visiting some old friends

i had a call recently from some clients that i made some furniture for

in the 90s and very early 2000s.  they recently sold their original vermont ski house

and moved to dorset.  even though they've been here a few years, i hadn't made the effort 

to stop and see them.  they got a small 'ring' on their table after a recent dinner party

and i got the call to come see if i could help with that.  i am still thinking on the best 

way to handle it.  but, i rnjoyed my visiti and it was good to see some furniture

i made nearly 20 years ago look pretty much like it did when i delivered it,

back in the day.

this is a cell phone picture i took when i visited the lasgt week ...

and this is a picture from my website that i took with 

my nikon film camera when i delivered the table, chairs, 

mirror and sideboard when it was new ...

the table and chairs today

the table picture from the dining table section of my website

construction shot in the shop

and it was also nice to see this curly oak and lacewood coffee table 

with some ebony and reclaimed piano key details

and a pair of our arts and crafts cherry and burl stools 

with their original fabric .. it;s all good ...

some wood and metal mirrors

i finished a couple of mirrors a few weeks ago, both with "natural finish' metal edges

the 'natural finish' is just regular hot rolled steel, sanded lightly and sprayed with a clear finish

 natural cherry ... 36 x 42

 'whitewashed' spalted maple and natural finish steel

the hardware steel screws were a little harsh so i put em in a can

and set them in the woodstove for about 15 minutes til the can glowed a little red

cooled them in the snow and wire brushed them lightly

perfect match to the steel

just a few mirrors

i love a good mirror!  they can make a room bigger and brighter, 

and more interesting, and also create interesting reflections and shadows.

and we have made quite a few of them .. we are working now with a client who

would like to do something 'a little interesting' in the mirror department.

and below are just a few we've done ... any wood combination or size possible

and we are open to new suggestions too ... 

click the photos to enlarge them ... 

when you sit in just the right place, the mirror becomes a 'third window' but i've never

been able to catch it just right in a photo .. mirrors are actually tricky to photograph. 

same room as the first image, in my own house .. 

crazy things can happen when these two interact.

with an abalone detail

we've done a few of these

 

and then there's your arts and crafts style

 your round ones, with or without the convex (security) mirrors

                                                          you've got your carved details

                                                        your 'doorway' traditional style

your funky painted style ...

                                 then you can combine any wood with any frame border,
                                         above aluminum and brazilian rosewood veneer

in this case, cherry and black milk paint

and on and on

A New Client's Interesting Idea

Often my new designs are a result of interactions with thoughtful, 'know what we want', clients. I met some folks at the Woodstock Furniture Show. It was totally the last minute and, I mean, totally the last minute. Other furnituremakers were packing up their booths as we were talking ... Anyway, it turns out they had purchased a house in Manchester ( ! ) where I had sometimes gone to parties in the early 70's ( ! ) when I was a bartender. They are remodeling it and when I went by to check it out, it brought back some interesting, hazy memories ... The origianl owner's pool table was even still there ... I took the photo below throught the sliding glass door as there was no one there and roughly photoshopped in their idea for a mirror, a 4" wide frame covered in galvanized, hung on the stone ... I wasn't precisely sure how to go about it so we had the local metalshop bend up some test pieces, stuck them on the wood with 3M Spray 90 adhesive and cut them to length on the table saw with a thin carbide blade and face shield. So far, so good ... We need to discuss finish colors, if any, and get approval for the copper boat nails we placed in the edge of the mirror. Without the nails it is going to be hard to hold the outside metal edges tight to the wood with just the contact adhesive ... Great concept ! Click the photos to enlarge them ...

The fireplace

With the mirror photoshopped in ... Actually, in the picture, it's too big. The stonework is 7' wide, which I didn't know when I did the picture .. I think 4' will be perfect ...

The cutoffs of the steel parts with the spray 90 on them. The folds on the outside edges wrap around where the mirror sits

We are using 1" plywood for the frame to eliminate complicatons from seasonal wood movement ..

With the copper boat nails on the edge ... I plan to try a little patina solution on the galvanized and the nails just to see what it does, after talking with the clients ....