Business Details
50+ Years
experience
Custom Furniture & Cabinetry in Albuquerque, NM
Since 1974, Ernest Thompson has dedicated itself to preserving New Mexico's rich furniture-making heritage through handcrafted custom pieces. Our artisans employ historical techniques passed down through generations, blending Native American, Spanish Colonial, and Southwestern design traditions with modern innovation. With over 400 years of combined craftsmanship experience, we specialize in creating heirloom-quality furniture and cabinetry tailored to individual client specifications.Our team collaborates directly with customers to select materials, textures, and finishes, ensuring each piece perfectly complements its intended space. As stewards of the Southwest Spanish Craftsmen and Taos Furniture collections, we maintain rigorous quality standards while offering four distinct design lines. Our Albuquerque workshop serves as both production facility and showroom, showcasing our commitment to American craftsmanship and regional artistry.
Services
Custom Furniture
Cabinetry
Woodworking
Furniture Restoration
Interior Design
Delivery Services
Trade Services
Showroom Visits
Design Consultations
Details
- Year established: 1974
Highlights and features
- We offer 400+ years of combined furniture-making heritage through our four regional collections
- Our artisans use historical techniques with modern customization options
- All pieces are handcrafted in our Albuquerque workshop
- We maintain stewardship of Southwest Spanish Craftsmen and Taos Furniture collections
- Direct collaboration with master woodworkers for personalized design
What people say
Heirloom-quality craftsmanship
Personalized design process
Exceptional attention to detail
Beautiful custom creations
Preservation of heritage designs
Services
Custom Furniture
Ernest Thompson creates one-of-a-kind furniture pieces tailored to client specifications. Our artisans combine traditional woodworking techniques with modern design elements to produce heirloom-quality items. Each piece undergoes meticulous craftsmanship in our Albuquerque workshop, with customization options including wood selection, texture, carving styles, and finishing details.
Cabinetry
Our custom cabinetry solutions offer unlimited choices in materials and finishes. From functional kitchen storage to dramatic statement pieces, each cabinet receives expert design and flawless construction. Our craftsmen ensure perfect installation while maintaining the same attention to detail found in our furniture collection.
Woodworking
Specializing in traditional woodworking techniques, our master craftsmen create intricate carvings and detailed finishes. The workshop maintains historical methods while incorporating modern innovations, producing pieces that showcase both technical skill and artistic vision through generations of passed-down expertise.
Interior Design
We collaborate with clients to create cohesive interior spaces using custom furniture solutions. Our designers help select appropriate pieces that complement architectural features while meeting functional requirements. This service includes space planning, material selection, and coordination with interior decorators for complete room transformations.
Furniture Restoration
Preserving historical furniture pieces through expert restoration services. Our craftsmen use traditional techniques to repair and maintain vintage items while respecting original construction methods. This service includes structural repairs, finish restoration, and period-appropriate refinishing to extend the life of valuable furniture pieces.
People
Mike Godwin
Owner & Furniture Designer
Mike Godwin has led Ernest Thompson since acquiring the company in 1990. With stewardship of Southwest Spanish Craftsmen and Taos Furniture collections, he continues preserving New Mexico's furniture-making heritage while innovating through custom design.
Andy Drescher
President and General Manager
Andy Drescher brings engineering and construction expertise to Ernest Thompson's operations. Leading the production team, he focuses on process efficiency while maintaining the artistic integrity of each custom furniture piece produced in the Albuquerque workshop.
Salvador Cervantes
Master Furniture Painter
Salvador Cervantes has perfected furniture finishing techniques over 23 years at Ernest Thompson. His artistic approach to staining, glazing, and painting adds the final beauty to each piece, combining technical skill with creative vision in every finish.
Rachel Walsh
Master Wood Carver
Rachel Walsh transforms flat designs into dimensional masterpieces through expert wood carving. Her attention to detail and ability to visualize completed carvings make her an essential part of Ernest Thompson's artisan team creating intricate furniture features.
Horacio Romero
Master Furniture Craftsman
With 36 years of experience, Horacio Romero visualizes complete furniture pieces from raw materials. His expertise in grain integration and production organization ensures consistent quality across custom projects while maintaining Ernest Thompson's high craftsmanship standards.
Questions
What makes Ernest Thompson furniture unique?
Our furniture combines 400+ years of Southwestern woodworking heritage with modern customization. Each piece uses historical techniques while incorporating client-specific design elements.
Can I customize furniture dimensions?
Yes, all furniture can be customized for size, wood type, texture, carving styles, and finishes to perfectly fit your space and vision.
What furniture collections do you offer?
We maintain four distinct collections: Ernest Thompson, Southwest Spanish Craftsmen, Taos Furniture, and Museum of New Mexico-inspired designs.
Do you deliver outside New Mexico?
Yes, we deliver custom furniture throughout the United States with specialized shipping arrangements for safe nationwide delivery.
How long does custom furniture take?
Production timelines vary by complexity but typically range from 8-12 weeks for standard custom pieces in our Albuquerque workshop.
Can I visit your workshop?
Our Albuquerque showroom and workshop welcomes visitors Monday-Friday 10am-5pm for in-person consultations and design discussions.
Videos
Reviews (5)
Rick Plattsmier
Apr 27, 2021
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Custom bed, nightstands, desk, chair and mirror were carved & finished exactly as we'd wanted to match an existing ET chest and hutch. The room is spectacular! Only "oopsie" was that the mirror was supposed to be beveled & wasn't. Not a big enough deal to rate even a quarter star.
Tracy Dominguez
May 29, 2019
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We have yet to see the finished work as they have missed the deadline they promised by over a month! The process has been disorganized and they are bad at communication through the design process and progress. I am hoping that the finished product will make up for the poor experience we have had so far.
Julianne Hancock
Oct 26, 2018
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My husband and I could not be happier with the excellent craftsmanship Ernest Thompson completed when they made two dining chair to match other chairs in our set which is 150 years old. After all were refinished no one could tell which were the new chairs! They are beautiful.
Rebecca Du Mond
Feb 15, 2017
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We ordered four Sombraje turtle backed chairs to match walls in our home. Ernest Thompson used our paint samples and matched the twigs perfectly. Emily was a delight to work with - helping me pick fabric, chair height width, etc. The entire experience could not have been better. We have ordered from them many years ago, and are glad to see that quality custom work continues to have a place in the Albuquerque market. Thanks so very much.
Agnes Lau
Nov 06, 2016
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Working with the staff at Ernest Thompson Furniture has been nothing short of a wonderful experience! From the friendly and knowledgeable help we received from Emily, the showroom manager, to the professional and friendly delivery service from Luis and Gabriel. The staff take pride in the furniture and the work. and well they should! The craftsmanship in the furniture is bar none and is of outstanding quality. They are unique pieces and showcase Spanish and local styles nicely. Anyone purchasing furniture from Ernest Thompson Furniture will be proud to showcase it in their home!
