Rustic and reclaimed: Kingdom Customs creates one-of-a-kind furniture and accessories
Eli Cothran loves working with his hands. He also loves designing unique pieces of furniture. And trees.
“I was talking to one of my best friends about what I wanted to do for a career, and he asked me what I loved,” Cothran explained. “I told him that I love working with my hands and then he asked me what I had in front of me that I could do that with. God gives us trees and I decided to start building things with them.”
Cothran and Kyle Shirley, founded Kingdom Customs LLC, a carpentry and woodworking business, in 2018. With Upstate studios in Talyors and Mountain Rest, the duo designs and builds custom furniture for homeowners, businesses and interior designers. Their pieces feature locally sourced lumber, reclaimed wood and reclaimed metal that reflect today’s popular rustic, industrial, farmhouse look.
Kingdom Customs has been called on for custom design and construction of farmhouse tables, benches, trestles, side tables, stand-up desks, floating shelves, doors, shiplap walls and accent pieces. One favorite piece was a table made from the base of an old washtub with a surface made from reclaimed barn wood.
We first met Cothran when he delivered a uniquely designed, hand-crafted entertainment center to 7 On Main for a recent Your Carolina segment featuring interior designer and Livin’ Upstate contributor Sammy Batts of Fig Leaf + Co. The solid pine and metal piece featuring a thick wood top with live edge wood commanded everyone’s attention.
“Kingdom Customs is the Upstate’s hidden gem,” Batts said. “They bring life to all of my crazy visions and I love that they use locally sourced lumber. Eli’s passion for woodworking translates beautifully into his pieces and each one is perfectly unique making them truly one of a kind.”
To see more of Kingdom Customs’ work, visit the company’s Facebook page.
