The Mission District's Michael Sharf commits to elegant local craftsmanship at Tribe Design

By Connor Buestad | Connor@Section925.com

In a day in age where businesses absolutely love to remind potential customers that they are extremely local, small, artisan, sustainable, high quality, etcetera, Michael Sharf’s custom furniture thought project, Tribe Design, might actually be able to live up to that lofty vision so many companies yearn for. Working out of a studio in the Mission District, it’s hard to deny how local and artisan Tribe Built really is, when you consider virtually all of the materials that go into the products are found in Northern California forests or metal shops.

To gain a clear picture of what Tribe Design looks to provide the Bay Area, think Ikea, but the exact opposite. Using reclaimed hardwood primarily from local elm, cypress, walnut and oak trees, Sharf uses meticulous care to handcraft each of his unique wood products before they find a useful home. “My goal for Tibe Design is to recreate a piece of nature for someone to enjoy in their home or office. Authenticity and functionality are a huge part of everything I try to produce,” explains Sharf.

Local metals also go into many of Sharf’s projects, creating a finished product that is extremely strong and durable, but also smooth and simple. If you browse the Tribe Design website, you will find many examples where Sharf has taken a simple concept like a wine chiller or picnic table and taken it to a whole new level of design and quality that is exceedingly difficult to find.

Other items available from Tribe Design include butcher blocks, storage benches, coffee tables, desks, kitchen islands, and dining room tables. Even projects like full size shuffle board tables and Japanese soaking tubs are not above Sharf’s pay grade, assuming he can find the local materials to meet the high standards of the job.

No, none of these items can be ordered online with a “one-click purchase” or thrown into an oversized shopping cart and assembled at home. Instead, each of these pieces need to be thought-out, sourced locally, designed meticulously and brought to life with the steady hand of Michael himself. No part of the job is especially economical or scalable, but in no way is that a priority. At Tribe Design, it starts and ends with a vision of quality and not much else.  The product speaks for itself and the Tribe Design story will continue to unfold, one commission at a time.

Explore more of Michael’s work at MichaelSharf.com