How Wooden Intarsia Art Is Made at WoodenVie

At our workbench, an owl’s eye can stop the whole job. We lay out a few pieces of wood and look for the one with the right color and grain. That tiny dark detail can make the owl look awake.

This is what we mean by modern intarsia. The picture comes from pieces of wood, and the wood brings its own color to the picture.

Our family’s woodworking roots

Our family has worked in woodworking since our great-grandpa. During the war, our family moved from the north to the south and started building the business in southern Vietnam.

From our great-grandfather to our grandpa, our dad, and our uncles, woodworking stayed close to home. Our town is known for good woodworking, so the work was never far away. It was what people around us knew how to do, and what our family kept passing along.

How our designs are drawn

A design has to work as a picture before it can become a box, ornament, or model. We look at the subject, the important shapes, and the small details that need to remain clear after the design is divided into wooden pieces.

That drawing stage matters. An owl’s eye, a dragonfly wing, a rose petal, or the shape of a Boeing 747 all need a clear place in the design. The finished piece should still read quickly when someone sees it on a shelf or holds it in their hands.

Choosing the wood

Wood gives us most of the color. We work with melaleuca, jackfruit, mangosteen, sapele, and golden cassava. Each has its own look, and we choose pieces that help the design speak.

For an owl, one piece may give the eye its dark point. For a rose, another may bring warmth to the petals. A dragonfly needs enough contrast for the wings and body to stay clear. The colors are almost all from the wood itself. We use a tiny amount of paint only for small details.

Some pieces lean light. Some lean dark. A small change beside another small change can make an eye, wing, petal, or aircraft line easier to see. That contrast is part of the design work, not something we add at the end.

Our Dragonfly Wooden Puzzle Box is a good example of how the material does part of the drawing. The different wood colors help the shape stand out without covering the piece in paint.

Cutting and shaping

After the design is ready, the wooden parts have to follow its lines.

The goal is a clean fit between the parts. Curves, corners, and small details all have to meet the design. This is where a flat drawing starts becoming a group of pieces that can be handled, checked, and brought together.

Assembly: bringing the pieces together

The separate parts become one object during assembly. A box needs its outside design and its storage space to work together. The pieces need to sit in the right places, and the details need to stay easy to see.

The Rose Wooden Puzzle Box shows why assembly is more than putting a picture on a surface. The rose has to read as a rose, while the box still has to hold the small things someone gives it.

Finishing the piece

The last steps keep the natural wood colors in front. Small painted details stay small. The finish should let the design, the grain, and the changes between wood species remain visible.

Our owl ornament and fridge magnet is a smaller example of the same idea. The subject has to stay clear at a small size, and the wood does most of the visual work.

From our workshop to your home

Every piece we sell is 100% handmade in Vietnam. Our family’s workshop is there, and we’re based in Garden Grove, California. The work crosses that distance, but the object still carries the hands, choices, and wood that went into it.

A puzzle box may hold a watch, jewelry, notes, or small keepsakes. A model may sit on a desk. An ornament may come out every year. Nick’s words stay with us: pieces carry their own story over the years.

The Boeing 747 wooden model uses the same basic language in a different form: a recognizable design, pieces of wood, and natural color doing the work. For a gift, it can be a good fit for someone who loves aircraft, models, or the details of how things are built.

For a related gift idea, see our Wood Anniversary Gift Guide.

Frequently asked questions

Do you use paint?

Yes, but only a tiny amount for small details. Almost all of the color comes from the wood itself.

What woods do you use?

We work with melaleuca, jackfruit, mangosteen, sapele, and golden cassava.

Where are the pieces made?

Our pieces are 100% handmade in Vietnam. We’re based in Garden Grove, California.