Shane Hall

While attending high school, woodworking shop classes helped develop his furniture making skills while simultaneously Shane’s passion for football helped land him a scholarship to the University of South Carolina as a Gamecock, playing under legendary coach Lou Holtz.

After four years, Shane graduated from USC with a degree in finance and signed with the Seattle Seahawks, where he played the position of Guard. A career ending knee injury cut Shane’s time in the NFL short, so he traded in his pads and helmet for a suit and tie, putting his degree in finance to work. After a stint in the business world, which left him unfulfilled, Shane followed his heart and returned to his other love of Woodworking.

 Some of Shane’s recent projects include a handmade crib and changing table for he and his wife Roxanne’s first born child, Miles.

Scott Meek

Michael Pentland

As early as the age of 5, Michael could be found somewhere on a jobsite surrounding Old Bridge, New Jersey.  Learning the basics from his father, a fully fledged carpenter, Michael continued honing his skills through his teens and well into his college years.  Although he earned a degree in Graphic Design, building with his hands has remained prevalent in Michael’s life, where he’s made a career revolving around all facets of construction.

In addition, Michael has been exploring fine woodworking and furniture making for the past 15 years.  More recently, Michael has had the opportunity to work on some very high end projects, which have allowed him to bring some of his finer woodworking talents into the field; at the same time those projects have helped Michael gain a better understanding of architectural styles and details that are only seen in historic homes and restoration projects.

When he’s not creating furniture and cabinetry at Gregory Paolini Design, Michael enjoys ornamental wood turning, skiing, drawing, and spending time with his wife and three children.

Sam Paolini

Sam's main role at GPD is to oversee and safeguard our inventory and assets.  He also lends a hand in accounting ensuring all of our accounts receivables are up to date.  Sam  is also active in our employee and customer relations program. 

When he's not at Gregory Paolini Design, Sam enjoys watching Animal Planet & The Dog Whisperer; taking naps; going for walks; and hanging out with his friend Buck, a bay quarter horse.

Gregory Paolini

Gregory Paolini designs and creates some of the finest furniture and cabinetry in the world from the studio of Gregory Paolini Design LLC, nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina.   His work has been featured in numerous books,  magazines, and newspapers, and can be found in the homes of clients across the country.

Born and raised in Buffalo, NY,  Gregory began woodworking after inheriting some hand tools, and built his first piece of furniture when exposed to the world of precision woodworking through a pattern making class in high school during the mid-eighties.    Gregory explains: “I was blessed in a way – I had hand tools but couldn’t afford power tools.  I was forced to learn traditional, old world craftsmanship:  Hand planing, joinery, dovetailing. I'm completely self taught - I salvaged wood from pallets and where ever I could, to put into practice the techniques I learned from books, and honing my skills.”  

 Today, Gregory expands upon his woodworking knowledge by continuously pushing his designs to the next level, and new horizons, while keeping a mindful eye of the details.  “I pay a lot of attention to the little things – I’ve come to realize that often it is the littlest things that make the biggest difference."  Gregory closed with a bit of his philosophy: " I accept that no man’s work will ever be perfect, but it’s my responsibility to craft each piece as close to perfect as my creator will allow.”