SYD – Fine Furniture/Design

Category: Bespoke

bespoke furniture

  • Carter Table

    Carter Table

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    Tim Cuppett Architects approached me with creating this table for a hill-country retreat they were creating for their client. The design process came about as a collaboration with them.

    They needed a kitchen table for everyday use that’s separate from the big dining room table. This would be the table they would use the most often for daily use- casual eating, conversations, homework, coffee drinking, etc. In other words, it had to be made to withstand the daily toil, but still be elegant. Space was limited, so the round table was a natural choice.

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    The design was driven from the chair backs of the client’s family heirloom dining chairs. The chair had a queen anne style back, so we took that form and transformed it into the pedestal base. Because we didn’t want to see wood lamination joint lines as we cut the extreme curves, we glued up the base in a coopering technique. The ash wood was selected to get the straightest grain possible to keep the lines flowing smoothly.

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    The top is actually a thick top, but we cut a large bevel around the perimeter to create a knife edge to keep the top visually light. It also allows for more view of the pedestal base. There is a metal framework inlayed into the underside of the top to keep everything flat and allows for a strong connection to the base.

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    For a narrow pedestal base like this, the footing is always an issue. Most traditional pedestal bases have a large wooden structure (usually in a claw foot detail) that would have destroyed the whole look, so we went for a much cleaner and more modern look by adding a steel plate as the feet. Creating a thin profile for the bottom really highlights the shape of the pedestal without sacrificing structural integrity or making a tipsy table.

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    The table was finished in white oil that kept the wood looking as natural as possible.

  • Fuller Desk – Rosewood

    Fuller Desk – Rosewood

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    This client was referred to me from another client of mine that I had made a game table for. They are long time friends who enjoys playing board games with each other so I was happy to hear that my preferred method of marketing ‘word of mouth’ is still working.

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    This client wanted a nice desk for his home office that he could either use as a computer desk or to have a meeting at. He wanted something elegant that looks beautiful in the center of a room. His office is on the small side, so we needed to get the size just right. Too big and it would feel claustrophobic in the room. Too small, and it would look like a child’s desk and wouldn’t be too functional. To make sure we get this right, I made a plywood template to place in the room to make sure it was just right before we finalized the designs.

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    Because the desk is in the center of the room, I wanted my client to be able to freely walk around the desk and not risk kicking the legs of the desk as he walked by. For that reason, I brought the legs in from the corner and tied everything together with low rails. The rails taper up so its wider towards the center. The legs are just straight round since any turned detail would take away from the design instead of adding value. 

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    For the wood, we chose rosewood. Rosewood is a gorgeous wood that has a lot of depth and ages beautifully. The desk top is veneered (because its not a good idea to make a design like this in solid wood due to expansion and contraction) with the grain following from the top down to the sides. The front of the desk flows straight through the drawer front to create one cohesive look. The drawer knob is just a simple design made of bronze. 

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    There is a removable platform to elevate the computer monitor as well as a way to hide wiring. There is one leg that is hollow so a power cord could be snaked up to fuel a small electrical outlet so it’s easy to plug things in and out.

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  • Uchi Houston Host/Hostess Stand

    Uchi Houston Host/Hostess Stand

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    I was approached by the company managing the highly acclaimed Uchi restaurants in Texas area for a revamp of the host and hostess stand there. The original one was made out of walnut plywood and it had been showing some wear and tear for awhile now. My clients wanted to use locally sourced spalted pecan to match the other furniture in the restaurant. 

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    I went to my favorite local sawmill Berdoll Sawmill in Cypress Creek, TX to get the spalted pecan. Spalted wood is beautiful, but it can be too busy if used without restraint. The front, sides, and the legs are spalted pecan, but everything else is made from hickory plywood to give it a nice contrast without the contrast being too stark. I allowed a expansion gap in the center of the front so the solid wood pecan could move freely without cracking. 

