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Bringing the leather mod series to the bar cart with Wickett & Craig English Bridle. An obsessive appreciation for fine, high-utility things and the legacy brands that make them is a massive driving force for what we do at Twenty-one Astor. Whether it is a steel toolbox from Toyo or a classic timepiece, great design deserves to be celebrated. Our leather modding series is born from that exact perspective. The goal is not to change or improve products that are already exceptio

Exploring a new workshop concept with the Tsubota Pearl Bolbo and Eddie lighters. An obsessive appreciation for fine, high-utility things and the legacy brands that make them is a driving force for what we do at Twenty-one Astor. Whether it is a whiskey glass from Godinger, collar stays from Moulet, or a steel toolbox in military green by Toyo, great design deserves to be celebrated. Our new leather modding series is born from that appreciation. The goal is not to change or i

Balancing the fair, Father's Day, and the unyielding pace of the traditional saddle stitch. There is a distinct rhythm to a quiet morning at the bench. This week, the workshop is occupying a unique space between reflection and preparation. While the focus is quickly turning toward the Father's Day collection, I am currently spending my hours completing the custom orders made by neighbors and visitors at last weekend's Glen Ridge Arts + Eco Fair. On the stitching pony right no

Reaching the end of the Road to May. Pencils down. The workshop is finally quiet. I just finished the last batch of work for Saturday’s show, and as I look at the pieces lined up on the bench, the scale of the last few months finally hits home. This production cycle has been about more than just building inventory. It was a test of the systems I’ve been refining at Twenty-one Astor. From the launch of the Essential Deskpads to the limited Mother’s Day bundles, every piece has

A limited-run pairing designed for Mother’s Day and the Road to May. Seasonal holidays often present a challenge for a workshop like Twenty-one Astor. In the world of mass retail, these dates are usually met with high-volume production and deep discounts. But when you work at a single bench, your capacity is defined by the hours in the day and the quality of the hide in front of you. My approach this year was to lean into that limitation by creating something highly specific

Expanding the Twenty-one Astor lineup with our first collection for the kitchen. Growth for a small-batch brand often means moving from the pocket to the home. I am excited to announce that Twenty-one Astor is expanding into a new category this quarter with a collection of leather goods designed for the kitchen. The first release in this series is the Leather Trivet. It is a project that allowed me to apply our standard of craftsmanship to a larger, more tactile surface desig

The Essential Deskpad and the psychology of a defined workspace. There is a specific kind of clarity that comes with a clean desk. As the light begins to shift this time of year, it usually brings a collective urge to clear the clutter and reset our environments. I spent this past week in the studio leaning into that feeling, finishing a small batch of our new Essential Deskpads. These were designed to be more than just a surface... they are intended to be the foundational la

Introducing the Minimalist Starter Kit and the intentionality of a lighter carry. We often carry more than we need. Over time, our pockets and bags accumulate the weight of "just in case" items that rarely serve a purpose. In the workshop this week, the focus has been on the opposite: the essentials. We have been finalizing a limited run of the Slim EDC Starter Kit, a combination of our Horizontal Slim wallet and a refined Mini EDC Key Clip. The Horizontal Slim was designed t

Some people take the day off, but I’ve always found my celebration at the bench. There is a specific kind of peace found in the repetition of the craft. It is my birthday week, and as has become my tradition, I’ve spent the mornings in the studio. Looking back at photos from five years ago, the growth in the work is visible, but the feeling of the tool in my hand remains exactly the same. For me, "me time" has never been about escaping the work. It has been about the freedom

The Playing Card Case can’t make you a better player, but it can certainly make you a better-looking one. There is a specific kind of satisfaction in creating an object that serves a single, classic purpose. A deck of cards is a universal tool for connection, yet it is almost always housed in a flimsy paper box that begins to disintegrate after the first few shuffles. New for 2026, the Playing Card Case, was designed to replace that temporary packaging with something permanen

