The Dovetails standard
What leaves our shop carries our name.
We build in small numbers, answer our own email, and put our hands on every piece before it leaves. These are the standards we hold ourselves to, no matter what we are making.
- Built hereDesigned and made in our workshop. Not outsourced, white-labeled, or bought finished.
- Materials named plainlyWe tell you what a piece is made from, where it matters, and why we chose it.
- Designed for real roomsIt has to work once someone lives with it, not just look good in a photograph.
- Clear expectationsWe tell you what is in stock, what is made to order, and when it should leave the shop.
- We make it rightIf something arrives damaged or is not as it should be, we take care of it.
For this piece
- Nine lights, sized for standard Hanukkah candles
- Solid walnut with rare Mappa burl
- Solid brass candle cups
- One of a kind, signed by Asha
- Between 12–14 inches long
- Made by hand in our Alabama studio
THE BURL
The wood gets the first say.
Piece of My Heart doesn't begin with a finished drawing. It begins with a piece of Mappa burl.
Asha looks for something that gives her somewhere to go. Sometimes it's a live edge with a rise, a dip or an unexpected turn. Other times it's the figure and shape within the burl itself.
Only then does she decide how that particular piece should meet the walnut.
That's why there are two versions of Piece of My Heart. One keeps the natural live edge. The other gives the burl a cleaner, straight edge. The idea is the same either way: we're not trying to make every piece of burl look like the one that came before it.
The walnut provides the structure. The Mappa burl gets to be the part that changes.
It also means we can't simply decide to make twenty of these. We make Piece of My Heart in very small numbers, and only in years when we can find Mappa burl worth building around.
Asha can make another Piece of My Heart.
She just can't make this one again.
Asha looks for something that gives her somewhere to go. Sometimes it's a live edge with a rise, a dip or an unexpected turn. Other times it's the figure and shape within the burl itself.
Only then does she decide how that particular piece should meet the walnut.
That's why there are two versions of Piece of My Heart. One keeps the natural live edge. The other gives the burl a cleaner, straight edge. The idea is the same either way: we're not trying to make every piece of burl look like the one that came before it.
The walnut provides the structure. The Mappa burl gets to be the part that changes.
It also means we can't simply decide to make twenty of these. We make Piece of My Heart in very small numbers, and only in years when we can find Mappa burl worth building around.
Asha can make another Piece of My Heart.
She just can't make this one again.
THE WALNUT
The burl gets to wander. The walnut doesn't.
Mappa burl can be a lot to look at.
The grain turns back on itself. Eyes appear and disappear. Color changes over a few inches. On the live-edge version, even the outside line of the wood refuses to stay put.
That's exactly why Asha pairs it with walnut.
The walnut has a quieter job. It gives the menorah its structure and gives all that movement in the burl somewhere to stop. We keep its lines simple because adding another busy material or another decorative detail would only give your eye one more thing to sort out.
If everything is interesting, nothing is.
So the burl gets to be the unpredictable part. The walnut stays quiet beside it. And above both sit nine candle cups, with the shamash standing slightly taller than the other eight.
Once the candles are lit, there's one more material in the composition.
Light.
And that one gets all the attention it wants.
The grain turns back on itself. Eyes appear and disappear. Color changes over a few inches. On the live-edge version, even the outside line of the wood refuses to stay put.
That's exactly why Asha pairs it with walnut.
The walnut has a quieter job. It gives the menorah its structure and gives all that movement in the burl somewhere to stop. We keep its lines simple because adding another busy material or another decorative detail would only give your eye one more thing to sort out.
If everything is interesting, nothing is.
So the burl gets to be the unpredictable part. The walnut stays quiet beside it. And above both sit nine candle cups, with the shamash standing slightly taller than the other eight.
Once the candles are lit, there's one more material in the composition.
Light.
And that one gets all the attention it wants.
Straight-edge walnut with a Mappa burl shamash block. Same design, but no two pieces of burl are ever quite the same.
Shop note
Piece of My Heart is not exactly a quiet song.
