459 Primitive Artist's Work Table

Here is one that Buck designed and built of pine and alder (36  1/2 x 115 x 30 1/4 h.)  It has an extremely heavily distressed texture.

The story behind this piece is that it used leftover wood from the shop, and was designed and built on spec.  I then intermittently used the table as my workbench in the shop and outdoors for a few years.  The resultant rich color and texture is the result.

A picture of the entire top.  The wood is not raw but is protected with the same living finish we use on many of our other distressed furniture.  The wood has also been chemically hardened.  Despite looking rough, it is quite smooth, and is easily cleaned and will not snag a cloth. 

The side aprons appear large but are actually placed toward the center of the table such that they stay out of the way.  Arm chairs could be used around the entire table, and there is plenty of legroom.

End overhangs are very generous , and again, the end aprons are set back far enough not to bump knees.

Placement of the end stretcher near the floor was carefully considered for comfort while sitting:  resting the legs on that end stretcher is comfortable and natural; and the knees will still miss the apron.

This table is for sale right now; contact us for details:  

  

590 Marble top contemporary

This is actually a Ceasarstone top, but the design is appropriate for marble as well.   (44 x 84 x 30"h)  Solid sapele dining table.  A lightweight and very strong torsion box is used to provide strength and stability for the stone, and this hides behind the apron.  Stone is let into the center and is glued in place with the proper mastic for Caesarstone.  Many adjustable levelers within the torsion box act in tandem to adjust the height of the stone to a precise 1/16 inch above the level of the surrounding wood apron and holds the stone "just so" as the mastic hardens over its proper cure time.  

Rather than the commonly seen cutaway style leg, these are, instead, full split-turned legs (lathe turned and then split into four sections).  Our client liked a similar dining table built by us several years ago but a different leg profile was more appropriate for her look, which if described in only two words would be opulent yet modern.  

Close view of legs showing inside detail.  Solid sapele was chosen for its grain pattern and has been ebonized to give the "very very dark, almost black" color desired.  

Showing table edge close view.  

A small gap between the stone and table edge is necessary to allow for seasonal movement of the stone.  This is carefully filled with color matched flexible caulk.  Ordinarily we must allow for seasonal expansion of the wood; however in this design, such movement is minimal to non-existent.  

This shows finish sample used to create this finish.  During the design phase of any project, finish examples are mailed to our clients to look at and choose in their own rooms with their unique lighting.  The chosen sample is then sent back to us, and since we do so much bespoke work, we use that sample to guide our finishing choices.  In the end, the piece will perfectly match the example board.

593 "Aslan's table"

This massive cabriole style dining table (dimensions 42 x 96 x 30h. with (2) 24 inch leaves) was designed and built for a family with a large dining room in a home with a high vaulted ceiling.  It was decided that thicker legs and top would be more appropriately scaled for a larger residence.  The table stretches to 144 in (12 ft)

This piece was fitted with two large "company board" style leaves:  the size of the dining room permitted these large leaves (with arms attached to the leaf) to swing in and fit into each end.  Rectangular plugs cover the leaf arm holes when the leaves are not in place.

A close view of the leg and foot, also showing leaf-hole plug.  Solid distressed alder with a living finish.

Close view of top showing marks, dings and character.  

Another close view of top showing round pegs, "cracks" and "gaps between boards of top.

Alder is a lovely wood and we use this species frequently for distressed pieces.

565 Dark Voluptuous Oak

A lovely extension table, 36 x 50 x 30h table with center opening extension slides and (2) 14 inch leaves, total open length 78 in.  Designed, bespoke for a client who wanted voluptious romantic leg styles in solid oak. 

This is the "Grand Baluster dining table from Restoration Hardware."  When a client first calls me, (s)he usually gives me some inspiration photo like this and asks for us to make it in a custom size or other options not provided by the manufacturer.  I cannot ethically reproduce some other firm's design, nor would I want to.  This is generally the beginning of a bespoke collaboration, in which I learn the client's preferences based upon conversations including lots of images.  I make up my own sketches and we choose the best, and go from there.  The end result is usually much more pleasing to the client than the inspiration image provided.

Here is the table closed, with no leaves in place.  Chunky and solid, with a pleasing heft and shape.   

Opened to its full length of 78 inches.  I always love it when a client is willing to do something really bold.

The flared corner details suggested themselves, after the leg profile was decided.

Details of finish -- this table was made to mimic what an antique piece would look like.  Toward that end, I included some scuffs, dings, "burns", "ink stains", discoloration, and color variation. 

 The resulting table will be so easy to live with.  It will weather normal wear and tear beautifully and will only look better with the passage of time and use.  And if the unthinkable happens - a gash, or a plant pot that leaks - the "living" finish here is the easiest possible finish to repair.  Most repair work can be done in the client's home with minimum possible fuss.

In this photo it shows some of the antiquing that I used:  the black spots are small burn marks, made to mimic perhaps actual cigar burns or perhaps ink spills.  Remember when people used real pens?  They also ate a lot of gravy and used real butter in those days.  You can also see tiny cracks, and a small chip that has (long ago) broken off the flared corner. 

Close view of the top.  The grain is not actually white like this - it shows white because of the bazillion watts of light I have in my studio.  You can see that there is quite a bit of color variation in the top, as antique piece might develop through its lifetime.

Look closely and you can see round pegs at the junctions of the boards in the top. 

Corner detail.  

Leg detail.

580 Fitted beach kitchen

Here a small beach house on the Washington coast that has gotten a nicely fitted kitchen done in natural fir.  Designed by Tom Chartrand, executed by Tom Chartrand and Jeff Axtell.  We (Buck O'Kelly) built the kitchen cabinets. 

Here is an antique baker's table that Buck modified so that it would fit in this small alcove and function as a cooktop.  The table was too low for comfort, so Buck added length to these turned legs.  Because it was too deep, Buck subtracted material from the table and drawers, and lightly refinished the piece to preserve its patina.  

Another view of the dough table -- Tom added a sleek and functional cooktop to the surface.  

Another view of the kitchen

Showing granite countertops, and all the builtins in the sink area and stove area.  Nice deep drawers.  The tall narrow element is meant to be for cookie sheets and other flat items.  You can see a row of brass rods down the center to keep the items in order. 

553 Gustavian cabinet

Here is a beautiful Swedish style bedroom cabinet with clean lines and great proportions designed by Laura Baker of the Uplifters in Santa Monica for a client in Manhattan.

The piece needed to fit inside a freight elevator, in a building with a rather convoluted hallway system.  You never know what you will get in Manhattan.  We decided the safest bet was to have the piece come apart in 9 sections.  The piece assembles and disassembles easily, and the joints between the sections are undetectable to the eye.  The joints between six of those nine sections are captured here in this photo, and each section was finished separately from the others; yet when assembled, the piece appears seamless, as it should look.

Close up view of finish details showing slight aged crackle effect.  

Showing drawers -- these are guided using handmade wooden undermount guides - giving the piece an old school look and feel, and yielding maximum drawer height. 

Drawer detail:  Undermount wooden guides

These are pullout shelves in the lower cabinet sections.

Pullouts

My personal favorite detail:  zig zag shelf supports.

Simple off the shelf hinges seemed perfect for this style.

I love the profile of this simple crown.

Each of our clients gets a selection of finish samples in the mail from which to choose.  The only right way to look at finish samples is in your own home and in your own lighting.  Samples are then sent back to Portland so that we can make sure the piece matches the sample you choose.  Shown here are the two finish examples chosen for this piece.