modernmaine

Rocker

2009-01-27T11:04:00.000-08:00

This is great and simple way to construct a rocking chair. With a few changes it could be really nice. Also a good opportunity to work with patterned cushions, since these wouldn't be hard to sew.

Drawer Detail

2009-01-26T06:48:00.001-08:00

A simple and elegant detail that becomes the focus of the whole piece. Note to self: another great example of what can be done with curvy strips.

Morgue

2009-01-26T06:25:00.000-08:00

For years I've been hoarding reference images in a folder on my computer of things that inspire me, or that are similar to ideas I've had myself - basically things that have some kind of relationship, either realized or not, to my own work. A friend of mine recently informed me that this was called an artist's "morgue", a term I'd never heard of.

Anyway, I thought it would be a fun winter project for me to post images from my digital morgue, along with a brief mention of why I collected them in the first place. Mostly they are images of furniture and lighting, and because they've been around for a while I don't always remember who designed them. Sorry about that. :-)

The 15th Day

2008-06-29T18:37:00.000-07:00

The afternoon of the 24th was OK, and I can't argue that the 25th wasn't downright gorgeous, but that's as far it goes. I've always wanted to do a countdown of June fog......

The 8th Day

2008-06-22T17:26:00.001-07:00

Technically we had a bit of a break yesterday - the sun came out long enough for a beautiful afternoon and a nice evening with friends. Then the fog rolled back in.

The 6th Day

2008-06-20T19:23:00.000-07:00

The 5th Day

2008-06-19T03:50:00.000-07:00

of cold, foggy weather.

I'm working on some new lighting designs I'm excited about. I'm waiting for more material samples to arrive and it's so hard to be patient. Progress is so slo-o-o-w.

I might have found an excellent recycled material with all the qualities I am looking for however, which would make it worth the wait.

Some preliminary prototypes:

Also, somebody had a 60th birthday.

There was belly dancing and fire....

...beautiful young women....

...and cake! What a great party!

Zzzzz.....

2008-06-08T17:40:00.000-07:00

I recently saw some things that might help to rouse this blog from it's slumber.

The first is this incredible loveseat designed by Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien:

I'll let you read all about it here on their website, but it kills me, I love it so much.

Also today I went to Castine to see an exhibition which is part of a week of workshops sponsored by the International Guild of Miniature Artisans. I can't help it, I love anything miniature, especially food. It was a small show, but with some amazing entries.

Afterwards I walked around town a little bit. Castine must be one of the quaintest and most picturesque towns on the Maine coast - I felt like I was in a movie or something. Not to mention that it was a gorgeous warm day after a week of 50 degree fog, and the scent of lilacs was everywhere.

Don't you think this would make a perfect new studio for me? With a yoga studio upstairs, I'll take it.

Oh yeah, I did finish those kitchen cabinets, but I haven't shot them yet....

The Kitchen

2008-02-29T05:00:00.000-08:00

Gene said the other day, "I can't believe it's already February."

Hmph.

I say, I can't believe it's only February. But enough about that sad topic - four sentences is already too much.

What have I been up to? Not blogging, obviously. No, I've been working on The Kitchen. As some of you may already know, our kitchen remodel has been going on for several years now (hey, why rush it?) But have you seen the photos? I don't think so. Therefore, I'm going to take you on a little tour which will show you what I've done so far and where I am now.

Here's what we started with:

In a sense we were lucky. The former occupant had already done a lot of work on this part of the house - insulation, new windows, etc - but ran out of money for the kitchen itself. So only temporary cabinets were installed, which meant we really didn't have much to rip out. The stainless appliances were ones we bought just before we began the remodel.

As you can see, in spite of the fact that we have a large house, we're dealing with a fairly small space. And like most old houses, there is not a lot of storage. So one of the goals of the new kitchen is to cram in as much storage space as possible. We also have a few obstacles to contend with, namely a window which is below countertop height, and a woodstove right in the middle of everything. And oh yeah, a miniscule budget.

I decided to complete the lower cabinets before the uppers, and to begin with the sink/dishwasher/fridge wall first. I designed one long bank of cabinets which would span the entire length of the wall and include the fridge, because I wanted to take advantage of all that empty space on top of it. This was the hardest spot to tackle because the cabinets had to fit into a finite space and also coordinate with all the plumbing, etc.

