LUKE WORKS
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About LUKE WORKS       


LUKE WORKS is a manufacturer of fine furniture, concrete counters, and specialized custom products. We offer innovative products for contemporary spaces with a focus on quality, sustainability and design. We are a design and build studio with a wide array of skills and experience. LUKE WORKS is a marriage of contemporary aesthetics and traditional construction sensibilities. We can provide design services and custom manufacturing for pieces from birdbaths to complete kitchens.

Who does LUKE WORKS make work for?
We make work for individuals and designers alike. We can create a design specifically to fit a client's needs and space or collaborate with a professional designer or architect to realize a design.

Who is LUKE WORKS?
LUKE WORKS was founded and is run by Mark Melonas.
Mark Melonas is an artist, designer, and craftsperson with many years of experience in the building trades.

Melonas has worked around construction since the age of 14. First, as a helper to a local builder, then, in high school as a punch-out man for a local general contractor. Melonas studied Architecture, Art and Design at the University of Maryland College Park. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Arts in 1998 with a focus on sculpture and 3-D design. He then travelled to New Bedford Massachusetts, where he received a Master of Fine Arts in Artisanry from the Furniture Department of the University of Masachusetts Dartmouth.

Before and after his studies in Massachusetts, Melonas apprenticed with a cabinetmaker in Columbia, MD. In the Fall of 2001 Melonas struck out on his own to create LUKE WORKS, Inc.

Mark has taught sculpture, drawing and design at UMass Dartmouth and instructed the senior sculpture class at the Baltimore School for the Arts. Mark is a founding member of the Concrete Countertop Council and is now active in helping to open the Baltimore Montessori Public charter School

Mark and his family live in Baltimore City.

Who else is LUKE WORKS?

We employ skilled craftpersons and artists to create our broad array of work. Everyone on the LUKE WORKS team is involved in each aspect in the realization of our custom made pieces. From designing through installation we work together to coordinate details and build your piece.

Jake Ulrich, Concrete Specialist. Jake is a skilled sculptor, craftsman and problem solver. Jake is an expert moldmaker as well as a welder, cabinetmaker and finisher. Jake holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland Art Department. Jake won the Wharton Award for Outstanding work in the Senior Fine Art Exhibition.

Seth Scott, Lead Furnituremaker, is a graduate of the acclaimed Furniture Design Department of Northern Michigan University. He is an expertly skilled designer and woodworker in both modern and traditional techniques. His eye for detail and broad range of experience help to simplify the most challenging projects.

Marie Cobb, Concrete Craftswoman and Moldmaker. Marie is a skilled moldmaker, sculptor and templater. She attended the prestigious Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore and has years of experience in the precast concrete world. Marie competed with friends this spring in the AVAM Kinetic Sculpture race this year.

Michael Coffman, studio assistant. Michael is a graduate of Virginia Tech's Architecture school. Michael is a talented finisher, hardware technician and always up for our wide ranging studio requests. He likes flipping concrete and cabinets more than flipping burgers.

Environmental Statement
As a consumer of raw materials we realize we have a responsiblity to our community and planet. LUKE WORKS strives to use materials and products that do not harm our environment. We use sustainably harvested forest products as well as reclaimed or recycled products whenever possible. We are always researching and testing new green and alternative products and processes. We avoid the use of tropically harvested rainforest timber. And we use the latest solvent- and water-based wood finishing products, which are low in VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) and are HAPs (Hazardous Air Pollutant) Free.