Before You Replace It, Woodcraft & Willow Asks What Can Be Repaired

Before you replace a damaged piece of furniture, there is another question worth asking: what, exactly, needs fixing?

Woodcraft & Willow, the Suffern furniture-repair business led by Chris Devinney, works in that space between a familiar object and a fresh decision about its future. Its services cover wood, leather and upholstery—not just antique pieces, but the materials of everyday tables, chairs and sofas.

The details make the work feel approachable. The company’s website lists separated seams, missing buttons and fabric tears alongside scratches and chips in wood. Those are specific problems to discuss, rather than a reason to write off an entire piece. A repair consultation offers a way to find out what is possible without assuming every object needs a complete transformation.

Devinney’s background brings two kinds of furniture experience together. In a February 2024 profile for the Rockland County Times, Allison Lax reported that he learned refinishing from his father, Gary, worked alongside him and later worked for Raymour & Flanigan before building his own business. The company’s Thumbtack profile, linked from its official website, also describes experience with both furniture finishing and in-home warranty repairs.

That combination is an interesting part of the story: the patient work of refinishing meets the practical task of dealing with damage where furniture is actually used. In the Times profile, Devinney described wood projects ranging from modest touch-ups to refinishing and rebuilding.

For someone wondering where to begin, the business’s own customer-process FAQ offers a simple starting point: explain what happened, or what you would like done, and share photographs. Its website also describes in-home estimates. The conversation starts with the piece you have, not a replacement you have yet to choose.

There is something quietly encouraging about that. If a chair still belongs in your home, or a table still matters to your family, damage need not be the end of the conversation. In Suffern, Woodcraft & Willow gives that conversation a local place to begin.