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Dufficy Fine Carpentry And Design

4.8 (74 reviews)
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Maureen P.

My husband and I were looking for someone to build a custom wall unit for us and we found John on Yelp. We contacted John and he got back to us right away and made arrangements to come by and look at the space and see what we were looking to do. We gave him an idea of what we had in mind but also told him we were also open to suggestions. John was amazing to work with. He is an artist and a true craftsman. He pays attention to the smallest details and is a perfectionist. The best thing we ever did was to listen to John's suggestions because he has a great eye and a wonderful imagination for what's possible. We were so pleased by the wall unit that we asked John to make a dining table for us. Both the wall unit and dining table turned out far better than we imagined. We get positive comments from everyone who sees them. John's prices are very reasonable considering the amazing quality of his work. He's reliable and trustworthy. We felt totally comfortable with him working at our place while we were gone (though we liked being there when he was working because he's a fun person to be around.) If you're looking for an amazing craftsman, a great collaborator and just an all around good guy, John is your man. He obviously takes pride in his work and makes everything as though he were making it for himself.

One of the two matching bookcases.

John Dufficy is a furniture artist--a "wood whisperer" who can craft wood in ways that defy explanation while honoring the beauty and integrity of the wood. I wanted two square bookcases for my living room. I met with John at his studio, and he immediately sketched the bookcase I had in my head. The collaboration was a joy from start to finish, with John's suggestions along the way vastly improving the end result. And it was fun: John is a delightful person with a lovely Irish accent and a wonderful sense of humor. What sets John apart are his skills as a craftsman and his soul as an artist. My project was two bookcases, and everything from the wood chosen to the smallest details were perfection. The bookcases are quilted maple with wenge insets. The photos don't do them justice. Note the detail, for example, of the wide-grain wenge for the wider insert and a fine-grain wenge for the narrow insert. Note, too, that even the feet for the bookcase are little works of art. And the doors open with just a touch, so no hardware to break up the lines of the beautiful insets. I cannot say enough good things about working with John. I'd recommend him without reservation to anyone looking for a work of art masquerading as furniture. As you can see on his blog, he does a variety of woodworking projects--each one showing the perfect craftsmanship, artistic perspective, and attention to detail that are hallmarks of his work.

Since we bought our place I've wanted a window seat in from of the curved window bay in our dining room, and John brought that vision to life with amazing skill. Based on a very rough sketch I made, her created a seamless window bench with built ins on the side and storage underneath. He has great attention to detail and extraordinary craftsmanship, and made everything look perfect. This seemed like a really challenging job to me since we had gobs of Victorian molding to work around - molding running down from the windows, crazy chair molding, etc, and the whole back of the seat had to be curved. Also, none of the molding is perfectly square since it's all old. John was really careful to cut everything exactly for a smooth fit around some really intricate molding. It looks great (and will look even better once I find a custom cushion!)

Exterior Door - Before John
Mick H.

This the second time I have used John's services and he has exceeded my expectations again. John replaced both front doors to our home and both times the job was a challenge due to the age and former maintenance (or lack thereof) of the property. Both times he went above and beyond to get the job professionally completed with minimal extra costs. I am so glad I found John (through Angies' List) as he has brought new trust and satisfaction to having someone work on our home. Thanks John!

Fantastic chair built by John, with a great deal of attention paid to details!
Eric Y.

Simply put, John is a fantastic woodworker and craftsman and I wouldn't hesitate recommending him to my friends for their furniture projects. Here is why. For a school design project, I needed a chair with very intricate joint details (see images) to be made under a very tight timeline. Many woodworkers I have contacted either said that the joint details were impossible to fabricate or that there was not enough time. Not for John! Once he saw my chair design (as a 3D model), he was more than excited to take up the challenge. Based on only the 3D model and with no further assistance from me, John was able to fabricate the chair exactly how I envisioned, preserving all the complex joint details while meeting the tight deadline. I was honestly amazed at how he could get all the proportions / details right and I am still very happy with how the chair turned out. So if you have a challenging woodworking project, send John a note. You won't be disappointed, :).

Old fence before John
Thomas F.

John replaced our picket fence and built two custom gates for the entrance to our house. For the picket sections, John spent many hours helping us decide on the most cost-effective design that would look nice on our hill. He then built the fence with his typical eye for design, which made a big difference because the height, angle, and spacing of the pickets all had to be different on different sections. He was able to make all the variations fade away so no one notices. But John's real art came through in the gates, especially the main double-gate with a scalloped top. We sent him pictures of gates we liked and he came up with a beautiful design for us. John then built the gate with the level of craft and carpentry normally reserved for furniture, and you can really tell when you get up close and walk through. We've had far more compliments on our gate than we ever would have expected. We found John to be reasonably priced...not cheap but a bargain for the level of design and carpentry he delivers.

Jess P.