Small batch isn’t a marketing term. It is a core value. The workshop has a specific language this week. It’s the sound of the blade on the cutting mat and the rhythmic pull of thread through a signature label. Looking at these pebbled leather panels and nickel zippers, I’m reminded that every piece I bring to the Glen Ridge Arts & Eco Fair starts exactly like this. They are just high-quality components waiting for a purpose. At Twenty-One Astor, making things one at a time al

There are about 60 days until the Glen Ridge Arts & Eco Fair, which means it’s time to start figuring out what will go on the table this year. Preparation usually starts the same way. Not with leather, tools, or hardware, but with a simple list in a notebook. What seemed to resonate last year, what people asked about, and what feels worth bringing back again. Some things tend to make the list every year. Card sleeves are usually one of them. Utility pouches too. They’re pract

Travel has a way of revealing the small things we rely on. Not the obvious things like luggage or a passport. Those are easy to remember. It is the smaller items that tend to scatter themselves throughout a bag. A charging cable. A few band aids. Collar stays. Maybe a couple of Tylenol tucked away just in case. Individually, they are insignificant. Together, they are the things you find yourself searching for when you need them most. Anyone who travels regularly knows the mom

I made a series of card holders with no stitching at all. There’s a comfort in repetition. For me, that comfort usually shows up in stitching. The rhythm of punching holes. The pull of the thread. The symmetry that slowly forms as two separate pieces become one. Stitching has always felt like structure — like proof that something is secure. This week, I set that aside. No thread. No saddle stitch. No reinforcement beyond the way the leather itself folds, tensions, and holds i

A key chain is not complicated. It does one job. But the experience of using it can be different. Vegetable tanned leather that warms in your hand.Edges that are burnished smooth.Stitching that is deliberate and visible.Hardware that feels solid, not flimsy. Over time, the leather softens. It darkens. It records use. What begins as a clean, structured piece slowly becomes personal. That evolution is part of the design.

The pieces you reach for when you are on the move. I have a few spring trips on the calendar. Some by road. Some by air. Packing used to mean options. Extras. Just in case. Now it means clarity. Travel has a way of exposing what works and what does not. Airports are not gentle. Car seats are not organized. Movement tests everything you bring with you. A passport wallet should keep documents together without thinking about it. A cover should protect without adding bulk. What y

There’s a particular calm that shows up when I make more than one of the same thing. Most of the time, I’ll make two or three pieces of a single design in one sitting. Not enough to feel like production. Just enough to fall into a rhythm. The pattern stays the same. The tools stay in reach. The steps are familiar. Cut. Stitch. Finish. Repeat. What changes are the small things. A stitch pulls a little tighter. An edge burnishes a little darker. A piece of leather responds slig

Most of what I make doesn’t begin as a product. It begins with a person. Over time, I’ve made small leather pieces for my wife, Meg. Things for her desk, her bag, and her everyday routines. Not as a set or a collection, but one piece at a time, shaped by how she works and what she actually uses. That approach has quietly informed everything behind Twenty one Astor. At the bench, I’m usually focused on a single item. One object, one purpose, one person. Working this way keeps

Valentine’s Day has a way of narrowing our idea of what a “good” gift looks like. Flowers. Chocolate. Something romantic, maybe fleeting. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s never been what interests me most. I’ve always been drawn to gifts that quietly become part of someone’s everyday life. The wallet that gets pulled out ten times a day. The key strap that keeps things from disappearing into the bottom of a bag. The small piece that doesn’t announce itself, but earns

This project started with a practical problem. A photographer needed a better way to carry and organize SD cards—something compact, protective, and easy to reach while working. The goal wasn’t to reinvent how cards are stored, but to improve a small part of an existing workflow. That framing shaped every design decision. The size needed to be minimal, with just enough structure to protect the cards without adding bulk. The opening had to allow quick access, but still feel sec