A Few Cabinets. Straight up, and one with a Twist

Today I feel like looking at a few experimental drawings I made, around  the idea of a tall cabinet. The purpose? To have a sweeet tall cabinet (really disappointed I had to come right out and say that!). Joking aside I would probably use these as linen presses, cupboards, media centers, bookcases, you get the idea. They seem to have an Asian feel to them which was not really intentional, it just sort of happened that way.

What I like: crazy top overhang, open space below top, upward vertical thrust, long door handles.

Not happy about: unless someone wants to pony up the cash, this is not likely to see the light of day.

What I like: The verticality (shut up spell checker it is a word), the legs (these will definetly find themselves on something in the future).

What I'm not in love with: The crown is, um, a little weak.

What I like: Obvious plagiarism (it looked good the first time right?), the interplay of a grounding horizontal base and the very vertical feel of the upper cabinet.

Whatever: The base needs some tweaking to bring a little cohesion.

My strange fascination with hall tables - Part 2

In the last post I began to look at the form known as the hall table and my fascination with it. There was a lot of writing in the last post (for me) so I'm going to keep this one short. In general my mind works in the details. The relationships between positive and negative space, hard and soft line, texture, color and so on, are what draw me in. This is why I love the hall table. It's size and basic nature are the perfect canvas for detail to shine through.
 

 Gently curved with fluted apron and decorative flutes on the sides and middle of the top to add visual interest to the wood grain. I imagine this table in maple with a simple clear coat, although it would be equally striking in black lacquer.

This is definitely a contrasty (my word, feel free to use it) piece. Organic, free flowing legs and stretchers and a thin flat top. Very delicate and move decorative than functional, though adjustments could be made to add strength without sacrificing the overall aesthetic.

A contemporary piece, simple and clean. I have since rethought the top, inlaying the leg into it rather than resting it on top. The constructed of Cypress wood. The top and drawer left natural, the legs scorched and wire brushed in a Jin-di-sugi type technique, giving the wood grain dimension and contrasting dark color. (BTW this piece looks almost identical to one designed and built by KALA Furniture , but I'm not copying off my neighbors paper...honestly)

"Over/Under", "Mirror" not sure about a name but I love the look and feel of this table. This may very well move into further development. I'm not sure if I would go for a single species monochromatic look with this or break it up with a second species. I think the drawer pulls would be contrasting wood regardless.

My strange fascination with hall tables "Part 1"

       After a brief hiatus (the sheer awesomeness of the last post was so great that I didn't want to wear you out), I have a two part post in the works. The topic will be hall tables, or rather my utterly irrational fascination with the hall table. (Editorial Note: the fact that the last post featured the same type of form has not escaped my notice, it is simply more evidence to the aforementioned "fascination")
       One could surmise that the fascination is due to the very nature of a hall table, the contrast inherent in a piece of furniture that must be constrained in its depth yet of full height and, to maintain proper proportions, have a width determined by the Golden Mean. This may very well be the case, but I think it's just because I never had a hall table as a kid.
      In any event, here are some examples of the form that have rolled though my head and onto my sketch pad. (That's an odd visual)

Pretty simple with an internal web structure and dramatic overhangs.

A demilune shape with shelf and possibly a concealed drawer in front.

This table is part of a theme that keeps recurring in my mind. The basic idea is that the piece is constructed with a very light weight and flexible framework that "settles" under weight. I have yet to try this idea but look forward to putting it to the test.

"Simplicity"

I think the name fits. I'm not sure whether the horizontal pieces are full boards or a dowel type stretcher system. I really so like how it looks though.

Stay tuned for "Part 2" later this week.

Walnut/Birds Eye Maple Hall Table

          This is an example of one of those magic times (personally, not in the grand scheme of the world). This design came about completely out of the blue, just one in a page of doodles, but it instantly grabbed me and "begged" to be developed further.

        

         

          The fluted slab legs will be made of walnut. The box forming the top and frame will be plane or quarter sawn maple and the drawer fronts will be made of birds eye maple. The drawer fronts may or may not be further embellished with circular inlaid walnut around the wood pulls, time will tell. I am also toying with the idea of making the drawers accessible from both sides of the piece as the splayed legs suggest use from either side.

          I am working out the final details, but will likely be starting this piece later this month (with detailed blog accounting). To that end I made a test piece to work out some of the particulars. The test is not to scale or even accurate with regard to the details but, for me, it validated the over all design and has me chomping at the bit to get started.

Furniture designs by my daughter...who is five

So, earlier today found one of my daughter's sketch pads and was amazed by how my seven year old is progressing in drawing the people (wonder woman and her invisible airplane, and Mr. Mooo!), and animal subjects (a bird threatened by a dragon). Later at dinner I showed them to my wife and as I did I saw the back of the pad, which had escaped my notice until then. There in perfect order sat the drawing below, drawn by my five year old daughter. I have a million words that want to jump on to this page but honestly, I don't have the energy to put them all down, and, at least in my mind, a picture really is worth a thousand words. I have also added another picture of a stool built last spring. My five year old designed the stool and I built it, under her watchful eye, and her input along the way. Enjoy.

(CLICK PICTURE TO SEE FULL DRAWING)
Top Row: Cabinet & chest of drawers
Mid Row: Chairs
Bottom Row: Tables

P.S. If you leave comments for her I will pass them along.

a few on the lighter side

 

 

a few more seats

 

 

 

 

Some Desks

Pretty musch your standard fare in assorted styles.

 A cantilevered desk (best against a wall w/ a bracket underneath top for additional support and/or compartment built under the bottom drawer for a few barbell weights).

 

A freestanding desk w/ upper cabinets attached to the four continuous legs/posts.

Some Chairs

A low cabinet or coffee table. A simple rectangular box (dovetailed or mitered corners) with three drawers. Drawers are convex across length of box and feature vertical fluting. The center drawer pierces the top and bottom of the cabinet. Simple "stand" legs. Box probably made of walnut with maple drawers, legs also walnut.

A whatever (media, bookcase, etc.) cabinet with raised grill work backed with rice paper or maybe burlap (into burlap these days).