Savage back to Rocklin

Steve Savage doesn?t just build custom cabinets; he brings innovative perfection to the homes of his clientele.Savage?s Rocklin business, Savage Designer Cabinets, has been providing the finishing touches to the living rooms, dining rooms and kitchens of the most luxurious Placer County homes in communities like Whitney Oaks in Rocklin, Los Lagos in Granite Bay, Wexford Estates in Citrus Heights, and even in to Lake Tahoe and the Bay Area for the past 20 years.Savage opened the business in 1984, with one employee and a 1,500 square foot woodshop in Rocklin. With growth, he moved his business to Roseville where it boomed through the 90s.Last month the business returned to Rocklin, 3939 Cincinnati St., to a 50,000 square foot shop and office building where furniture style cabinetry comes to life with a staff of 35.?It?s kind of funny,? said Savage a Granite Bay resident who grew up in Rocklin. ?I started my business here and kind of outgrew Rocklin, so I moved to Roseville. Now, Rocklin?s big enough that I can move back here to continue the growth of my business.?Embarking into the new shop, a strong smell of fresh lacquer fills the air, as its newly finished conference room dons an example of his custom made furniture/cabinetry ? an entertainment center encasing a plasma screen TV where clients can view plans and sketches of proposed cabinet designs.Savage aims his product towards ?high-end? shoppers. And with job contracts that range from $40,000 to $350,000, he means it. Normal cabinetry in tract housing costs around $6,000.?When people want to spend some real money, they come over here and have some fun,? said Savage. ?This isn?t for tract housingBut while contracting to big spenders, Savage?s demeanor is consistently friendly ? down to earth. He politely shows off his creations and offers a feeling of warmth while indulging clients with a handshake.?Bro, check this out,? Savage says candidly, confident. He walks up to an unfinished vanity. He opens a drawer and slams it hard, placing his full body behind the thrust. Despite the hard push, however, the drawer slows down and shuts calmly, settling into place.?It doesn?t matter how hard you slam it, it goes in smooth,? he said with a smile. ?Isn?t that cool??Savage also shows pride in how his designs provide customers with extra cabinet space with roll-out pillars, rotating shelves and hidden storage areas.?Places on the furniture that people think are only for looks have a purpose,? he said. ?You can use it.?For Savage to build a cabinet from start to finish, he begins in the design room. With the help of four designers using a computer animated drafting (CAD) program, Savage provides blueprints to bring his ideas to fruition. Then, the designs go to the woodshop where production begins from milling, to drawer assembly, face and box frame assembly, drilling and then to a finished assembly station where the finalized product is pieced together.?The difference between Savage and other designer cabinets is I don?t hire average workers. Everybody who works here is an experienced craftsman, 100 percent,? Savage said. ?You get those kinds of workers by building a reputation over 20 years.?Some of the craftsman, like Rob Gonzales, said the designs even surprise him sometimes.?Yeah, I get the plans and wonder exactly how it?s going to work,? he said. One customer, Richard Kniesel a Citrus Heights resident and owner of Kniesel Auto Body in Rocklin said Savage goes ?above and beyond the call of duty.??In the last home he did for me, I had a closet in the building design, and he took a look at it. He said.?why do you have a closet here, I?ll draw something up for that,? and he came back with a design that blew my mind,? Kniesel said. ?He has creative ideas and people who know his work recognize it right away. People walk into the shop, from Los Lagos, or somewhere that his work is known. They say, ?those are Savage cabinets.??Kniesel?s body shop also showcases a piece of Savage?s work in the reception area.?People love it,? Kniesel said.The Placer Herald?s Keith Reid can be reached at keithr@goldcountrymedia.com