We are based in Northern Utah at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains in the Rockies not far from the Great Salt Lake. Four fairly balanced seasons give us warm summers, dazzling colorful autumns, snowy winters, and invigorating springs. Many varieties of pine trees cover our mountains inspiring the company name “Forest Street Designs” reminiscent of a winding roadway through an evergreen forest. We started with simple plans at a draft board. As ideas came and technology advanced we refined products in CAD programs. Our designs have been influenced by many places we have visited.
A few miles to our west is Promontory Summit where Railroad Engine
119 and The Jupiter met in 1869 to join the East and the West.
We were granted an exclusive visit to the roundhouse to examine features of the trains which had similarities to
what would become our Iron Horse Train woodworking plan. It is one of our five best sellers.
The stunning venues and architecture of Venice and Florence in Italy played a part in several of our plans.
The architecture of St. Peters in Rome and the Duomo in Florence have features that turn up on our Italian Birdhouse, Venice Bird Cage and Tuscan Bird Feeder.
Pisa’s architecture is part of our Italian Colony Birdhouse, and Venice Bird Cage.
The splendor of Switzerland is unmistakable. High in the Alps not far from the Matterhorn is the stunning vista of Lauterbrunnen where a church house sits in the valley near a magnificent waterfall. Our Swiss Church Birdhouse is patterned after that church.
Our exciting folding train set is covered with images of Switzerland and includes three wood trains that are compatible with Thomas the Train and Brio trains.
Our Swiss child’s chair is like the one the Grandfather built for Heidi in that Shirley Temple video classic.
In the South of Germany is the Black Forest where homes are clad with gingerbread trim. Those houses inspired the Hansel and Gretel look we applied to our Bavarian House plan and our Enchanted Forest House plan. Tole painters love these projects.
Our horses graze near the foothills. And our wood versions, big sellers, graze near our shop. Five styles are outlined at this site in the Rocking Horse section.
Birds of all varieties visit our neighborhood for feeding, especially when winter snows arrive. We strive for designs to encourage many varieties.
Marble devices continue to be among or best sellers. Several varieties are available to build.
They are immensely popular with young and old. They are inspired by the cartoons of Rube Goldberg that were so delightful in the 1940’s & 50’s. His hand drawn inventions portrayed a series of mechanical devices affecting one then another in the end to perform a mundane task. As kids, we developed our own Rube Goldberg devices by taping cardboard tubes from paper towels to our bedroom walls to steer marbles around the room to ring bells and knock over dominoes. From those roots sprung our most acclaimed wood products. The Marble Tower is one of the biggest selling woodworking plans in the world. We have added five more similar devices, all best sellers. The addictive Pinball Marble machine is a delight for young and old. These are timeless projects and popular birthday and Christmas gifts from Grandfather’s workshop.
Behold the splendor of the Grand Tetons in Wyoming. Breathtaking peaks like the Alps, clear running streams and dozens of lakes where colorful rocks can be seen through the clear waters. Our leading selling Bear Family Lodge is adored by youngsters. It’s complete with a wooden bear family though more tame than those roaming these valleys. Dozens of features are throughout like the cabins in the Teton Valley and nearby Yellowstone.
Even the familiar fence lines that run 100s of miles in the Jackson Wyoming region are part of the Bear Family Lodge.
And our Garden Bench reflects the beauty of the west in Redwood and Cedar.