Beahm & Son prefers “old school” manual cabinetmaking by an expert carpenter - but using a full array of shapers, planers, and tools including a Striebig Optisaw 2 panel saw, SCM edgebander and wide belt sander, Ritter and Gannomat boring machines, and a Powermatic table saw.

Furniture maker Michael Doerr crafted the Torso Chair from black walnut and it features the relief of the female form gracefully carved in the back.

Wood-Skin, a new panel technology integrating wood, textile and geometrically cut patterns and digital hinges, adds another dimension to furniture and architectural design.

The Malabar ebony temples and massive black walnut frames on these Prada Raw sunglasses would be impossibly garish if made of plastic. Wood somehow mitigates the excesses of the design. And the price: a cool $450.

A pair of gnarled wood and tree root chairs from Al Capone's northern Wisconsin hideout is among items by be auctioned by Wright Chicago auctioneers, in conjunction with Blackman Cruz, a Los Angeles dealer.