Combining exotic woods with metal can be tricky, but Verna Design International in Doral approaches the task with talent, craftsmanship and decades of experience.

After more than 35 years in business in the Washington, D.C., area, Robert Verna moved to South Florida three years ago to ''semi-retire.'' But when his wife, Isabel, suggested he ''do something local,'' he did. With just nine employees, his company hand-crafts kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities, gates, stair railings, specialty signs for businesses and desks for offices and hotel lobbies. His work fuses wood and metals.

''We've been doing mostly commercial work, but we are doing more residential all the time,'' says Verna, 65. ``It's all custom work.''

Verna combines teak, mahogany, lace wood, white oak, ipe (an exotic wood from Brazil) and wenge with stainless steel, aluminum, copper and brass. ''It's very tricky to pair metal and wood, but we found we can use the same machinery for both materials,'' he explains, adding that he manufactures all the hinges and other metal components for his cabinetry. The metals are powder-coated for an automotive finish.

Verna notes that the designs for his products are brought in by architects, designers, builders and homeowners. ''We then implement the designs, but it's helpful to get us involved in the process beforehand,'' he says. ''We have to design the substrata to hold the materials; there's engineering involved'' such as for an impressive mahogany desk trimmed in stainless steel for a car dealership.

Prices vary greatly according to the project, but Verna produces cocktail tables from $1,500 to $2,000 and stair railings from $1,200 to $1,400. The company crafts desks with marble or granite tops trimmed in stainless steel.

Most projects can be completed in four to six weeks, a quick turnaround in the custom furniture industry.

Kitchen cabinets and railings may be the heart of the business, but Verna prides himself on unique ''art'' pieces. One is a round glass-topped table in four pieces with a center motif in black onyx that resembles a flower. Another is a small table crafted in crotch mahogany, the veneer taken from the tree where two limbs come together in a ''crotch,'' providing grain resembling a flower. That table, made for an office, has a granite top and stainless steel legs. Then there is a glass staircase his staff is crafting on-site at a five-story house in Miami Beach.

Verna's goal at this stage in his life is ``to pass on my knowledge to the younger employees.''

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