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Gilman Woodworking mixes business with pleasure
January 12, 2009
By Nathan Wilcoxen
The gathering of people focuses intently as Chef Marc Guizol of La Provence prepares a butternut squash soup with mussels. He moves efficiently and effectively in the kitchen as he speaks to the group about the process of de-bearding the mussels. But he is not in his restaurant. Instead, he teaches and prepares a meal in Gilman Woodworking’s new showroom. Sitting in the back of the showroom, owner and craftsman Jeff Gilman knows his work has succeeded. He strives to build the finest custom kitchens, so the fluid movements of a world-class chef in a workspace of his design are as rewarding as the flavors of the soup.
The newly built showroom has everything a person could dream beautiful in a home. Clean lines coupled with functional elegance grace every usable space. By hosting a series of gatherings, Gilman has the opportunity to share his 2,000-square-foot showroom, knowledge and workspace with potential and past clients in a setting that allows them to look at lots of cabinetry and other woodcraft options; the fine food and wine are nice extras.
“I wanted to create a unique space for specialty events, where people could be exposed to quality workmanship,” he explains. He adds that attendees might want something similar for their own home. “The showroom is designed to be a comfortable place for them to see art, try new food and wine, as well as get a draw on the products that most interest them,” he says.
At Gilman’s grand opening event, an art show, Flathead Valley Community College art professor John Rawling shared a rare Picasso painting, in addition to several other works by lesser-known artists. Rawling and Gilman plan to host more showings in the future. The gatherings work well because of the openness of the space. The entryway, which demonstrates Gilman’s door-making handiwork, leads to the kitchen, dining room and living room—which are divided from one another by strategically placed islands and bars. The kitchen features cabinetry done in knotty pine finished with a stain and a black glaze. Gilman says the designs he creates with in-house kitchen designer Sharon Reap are based in function. Nothing, he says, is done merely for decoration. In the dining area, a wet bar, another kitchen, a desk and decorative storage cabinets line the walls. The materials featured here include cherry wood and oak with a custom red stain and black glaze. Across the way in the living room, bookshelves and a home theater capture people’s attention.
Gilman would like to see his shop and showroom become the premier kitchen and bath design center in northwest Montana. He’s hopeful that if he continues to work with two well-known cabinetry brands, Wood-Mode and Brookhaven, he’ll achieve his goals. In the meantime, he continues to work his craft, thankful to have Reap on his staff. She brings a decade of cabinetry experience to his shop, helping with everything from initial design to installation. And that’s the most satisfying part of the job, she says, to be able to work with a client from the planning stages all the way to a finished home.
Tonight as business and pleasure mingle, so do fashion and function. Nearly 30 people eat, drink and are merry—each very comfortable sitting at one of three spaces: the island bar in the kitchen, dining room table or another bar that abuts the living room. Each person can observe the kitchen and have plenty of elbowroom to sample what comes from it. It just shows that product testing really works.
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