White House Commissions York, SC Furniture Maker To Craft Presentation Box For Queen Elizabeth II

Photos via @LeakeFurnitureMakers on Facebook

YORK, SC — The White House recently commissioned a York County furniture maker to craft a presentation box fit for the Queen.

Leake Furniture Makers, located on Filbert Highway in York, SC, have been making custom furniture and antique reproductions since 1956.

The father and son team was commissioned by the White House to craft a unique wooden box that President Donald Trump used to present a gift to Queen Elizabeth II during his recent state visit to England for the 75th D-Day anniversary commemorations.

“My son Jay and I are honored to be selected by the White House to produce the box containing the gift for Queen Elizabeth on this historic occasion,” says John Leake.

According to a release, the box, which contained a Tiffany brooch, was constructed of wood cut from a tree on the White House grounds.

John and Jay Leake milled the wood and assembled it into a small four inch by five inch by one and a quarter inch deep box that featured hand cut dovetail joints, an etched design of the White House, and a black velvet lining.

“It was a thrill working with wood sourced from the White House grounds,” says Leake.

Leake Furniture Makers have made several items for the White House and U.S. State Department, according to the release. They are nationally known for exquisite period furniture reproductions and had their signature product, the Walnut Cellaret, featured in the October/November 2014 issue of Garden and Gun Magazine.