Under One Roof: How We Build Modern Heirlooms
There aren’t many companies who are willing or able to keep virtually every process of its business in-house, but inside Schoolhouse we embrace those challenges every day. Our obsession with quality and design has compelled us to produce modern heirlooms the old-fashioned way – as one team under one roof. Starting at the top floor of our century-old brick factory building in Portland, Oregon, we invite you to take a peek inside our headquarters to see how this unique way of doing business works.
In the paint booth, a finishing specialist sprays a protective coating of lacquer onto a light fixture canopy.
Many of our tools are designed and built by our Facilities Dept. to serve a unique purpose. The jig board is made to tightly hold components on their trip down the patina line.
Brown bars of compound help even out imperfections on raw components before they are plated, while the green compound bar is used for polishing nickel to a mirror-like finish.
In the studio products are conceived, sketched out, and digitized. Product developers and engineers work together to create 3D printed models and full-scale prototypes, which are further refined in the product development lab.
The third floor houses vintage furniture and accessories collected over time.
Raw parts awaiting transport to the fourth floor for finishing.
The assembly floor is divided into pods where each pod is responsible for assembling a single type of light fixture or clock at a time. Skilled assembly team members are tasked with memorizing a vast catalog of parts and instructions.
After assembly, fixtures receive their finishing touches. Each product is carefully tested and inspected prior to packaging.
Both our trade and customer support teams are located in the middle of the factory to provide them with intimate knowledge and easy access to products through each stage of development.
