Making Whole

Let there be light.

Yes, there is a cost. No, insurance does not cover it. Yes, donations help make access possible for apprentices from a wide range of backgrounds.

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A color study in walnut, oak, maple and sapele.

Exploring what’s possible with .

One thing furniture making offers the recovering addict is a chance to repair their relationship with time.

Good things are often slow-built, and that lesson reaches far beyond the shop. Rush the process and the joints loosen, the measurements drift, the whole structure eventually folds under its own shortcuts.

Addiction worships immediacy—scratch the itch now, fill the emptiness now. Our work, in contrast, demands the opposite: restraint, waiting, delayed—and never fully guaranteed—gratification. It encourages pauses and thinking ahead; slowing down in the excitement of the start to avoid collapse at the end, when the product is due and the maker is worn thin.

Through craftsmanship, the addict begins to see minutes, hours, and months through a new lens—not as something to kill, bypass, or outrun, but as something that can be invested carefully, inhabited fully, and trusted to shape strong things.

Pictured: Sapele wood with steel inlay. .design.studio

Having a loved one who is struggling with addiction is a bewildering experience. Much of the information in the world about being a family with addiction makes it no less bewildering. The current climate around drug addiction means that the chances of death are as high as they have ever been, and the chances of recovery seem as low as they have ever been. So how do we navigate through the darkness?

We cannot promise that apprentices will get sober any more than anyone can. What we can promise is engagement, which goes equally for the apprentice and their families. Our commitment to the family is to be fully engaged in their growth and understanding to whatever extent is needed.

Just as the family dynamic—and needs for an individualized recovery plan—are complex, so too is our approach towards working with families. It is tough to find words to describe our approach, and the process for navigating treatment plans for drug addicts is overrun with empty words. So the simplest thing we can suggest is to speak with the parents we work with, as all of them have expressed their willingness to share the experience they have had with Making Whole. If that is something you are interested in, we are happy to connect you with any and all.

In an effort to stay in the uncomfortable grip of the creative process, we avoid being a production studio — rarely building the same object twice. In doing so, Making Whole’s signature becomes custom design, and minds that once reached for substances learn to reach for complexity, challenge and creation instead.

One week ago, Making Whole hosted 40+ industrial design students from Virginia Tech. We toured the studio, shared a meal and kept the conversation grounded in a simple truth: The best designers care about people, understand the problem and effectively translate need into form.

Mother of an apprentice:

“At Making Whole, our son was able to participate in a supportive community that had a shared objective: produce high quality work that required creative problem solving. The daily routine of showing up for work, having set responsibilities, and focusing on a specific project allowed our son to build a new perspective on himself. Participating in a real business was essential to the sense of purpose he felt. After one year of being at Making Whole, we see a young man engaged in both his work and his community. We see someone who is taking responsibility for his himself and working to define his own life.“

📸: Bill Green

We had the opportunity to visit Jeremy French, founder of Making Whole, in his woodworking studio in Asheville and it left a lasting impression. Director of Marketing & Business Development Kimberly Nelson, MA, and Treatment Program Director Charlie Dennis not only enjoyed a shared meal, but experienced firsthand the sense of fellowship and possibility among Jeremy, his staff, and the apprentices. It was palpable.

Spaces like this are rare. For young men in early recovery, developing pride in meaningful work and a sense of purpose is foundational. Learning a craft, working with one’s hands, and growing into the identity of a true artisan offers more than skill-building, it fosters dignity, confidence, and a sustainable path forward.

Making Whole is a community built around a classical apprenticeship model, where men in recovery create meaningful work while rebuilding their lives. Through hands-on craftsmanship, shared meals, and mentorship, the emphasis is on the process: showing up, doing simple things well, and growing consistently over time.

Kim and Charlie thoroughly enjoyed their time in the studio and look forward to collaborating with Jeremy and his team as we expand opportunities for young adults in our care who are seeking creative, purpose-driven pathways in recovery.

Making Whole Kim Nelson