Here are some pictures of the work in progress:

This marked the end of Phase I. Sigh of relief, the worst had been accomplished. We decided we had gotten enough cabinetry done to paint the entire room, which badly needed it. We chose a buttery yellow, so the room would feel warm in the cold winters and foggy summers.

Oh yeah, this is an entryway cabinet which technically was the very first cabinet I built, but what the hell.

Phase III was smaller - I made some built-in bookcases on either side of the glass doors. As you can see, the place is starting to shape up. These shots make me want to go on a cleaning binge.

So now I am on to Phase IV. I'm building two cabinets, one which will go here, to replace the table and hideous cart:

and here, to the left of the stove:

These are going to be freestanding, more furniture-like cabinets, almost like worktables, and will sit on turned wood feet. This is partly because we have that chimney and low window to contend with, which prevented me from putting a built-in cabinet there. But actually I'm really happy with the freestanding solution, and I think they'll look much nicer than built-ins, which can get kind of monotonous.

Here are some shop shots:

And now I am going to leave this computer and go work on the cabinets.

Obama in Bangor

2008-02-09T20:04:00.000-08:00

It was kind of late last night when I posted the video so I didn't take the time to comment, but as you can see, we made it in to the rally! The line outside stretched down the street for at least a half a mile, maybe more. Inside, the 5,700 seat stadium was full, plus there were people standing down on the floor. There were also at least 1000 more people outside who didn't make it in, although Barack took the time to stop and speak to them too.

The atmosphere in the stadium was electric - everybody was cheering and taking photos and videos and stamping on the bleachers. I saw one guy holding up his iBook over his head, just recording it all. In Maine! I thought we might have a little trouble finding a parking spot, but I certainly didn't expect to see anything like this.

I already knew Barack was an excellent speaker, which was one of the reasons I wanted to see him in person, and he didn't disappoint. There's something about the way he expresses himself that is very positive and inclusive. Although he's against the war and the current direction of our government and doesn't hesitate to say so, he somehow doesn't seem to wallow in negativity. Instead, he puts forth a message of hope and asks you to join in and work with him to make things happen. And people are responding. It was very inspiring.

We were also proud to see our own Lael Stiegel address the crowd, and she didn't forget to send a shout out to the island. We congratulated her today at the caucus and she was all smiles. And as most of you Maine readers already probably know, Barack has taken Maine. Great job!

New Photography

2008-02-06T12:10:00.001-08:00

No seamless - what do you think?

photo credit: Jim Dugan

Uncorked

2008-02-05T04:13:00.000-08:00

Design Within Reach has announced the winners of the 2008 Champagne Chair Contest.

Grand Prize: Miwa Kleyla's Block B Chair:

Staff Favorite: Matthew Glaysher's Weekend Bender:

Popular Vote: Akai Yang's 2-Player:

Mirrors

2008-02-04T07:47:00.000-08:00

I like these new mirrors from A.P.F. Munn.....

The top one is made of 110 individually laser-cut pieces of mirror.

The bottom one is made of Amercian Sycamore, with Swarovski crystals inset somewhere - my guess is in the checks in the wood.

Ice Bike

2008-02-01T04:52:00.001-08:00

Gulassa & Co.

2008-01-31T11:11:00.000-08:00

Below is some gorgeous work by Seattle-based Gulassa & Co. The company was founded in 1989 by David Gulassa and partner Barrett Shepphard. Tragically, David drowned in a kayak accident in 2001. But the company lives on, and is comprised of a team of designers and artisans who collaborate with architects and also manufacture their own line of furniture, lighting and related accessories.

Pool

2008-01-30T11:41:00.000-08:00

A new collection of benches by Brayton called Pool.

Question Mark Folder of Death, or.....

2008-01-22T05:23:00.000-08:00

Inside the G5.

OK everybody, time to backup!

Dress It Up

2008-01-17T07:27:00.000-08:00

I deeply despise the expression "dress it up".

As in, "I added that molding around the cabinet's edge to dress it up a bit."

Ugh.

For the record, I am not categorically opposed to molding.

Speaking of Things Woven...

2008-01-17T06:23:00.000-08:00

Some recent work by the Campana Brothers; pieces from their "Transplastic Series".

"All the pieces are handcrafted with a very typical brazilian fibre, ‘apuí’....the fibre is an analogy for this series of work; the wicker begins to grow from the plastic, suffocating and drawing nourishment from it..."

You can read the full writeup at designboom.

The Bros. have a very cool website, but beware, it will kick your ass if you are not up to date on all your java-y active x plugins.

Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

2008-01-15T11:42:00.001-08:00

Here are a couple of chairs I've seen lately that I really like.....

The one above is by Matthew Kroeker, a young Canadian designer. I love how he created a very modern design using such simple traditional materials. The wonderful thing about upholstery from a visual perspective is that is a great opportunity to use pattern and color. In fact the first time I saw this chair, which I think in one of the NY Times design supplements, it had some beautiful floral Kvadrat fabric on it. It was gorgeous. I'd love to try designing a piece in a similar vein.

The one below is produced by an Italian company called Saba. I'm pretty sure it's an updated version of a classic Danish modern design (Wegner?), or maybe it's the original chair itself back in production, but either way, I love it - for the same reasons as the above, plus I have a thing for woven surfaces, especially in a modern context. LOVE. IT.

Darth

2007-12-31T07:05:00.000-08:00

Sunday Afternoon

2007-12-30T15:48:00.000-08:00

I was able to squeeze in a quick walk to Ames Pond today. It's a route I walk more often in the summer, so it was interesting to see the transformation that the change of season brings. Now that the activity from the holidays is almost over the island will soon settle into the relative quietness of winter.

Cravings

2007-12-28T08:14:00.000-08:00

Sigh.

This year, it doesn't seem likely that there there will be any of this:

But if we are very, very lucky, maybe there will be this:

Ho Ho Horrorshow

2007-12-26T06:57:00.000-08:00

Since I love to use my hands and am a 3D person to the core, I enjoy making foods that require assembly. It's just like making sculpture out of food. So, I thought for Christmas I'd post a couple of step-by-step photos of the Zuccotto I made - an Italian holiday dessert which is a dome of liqueur-soaked cake filled with whipped cream and nuts and topped with ganache. Exciting, no? Sorry to disappoint you - instead, I'm going describe the comedy of errors that visited us on Christmas Eve.

Our Christmas Eves revolve around decorating the tree and eating festive foods. In the late afternoon we set out plates of delicious cheeses, sausages, shrimp and other tidbits while we drink wine and hang the gazillions of ornaments which are the result of two merged households. We eat and decorate for a while, and then then move into preparing a fancy dinner which usually includes some kind of fresh pasta made by Gene and Galen. This year's dish was seared scallops and lobster ravioli on nests of julienned vegetables.

The kitchen was in complete chaos but all was going well - the vegetables were sauteed, the pasta to filling ratio was fine, and we were just about finished. Galen had been using a knife to cut the ravioli, but of course I thought they should be all round and perfect, so I advised using a glass (dumb dumb dumb!) as a cutter. She was on the very last ravioli when the damned glass broke, and you can guess the rest.

Three hours and eight stitches later we all returned home, cleaned up the broken glass and finished cooking. We ate just before midnight, and the meal was delicious. The kids thought it would be fun to open one present each before bed, so we gathered around the tree and someone reached for a present. I still don't know how it happened, but somehow the tree, full of glass ornaments, began to fall. Luckily Ezra had his wits about him and he jumped up and caught it before it toppled over. Incredibly, nothing was broken and only one ornament fell off. Gene got underneath the tree and retightened the screws while we did the whole "more to the left" thing and he swore.

Hard to believe, but no one wanted to open a present after that. The kids went to bed and I grabbed the vac to clean up a small pile of beach sand left on the rug by the errant ornament (don't ask). Gene and I began to tackle the kitchen. When we were just about finished Gene took the dog out for her last walk. To make more room for all the Christmas crap, I decided to put a glass vase on top of the kitchen cupboards. Our old cupboards meet at 90 degrees in the corner, which creates an empty space behind them, and that is just where I decided to put the vase. It fell down the hole and onto the Kitchen Aid mixer below and shattered into a million pieces. It was about 1AM. I went for the vac, again.

On the way upstairs, Gene stepped on the dog (again) and she yelped. I snapped at him. I thought it would be a good idea to sit and look at the tree lights and cool off for a little while before going to bed. Finally, about 2AM, I went upstairs, went into the bathroom and found a clogged toilet. Merry Christmas!

Alternative Use for the Tablesaw

2007-12-16T17:25:00.000-08:00

While driving up the island early one morning a few weeks ago, I came across a bundle of spruce tips smack in the middle of the road. "Tips" are trimmings of spruce and fir branches which are used to make wreathes and garlands. There are several wreath making shops around here, and in late November and early December it's not unusual to see pickup trucks full of these bundles making deliveries.

