More Work Pics

We were at a house today in one of the beachside communities, and I figured I'd share a few poor-quality cell phone pics. (Bad lighting =grainy photos. Sorry about that.) This house has just been remodeled, and is not yet occupied.

Much of the furniture is done with rough-sawn timbers. Here's a coffee table:



The timbers are held together with steel plates that are just sitting loose in recessed slot mortises:



An end table with a rough slab on a stainless steel base:



This little table is a solid turned piece. It's shaped like a barrel, and very heavy:



And for grins, a couple kitchen shots, including the built-in Viking fridge:



I kind of liked the hanging lights over the breakfast bar (there were smaller versions over the liquor bar, too):



More pics in the next post...

The window in the kitchen looks out onto the back patio. Here's the view from the patio:



Here's the next-door neighbor's boat:



OK, some actual work shots...here's a painting we installed the last time we were at this house:



And one of the pieces we hung today...a 500-year-old mirror. The frame is carved wood that has been gilded. Here the mirror, laying face-down on a packing blanket:



A closer detail of the joinery. I believe it's held together with a combination of wood pegs, iron nails, and glue:



And here's the final installation:



They have several pieces of furniture that are similar to the cabinet that's below the mirror. It looks and feels like thick, rough-sawn lumber, but if you open a door and look at the holes where the latches and hinges are, you can see it's a thick veneer over particle board. This stuff probably cost about a bazillion dollars, and it's still just glorified Ikea furniture.

We hung another piece today that I didn't get pics of...it was a National Geographic map of the world, framed and mounted on what felt like 3/4" ply. It was about 12' x 8' and I'm guessing it weighed 180 to 200 pounds. 'Twas a beast, I tell ya.

And to top it off, I broke the middle toe on my left foot while we were there. I was working in my stocking feet (so as not to mar the new wood floors), and I accidentally kicked the leg of a sofa. Every once in a while, an owner (or in this case, a designer) will request that we remove our shoes or wear fabric booties over our shoes. I shoulda worn my booties, but it was simpler to just take off my shoes. The toe got more and more painful as the day went on, and now it's hurting like a big dog and turning a whole rainbow of colors.

While I'm posting pics, here's a shot I took at another house today. This is a wall that Perry (my boss) has been adding to for a couple of years. (We hung six more pieces today.) This shot only shows about 2/3 of the total on this wall. The faces have been blurred for anonymity.

I'll bet that place rents for more than 400 dollars a month!
I'd hate to try to clean that timber end table up after a kid spills milk on it!
I really like the wall of pictures. When you add pictures, do the new ones go on top or one end or do you remove some previously placed ones and intersperse them?
Great photos of a lifestyle I don't envy, but I do greatly enjoy your allowing me peeks of it!

interesting furniture. not my style at all but obviously unique.

I didn't think that they had mirrors 500 years ago thats kind of cool.

The industrial looking lights don't fit in their kitchen. kind of strange.

I like the lights as well. really cool like studio lights or something.
I agree with Bob though, they don't go with that kitchen.

Bummer on the toe Vaughn. For reasons just like you mentioned I will not remove my shoes on a job. I am perfectly willing to bring a fresh pair of soft soled shoes that wont harm a new finished floor and only wear them in the house but I wont run around in stocking feet.

That mirror must have been a challenge with all the rays! Not to mention the added stress of being 500 years old!

Vaughn looks like some very interesting days you have. I would not mind doing that kind of job just for the enjoyment of seeing what is out there. It's probably one of the things I like most about my job is getting to see all the different kinds of furniture and art and meeting the people.

..................

Folks with money is funny critters.

The lights reminded me of mechanical cork screw wine bottle openers. So if the family is into wine, very symbolic. Would hate to dust them though. Forgot to add, sorry about the toe Vaughn, won't be doing any ballet today will ya!!!!

glenn bradley said:

Folks with money is funny critters.

Click to expand...

But true.

turning a whole rainbow of colors.

Click to expand...

No pics, it didn't happen.
Sorry, I couldn't resist. Actually sorry it happened, yer probably going to be limping for a while.
Like the others, not to my taste although I do kinda like the end table but would prefer a more rustic, wood, frame.

Great pics Vaughn.

I love the coffee table. So simple, and yet the execution would be pretty difficult due to the size and weight of the pieces. Bet the house cleaner hates cleaning in between them though!

You need to get some steel toed socks, I'm thinking! Hope the toe heals soon.

Cool stuff!

That last pic reminds me of my sister's place, hallway is lined with pics of family. My wife and I have moved to the digital frames. Have several around the house.

Hope the toe heals up quickly.

What John said - the mix of styles seems incoherent. I think it's what "designers" like to call eclectic - which simply means that;

1. they don't know enough about any specific style or period to stay within its bounds, or,
2. they think there interpretation of style goes beyond such petty restraints.

One primary reason that if HGTV ever showed up on my doorstep to do a makeover I'd tell them to hit the road. I keenly remember watching one of their premier designers hanging a Christmas tree upside down from the ceiling.

Vaughn McMillan said:

And to top it off, I broke the middle toe on my left foot while we were there. I was working in my stocking feet (so as not to mar the new wood floors), and I accidentally kicked the leg of a sofa.

Click to expand...

Yikes! I cringed just reading that. Hope it gets better soon.

Rennie Heuer said:

One primary reason that if HGTV ever showed up on my doorstep to do a makeover I'd tell them to hit the road. I keenly remember watching one of their premier designers hanging a Christmas tree upside down from the ceiling.

Click to expand...

I agree I would tell them to hit the road as they would probably come in and paint my cedar posts and beams!!!!!!!!

Lou and I had a christmas tree upside down in an apartment, not enough room, wasn't going to be there for the day, grabbed a cheapie out of a dumpster and hung it! Got a lot of comments!

Vaughn McMillan said:

The toe got more and more painful as the day went on, and now it's hurting like a big dog and turning a whole rainbow of colors.
View attachment 59054

Click to expand...

Great pics. Sorry for the injury. RICE...if you can do it...rest, ice, compression, elevation is what the doc always told me. It usually works until you can get professional help. I did the same thing six months ago. I took a long time to heal because I kept hobbling around on it, but sometimes you just have to keep going.

Actually Ted brings up a great point, Rice, frozen bag of rice or peas makes a great ice pack. Had all toes including big toe broken on my right foot at the same time, painful and wore a heel out on the boot I walked/hobble/stumbled in for a couple of weeks!!

I've gotta agree with the comments about the decor and the mixed styles going on in that house. That's what happens when you turn a designer loose with a fat checkbook. A lot of things in that house are going to be a real bear to clean. I guess that's why they hire someone to do it.

Jon, on the photo wall, the new ones just get added to either edge. We see these pretty often, although this one has the pieces crammed together a lot tighter than we would normally do it.

Vaughn, I always enjoy your pictures. I definitely do not enjoy hearing about your toe and kicking the couch.

Look at the bright side--- You did not kick a bucket!!!

Enjoy,
Jim