18__Experiments

In the lull after the rush to finish preparing the house for visitors and the housewarming, I'm finally finding time to test some techniques that have been on my mind for awhile. These two projects are the first of many to follow. In a sense they are prototypes of a style - something of a collection I'd like to offer - which would be promoted locally through business card/postcard ads and a website in the coming months. While I'd like to offer custom pieces whenever possible, this is a starting point for anyone who's unfamiliar with my work (i.e. everyone but my family and friends).

First is a mail organizer. It will be wall hung as soon as the final finish coat dries.



The pattern is an experiment because it's not done with tape or paint lines, but is a repetitive cut through the finished board. Taking care not to scuff the surface much, I could take a black painted board and carve the natural wood streaks right out of it. Simple, slightly deceptive, but full of potential for future work. This is particularly exciting when creating textures or giving the illusion of multiple boards meticulously cut, sanded & joined. Take a look at an example of this I'd seen in a bathroom vanity at an open house:



It could save hours of time in the shop as well as in cost of the materials. Now back to the mail organizer.

I'm particularly proud that this handy piece was constructed completely out of scraps leftover from other projects and took a mere 3 to 4 hours to build. It's a shape and profile that I really like, with features like the color/texture/patterns that could be customized in dozens of ways. Overall a definite success.



Now for today's project. We grabbed a set of six chairs from a banquet hall that was giving away hundreds of them. I'd always planned on refinishing/reupholstering the set. Today I decided on a bit of a whim that I should go beyond a color change. Since the material cost was negligible I wanted to experiment with the shape and give the chair some flair. Check it out:



I'll admit it's not exactly what I was expecting, and may be a little too quirky for my taste. It was a fun challenge - a relaxed way to pass the afternoon without the pressure of what the final product would exactly be. My plan is to take the other 5 chairs and test new profiles and shapes with each. Why not? It'll make for a cool choose-your-own-adventure game each time guests sit down to dinner.