Meet Leslie Gruskin…
a Huston & Company customer since 1997
What is your favorite Sunday activity?
Cooking
Where would you live if you could live anywhere, no strings attached?
Sandhamm, Sweden (an island in the Stockholm archipelago)
What was the make/model of your first car?
Ford Explorer, dark green
What is your favorite meal?
Rare filet mignon, without any seasoning, scalloped potatoes and spinach
Name an activity you’d like to try.
Learning to play the cello
The Gruskin Family
Leslie discusses her experiences with Huston & Company…
I don’t recall how I came across Huston and Company almost 17 years ago, but I remember our first purchase; it was a custom Cliff Island king sized bed in natural cherry. To this day, our Huston bed is our favorite and most cherished piece of furniture in our home. This bed has always been a sanctuary, where our young daughters (now ages 13 and 14) slept as babies and where they still prefer to cozy up with a good book or to watch a scary movie together, where our pets luxuriate on a sunny warm day, and where my husband I always enjoy a good night’s sleep!
The Huston & Company Cliff Island Bed, photo from company catalog, 2003
To complement the Cliff Island bed, I chose a Davenport Bureau and two side tables, also in natural cherry. Several years later, I worked with Bill to design a custom TV cabinet that would complement the lines of the Cliff Island bed with proportions that would fit into a very precise corner of the bedroom but not overwhelm the serenity of the space. So, it seems our first foray into the world of Huston furnishings started with a vision for our master bedroom.
The Gruskin’s custom TV cabinet in the Huston & Company workshop, 2009
Since then, I have purchased many other signature Huston pieces and worked with Bill on a number of custom orders as well. All of our Huston pieces (beds, bureaus, Oxford Desk, cupboards and a curio cabinet, side tables, a TV cabinet, a coat tree, a bench and even two chairs) are solidly and artistically constructed, with edges that are exact and curves that are smooth. Our Huston pieces are well suited for our Nantucket style cape cod in Annapolis, Maryland and blend well into our own personal (and somewhat eclectic) style of furnishings, textiles and art. They are timeless pieces, with form and function as well as versatility.
I am not a designer, artist or engineer, but I do have ideas and visions of how a select piece of furniture might function within an intended space (at least in my home). Therefore, in considering a custom piece, it is always comforting to have the guidance and expertise of someone who is an artist/craftsman/builder and who also works with a spirit of enthusiasm for the collaborative project. Each project with Bill has involved a comfortable and cooperative exchange on the phone and via email, incorporating photographs of existing space and any architectural limitations (moldings, vents, etc), taking measurements and reviewing draft concept drawings together. And so, through this process, each piece became a signature Huston creation with a very personal touch!
When I asked Leslie if she expected to pass along any of her Huston pieces to her girls when they move into their own homes, she answered,
“Absolutely, they already use your Oxford desks and have beautiful Cliff Island and Sleigh beds. I imagine those will be a part of their first apartment. And, I would definitely pass along our kitchen cupboards when they buy their first home!”
At present, we are designing another piece of furniture for Leslie’s home. Many thanks to Leslie for her years of confidence in us, and for sharing her story.