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    This new host stand was an opportunity to correct/add details that improved the functionality of the host stand. The first improvement was creating one of the legs hollow so the power cord can be discreetly fed through the cabinet and up to the top surface. Another improvement was creating a recessed area for the monitor to sit in. The clients wanted the customer’s first interaction with the friendly hosts and hostess to be unobstructed by distractions. The sides and the front is raised up front the top surface for this purpose- to hide any clutter that accumulates during a busy dinner service. 

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    In the cabinet, there are 3 doors, 1 drawer, and 1 cubby area. On the side, there is a little menu holder made out of spalted pecan. I chose a toned down board of spalted pecan for the menu holder so there’s a bit of a contrast. 

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    This was a fun project that meant a great deal to me. When I first moved to Austin and I was looking for a job, I worked as a prep chef there briefly until I could get my bearings in town and go work for a guitar maker. I recall my brief time there with warmth. The chefs and everyone there were extremely friendly and the buzz I felt during dinner service was intoxicating. I always wonder what would have happened if I stayed there instead of pursuing my woodworking career. 

     

  • Blaine desk & credenza

    Blaine desk & credenza

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    This client was re-doing his entire office and wanted something simple but nice for his office. We worked out a design for a matching set of furniture that was simple in form, but rich in details. 

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    There’s two parts to each of the designs. The first part is the outside dark layer. The dark layer is mahogany that has been stained to be a dark rich tone. The top flows down into the top, creating a continuous line. The legs end on the floor with a cap to create a visual punctuation mark.

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    The second part is the inner part and that is made from veneered panels of rippled sycamore. The photos don’t give this wood justice, but the wood grain shimmers as you walk around the piece as it catches different light source. To break up the spaces for the drawers, I inlayed a line of wenge. 

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    The hardware was picked out by my client and has a nice blend of traditional and modern element. It’s a nice visual stamp that breaks up the big vast white space and gives your eye something to follow.

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  • Father and Sons’ Desks

    Father and Sons’ Desks

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    My client approached me wanting to create a set of desks for himself and his two sons. They would be using the same office room so they could work together in the same space. My client wanted the piece of furniture to be heirloom quality so the boys can take the desks with them when they graduate college.

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    The father wanted a timeless design with some traditional elements, and the boys (of course) were looking for something more modern in design. I took both elements and went for a nice federal style piece. There’s enough detail and handcraft aspects to make this a timeless heirloom piece, but refined enough to keep it from being mistaken as just an old antique period piece.

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    We chose macassar ebony as the focal wood with mahogany as the skeleton of the piece. Macassar ebony comes in many forms and can differ greatly depending on the log/ tree it came from. I picked all my veneers to have a tight grain and arranged it so it’s not too busy, but not too plain to keep it from looking too much like commercial plywood or formica.

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    The drawers are handcut dovetail drawers with wooden center guide rails to keep the drawers tracking. The quietness of wooden drawers on wooden guides is a subtle cue into the attention and detail put into all aspects of the construction.

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    Im not sure how much the actual desks played a role in it, but it was reported to me that the kids have been getting significantly better grades since the desks have been delivery 🙂 

  • HEX game table

    HEX game table

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    My Client approached me wanting to create a game table for his family using his family Walnut that had been passed down the generation from his grandfather to his father and then down to him. My client would move the lumber everywhere he went until he could find out what exactly to build with it. 

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    Being an avid gamer, he and his family enjoys getting together to play role playing games where the games could go on for hours and possibly days. He wanted to be able to pause the game with all the pieces intact and in the meantime be able to keep everything from getting moved accidentally until the game would continue. After some research, we came to the split level design where the playing area is sunken in and there is a solid wood table top insert that can go on top to cover up the playing area. We also decided on having the game table hexagon shaped to better fit the room and so everyone is close together. 

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    The playing area is covered with gaming felt so it accommodates several types of games. There is also a plexi-glass insert so game maps can be inserted underneath without damaging it.

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    Since the table is six sided, we decided on a three-legged pedestal table base with a padauk inlay going down the center of each of the legs.

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    The client’s walnut had been air-dried so the walnut hadn’t lost it’s vibrant color as commercial steam dried walnut tends to do. Knowing that the lumber itself has a story makes it that much more of a pleasure to work with. I know this piece of furniture will be handed down the generations just like the lumber was.

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