672 Hand-Painted Faux Tortoiseshell cabinet back

Antique oak cabinet top to which we added a hand painted faux tortoise shell decorative back.

Showing entire back, unobstructed by shelves.

The plan for this piece is to use it as a liquor cabinet, storing drinks and fancy glassware.  

Close view:  it's a multiple-layer finish which begins with thick layers of yellow and ivory paints which I coax into randomly crackling and cratering

This is followed by layers of glazes and lacquers containing all of the "burbly-wurblies"

Has a medium sheen - some gloss but not garish.  Finished up with a layer of crackle lacquer for plenty of interesting texture.  

Deep and complex and surprisingly neutral in appearance despite the strong egg yolk yellows.  A daily Rorschach test - what do you see in the pattern?  Links coming soon for purchase.  In the meantime, please use the "contact me" button on the top right of this blog for any questions about this.  Many, many potential ideas:   cabinet backs / mirror frames / decorative drawer fronts / door panels / anything that can be worked flat is fair game, and finish samples are available by mail.  Thanks for reading!  

666 Cherry cabinet for Vinyl Record collection storage

Dimensions 57.75 x 20.25 x 49.5 h.   A friend of ours who is a music lover commissioned this cabinet from us to store his vinyl record collection.  He and his sweetheart are setting up their household together and this is their first "significant purchase" as a couple and also their first commissioned piece.  

Built from cherry solids and veneer and given a rich finish that shows off the cherry chatoyance.  There's a lot of color on this piece, but it's mostly dye which will allow the nuances of the grain to show through.  It was meant to be vibrant.  This finish method could easily be applied to any other pristine natural piece such as a round table, or other furniture - and can be done in other colors or other species.  

End view showing grain.    As a clearcoat, this has a non crust, penetrating finish (Waterlox, satin) applied using my own method.

Drawer interior:  divided down the center

Stores two stacks of records, face-out, side by side, record-store fashion.  Drawers are 16.75 in deep.

Heaviest-duty undermount full extension slides were used - as each drawer is expected to hold 90 pounds of weight.  

Couple more photos showing how this drawer setup works in practicality

And it is fastened to the wall for safety so won't tip.  Thanks for reading - Here's a link for PRICING & AVAILABILITY -- and please use the contact button on the top right column here if you have any questions about this piece.  

642 Farmhouse table, made to order

642  Farmhouse table, harvest table, farm table

Classically-proportioned farmhouse table newly built by us with an authentic rustic finish.  We love the extra wide gently shaped aprons on this one.  Dimensions are 40 x 96.  As such this would seat 8 very comfortably and squeeze 10.

642  Farmhouse table, harvest table, farm table

Here's a closer view of the apron.

642  Farmhouse table, harvest table, farm table

Photo showing the entire top.  This top has breadboard ends.  The breadboard is the one at each end, running perpendicular to the main top.  It is a nice way to finish off the ends of a table, and I'll show you how we construct them, below.

642  Farmhouse table, harvest table, farm table

Prior photos may have suggested that the top was a different color from the base, but this photo is more accurate.  On this one we aimed to get the top the same color, but with a little more of the finish rubbed off than on the legs and apron, with a little more finish built up at the apron corners, as shown.

642  Farmhouse table, harvest table, farm table

Very close view of the finish details.

642  Farmhouse table, harvest table, farm table

This one has pegged joints and a breadboard end -- shown with the finish sample.  Each of our pieces gets finished to a sample that you select.  We do mail the samples to our clients so that you can look and choose in your own lighting.

642  Farmhouse table, harvest table, farm table

Meant to have a very heavily distressed look.  As many times as I have tried to create shortcuts, it is just not practical to do so and get this sheen, this kind of "patina", and simultaneously the durability that I expect.  It is a very labor intensive process of about 35 very time consuming steps.

642  Farmhouse table, harvest table, farm table

Close study of real antique finishes reveals that the most soulful finishes are those with plenty of subtle color variation.

642  Farmhouse table, harvest table, farm table

642  Farmhouse table, harvest table, farm table

Finish sample shown clamped to the apron.  

For pricing information on this particular table, click this link

Another piece of like ilk, but slightly different color.  I like the narrower breadboard shown here.

A series of pictures follows which shows breadboard construction method in our shop.  

This is really a series of mortise and tenon joints.  Any time a board is joined perpendicular to any other boards, there must be provision made for seasonal expansion.  There are many ways to do this, but we always take care to do so, and this ensures that your piece will not warp, crack or split.  All cracks and splits should be fake!!

We price these tables by the inch.  Here is a link to order one in a 40 x 96 x 30h size such as the one pictured at top.

or,

Contact us by phone or email to discuss what size or finish would work for you.

635 French provincial wine tasting table, vintner's table made to order

635 Wine tasting table oval top made to order

Here's a classic wine tasting table in the manner of the tilt top vintner's tables of the 18th and 19th century.  This was designed as a bespoke project for a local couple.  They have a dining room attached to their kitchen which receives a lot of daylight from windows on three sides, and overlooks a gorgeous pool, a manicured garden and a very large blueberry patch.  They spend a lot of time as a couple, sitting on an upholstered bench side by side at this table.  The oval shaped top is perfect, because the dining area has several doors and is a pass-through to other rooms.  This piece can seat 6 very comfortably.

635 Wine tasting table oval top made to order

Built of sustainable northwest alder and hardened chemically as part of the finish; wears a "living finish" and will be easy-care.

635 Wine tasting table oval top made to order

635 Wine tasting table oval top made to order

635 Wine tasting table oval top made to order

More closeup pics of top.

635 Wine tasting table oval top made to order

Having a traditional looking lyre-shaped base, influenced by historical tables but designed and built by us.  We took care to make sure this lyre shape was not a knee-knocker.

635 Wine tasting table oval top made to order

Showing center stretcher between the feet; mortise and tenon pegged construction.  The stretcher going lengthwise in the center of the table  is the perfect height for propping feet up after a long day.

635 Wine tasting table oval top made to order

An additional close view of stretcher end and peg. 

635 Wine tasting table oval top made to order

The finish is a nice medium honey brown (G-1) with peachy undertones.

Please visit our online store to check prices

Projects done for LePigeon restaurant prove durability

Shown is a set of two communal tabletops we built for LePigeon restaurant.

We rebuilt and refinished this solid walnut top as well.  The idea was to test the farmhouse finishes we had developed in a rather severe setting, where they would get heavily used.

Love this illustration by Chad Crowe.  This pretty much sums up the experience.  It's a pretty lively place and no one has time to fuss with furniture.

The tops were hand planed and the ridges left by the planing tended to wear; however stains and glass rings remain absent.  The tables retain this naturally worn appearance years later with little to no supplemental care.

We also built and finished this large antiqued mirror with antiqued copper leaf frame.  A chemically antiqued mirror was chosen so as to reflect light but not be too harsh.

Andy and Gabe were GREAT to work with.

They wanted another one for Little Bird Bistro.   Upstairs, it got a BIG table top.  The guys decided that during banquets it could serve as a banquet table and at other times it could...

Could... what??

Hang on the wall!