Ornate Millwork on Dressing Up Your Shul
Interview with Aaron Housman of Ornate Millwork LLC:
According to Wikipedia, “Often specified by Architects and Designers, millwork products are considered a design element within a room or on a building to create a mood or design theme. Millwork products are used on both interior and exterior applications and can serve as either decorative or functional features of a building.”
Ornate Millwork adds the all-important finishing touches to ceilings and walls which turn a beautiful shul into a masterpiece.
Chana: Please tell me about one of your latest shul projects.
Aaron: It was a Chabad shul out in Marlboro, New Jersey. I think the building itself was originally a church, renovated. The Chabad shul also serves as a community center, and they need the Main Sanctuary to double up as a hall as well, for parties- Purim, Chanuka, Lag B’omer…
Chana: Who brings you in to the shul projects you work on?
Aaron: Usually there’s an interior designer who calls the shots. We work together with the designer.
Chana: At what point of the design/build process are you bought into the picture?
Aaron: Normally, it’s during the final stage. it’s the finishing touch. Usually when the structure is ready and they want to dress it up. However, sometimes during design phase, when working on renderings.
Chana: To what extent do you offer your opinion when working on the shuls?
Aaron: To a certain extent, the designers call the shots. It’s my job to make it work. They’ll ask my opinion, just for the experience I have in the industry. I give them different options.
Chana: I noticed that, on your Instagram photos, you credit everyone who worked on the project with you .
Aaron: Yes, I do try to credit everybody, as early on in the game I had a bad experience with one photo of a project I worked on that someone else felt should have been credited to him (he was also involved in that project). But I do get a lot of business straight from Instagram- emails, DMs, messages.
Chana: What are the current trends in shul millwork in the Tri-State area?
Aaron: As a general rule, styles and trends don’t pertain to shuls. About 3-4 years ago, everybody was going to modernistic designs. Modern design calls for much less trim. Shuls, traditionally, are more traditional. People want hem to be timeless and classic. When the Aron Kodesh is made of wood, the general design will gravitate to carvings, inlay. I definitely see a lot of traditional design coming back.
For instance, the Chabad shul I did in Marlboro, NJ was designed by Susan Strauss, who is not traditional. But the place was traditional. Susan is good at balancing modern and traditional. They needed the hall to look traditional b/c it doubled-up as a hall.
Lakewood shuls are extremely traditional. There are some modern shuls out there, but in general, i think traditional.
Chana: What advice can you offer to a shul who is thinking of renovating/building?
Aaron: Thats a good question. Really, ideally all fundraising should be done ahead of time. People get pressured to move in. Once they move in, it’s hard to go back and finish. Even something as simple as finishing a staircase- if it hasn’t been finished before they move in, it probably won’t ever be finished.
Another point is that people should be spending more on the shul than on their homes.
Chana: Thank you for your insights and advice. I’m sure they will help many kehillos aspiring to create the perfect Mikdash Me’at!