Heirloom Play Journal

This Old Saw
This Old Saw
Hanging on my wall as decor is a collection of old, sentimental tools that once belonged to my dad and grandfather. Some of my favorite items are my grandfather's old... Read more...
DIY Children's Desk Joinery — 70 Years of Hardware Refinement
The hidden hardware decisions that make a children’s desk last a lifetime. Read more...
Non-Toxic Kids Furniture DIY — Zero VOC Paint That Works
I Painted Three Desks to Find Out When I say safety is a core value at Heirloom Play, I don't mean I put it on a list and moved on. I mean I do the homework. I order the product, I test it in real conditions, and if it doesn't pass, I don't recommend it. Simple as that. Paint is where that gets personal. Because when you're building a desk for a toddler — a surface that a two-year-old is going to press their face against, lick when nobody's looking,... Read more...
Heirloom Woodworking Plans — The Family Behind the Desk
Built by Family, for Families — Three Generations and Counting My grandfather, Jarvis P. Osborne, was what we'd call a maker today — except the word didn't exist yet when he was doing it. He was just a man who made things. During World War II he served in the Navy as a machinist mate, which in practice meant he kept ships alive in the Pacific theater. Dead-in-the-water vessels, sometimes while battles were happening around them. He'd board them, figure out what was broken, and fix it. Whatever it took.... Read more...
Children's Wooden Desk Plans — DIY That Lasts
A Desk You Can Build in a Weekend — Designed Before Your Parents Were Born Welcome to Heirloom Play. I'm Darin Ward, and the short version of why this place exists goes something like this: my grandfather built a desk in 1953, I rediscovered it in my garage decades later, and I could not stop thinking about how good it was. The longer version is more interesting — and you can read it over at the family behind the desk. But right now, let me tell you what Heirloom Play... Read more...