About Urban Beaver
Urban Beaver is a custom furniture studio in Los Angeles specializing in live edge tables and reclaimed wood furniture built from salvaged hardwoods sourced throughout California and Hawaii.
Urban Beaver was founded in 2013 in San Francisco by Artem Tiliev. Originally trained in philology, Artem moved to California in 2005, bringing with him a long-standing interest in design and woodworking shaped in part by summers spent assisting his uncle, a cabinet maker in Russia.
In California, that interest gradually evolved into a practice. Exposure to native hardwoods—walnut, elm, and other regionally sourced species—led to early pieces built for personal use and close circles. Those pieces began to circulate, and what started as a personal pursuit quickly grew into commissioned work.
Early Commercial Work
Urban Beaver’s first major project was for Brightidea in downtown San Francisco. From there, the studio expanded into commercial interiors, designing and building custom furniture for Bay Area companies including Teecom, Merck, Salesforce, and SmartNews.
A Shift Toward Residential Work
During the pandemic, Urban Beaver relocated to Los Angeles, shifting focus from large-scale office build-outs to highly considered residential furniture. Today, the studio operates from a workshop in Van Nuys, specializing in custom live edge tables and reclaimed wood furniture crafted from salvaged hardwoods sourced across California and Hawaii.
Sustainability and Material Selection
Sustainability remains central to the process. Rather than relying on newly harvested lumber, Urban Beaver works primarily with reclaimed and salvaged wood—trees that have fallen, been removed, or were otherwise destined to be discarded.
Each slab is carefully selected not only for its visual character, but for its origin, structural integrity, and long-term stability. This approach reduces waste while preserving the natural history embedded within the material itself.
Custom Live Edge Tables Built in Los Angeles
Each piece is built from either a single slab or a carefully matched pair—shaped, refined, and finished to preserve the natural character of the wood while creating a functional, enduring presence. The approach remains consistent: thoughtful design, honest materials, and craftsmanship that brings quiet clarity into the spaces it inhabits.
From custom dining tables and conference tables to reclaimed wood furniture and organic edge coffee tables, Urban Beaver continues to create pieces designed around material, proportion, and the spaces they live within.
