SYD – Fine Furniture/Design

Tag: Art

  • Caswell 136 Shelf

    Caswell 136 Shelf

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    My Client approached me to solve a problem they’ve been having for years. They have a large collection of art pieces they’ve collected on their travels but nowhere to show it off. The living room would be an ideal place for the shelf but there wasn’t a place that looked natural. They also didn’t want anything standard or ‘off the shelf’. The shelves should be something sculptural and visually pleasing by itself and would compliment the pieces shown.

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    The first problem we had to face was where to put the shelves. After some back and forth and several version and full scale models of the initial design, we came up with the perfect place for it. The only thing was that it was in a corner that made a 136 degree angle. To add to the difficulty of working with those angles, I designed the shelves into curved shelves, and to add to even that, the shelves are all different sizes, getting smaller the higher up the shelves went. Oh, and did I mention that the center support pole is angled?

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    Our concept of the design started as curved shelves with a single pole that supports the shelves. To me, the design has a feel of a Japanese paper umbrella mixed with Japanese folding fans. There is an open space behind the shelves where the pole connects to the shelf which lighten up the structure and make it where it doesn’t look like a ‘built in’ furniture, but more like a free standing furniture that’s just leaning against the wall.

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    of course, everything is anchored to the wall and floor so it’s super sturdy. The pole has limbs that come out that help support the bulk of the weight on the shelves. The limbs are joined to the center support pole using double mortise and tenon so there’s no worry about the shelves containing the priceless art work (and the memories attached to them) to ever come off and break. To keep the pieces from potentially sliding off, I also included a tiny lip around the perimeter of the shelf so it contains everything in.

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    The whole thing is made out of cherry with stain and finish to match the credenza I made for this client earlier this year.

  • Horn Jewelry Box

    Horn Jewelry Box

    hornbox5This client approached me about a jewelry box for his soon to be wife as a wedding gift. I’ve always loved the idea that I can create something meaningful for a couple on this special day. This object will be in some way linked as something that will remind them of this once in a lifetime moment. So, of course, I jumped on the project.

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    We talked about what designs he and his wife was into, and it became apparent that he wanted something simple, yet elegant. They also loved mid century designs as well as art deco so I wanted to tie elements of those in while creating something unique. The design we stumbled upon is layers of pecan and maple that is slightly different in size so it creates a staggered effect. The bevel on the edges bring this staggered effect to life while still maintaining the subtleness.For the top, I chose spalted maple since the tones were similar with the rest of the box and let’s face it, spalted lumber is just plain beautiful to look at.

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    There are four small drawers with removable dividers and a lift up lid that also houses removable dividers. The dividers fit into a beveled groove (birds mouth groove) so the thin divider sides are kept as strong as possible. To be able to lift the lid up, I notched out a little triangle- just enough for a finger to grab hold of the lid. I brought the triangle detail down to the rest of the pecan layers to keep everything balanced.

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    The drawers needed a handle and I didn’t want to disturb the nice triangle feature, so I decided to cutout a finger hole on the side that allows for the drawers to be opened easily. I think it’s interesting to be able see the maple drawer sides through the cutout and see the movement of the cutout as the drawer is being opened.

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