All Things Skinny

We've all got a nook or cranny we'd like to fill with something beautiful, something handmade, something uniquely Design Style Guide. Long and narrow is what I'm talking about here, so let's see what I found for the nooks and crannies in your house that need a little spicing up, a little pi-zazz with a capital 'p'!

First up, and admittedly the inspiration for this post, a 3-shelf Narrow Chimney Cabinet from Black Mountain Furniture. This lovely nook piece comes in your choice of over 50 different distressed colors to choose from.

This skinny collage, inspired by Mother Nature and created by Wyldewood Papers, is entitled Cherry Sunset and fits nicely into a cranny at 6"x24".

Stand tall with this Lady Liberty folding screen from Atelier Expo Art, printed on high quality polyester tissue, padded, framed in metal with metal hinges.










Another beauty, this skinny Antique Barnwood Jelly Cupboard from Strong Oaks Woodshop made from vintage 1800's southern yellow pine features an all-natural, hand rubbed, non-toxic beeswax and citrus oil finish.





Finally, who ever said the nooks all had to be indoors? This fabulous Two Tiered Celestial Wind Sculpture from Christopher Crooks Designs stands over 8 feet tall and is balanced to pivot in the wind.

The Many Faces of Wood

I'm a woodworker. Yeah, I used to be a professional graphic artist. Before that I worked on a magazine, worked for a print shop, worked for a department store... and I played drums back in the '80s in a progressive metal band, a power trio called Loremaster. But I'm a woodworker now, and I like it.

I get to create useful, artistic designs, see them come to life in front of my eyes, and then people pay me money for my creations. How amazing is that? As a graphic designer, more often than not, I had to make everything exactly the way the (usually) non-artistic client thought it should be, even when he hired me for my artistic abilities in the first place. Now I get to design first and sell later, and the headaches are just gone, like your insurance agent after a big storm!

But this isn't about me. This is about artistic expression using the work of three other artists, all woodworkers and all members of Design Style Guide, as examples.

Woodworking is both a craft and an art. At least it can be both. I suppose anybody with a saw and a nail gun could slap together a garden bench or a shelf, but it takes an artist to make it look like, well... art.  For example:

This beautiful chair and ottoman were built by Shabby Santa Fe. On the surface the actual construction might appear simple. I have never built anything like this, though, and it will probably be some time before I attempt such a venture. Peeling the bark, cutting round mortise and tenon joints, leaving all the bends and twists in the finished product, these are foreign concepts to me. I love the results, but the way I work in my shop is very different than this.

You really can't argue with the flair and appeal of these wonderful pieces. I figure anybody could nail together a bunch of branches with the bark removed and call it a chair. When you look at a chair from Shabby Santa Fe you see the art and the craft of furniture making. This is what woodworkers strive for: That perfect balance. I aim for the same thing whether I'm building a lectern or a candle holder. I just have to make sure all my parts are perfectly straight before I put them together. The chair and ottoman you see above, there were no such constraints placed on their construction. Sometimes it amazes me how differently one artist works as compared to another.

This photo frame from SecondLine Frames, like all their frames, is "built from authentic wood siding salvaged from homes destroyed during Hurricane Katrina." On the crafty side of things, the construction could be fairly straightforward: You get some wood, you make a few cuts, you knock together a frame. Great. What sets these frames apart from the norm, however, is the artistry that goes into them. The right wood, the right ratio of old paint to exposed wood, the proper size, how much wood to show without distracting from the photograph displayed in the frame. All these considerations, and probably a lot more, go into the planning and building of these beautiful frames, even if they aren't on a conscious level.

You can see the difference between the first frame and this one, of course. Do you like one more than the other? My preference is for the first one, but you may disagree. As designers of furniture and accessories for the home we have to take into consideration that one design may not appeal to everyone. We come up with several versions and let the customers pick what they want. Someone else will always come along to take the rest. That's a reversal from the way I had to work as a graphic artist.

Moving along, let's take a look at this beautiful cabinet from Jeff Builds Furniture. It's a cupboard designed to hold towels and bedding, or it can be used as a pantry. This is certainly not something that existed in the past, but cabinets like this seem to be catching on, rather like the "bathroom cupboards" that have become popular in the last few years. I like it because it is functional art, the sort of thing I'm driven to create in my own shop.

This design is simple, rustic, elegant, useful and beautiful. It took skill to build it, but it took the eye of the artist to envision it's lines and proportions.

Designs like this don't create themselves. Artists get ideas, glimpses of something great, and they strive to bring those ideas to life. I do this every day in my shop. Someday I will build something as cool as the pieces you see here.

If you make Handmade Home Decor Items, come and join our team by clicking on the image below.

Not only will you be able to network with us, but also you will have the ability to post your listing on our team website.

If you like this blog entry you'll love my blog, jn3 Hand Crafted Woodworks. Check it out. I'll be glad you did.

Know Your Doors Before Purchasing Furniture

Case goods are "pieces of furniture, such as bookcases or chests of drawers, that provide interior storage space." (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/) When shopping for case goods, the doors will tell you a lot about the quality of craftsmanship.

Doors come in many shapes and sizes. Doors on fine furniture and cabinets will be flush mounted to the face frame. If the doors are mounted on top of the face frame, then it is most likely a mass produced piece.

In addition to making custom furniture, my company, Shaka Studios, will often finish custom cabinets made by other cabinetmakers with our proprietary multi-step museum painted finish. We were recently commissioned to paint a linen closet and vanity for a new bathroom by a local couple that owns many pieces of our furniture. They had purchased the furniture through a retail store. When the clients were working with their contractor, they used our furniture as examples of what they wanted the cabinets to look like. When the contractor advised the couple that he would not be able to replicate our finish, she went on a search to find us. When she called, the first question she asked was, "what kind of paint do you use?" I explained to her that our finish is a proprietary system that we do not share but we'd be more than happy to paint her new cabinets for her. Thrilled, she made arrangements to have the cabinets delivered to our studio the following week.

When the cabinets arrived, my husband immediately called to tell me that he did not think the client would be at all pleased with the cabinets as they had face mounted doors. We informed the client, whom was predictably disappointed. We offered to remake the doors for her, saving the day. You can see the transformation for yourself on our custom furniture blog.

So, what should you look for in a well made furniture or cabinet door? Taking for granted that it is solid wood, there are 3 basic inset door types. Click on the photos to see larger image.



The first is the basic plank door. Just as the name implies, planks of wood are either glued or tongue and grooved together and cut to shape. This technique requires a cross beam on the inside to keep movement in check. You will see this style of door quite often on country primitive furniture. The above example is by Buck Creek Furnishings.

A raised panel door is made by inserting a beveled plank into a grooved frame with the bevel side facing out. It is a universal style that works with every type of furniture. In the above example, the beveled section of the panel is painted green. Shaka Studios created this armoire several years ago from ponderosa pine.

A reverse panel door is basically a raised panel door installed in reverse. This style of door was used extensively in Shaker and Mission style furniture. It versatile, in that different types of trim can be added where the panel meets the rail and style for a more decorative look. The above example is also by Shaka Studios.

I hope you found this article helpful. Feel free to convo if you'd like more information. Next month, I'll be chatting about drawers. No, not the kind you wear.