1975Northern Germany
Dartboard cases
I grew up “above Holland and below Denmark.” My first projects at 11 or 12 were small things — dartboard cases — and helping friends who built boats.
German Master Craftsman
Coral Bay, St. John
Old-world joinery,
island-built.
Custom furniture, cabinetry, millwork and timber-frame pagodas — designed by hand and built in Stephan Scholz’s open-air shop on St. John. Serving St. John and St. Thomas, and building for clients anywhere in the world.
3-yrGerman apprenticeship
30+ yrsIsland craftsmanship
100%Original designs
WorldwideShipping possible
What do I do?
“If I answer honestly, I can build almost anything — in wood, in metal, on land or on a boat. But when people ask about my profession, I say I’m a woodworker.”
Stephan Scholz
Trained in the strict German apprenticeship tradition and long at home on St. John, I build high-end furniture, cabinetry, millwork, timber-frame pagodas — and the occasional house, along with marine carpentry. I work in metal as well as wood, and years of marine carpentry mean few technical problems are new to me. Every design is original, drawn by hand for the people who will live with it.
Fine Furniture
Dining tables, beds, armoires and pieces that travel well and last generations.
Cabinetry & Millwork
Kitchens, vanities, built-ins, doors and shutters made for salt air and humidity.
Timber Frames & Houses
Pegged timber-frame pagodas and, now and then, an entire house.
Marine Carpentry & Metalwork
Marine joinery, boat interiors and metal fabrication — nothing square, everything fitted.
Selected Work
Built by hand, made to last.
Furniture, cabinetry and custom builds from the shop in Coral Bay — finished projects, how they’re made, and new design concepts. Click any piece for the full story.
Finished pieces in homes, villas and boats on St. John and beyond.
Work in progress at the open-air shop in Coral Bay — joinery, glue-ups, turning and metalwork.
Concept renderings. These are design ideas, not photographs of finished pieces — a starting point for something Stephan can build for you, drawn up and adjusted to your space.
Nothing matches that search yet. Try “teak”, “door” or “kitchen”.
The Journey
From a German bench to Coral Bay.
When I started my apprenticeship at sixteen, the farthest thing from my mind was a shop on a Caribbean island. At the time I wanted to be a designer or a social worker. I kind of became both.
My master, Reinhard Wolter, probably worked sixteen hours a day. He was very strict and very old-school — and he taught me a lot. I earned maybe $40 a month that first year, and worked weekends to pay the rent.
Then I decided I wanted to see the world. A catamaran, an ocean crossing, and in 1986 the Virgin Islands. In 1992 I became a permanent resident of the United States, and St. John has been home ever since.
Stephan ScholzMeister-trained cabinetmaker and builder — St. John, USVI
1980Germany
Apprentice to Reinhard Wolter
At 16 I began a three-year apprenticeship with master craftsman Reinhard Wolter. Very strict, very old-school. If you wanted to learn stairs, you stayed until midnight.
1983Germany & Hamburg
Journeyman
A year as a journeyman, then the Hamburg docks. A few months of that made woodworking look very good again.
1986Atlantic Crossing
Gibraltar to the Caribbean
I fixed some woodwork on a catamaran in Gibraltar and they asked me to sail with them. I was 20. The crossing ended in the Virgin Islands, and St. John felt like home from the start.
1992St. John, USVI
St. John for good
I became a legal permanent resident of the United States and made St. John my permanent home — and the base for everything I build.
TodaySt. John, USVI
The shop in Coral Bay
Two shipping containers, a tarp between them, and more than thirty years of island work — furniture, cabinetry, millwork, metalwork, pagodas, houses and marine carpentry.
And I never work alone. The shop crew is always on hand to supervise.
The Process
No computer. Just a pencil, good wood, and time.
Every piece follows the same path I learned as an apprentice — adapted for an island where the humidity, salt air and hurricanes all have opinions.
01
Conversation & Sketch
On Materials
“I really like teak. It’s durable, it can be finished with just oil, and it stands up to island weather better than almost anything.”
Teak, mahogany and other tropical hardwoods from trusted suppliers, chosen board by board for each project.
Ask about wood for your projectAs Featured In
Woodshop News — “Landing in a good place”
A profile of Stephan’s path from German apprentice to St. John master craftsman.
Where I Work
Rooted on St. John. Building for anywhere.
My shop is in Coral Bay, and most of my clients are here on St. John. But good furniture travels — I design pieces to come apart, so they can make the trip wherever home is.
- Delivery on St. John for an added fee
- Knock-down joinery designed for shipping
- Off-island shipping arranged by the client
- Teak, mahogany and tropical hardwoods
St. John
Local · Delivery availableHome. Pick up from the shop in Coral Bay, or I can deliver anywhere on island for an added fee.
St. Thomas
Client pickupA short barge ride away. You arrange pickup from the shop, trucking and the barge.
Anywhere else
Worldwide · Shipping possibleMainland U.S., the wider Caribbean, Europe. We work from drawings, photos and calls; you arrange pickup and shipping from the shop.
Policies
Delivery, shipping & quotes
Delivery on St. John
Delivery on St. John is available for an additional charge, based on the time and preparation the trip takes. It is not included in the price of a piece.
Installation
Installation is not included on any project. Clients typically arrange their own on-site installation. Stephan will consider installing depending on his availability; if he can, pricing depends on the scope and specifics of the job.
St. Thomas & beyond
For anything leaving St. John, the client is fully responsible for pickup from the shop, trucking, barge fees and all shipping and logistics. Once a piece leaves the shop, it is the client’s responsibility.
Quotes & estimates
Quotes and estimates are provided only once there are architectural drawings, a wood selection and the other project specifics. Send what you have, and we can talk through what’s still needed.
Let’s draw something together.
Tell me what you have in mind — rough dimensions, the wood you love, when you need it. I’ll get back to you within a few days to talk it through.
- (786) 449-1688
- WhatsApp Message (786) 449-1688
- sscwoodworking@gmail.com
- Coral Bay, St. John
U.S. Virgin Islands 00830 - Mon – Fri, 7am – 4pm AST · Visits by appointment