MacDonald Hardwoods, a provider and installer of high-quality hardwood flooring, talked to 205 interior designers across the country about what they are recommending, what their customers are asking them for, and what trends they are seeing for the upcoming year.

Birmingham native Cliff Spencer is closing his Los Angeles woodshop and moving it east. Besides beehives -which Spencer has been developing for some time -  Spencer’s new company Alasaw will manufacture custom handmade items, including furniture and cabinetry. Alasaw will be developing a line of particular pieces of furniture and small household items that describes as “rough and primitive style in nature.” In the next couple of years, Spencer will roll out AlabamaSawyer, a line of more “refined” furniture, which will be marketed to a regional and national audience.