When chef Flynn McGarry needed to source 15-foot-long tables for his Copenhagen-meets-California café and grocery Gem Home in NoLita, he put down his spatula and picked up a saw.

The result? Four perfectly imperfect red oak tables, custom-built to fit the space just right, even with the slight slant to the former olive oil factory’s original floors.

It wasn’t McGarry’s first time picking up a hammer, nor does he think it will be his last. “There’s actually a photo of me as a one-year-old on a ladder, nailing in a two-by-four,” he says, noting that he made six cherry wood communal tables for his first restaurant, Gem Wine, which he opened when he was 19. “My father always makes the joke that I’ve actually been doing construction longer than I’ve been cooking.”

“It’s such a satisfying process,” says McGarry, adding that he’s currently sitting at a table he built.

Flynn McGarry in the window of his store Gem Home.

Photo: Sean Davidson

A chef who has an affinity for woodworking might seem like a rarity, but it turns out that McGarry is in good company. As the world of food and design knit closer together, a new generation of chefs from Los Angeles to London are giving a new meaning to “farm-to-table”—and are taking the design of their restaurants into their own hands by making their own furniture.

What’s behind the trend? One could look at diners’ increased awareness of food systems, furthered by initiatives like Slow Food and the Michelin Green Star, that are driving people to choose restaurants that prioritize sustainable practices. There’s also a growing appreciation for craft objects and fine furniture, arguably spurred on by all that time spent at home during the pandemic. The Chippendale International School of Furniture, a renowned furniture-making and design school in Scotland, has seen a 5% increase in students each year for the last five years, while the online furniture and antiques marketplace,1stDibs, reported that furniture orders were up 20% in the fourth quarter of 2024 compared to the same time period in 2019. Even more recently, Pinterest has seen searches for “home decor inspo” increase by 489% over the last year. With these two movements happening in tandem, it’s no surprise that restaurants are finding that the best seat at the chef’s table is at the table that the chef made themselves.