The bundle was on the crest of a hill and would be slightly dangerous to drive around. There was no traffic, so I pulled over, got out of the car, and dragged the thing off the road. I turned to get back in, took a last glance at the bundle now sitting on the shoulder, and my conscience began to have a battle. What would the chances be of anyone actually noticing that they had lost one bundle out of a whole pickup-full? How would I know which wreath shop to bring it to? How would we able to determine whose it was? How much was the darned thing even worth? A lot? A little? I had no idea.

So, I threw it in the back of the car.

On a recent trip to Ellsworth I bought a couple of rings and some florist's wire, and tonight I made my first two wreaths. It wasn't hard - I just laid the bunches on the ring and wrapped the wire around and around. Then I turned it over and did the other side. Pretty cool. There are still a lot of tips left. I'm thinking that if I give a bunch of wreaths away maybe it will cancel out any bad karma....

Answered Prayers

2007-12-14T14:12:00.001-08:00

A friend of mine treated me to a divine lunch today - marinated lamb salad, naan, squash soup with coconut milk, followed by custard with summer raspberries from the freezer . Soooo delicious! She really spoiled me.

At the opposite end of the table from the beautiful feast shown above was a collection of beaded prayers made at a workshop given by Sonya Clark here on the island last month.

Maine Wood 2008

2007-12-12T12:27:00.000-08:00

I dropped off the cabinet a few days before the show. Not only was it the first time I got to look at it sitting upright on a floor (!), but it was also the first time I could appraise it outside of a shop environment.

The way a piece of furniture looks and feels in an industrial setting can be very different than in a domestic setting. This is because your perception of the scale and proportion of an object is affected by the other objects surrounding it. Well, actually it's affected by everything surrounding it - the lighting, the architecture, etc. Proportion was one of the things I paid close attention to with this cabinet, so I felt gratified that when I got to finally look at it in a more finished environment, it still felt right.

A few days later we went to the opening, which was packed. The CFC always does a nice job with their openings, lots of food and wine, and good people-energy. There were many nice pieces in the show, but that said, Maine is generally still a very conservative state when it comes to furniture. Lots of people are still shocked that a furniture maker might want to paint a piece of wood, even though the studio furniture field put that issue to rest way back in the 80's.

A lot of work is also stylistically traditional too, with strong Krenov/Moeser influences and/or lots of exposed joinery. Many makers choose to emphasize technical pyrotechnics instead of taking a step back to consider the overall design of a piece of furniture. But still - it was great to see the CFC taking a leading role in showcasing the work of Maine makers. It's a great way to get a dialogue going, which is exactly what leads to the development of new ideas.

Afterwards we went to Francine's for dinner - oooh, delish! Heh, just found this funny video on YouTube. Making me hungry.....

Travel

2007-11-25T06:57:00.001-08:00

We took the ferry to Montauk to visit Gene's sister for Thanksgiving.

Shelter Island was awash in golden leaves.

A windsurfer on Thanksgiving day.

I spotted this great building (a parking garage) in Boston. I love how it looks like a woven box - so light and airy.

All Done Except For Finishing

2007-11-16T06:02:00.000-08:00

All done, except for finishing.

That's something a friend's father used to say. His name was Lynn, and he smoked a corn cob pipe and drank sweet, milky tea all day out of a battered Stanley thermos. He built kitchens and furniture and did remodeling, and when we went to work for him he owned not an electric chopsaw, but a beautiful old mitre box. He used Pennsylvania hardwoods for all his work. He paid us all the same amount despite the fact that I had little experience, because he was determined not to discriminate against a lady carpenter. He bought me my first hammer, and was also partially responsible for dropping a 2x6 on my nose.

Whenever I feel like I'm getting close to completing a piece, I think of him and this saying, which is meant to be an ironic reminder about how long the finishing process takes. As in, you may THINK you're done, but you still have to put the finish on and it's going to take a while, so don't go feeling all relieved.

Actually, I can feel relieved now, because I really am done (OK, I might add one more coat, but it doesn't really need it). No nasty surprises, no major mistakes, only one minor one which you'll never be able to find, and I'm certainly not going to tell you where it is.

Delivery date is next Monday.

Monk For a Week

2007-11-14T05:55:00.000-08:00

My stepson Ezra doing a martial arts training course at the Shaolin Temple in China. Click here or on the links at the right to check out his blog.

