Photograph by JC Steele
Everyone loves furniture that tells a story, and the stories don’t get any better than the ones behind pieces by NLB Furniture in Cumming. Each product is constructed by a resident of the addiction treatment program run by nonprofit No Longer Bound. The craftsmen have assembled each farm table, barn door, or bench as they literally put their own lives back together.
NLB started selling handcrafted furniture about four years ago at its parent organization’s thrift store and a Lakewood Antiques booth. The business became so successful that the group opened a retail boutique. Proximity to Lake Lanier provided a natural market for rustic pieces of reclaimed oak. But they’ve since expanded into a wider range of products, including contemporary tables with sleek metal bases, bookshelves hanging from thick sisal ropes, barn doors, wood-clad walls, and home accessories. One industrial-style table has iron gears to raise and lower the top. As most pieces are made to order, customers are encouraged to select hardware, stains, and materials. Tables start at about $1,400, and NLB recently introduced a trade program for designers.
This article originally appeared in our Fall 2016 issue of Atlanta Magazine’s HOME.
