An altar

I'm back from a brief vacation with friends on coastal North Carolina. Tomorrow I'll get started on two brand new commissions.

The first is a small altar for my client and former classmate, Andrea. An altar is not exactly a common piece of furniture. I doubt you'll find anything like it at NFM or Ikea. So it's the type of one-of-a-kind object I love to have a chance to make. I'm also honored to have been asked to make a piece that will fill such a central role in someone's life. I've designed a few chairs for specific individuals. Doing so is like creating a tiny building for that person - something that is sort of an extension of their body. It seems that an altar might play a similar role for a person, though more metaphysically. 

The project will also use all reclaimed wood and natural pigment, water-based milk paint. The color in the picture below is a little off; it'll actually be a little greener and a little brighter, or so that's the plan anyway.

Speaking of color, if you've been at any of the several events at CAMP lately (or just dropped in to hang out or do some work) you might have seen this massive tabletop I made for them. Like Andrea's altar will be, it's also colored with milk paint. The metal base was apparently leftover from the old Mastercraft Furniture company, so it was compelling that we got to repurpose something that had a connection to the old space. And in case you were wondering, that dude in the photo is Stevie "RDQLUS" Gordon, who I'd followed with some interest on Twitter for several months, but had never had a chance to meet until I stopped by to take this picture. Be sure to check out his RDQLUS portfolio of design work at RDQLUS Creative.

New people, places & directions

This afternoon I spent a couple hours squaring the edges of several planks of hackberry that I brought back from my most recent visit to Silver Creek Sawmill in Iowa. These boards, along with legs cut from the thickest plank of walnut I've ever seen, will eventually come together as a conference table for my new friend Jessica, owner of Birdhouse Interior Design. I had the pleasure of meeting Jessica a couple months ago, having followed her and the development of her business on Twitter for a while. Our ideas about design and affordability seem to mesh pretty well and I'm excited to work with her as she takes her business to the next level.

Jessica's new digs - and the conference table's new home - will be a beautifully lit parcel in the space formerly occupied by the Mastercraft Furniture Company, and which also houses the new CAMP Coworking Space. Am I jealous? Um, yes. It's exciting to see so many creative people working around each other, moving their ideas and passions forward.

Here's a simple drawing of the basic table design, sans an element that will add some additional color, contrast and life to the piece to tie it all together.

This table is particularly exciting for me because it is a shift in direction and technique. The planks that make up the top will join to one another a various angles. The legs will be tapered and rounded by hand on one corner to match the contour of the top.  I'm also trying a new technique that will include using cast resin. More on that later.