TABOURETS Si proche du sol

2007-11-05T05:44:00.000-08:00

Galerie Kreo is currently exhibiting "STOOLS So Close to the Ground", which includes the work of 23 designers.

Two of my faves are by Wieki Somers and Hella Jongerius:

Taking a Break

2007-11-04T16:20:00.000-08:00

I played hooky from working in the studio today and went to a wonderful yoga workshop taught by Gabriel Halpern. He's an extremely accomplished instructor and practitioner in the Iyengar tradition. He really knows how to teach the most minute details of a pose, and is quite a philosopher too.

I was thrilled that he complimented me and encouraged me to continue moving forward in my yoga practice - a little bit tough logistically here in Maine, but I have wonderful teachers that I can go to on a day-to-day basis, and it's not so difficult to get away for workshops. I already make a habit of taking classes wherever I happen to travel. It would be great to go to one in some warm, exotic locale though.....

2007-11-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

Building a new piece might give me something to write about, but it is not very compatible with blogging because I am just too damned busy.

Not to mention that I've just returned from graphic design hell - three straight loooong days of sitting at the computer doing image processing for my normally beloved client, who was this time very unprepared for a catalog deadline. My body really protested from the mistreatment, but luckily I was able to make my usual yoga class this afternoon.

The cabinet is coming along nicely, no big mistakes so far.

I actually hesitated before writing that, out of fear that I might jinx myself. Right now I'm at the tricky part where I need to make the joints that hold the panels together - just cutting into the thing strikes fear into my heart.

If I had to choose an area of weakness in my building skills, it would not be my hand skills (that's probably one of my strengths) , but the fact that I can be a bit of a space shot. I can stare at pieces that go together, double check them, triple check them, make the cuts, only to realize that they were backwards or upside down. Classic.

Or, I'll be going along happily doing some task, my mind will wander, and I'll return to Earth to find myself utterly confused and disoriented and in the middle of a massive mistake of some kind or another. Don't misunderstand me, this is not age. This. Is. My. Mind.

Pimp My Mortiser

2007-10-09T17:55:00.000-07:00

What you are looking at is a model, and I am finally building the actual full scale piece. It's going to be made out of native cherry. A friend referred me to a guy he knows who dries lumber not too far from Sugarloaf. A few weekends ago we took a drive to his shop, and he had a bunch of shorts he was happy to sell rather than watch gather dust in the corner for the next three years only to wind up in the wood stove. I'm really happy to be using perfectly good material that would otherwise just be waste.

So I've been milling and cutting the lumber into squares and arranging them in patterns. If I had started with a large quantity of uniform wood I probably would not have numbered everything so precisely. But I knew I wouldn't have much to spare. There was also a lot of grain and color variation and I wanted it to look well balanced. I thought this part of the process would be slow and frustrating, but I actually found I really enjoyed it. And my mind is more at ease because I know each part is accounted for.

The squares will be held together by floating tenons. I'm using my horizontal mortiser to make the mortises. Since I knew I'd be hanging out at the machine for more than a few hours, I thought it would be a good idea to catch as much dust as possible, so I rigged up a low tech collection system with an old milk container and the shop vac. And duct tape, natch. It works pretty well.

I do have a dust collection system, but I never ran it all the way over to the mortiser since I don't use it all the time. It is probably my favorite tool though, aside from the tablesaw.

Ode to a Photographer

2007-10-04T17:25:00.000-07:00

Although I'm a visual person and love taking photos, I'm a lousy product photographer. And due to this fact, not to mention a lack of proper equipment, I've always gotten my work professionally photographed.

But now? I am not so suddenly sick of seamless. Seamless is D-E-A-D.

I'd really like to start showing my work in an environment - preferably some fantastic loft - but any funky, unexpected place would make me happy too. So, I've got to find a location, find an experienced product photographer who shoots furniture on location, and get the furniture to that place.

Locally. Or at least, semi-locally.

This is the kind of task that I could pull together pretty quickly in an urban area, and probably for a reasonable price too. But up here...let's just say that the yellow pages aren't going to cut it.

O excellent photographer, you who are interested in arty shots, you who understand exactly what I want and have even better ideas about how to shoot my work than I do, I know you're out there. You might even live up the road or in the next town. I WILL find you.

Meanwhile, these will have to do...

New Works

2007-10-01T12:58:00.000-07:00

New Works is block of time where Haystack opens its housing and studios to former faculty. Artists are free to focus on their work in beautiful surroundings with no other responsibilities, and all of their meals are prepared for them. There are no clocks and no workshops. Assistants are available to answer technical questions questions and help with unfamiliar equipment.

