I’m Dan…

I've had a creative mind for as long as I can remember, and a lot of that traces back to my grandpa. Long before I was born, he built our family cabin in Long Barn, California, with his own two hands — a piece of family history I grew up hearing about. But I got a much more hands-on lesson when I was eight years old: he helped our family build a hot tub base in our yard. That project, along with the "build your own radio" electronics kit he gave me as a kid, taught me early on that building things — real, physical things — was something within reach.

That instinct found a more specific outlet in junior high, when shop class planted a lasting interest in working with wood and home-ec exposed me to cooking and sewing. Years later, college added a different layer: digital design classes taught me the fundamentals of design and color theory, the way form and function work together.

That interest in woodworking didn't fully take root until I bought my first house. The first things I ever built outside of a classroom were about as practical as it gets — a mobile cart and a workbench. Nothing fancy. But that was the moment woodworking stopped being a class I took and started being something I did.

A lot of that push came from watching others do it first. YouTube woodworkers showed me that this wasn't some inaccessible craft reserved for people with decades of training — anyone willing to learn could pick up a saw and start building. Shows like This Old House, The Woodwright's Shop, and Woodsmith fed that same fire, giving me a deeper appreciation for the craft and the confidence to keep going.

My full-time profession is in computer networking, and while it might not look like it on the surface, it's not so different from making. Networking involves planning, design, building, and constant problem-solving — and at the end of the day, you've created something physical that other people rely on and benefit from. That's the same process, just a different material.

That technical, systems-oriented mindset merged with my design background and led me into digital design and manufacturing: CNC-cut wood (Walnut is my fav!) designed with CAD and 3D models designed and 3D printed in my garage. I love the entire arc of it — starting with nothing but an idea, designing something that doesn't exist yet, and then using tools or automated machines bring that design into the physical world.

How Made By Baarts started

The shop began with the Furniture Arm Tables. A friend of mine didn't have the room for traditional side tables around their furniture, but still wanted a nice-looking place to set things down — a drink, a phone, a book — right at arm's reach. I designed a solution, and that solution became my first listing.

The name "Made By Baarts" came naturally. My last name is fairly unique, and "Made By" carries that personal, made-for-you feeling — while keeping the shop open to grow into whatever I want to make next, rather than boxing me into one single product.

Where ideas come from

Some products start as a problem that needs solving — the Arm Tables, or the Aeropress Caddy, both grew out of a real need I saw and set out to fix. Others start with an idea that already exists out in the world, and I put my own twist on it — the Gothic Wall Sconce is a good example, taking a style I love and giving it my own flavor.

Either way, I hold every design to the same standard: it has to look right, feel right for its purpose, and function well. A piece should be a pleasure to use — it should add a little joy and spark to someone's day, not friction.

Family, front and center

My wife and kids are a huge part of this shop, even if their names aren't on the listings. They're my product testers and my harshest critics, and honestly, the shop is better for it.

When someone opens a box from Made By Baarts, I want them to feel something. Not just "this is well made," but a genuine sense of satisfaction — like a good friend made this specifically for them. Custom. Unique. Considered.

Looking ahead

My goal isn't to build the biggest shop out there — it's to keep this a one-person operation, growing steadily, staying hands-on with every design and every piece that goes out the door. That's the version of Made By Baarts I'm building toward: sustainable, personal, and still mine.