The New Craftsman

 

THE CRAFTSMAN STYLE has influenced my work for many years. As a result, I have acquired many clients that share this fondness. This page represents a small selection of my favorite craftsman projects. I use the term “craftsman” very loosely as you will find influences from other styles such as: the Arts & Crafts Movement, Shaker, Adirondack, Rustic and the Art Nouveau movement. Additionally; I infuse a bit of the client’s personality into each piece along with a dash of my own modern ideals. Consequently, many of these unique projects embody an up-to-date quality and remain timeless in their own right.

The images:

A. This craftsman inspired built-in dresser unit resides in the master bedroom of a rustic retreat located in Forestburgh, NY. The natural beauty of the sequenced and matched quilted cherry veneer is highlighted with a clear lacquer finish.

“utilitarian design and function”

B. This craftsman style living room, in an old renovated “Laker”, features bench made seating from Gervasoni; crafted from solid walnut with unique detailing like the rawhide woven sides and backs. This custom made circular light ring by MP Lighting has two circuits; a lower track with adjustable spots and an upper ring with tiny halogen bulbs that resemble the flame of a candle.

C. A stainless steel bracket was fabricated to allow the floating kitchen table to pivot out into the room making it easier to slide into the built-in banquette in this seating nook. Complete with Caesarstone top.

D. This project was affectionately referred to as “The Loomroom” as the space was designed around a large loom that the resident artist used to craft her intricate textiles (the loom is absent from the picture). The artist’s supply of yarn is housed in the cabinet. The yarn alone is incredibly beautiful. This entire wall of cabinets was created from sequenced and matched quartered cherry. The cabinet has many unique features such as the pull-out work surfaces under each glass door used to stagethe yarn for projects and the cherry handles made to look like miniature wood loom shuttles. The cabinet is very skillfully scribed into the stone wall on the left side of the picture.

E. The client’s extensive arts and crafts collection inspired the many distinctive features of this kitchen; white lacquer door & drawer frames with zebrawood inserts, many aluminum detail inlays, the art glass backsplash, to name a few. Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s furniture designs inspired the cabinet frame aesthetic in this project. This social kitchen is centered on a large work island with a counter height fireplace fabricated from dry stacked slate; a prime example of an early iteration of a concept which has become a signature feature in my current kitchen design philosophy; “The Social Island”.

“Useful and Artistic”

F. A porcelain tile floor, French door, sidelights and a transom window easily converted this once large open foyer with continuous parquet flooring into a mud room. The custom craftsman inspired cabinet doubles as a radiator cover; an elegant, simple and inexpensive home improvement project.

G. Detail image of the kitchen shown in picture E, above. These Shaker style doors and drawer fronts have Mackintosh White lacquered frames with zebrawood flat panels and stainless steel hardware.

H. This Adirondack / craftsman style hybrid cabinet is the focal point in this rustic Forestburgh, NY, lake cabin. The cherry cabinet on the left hides an entertainment center that definitely dates this project as pre flat-screen TV! The right hand display unit is poised to house the clients fly tying supplies and includes a pull out work surface that will double as fly tying bench or desktop. Naturally shed deer antlers collected in the local woods had become the handmade door handles. This quality bespoke cabinet is the mark of the current generation; this cabin will eventually be passed to the next generation; as it has already been passed from grandfather to father to daughter.