Custom Woodwork

We design and create bespoke timber features tailored to your home and style. Whether you’re after something functional or decorative, our custom work is built with precision and care.

Integrating iconic automotive grilles and functional lights into custom woodwork makes for an incredible, high-impact piece of wall art. Whether it’s a sleek, modern front-end layout or a rustic, weathered vintage setup, the contrast between organic timber textures and mechanical chrome, steel, or plastic is striking.

When designing or fabricating these statement pieces, balancing the weight, structural integration, and wiring determines the quality of the final build.

Design Concepts & Timber Pairings

The design direction usually dictates the best type of timber backing or framing to use:

The Vintage/Patina Look: Pairing a weathered classic truck or classic car grille with heavy, reclaimed timber (like old barn wood, distressed railway sleepers, or rough-sawn hardwood planks) creates a rugged, industrial feel.

The Modern/Performance Look: For clean, sharp lines—like a classic European mesh grille or a high-performance muscle car front end—using premium, smooth-finished hardwoods like Blackwood, American Walnut, or clean Oak works best. A deep satin or gloss finish enhances the metallic pop.

Key Technical & Fabrication Considerations

Building a piece that looks integrated rather than just “bolted on” requires solid execution across three main areas:

Structural Woodworking & Recessing

Automotive grilles are rarely flat; they have depth, mounting tabs, and rear contours.

Flush Mounting: To make the grille look seamlessly embedded, use a router to create a recessed lip or stepped pocket in the timber backing. This lets the edges sit flush with or slightly inside the wood surface.

Weight Management: Metal grilles and glass headlight assemblies get incredibly heavy. The timber frame should be reinforced from behind using pocket-hole joinery or steel bracing, and finished with heavy-duty French cleats for secure, flush wall hanging.

Functional Lighting Integration

Bringing the headlights or indicator lenses to life elevates the piece from a static sculpture to a functional ambient light source.

LED Conversions: Avoid standard 12V automotive halogen bulbs—they run incredibly hot and can scorch or warp the surrounding timber. Instead, retrofit the factory headlight housings with low-heat, dimmable LED arrays or standard 240V/110V warm-white LED puck lights.

Concealed Wiring: Route all wiring through channels carved into the back of the timber panel. Bring the wires together into a single, clean exit point at the bottom or behind the frame, utilizing a braided cloth power cord or an integrated wireless remote switch.