It was time. Time to get furniture that didn't come out of a box, and we are so happy that we decided on entrusting John with the task! With minimal guidance from us, he constructed a beautiful walnut home office desk to fit an unusual corner. He really put care into the creation of the gorgeous piece. It has the most beautiful set of drawers I have ever seen! John came over for an estimate and to measure out the space, and was always very responsive to email and willing to work with our schedules. The project took a little longer than we expected, but it was worth the wait. Would recommend him for any custom furniture or wood-working project.

100% walnut shelves

We couldn't be happier with how these shelves turned out. Solid work by John. He completed project on time and super fast. Good price on quality work.

Window seat after paint and a custom cushion to match our couch via Funky Furniture.
Daniel E.

We've wanted to get a window seat made for as long as we've had the house. Had a few people bid ridonkulous prices, rejected using a premade as we've got a toddler and didn't want little limbs or toys stuck in crevices. Asked around and got John's contact from multiple people we trusted. He did a great job. I made a terrible drawing of sort of what I thought we wanted and he made exactly what was in my head. He's skilled, he'll think of what you didn't think to ask and he's a good person who feels good to have in your house.

Custom window seat with record storage.

John made us stunning built ins that exceeded our high expectations. They accommodate our books, media, and a desk. He also built a beautiful window seat which he designed to hold our records. The wood and the workmanship aren't done justice by the photos. John went above and beyond on the installation and we couldn't be happier.

You will not find a finer craftsman in San Francisco to collaboratively design and create a one-of-a-kind piece that you will cherish all your days. Like some of the other reviewers, we were looking for a specific piece of furniture, but couldn't find anything we liked despite a long and hard search. So thanks to other Yelpers we found John and went up to his studio in San Francisco. The works-in-progress we saw were elegant in their construction and graceful in their form. Even the parts of the furniture you do NOT see were gorgeous. We started our collaboration on a beautiful desk that would fit a space perfectly. We sketched out an idea and John added his ideas and expertise to it. John was an excellent communicator - we exchanged 1 or 2 emails to agree on the wood, and confirm the exact form. Rather than construct the desk from one piece of wood, John proposed joining many different woods together in a radiating pattern, with an exposed edge. This took a great deal of skill and artistry to custom cut each piece, determine the optimal placement of each piece and envision the finished piece before it was done. I'm sure this process exceeded the amount of effort that John anticipated the task would take. But as an artist, John did what would please his artistic soul - and ours. Even the cutout where computer wires will go was artistically carved and consistent with the overall design. He worked on our desk with enthusiasm - with true craftsmanship - and somehow infused it with, dare I say, with love? Because that's how I feel when I sit down at this desk. Then...John kindly agreed to personally install our desk. He traveled down the peninsula on a rainy day. He meticulously measured and installed it. Oh my! I was over the moon with happiness. This is a piece of furniture we will admire -- and use -- every day -- with joy. Did I mention in addition to being a great artist that John has a wicked sense of humor, a lilting Irish accent, and a gentle geniality that is quite pleasant.

The gorgeous wall unit John built for us.
Kristina S.

We worked with John to build a wall unit with open shelves and storage with sliding doors. He is a true craftsman and absolutely wonderful in helping us realize our design concept. I really appreciate the fact that he took his time in creating the most beautiful piece of furniture and even provided some guidance on proper portions and designs. John was very professional and great to work with. The final product is truly a work of art and I am happy to support a local artisan.

Table made in March 2009 - the materials

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Ask the Community - Dufficy Fine Carpentry And Design

Review Highlights - Dufficy Fine Carpentry And Design

John Dufficy is an absolute craftsman of the sort that is not easy to find these days.

Mentioned in 9 reviews

Read more highlights

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Jerome instantly greeted me and my husband with a smile and some fun stories about the shop and his…read morelife. We had a wonderful time exploring. There are so many unique pieces, and the layout (upstairs, downstairs, nooks and crannies, all full of furniture and art) does make it feel like a treasure hunt. We ended up showing Jerome some photos of our new rental apartment, and he helped us choose between our two favorite dining room tables. There were a range of prices but definitely more options toward the higher end of our budget. Jerome set up a delivery (for an extra fee) for a couple days from our visit. If you want a one-of-a-kind experience with unique furniture and a friendly guide, this is your place.

The store offers a wide selection of furniture - you'll likely find what you need at a decent…read morevalue. Things are shipped from all over the world and country of provenance may vary. The owners are nice during the buying process - if you're looking to use your own transportation they might not have the piece you want wrapped up and you end up taking one off the floor. The after sale process could be a little bit better and if they facilitated folks that use their own transportation they could have more returning customers in my opinion. All in all, worth checking out, you might find something you really like at a great price - just be prepared to take process into your own hands once you're all paid up.

