A few weeks ago we introduced you to Project Stream, a console we were working on for our first corporate client. We just delivered it on Friday, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with how it turned out!

It’s fun to compare the model to the final version and think “hey look I made that thing exactly how I planned to”

I love all the wood tones that popped out when I stained this piece, it added an entire different dimension to the final product! (Sorry that we’re getting kind of a fish-eye effect on the photo- I’m still no photo editing master). You can see here that the console was designed specifically to suit the storage baskets.

Each shelf holds two baskets perfectly, and the wire basket style is such a great fit with the metal details. I went with a contrasting pipe finish for the drawer pulls, and I’m so happy I did. The dark metal on the vertical supports is a great contrast with the lighter metal on the threaded rods, baskets, and flanges.

The drawers have adjustable rods to accommodate different size files. Because this is for a graphic design/marketing team, they have a lot of printed materials, and this console was designed to fit all those materials. The drawers can either hold two rows of standard 8 1/2″ x 11″ hanging files, or one row of 11″ x 17″ files.

Just a few more fun detail shots because I love seeing the contrasted materials together.

This console was a bit of beast, so thank goodness for some brute strength (on Ben’s behalf), and a very good friend who served as an additional lackey to help me with delivery. It was no joke getting into the building, to the service elevator up to the 22nd floor, and between the cubicles. This isn’t the final resting place for the console, they still need a moving team to remove the old storage piece they had, so this bad boy is actually going to get a great view from a 22nd floor window! And I get to wave every time I drive by Midtown.

One of the best parts of building custom furniture for people is that I get to try new things and different styles all the time. It’s such a great way to test my skill set and push my boundaries, and discover fun new things!

Today I’m sharing a custom wine rack built for a pair of jazz lovers (and the husband is an INCREDIBLE piano player). Hence the amazingly clever “Jazzy Wine Rack”. They originally came to me with this product from Amazon. They loved the idea of it, but the reviews weren’t great. So I put together my version of the curvy, piano-inspired, standing wine rack and got to work!

I generally don’t work with a lot of curves, so it was a fun test to get things just right. I also wanted the bottle holders to fit just right and allow the bottles to lay flat, so I used small half-circles for the neck of the bottle and large circles for the base. I snapped a few progress photos along the way:

Circles for the “base” holders- ready to be split.

Drilling the small circles for the bottle necks

Testing the router detail on a curved scrap

Getting the curves just right!

As far as finishing, I liked the idea of really emulating a piano, so I went with a high gloss black paint. I love that the grain still comes through, it adds to the dimension in the high gloss. Then I had my incredibly talented artist friend Evan paint the keys. I’m so thrilled with how this finish turned out!

The wine rack holds ten bottles, has two areas for hanging stemmed glasses, and a shelf for holding bottle openers, stemless glasses, or smaller specialty bottles. (We’re not big wine drinkers, so I only had one old bottle around to show it off for photos 😉 )

This was the first piece that I’ve had to ship to a client (eeeeek!) so needless to say it was nerve-wracking to have it crated up and shipped off. (I should have grabbed a shot of that crazy process- alas!) I can’t wait for this awesome couple to get to really enjoy this special piece.

We’ve shared a few peeks on instagram, but today we wanted to walk you through our big current project, an oversized console for the Design team at a large real estate firm. The team creates a ton of incredible marketing material for each of their properties, and they are in a desperate need of a stylish space to store it.

The Design Director came to me with some inspiration (below), but what they really needed was a custom design to fit their space perfectly.

The wire baskets will store smaller books and handouts, but they could also really use drawers to house older materials and oversized project books. So here’s what we’re doing:

Thick planks will give them plenty of shelf space to store the loose wire baskets, and oversized drawers will each accommodate either two rows of 8 1/2″ x 11″ hanging files, or a row of 11″ x 17″ hanging files. We upped the industrial vibe that they’ve already got going in their office (see shelves in second photo, below) by incorporating large pipe drawer pulls and feet. Angle iron and flat stock metal will frame out the plank shelves to finish out the look.

This project is well under way, so hopefully we’ll have a fully finished update for you soon!

