Rovan Hand Crafted Furniture: Go with the Grain

Andy Weld attributes much of the success of his custom millwork and furniture company to his passion for drumming. A self-proclaimed tinkerer, Weld spent his youth posted up inside his parents’ Iowa garage taking apart old drum shells—modifying, cutting, drilling, and refinishing—which ultimately led him to his first business, Rovan Hand Crafted Drums. 

“It was my foray into finding joy in working with my hands,” says Weld. “Wood was so intriguing to me.” 

Craving more exposure to the trade, Weld flew his Iowa coop for St. Paul, where the team at Strippers Furniture Restoration, a 60-plus-year-old family-owned company, took him under their wing and showed him the ins and outs of restoring and refinishing furniture. “I caught the itch, and I immediately knew I wanted to build new furniture from scratch,” he says.

After a stint in Denver studying fine woodworking and furniture design, Weld returned to Minneapolis in 2013 and started his company, Rovan Hand Crafted Furniture. Today, Weld and his team of three create custom pieces for commercial spaces, residential homes, and the hospitality industry—Earl Giles, Waldmann Brewery, Starling in Edina, Parlour Bar in Excelsior, and the Minnesota Museum of American Art are just a few local outposts where you can spot the company’s creations. 

Rovan’s impact is far from just local. Designers and architects beyond state lines are now tapping the team for their expertise in wood species to bring a concept to life. 

“The biggest compliment we can get is when a designer or architect from another market calls us up,” says Weld, who admits that while his pieces tend to favor a modern aesthetic, he also welcomes a design challenge and opportunity to fabricate pieces in an array of styles.

As is the nature of custom, no two pieces Rovan creates resemble one another.  “We’re here to bring unique visions to life,” says Weld of his portfolio, which consists of custom millwork, bar tops, specialty back bars, dining and coffee tables, credenzas, sideboards, and more. 

Sustainability remains a top priority for Weld, who sources his materials, like oak, mahogany, and walnut, from Midwest lumberyards. But white ash currently has his heart. Under its “dead ash” initiative, Rovan pledges a commitment to repurposing endangered ash trees that are being killed off by emerald ash borers—a beetle native to Asia and invasive for North American ash tree species—into bespoke designs.

On the horizon, keep your eyes peeled for a collection of in-house branded designs—but Weld and team don’t expect a lull in client-commissioned work anytime soon.

“When and if we see a break in the action, I’m excited to bring pieces to life, things I’m personally inspired by,” he says.

For now, he’ll stick to winding down at home by banging on one of his many drum sets.