Women In The Woodshop
BEHIND THE SCENES
Women
in the
Woodshop
Meet Alexis, Cheyenne, Haley and Carrie. In our Chicago photo studio, they use wood, paint and their own hands to build the gorgeous rooms that showcase our products. They crush it every day and make us look great in the process. What can we say? We’re in awe.
Get ready, build sets.
Hear the stories of their unconventional careers.
Cheyenne
Shop Technician
I had wanted to live out West, be a cowboy.
Leaving a dream like that behind is sad,
but I had a gut feeling this was my true
path. Thankfully, the gut talks.”
Raw Ambition
As the leader of our woodshop team, Cheyenne is often the first to arrive. “One of my weird rituals is to walk in and say, ‘Good morning, shop,’” she says. “Sometimes I even do a little twirl.”
Alexis
Scenic Designer
As a kid, I never felt for an instant that I
couldn’t be an artist. I felt like I had all the
powers in the world. That’s not a feeling
every girl gets to have.”
In Her Genes
My grandmother was a working artist before women really did that. She paved the way for me to feel that it is a possibility.”
Shop Talk
You run into assumptions, sometimes. Like,
people don’t think I can lift things. And I’m
pretty strong, you know. For a girl.”
Haley
Set Designer
My mom’s so happy I get to be
creative—she worked in a corporate
setting. My dad, a carpenter, is just
glad I’m still making things.”
Life of Craft
“Some people on the team come from theater backgrounds, but I was trained in furniture design and building. So I have more of those technical woodworking skills.”
Carrie
Set Designer
“I never really saw myself as a female woodworker, I just saw myself as somebody who wanted to get into woodworking.”
Teamwork Is Our Dreamwork
These talented creatives worked to capture and tell our #IWD2019/#shemakesuscrate
story for our catalog, website and social media channels. As one of the first projects shot in our
new photo studio, it was an exciting day from every angle. The vibe? Exuberant. The sounds?
Laughter and girl-power R&B. From set builders, photographers and stylists to writers,
producers and directors, we sure had fun together.
Women in Woodshop: Female Woodworkers at Crate and Barrel
If you've ever flipped through our catalog or browsed our website, you're familiar with the stunning photographs that showcase our products. In honor of International Women's Day, we're shining the spotlight on the female woodworkers who make it all possible. With artistry and technical skills in carpentry, they utilize their hands, tools and creativity to craft photo-worthy sets. Women woodworkers are represented across our studio—shop technicians, scenic artists and set designers are leading the woodshop team, painting our sets and building them, too. Their work and their stories inspire us—by following their passions to excel in non-traditional careers for women, they demonstrate their strength and perseverance. Want to learn more about their paths to success in a male-dominated industry? Watch our videos to hear about their experiences as female woodworkers.