horatio and Paco lead a team of talented builders, carvers, and finish shop specialists with an average tenure of 15 years with ET. At Ernest Thompson, your builder takes ownership of your order from the initial selection of wood from our millshop, through construction and finishing, until your order is ready for delivery. As craftsmen, our team shows unparalleled pride in their work and in the principles for which we stand as a business and as members of our community.
Mike, Horacio and Paco are all grandfathers (believe it or not!) and active community members. When he’s not building, supervising, or installing your order, Mike is most likely hosting a barbeque, working on a home improvement project, or camping with his family. Horacio raises horses, and recycles our wood shavings and the sawdust collected by our ventilation system by providing fresh wood bedding for his horses.
Tour Our Workshop
At Ernest Thompson Furniture and Cabinets, virtually everything we build already has a customer waiting for it. Whether you select one of our many classic designs or work with us to design a custom piece, your name is on your order, every step of the way, as it moves throughout our workshop.
The Mill Shop
The building process begins with the purchase of wood that meets our exacting specifications. Knotty alder accounts for most of our production, but we also source pine, wormy maple, walnut, and a variety of other specialty woods upon request.
Whatever the species, all of our wood has been kiln-dried prior to delivery to the Ernest Thompson workshop. Before accepting wood deliveries, our mill shop manager checks the moisture content to make sure the wood has been dried to the proper level. He then carefully sorts through the order and rejects any boards that do not meet our requirements.
From there, the craftsmen select materials for the pieces they are building. One builder is responsible for your furniture or cabinetry from wood selection until the time it reaches the finish shop; as such, great care is taken at this stage. Proper wood selection in the mill shop is crucial to ensuring a top-quality finished product.
The Building Process
While it is easy to admire a finished piece and to readily recognize its quality, it can be hard to conceive of, or properly appreciate, the skill involved in building the parts that can’t be seen. From the mortise and tenon joinery used in all Ernest Thompson construction, to the French dovetails used in our drawer making, traditional building methods are essential to fine woodbuilding. And, although these techniques may not be readily apparent to some, their cumulative impact gives our fine furniture its distinctive quality.
Hand Carving
In addition to the care taken in the building of each piece, a good portion of our furniture and cabinetry panel work is enhanced with hand carving. When you look closely at the complex carving and hand-chiseled details of our work, you’ll see that each rounded surface and every clean angle has been created by a wood carver’s own hands. It’s a time consuming process, one that requires the craftsman’s intense concentration and the artist’s ability to visualize. Small wonder that our Master Carver Emilio has over thirty years of wood carving experience.
Sombraje
Sombraje translates as “branch covered screen.” At Ernest Thompson, we gain inspiration from this traditional utilitarian practice to produce a collection of shutters, screens and furniture that is as durable and long-lasting as it is beautiful. The Sombraje building process begins with basswood, chosen for its straight grain. Panel frames are built by hand, using traditional mortise and tenon joinery, and a channel is carved within the inside of the frame to hold the twigs. Cottonwood, willow, and salt cedar (tamarisk) branches are hand gathered from along the Rio Grande Bosque. Back at the workshop, each twig is individually cut to size to fit within the grooved panel frame. The true artistry of the Sombraje craftsman comes from the thoughtful arrangement in the twigs. The craftsmen is looking to achieve a random pattern, while maintaining a certain proportion of painted to natural twigs.The panel is finished with one of our gorgeous stains or painted finishes. Sometimes the panel bevel is painted, requiring extreme concentration and a steady hand.
The Finish Shop
Once a piece is completed by the builder, it’s ready to head into the finish shop. Here, each item is repeatedly hand sanded, using progressively finer grits of sandpaper, to achieve stain-ready surfaces. While many pieces of our furniture remain smooth, we also specialize in applying a wide range of distressing techniques designed to make a piece look aged and lovingly worn, imparting the warmth of heirloom pieces passes on from generation to generation.
Finally, the furniture is ready for the finish process. Individually formulated stains are hand-rubbed over the entire piece, imparting a rich embellishment that, over time, will mature into a rich patina. The application of painted accents or carefully applied glazes are additional options that our customers often consider. Finally, a protective topcoat is applied and then buffed to achieve a luxurious, natural sheen.
Delivery
At this point, your order is complete and ready for shipping. Each piece is carefully blanket wrapped or crated and then delivered by a high value shipping and delivery service. The final step is a follow up telephone call from your design consultant and the mailing of your Certificate of Authenticity certifying your piece as an Ernest Thompson original.
In all of our work, the constant theme is our unrelenting commitment to traditional craftsmanship as expressed through the hands of an experienced, conscientious furniture maker. This commitment to tradition results in beautifully crafted furniture, built to serve generations.