By Ken de la Bastide
When most people purchase a new house, they fill it with factory-made furnishings to make it feel more like a home.
Not Mike Bolinger.
Every room of his home in Kokomo’s Silk Stocking District includes a special touch — furniture Mike made himself.
One-of-a-kind tables, cabinets and other pieces that Mike labored over personally adorn the halls and rooms of his home, bringing an intimate feel to every corner.
The colonial-style house was built in the 1940s for a doctor. Mike and his wife, Lynne, purchased the 11-room home in 1986.
Mike’s skills in woodworking have gradually improved since he began the craft in the 1970s, and his pieces show the evolution — he’s made everything from basic projects to the more advanced.
Mike said nothing he makes is perfect.
“The mistakes are getting smaller and smaller and harder to find,” he said. “A couple of times, I’ve purposely done something so people will know it is handmade. I sign and date everything I make. When you carve your name on it, it’d better be right.”
Mike and Lynne have put several special pieces on display prominently throughout the home. One in particular is a mahogany cradle he constructed before the birth of the couple’s daughter in 1980. Now located in their master bedroom, Lynne calls it the first “real” project.
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