About CUSTOMadera Original
CUSTOMadera Original is built on the belief that craftsmanship begins with respect—for materials, tools, and tradition.
Founded in San Diego, California, CUSTOMadera blends custom design with madera—the Spanish word for wood—to create purposeful organizers for makers who value order and intention in their workspace. Every piece is designed and built with the same principles found in traditional workshops: clarity, discipline, and function over excess.
The inspiration behind CUSTOMadera is deeply personal. The brand is rooted in a legacy of meticulous craft passed down through generations—where tools were cared for, workspaces were deliberate, and nothing was made without purpose. That philosophy lives on in every CUSTOMadera Original: honest materials, thoughtful joinery, and designs that serve the maker, not the other way around.
These are not mass-produced accessories. Each CUSTOMadera Original is a functional object—built to last, built to be used, and built to earn its place on the bench.
CUSTOMadera Original represents our first principles:
- Purpose before decoration
- Organization as part of the craft
- Timeless design grounded in tradition
- Designed & built in San Diego, California
CUSTOMadera — Custom craft. Timeless wood.
About Eric Chriss
CUSTOMadera began long before the first organizer was ever built.
When Eric Chriss was eight years old, his grandfather, Manuel Baisa, taught him how to carve a wooden chain from a single piece of wood—no breaks, no shortcuts. That early experience taught him patience, precision, and the importance of taking pride in doing things the right way.
As Eric grew older, woodworking became only one chapter of his story.
He began his career as an accountant with Deloitte before moving into manufacturing at Tony Lama Boot Company, where he developed an appreciation for quality craftsmanship and efficient production. Later, while working alongside Japanese manufacturing teams, he discovered the principles of Lean manufacturing and 5S—systems designed to eliminate waste, improve workflow, and create environments where everything has a purpose and every tool has its place.
For years, those experiences seemed unrelated.
Then during the COVID pandemic, Eric picked up woodworking again and built a treehouse entirely by hand. It was during that project that everything clicked.
Looking back, Eric realized that every stage of his career had been preparing him for this.
His grandfather had taught him craftsmanship.
Accounting taught him discipline.
Manufacturing taught him precision.
Lean and 5S showed him how organization could transform the way people work.
They were all connected.
CUSTOMadera was born from that realization.
Today, every organizer is handcrafted in San Diego, California, not simply to store tools, but to improve workflow, reduce clutter, and help makers, artists, home cooks, and professionals work more efficiently.
Because Eric believes organization isn't separate from craftsmanship.
It's part of it.
Every organizer Eric builds reflects the same principles his grandfather first placed in his hands: patience, precision, craftsmanship, and respect for the work itself.
Respect the tools. Respect the work.
