Cabinetmakers James “Jim” & Jack Ipekjian preview
Cabinetmakers James “Jim” Ipekjian & Jack Ipekjian on wood inlay for the chair crest rail and on Greene & Greene designed furniture. Preview from the CALIFORNIA episode. PBS premiere December 21, 2018.
James “Jim” Ipekjian established Ipekjian Custom Woodwork in 1972. He graduated from Pasadena City College with training as a machinist and subsequently worked in the aerospace industry. This provided a valuable skill set which would later strengthen his woodworking capabilities by enabling him to fabricate custom hardware and tooling for his work. His early career involved building custom furniture in a variety of styles including early American, French, contemporary, and Greene and Greene.
In 1994, the owners of the Blacker House (designed by architects, Greene and Greene in 1907 ) hired Jim to reproduce all of the light fixtures from the house while they began an extensive home restoration. Jim became their project manager and oversaw all of the trades throughout the restoration. He was also commissioned to reproduce all of the furniture and lighting for the house which continues to this day. Today, Jim continues designing and building furniture and lighting. He is also available as a consultant for historic home restoration projects.
John “Jack” Ipekjian (b. 1983 Pasadena, Ca) graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in American history and then joined ICW in 2006. Since then he has tried to learn as much as he can from his father. Today he designs and builds furniture and lighting.
In 2014, Jack established his own business called Pasadena Woodworks. Jim and Jack continue to work on projects together. Ipekjian Custom Woodwork focuses strictly on custom projects while Pasadena Woodworks focuses on limited production furniture and furniture-related products.