Custom Millwork and Wall Panels in Santa Monica
Santa Monica
Element Decor is a family-owned millwork shop in Chatsworth, working since 2014. We make custom wall panels, carved and inlaid walls, slat walls, media walls and built-ins for Santa Monica homes and businesses, built in our own shop and installed by our own crew.
One finished project here: walnut panels carved on the CNC, with brass following the cut lines, cut, fitted and dry assembled in the shop and installed in November 2023. Next door in Venice, a carved white oak wall followed in 2024.
Updated · Chatsworth, Los Angeles
- Project here
- CNC carved walnut panels with flush brass inlay, 2023
- Nearby
- CNC carved white oak wall in Venice, 2024
- What we build
- Wall panels, slat walls, room dividers, built-ins and furniture
- Veneers
- Walnut, white oak, blackened oak, Fineline, Shinoki, or a veneer you supply
- Metal
- Brass and blackened metal set flush into the panel in the shop
- Where
- North of Montana, Wilshire Montana, Mid-City, Sunset Park, Ocean Park and Downtown, plus Venice next door
- Lead time
- 4 to 6 weeks of production after shop drawings are approved
- Trade
- Trade pricing for designers, architects and builders once an account is approved
- Shop
- 20371 Prairie St, Chatsworth, CA 91311
- Install
- Our own crew
- Before you commit
- Shop drawings and a 3D preview of the room
The groove has to fit the brass
The brass on the Santa Monica wall is not laid on top of the wood. It sits in a machined groove flush with the walnut veneer, so the wall stays one smooth surface and the metal reads as a drawn line rather than a strip of trim.
Carving and inlay in the same panel is unforgiving work. The groove has to be cut to the thickness of the brass with almost no tolerance, and the carving around it has to stay clean at the edges where wood and metal meet. That is why everything was cut and fitted in the shop, then dry assembled before finishing, instead of being adjusted on the wall.
Near the water, a wall has to stay flat through the humidity swing. On a carved oak wall a few blocks from the beach in Venice in 2024, the panels were built on a stable core and sealed on both faces before installation. We apply the same thinking to any Westside job close to the coast.
Projects in and around Santa Monica
Built in Santa Monica
How carved work runs
- Send the wallA photo and rough dimensions. A reference image of the pattern helps.
- Draw the pattern and the metal togetherCarving depth and inlay lines are resolved on one drawing, across the whole wall, before cutting.
- SampleA test piece with carving and brass, so you see the edge where the two meet.
- Template after drywallReal measurements from the finished wall.
- Cut, fit, dry assembleCarved, grooved, inlaid and assembled in Chatsworth before finishing.
- InstallationOur crew installs it. One shop from drawing to install.
Questions
Do you install in Santa Monica?
Yes. Santa Monica is inside the area our own crew covers. We completed a carved walnut wall with brass here in November 2023.
Is the brass glued on top of the wood?
No. It sits in a machined groove cut to the thickness of the brass, flush with the veneer, so the wall stays one smooth surface.
Can you carve and inlay the same panel?
Yes. The carving and the inlay are drawn together, cut in the shop and dry assembled before finishing, so the edge where wood meets metal stays clean.
Will panels near the beach stay flat?
Close to the water we build on a stable core and seal both faces before installation, as we did on a carved oak wall in Venice. That keeps the veneer flat through the humidity swing.
Who actually does the work?
One shop. We draw it, build it in Chatsworth and install it with our own crew.
What does custom millwork cost in Santa Monica?
Every job is quoted from its own drawings or photos. As a guide, simple paneled walls run $4,000 to $10,000, more complex walls $15,000 to $20,000, and room dividers $4,000 to $8,000. Options such as lighting are priced separately.
How long does a project take?
Production takes 4 to 6 weeks after the shop drawings are approved. We template the wall after drywall, then build, finish and dry fit the work in Chatsworth before our crew installs it.
Do you work with designers, architects and builders?
Yes. Designers, architects, general contractors and developers can open a trade account for standing trade pricing, and samples go to your studio or straight to the client before anything is signed off.
Related
- CNC carved walnut panels with brass, Santa Monica
- CNC carved oak wall, Venice
- Custom wall panels
- Materials we use
- Brentwood
- Malibu
- Pacific Palisades
- Marina del Rey
- Custom wall panels in Los Angeles
- Architectural millwork in Los Angeles
- Rebuilding after the fire? Our Palisades millwork guide
- All Westside neighborhoods
- Custom arched doors in solid wood, priced online
Thinking about carving or metal detailing? Send a photo of the wall and rough dimensions. You get back a layout, shop drawings, a price and a 3D preview before anything is cut.
Get a quote for your Santa Monica project
Send the room, rough dimensions and timing. You get back a layout, materials and a real price. Nothing is cut until you approve the drawings.
- Drawings and a 3D preview of your own room before anything is made
- Built in our own Chatsworth shop and installed by our own crew
- Licensed and insured in California
Prefer to talk? 323-431-3818