Hard at work on new stuff!

Wow, it's almost been a month since I moved into my new shop space and already the room is filling up with new pieces.  I'm really excited about some of the projects that are coming along and can't wait to put the finishing touches on them and get some pictures coming.
One piece about which I am very excited is a built-in wine storage piece that I designed to fit a customer's unused extra-wide closet in their dining room. The bottom half is a Cherry and Walnut cabinet with 2 doors that open to diamond bins with 2 locking center drawers in between.   The top half is singles storage for about 100 bottles of wine. when it's all done, it will really change the feel of the room and make people want to hang out longer.  The look and quality of Cherry can vary wildly with some pieces containing big knots and gooey grain so I took some time to sift through the piles of wood to find the ones with pretty, straight lines.  The warm, creamy look of the Cherry will contrast nicely with the dark depth of the Walnut top.

On the road in San Francisco

This week MVwoodworking is on the road in San Francisco. I'm on my honeymoon with my beautiful wife, Laura, exploring the city by foot seeking interesting furniture and design ideas. We've seen lots of cool ideas for room layouts in many boutiques in Hayes Valley and the Haight but tomorrow we're headed to the Mission to check out some little shops that we saw online before the trip. The day will start out with brunch and mimosas at Las Ramblas Tapas so we'll see how much we can fit in before needing a mid-day nap...
Mark
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Great vintage find

Running around the South side last week we were looking for something old and interesting to add to our front living room.  This is one more step in the process that is the redesigning of our apartment.  The room is already pretty unique with bright green painted walls, the dark wood floor that I put in last year, and the period molding details that I made in the shop. 

Peacocks are cool, and so are vintage arm chairs so it was awesome when we found a pair of vintage arm chairs upholstered in an almost iridescent purple fabric with embroidered peacocks at a local resale shop.  We needed some purple in the room to balance out the green and give the room a heavier look.  We set them up with a Queen Anne style coffee table that I built and the chairs that we upholstered last year.   

Custom designed mantel installed

. This peice went into a classic Chicago bungalow that had much of the original moldings and built in cabinets still intact and lending typical character to the house. The client wanted something that was a little contemporary yet also reflected the prevailing Arts & Crafts bungalow styling. The result was a substantial show piece with simple, elegant moldings and dark stain to highlight the tile work and lend a more modern look.
The sides feature practical shelves that do not sacrifice the aesthetics of the front even when full of stuff..