It is an incredible blessing to be able to create things for people that you love. When we started Project VonVon (friends of ours who may or may not actively hate that nickname..) we knew it needed to be something special. I had acquired a stunning slab of 6/4 walnut, and I just had to use it for a piece that would be very important to me. And, selfishly, I wanted to be able to visit this gorgeous material often. I couldn’t quite imagine making someone for someone and sending it away, never to see it again.

Evan and Devon came to me with an idea for a coffee table in their living room. First let me say that they have a FANTASTIC apartment. They’re both creative souls, and they’ve put together such a wonderful wonderful home, so it was an honor to build something for them. Practically, they wanted a piece that served the traditional coffee table functions, but also added some visible storage/access to tv remotes, magazines, books, etc.

After showing them the walnut slab, we knew this was the place to use it. After mulling it over, we wanted to keep the top simple, and create a “cubby” of sorts underneath. VonVon also wanted us to incorporate hairpin legs, which I’m always a fan of, so it was natural to play with the form of the “cubby” to skew to a more midcentury vibe. Instead of a simple box cubby underneath the slab, I wanted to curve the sides and make it a more unique shape. This way, it wouldn’t start to look like an old-school classroom desk.

In order to get the curves, I experimented with kerfing. This is one of those old woodworking techniques that is “simple”, but not easy. But, when you get it right, you can do really wonderful things.

We kept the palette to black and the natural walnut (sanded and polished to buttery perfection- seriously it’s the smoothest table ever), to coordinate with other pieces in their home, and to let the form of the table really shine. The cubby got an ebony stain, and the legs were finished in matte black.

It was a joy to create something new for wonderful friends, and to get to go visit and pet that stunning walnut slab every time Devon whips us up an incredible meal.

We’re on our last installment of Project Lake Claire, and we’re a little bit sad about it. This was an incredible family whom it was a total joy to work for. Although I finished these projects several months ago, writing the final post feels like I’m officially saying goodbye to that house, so it makes me a little weepy.

But back to the point, we’ve showed you the Kid Stuff, The Big Stuff, and Form and Function Game-Changers, so we’re here for one last project: The Hidden Office! This house is SO COOL, and the property includes a carriage house at the back of the yard. It’s a great little space with a kitchen, full bathroom, and incredible deck. The husband does a lot of work from home, so this is a perfect place for him to set up camp so that he’s got a great workspace without taking over a room in the main house. However, they’d also like to potentially rent out the carriage house (also known as the Peace Pad), because of their incredible proximity to some really great Atlanta attractions.

So, the best way to make this place work was to create an office that contained all the function needed for the husband, but was able to be completely closed off and private if they decided to rent the Peace Pad out. Enter the Hidden Office. The P.P. had a wonderful spacious closet that was perfect for a built in workspace.

The desk was built at standing height, custom fit for the husband. This also eliminates the need for a chair that would have to be shoved under the desk when not in use. The large space above the work surface leaves plenty of room for his huge monitor (he works in marketing and design, so a giant screen is necessary) as well as space for a cork board or notice board. The upper shelf is there for helping store more decorative items, since they’ll be somewhat on display.

But that’s not all!

Check out all that storage!! On either side of the desk, we used the closet space to build in customizable shelving. It made be hard to tell from the photos, but those shelves are almost 2′ deep! That provides tons of useful storage space. They’re all adjustable, so once everything is in place, they can make the shelves taller or shorter to fit everything they need. Below the desk is plenty of room for oversized storage and filing cabinets. The metal desk legs are incredibly sturdy but don’t take up much space, so the lower storage area is still easy to access.

You can also see here where the bifold doors close off the entire office space, and all the important components (remember that giant screen?) can be totally blocked off, locked up, and kept safe.

We liked mixing the rustic wood top with the more industrial style legs and the simple white shelves. It keeps things textural and interesting without being too busy.

A last important detail can be seen here, at the top of the photo. We carefully drilled out a hole large enough for accommodate all the plugs and cords needed on the desktop, so that nothing would have to run behind the desk. This way it looks cleaner, but we were also able to anchor the desk to the wall for extra sturdiness.

This was a such a fun project, because it was all about problem solving, and making a space really useful for this family. And, since everyone loves a good GIF, let’s check out that secret office in action:

 

Next we’ll be sharing a custom coffee table we made for some of our best friends! And we’re wrapping up a custom wine rack for some jazz lovers, so we’ll have final photos of that soon!