Design Plus Consignment Gallery

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One of the gem to get vintage stuff. The store has excellent service and beautiful decor and…read morefurnitures! One of my go to place! Parking is an issue but I go at odd time then it's not too bad! Always call ahead for specific items ( I have to see my items before purchase so I always go) or if you don't want to go , it can be delivered! Love it!

Let me start off with that I really like this store. My wife and I have purchased several items…read morefrom here, and we've often made recommendations to friends to shop here. On the last visit (Labor Day 2025), I'm not sure if there was a new employee, or if the person at the cash register was just having an off day, but the lady working the register was incredibly rude. I'm sure some of my questions weren't that hard, however they were questions that, had they gone well probably would have resulted in some good sales. However, the individual couldn't be bothered to look up or get off the computer or phone to help in a meaningful way. Additionally, my wife asked a question about a mirror and whether or not it was recommended to hang or not, and she just said, "did you look at the back?" in a rude tone. It was clear she didn't want to help us (or maybe she didn't want to be at work on this particular day). I'm hopeful that this was a one off event, I'd still like to think it was just this particular worker that was off. I think we'd visit again, however will go out of our way to not work with that individual. In the end we passed on spending a good chunk of change (in our eyes) because this individual couldn't bother to get off her phone/computer or help her customers. We will give it another chance, and hopefully the next time we're in changes our view. Incredibly disappointing for a store we used to love.

Zozi's Loft

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Do NOT buy anything from this place. Sold me a lemon and wouldn't make a new one or refund…read more Went in originally and sat on a comfortable couch, so I ordered one. The product that arrived at my house a few weeks later was totally different than what I sat on and ordered. Overinflated cushions that felt like silicone implants/bouncy houses. My couch was supposed to be "angel soft" or some super soft cushion. Nope. And it was 6 inches longer than we wanted. To Richard's credit, he tried to fix it, sent someone out to address the cushions and then picked it up and shortened it (which I paid for even though it arrived longer than I wanted) . And then they cut it too short...end result was worse somehow, a sort of Frankencouch. This was a lost cause from the start. Biggest case of buyer's remorse I've ever had. Wound up buying a SECOND couch at Room and Board, which is what EVERYONE told me to do in the first place. Desperately wish I could go back in time and spend that 3k+ on something I didn't need to have Remoov haul away 6 months later. I wanted to buy local and they were nice people, so that why I gave them my business. Don't make my mistake. Save your money. Avoid this place.

I love this local business so much I have purchased not only one custom couch from them, but a…read morecustom arm chair and ottoman and a custom recliner as well! Their furniture is incredibly well-made and affordable, they have a fantastic selection of fabrics and colors, including beautiful, rich hues, and a broad selection of styles that will fit different fashions. But the most important thing as far as I'm concerned is being able to customize your furniture to fit your comfort. Now when I nap on my couch, I have all the room in the world for my shoulders *and* my cat. Thank you, Zozi's!

Mid-Century Modern Finds

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This is one of those places you are hesitant to review because you don't want the word getting out…read more So if you read this review, you have to promise me you won't snap up anything I want here in the future, ok? My experience dealing with Carlos was great, and I'll definitely be a repeat customer. I've been following their website for a few months now and they consistently have interesting, affordable mid-century pieces rotating through their inventory. I think they said there are updates on the site every 10 days, but the RSS feed seems to have something new every two or three days. Since there isn't a storefront (it's run from a storage unit in Portrero Hill) this is the best way to check out what they've got on hand. I ended up going to meet Carlos at the storage unit for a pair of lounge chairs and a dresser. Normally I'm extremely hesitant to purchase furniture sight unseen, but everything I saw in person was in such impeccable condition that I regret not putting down a deposit on the dresser - by the time I showed up the next day to check it out, it had already been snagged by some lucky jerk (Carlos had told me that someone had put down a deposit on it earlier, so I knew this was probably not going to work out). Instead I had to "settle" for just the chairs, which look fantastic in my place. He even wrapped everything up in plastic wrap for me since the person who had my Zipcar truck the hour before me had apparently used it to transport their collection of dirt. Just a totally satisfied experience overall.

I was looking for the perfect mid century modern dresser for my bedroom. I found one on 1stdibs.com…read morethat was what I was looking for. It turned out this dealer was in SF, so I went in person to take a look. We met Carlos at a storage facility in Potrero Hill to view the dresser. It was in superb condition. We looked at some of his other items, and they were all so cool and in great shape. Clearly Carlos has an eye for design and attention to detail, because the refinishing was excellent on the pieces we saw. We purchased the dresser and arranged for delivery, which was prompt- the next day. The dresser arrived wrapped in moving blankets and was carefully set up in my room, and it looks awesome! I will definitely be doing business with MCMF again, I found everyone to be highly professional, friendly, and prompt. Additionally, I have my eye on some other things we saw.

Dufficy Fine Carpentry And Design - contractors - Updated July 2026

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