Janis Joplin doesn't ease into it. She gives the song everything she has, which is probably why her version still feels so alive all these years later.
We liked that for this menorah.
Mappa burl isn't particularly quiet either. The grain twists and turns. The color moves through it. Sometimes the edge wanders wherever the tree left it. Put a piece of that against the steadier lines of walnut and there's a little tension between the two.
Asha works with that rather than trying to tame it.
Every time she makes one, she starts with a different piece of burl and lets that piece change the composition. Some become the cleaner Classic Cut. Others have a natural edge too interesting to cut away.
So yes, the name started with Janis.
But somewhere along the way it became fairly literal.
Every one begins with a different piece.
And Asha gives each one a little bit of her heart. When this one is between batches, you'll find the rest of our menorah collection ready to light.
Janis Joplin doesn't ease into it. She gives the song everything she has, which is probably why her version still feels so alive all these years later.
We liked that for this menorah.
Mappa burl isn't particularly quiet either. The grain twists and turns. The color moves through it. Sometimes the edge wanders wherever the tree left it. Put a piece of that against the steadier lines of walnut and there's a little tension between the two.
Asha works with that rather than trying to tame it.
Every time she makes one, she starts with a different piece of burl and lets that piece change the composition. Some become the cleaner Classic Cut. Others have a natural edge too interesting to cut away.
So yes, the name started with Janis.
But somewhere along the way it became fairly literal.
Every one begins with a different piece.
And Asha gives each one a little bit of her heart. When this one is between batches, you'll find the rest of our menorah collection ready to light.
Specifications
Every measurement has a reason.
| Length | Approx 12–14" (varies by piece) |
|---|---|
| Height | Approx 3" |
| Depth | 2" |
| Lights | Nine |
| Shamash | Centered on the Mappa Burl |
| Candle cups | Solid brass |
| Woods | Solid walnut + Mappa burl |
| Finish | Satin, hand-finished |
| Style | Straight edge or live edge |
| Signed | By Asha |
| Weight | Varies by piece but about 2 lbs |
Frequently asked questions
What people want to know
Why is this sometimes sold out?
Piece of My Heart is only made when we have Mappa burl worth designing around, which isn't every year. When it's out, it's between batches, not discontinued. Join the list and we'll tell you when the next one is ready.
What's the difference between straight edge and live edge?
The straight edge is a clean, squared profile. The live edge keeps the natural outline of the board along one side, so the tree's own shape stays in the piece. Both hold nine lights; the choice is purely the look.
The length on the live edge version is also generally an inch or so longer for visual balance.
The length on the live edge version is also generally an inch or so longer for visual balance.
Is each one really different?
Yes. Each is designed around its own piece of burl, so the grain, color, and composition change every time. No two are alike, and none is repeated.
Where does the shamash sit?
On this menorah the shamash stands on a raised block of Mappa burl at one end, above the eight lights that run along the walnut. The burl isn't just decoration here, it's what lifts the ninth light.
What wood is it?
Solid walnut with a section of rare Mappa burl. The walnut is the steady, dark ground; the burl is the figured, one-of-a-kind detail Asha builds each piece around.
What is Mappa burl?
Mappa burl comes from burl formations on the European black poplar tree. Instead of the relatively straight grain found in ordinary boards, the grain grows in unpredictable directions, creating the eyes, swirls and changes in color that make every piece different.
That unpredictability is exactly why we use it for Piece of My Heart. Asha starts with the individual piece of Mappa burl and designs the menorah around what the wood gives her, rather than cutting the wood to fit a predetermined design.
That unpredictability is exactly why we use it for Piece of My Heart. Asha starts with the individual piece of Mappa burl and designs the menorah around what the wood gives her, rather than cutting the wood to fit a predetermined design.
Is Piece of My Heart a handmade Hanukkah menorah?
Yes. Asha designs and makes each Piece of My Heart in our Alabama studio from solid walnut and Mappa burl. It has nine candle cups: eight for the nights of Hanukkah and a shamash that stands apart from the other eight.
Unique Walnut & Burl Menorah – Piece of My Heart
$195.00