It was a little like being back in graduate school, only better. There was lots of conversation, friendly critiques, and the cross-pollination of ideas from people working in different media. I met new people and had a chance to catch up with many old friends. We all felt very lucky to have had such a great experience and left feeling rejuvenated.

More Maine

2007-09-18T08:46:00.000-07:00

This weekend we climbed Schoodic Mountain, just outside of Ellsworth. I was amazed that I hadn't already been to such a beautiful spot so close to home. It was about an hour's hike up, and the view was spectacular, better even than Cadillac because from the summit you can see 360 degrees.

Looking towards Mt. Desert...

We were of course accompanied by the fearless beast...

At the base was Donnell Lake, with crystal clear water. It begged for a swim but it was beginning to get late in the day and starting to cool down.

Came home and lit a nice fire....

September

2007-09-15T14:57:00.000-07:00

September is when the weather really gets beautiful - clear and dry. A walk to Sheepshead Island at low tide....

Fifth Session

2007-08-18T05:24:00.000-07:00

Scenes from Haystack's fifth session....

Matthew Hilton

2007-07-26T04:38:00.000-07:00

This blog has some tough competition with summer....

Below are some new bookshelves by British designer Matthew Hilton. He's going to launch his own line of furniture this fall at 100%design.

Little Cat Feet

2007-07-10T03:28:00.000-07:00

There are two aspects of the weather that challenge my love of living on this island. One is the extended length of winter as compared to southern New England, which I'm more accustomed to, and the other is the impossible to predict banks of fog that come rolling in and stick around for days.

Our old, whimsically insulated house sucks up the moist air and holds in it in, making it colder inside than it is outside. As I sit here in front of the computer,I am wearing the same uniform as I would on a day deep in winter - jeans, layered shirts, a knit sweater, a pair of warm slippers.

Ironically, this is a time when the island is at its most beautiful. The fog shrouds the islands and makes them look wonderfully mysterious, and the dark firs and hard lines of the houses rear up in stark contrast. Visitors often say that this is their favorite kind of weather. But they don't live here.

I just want it to move on.

Cabinet + Texture

2007-07-08T18:44:00.000-07:00

Teak sideboard by Hans Wegner

Clawing Our Way to the Top

2007-07-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

We managed to snag second place in the walking floats division - not too shabby.

Afloat

2007-07-03T04:27:00.000-07:00

Up at Haystack they're busy getting the float ready for the island's Fourth of July parade. This year's theme is "Island History". The parade goes through town once, takes a brief break, then turns around and goes back in the opposite direction.

Anyone can enter a float.

In previous years every participant got a ribbon, but as of this year they're only being awarded to a select few. The pressure is on.

We meet at 9:15 tomorrow morning at Stu's.

Also, performance artist Michael Moschen is the visiting artist this session. He gave a wonderful performance last night and is offering workshops to students in movement and balance in the afternoons.

Michael may be a MacArthur Fellow, but I think I deserve an #$%!ing award for figuring out how to rotate this video 90 degrees with the correct aspect ratio.

I Heart Devcon

2007-06-28T18:47:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the model that I began in, well, February. Thanks to this blog I know when it was. It was supposed to be a winter project - ha!

What I'm especially glad about with this design is that I feel like I solved this leg problem that's been bothering me. See, I've made two of these cabinets already (sort of - similar construction, different materials), and I designed them as cabinets-on-stands (which I love as a genre of furniture). But I was always kind of disappointed with them because I never felt like the legs were integrated into the overall design. And the proportions felt awkward, which is partly due to building in a grid system. I hope with this design that I've finally got it figured out, along with some other construction issues.

Of course all I want to do now is make it, but there's a rather lengthy line of things to do before I begin (ahem - kitchen!). And I've got to decide on the species of wood. I'm leaning towards walnut....

Kenneth Cobonpue

2007-06-27T20:07:00.001-07:00

Hand carved end & coffe tables by Phillipine designer Kenneth Cobonpue:

New Bridge

2007-06-26T18:57:00.000-07:00

I had forgotten about these these photos - they're of the new Penobscot Narrows Bridge. There's an observatory at the top. I happened to be driving by that day so I took a tour, despite my dislike of heights. Nice view up there. I'm especially like the presence of the old bridge in the shadow of the new one.

Pinch

2007-06-25T18:17:00.001-07:00

New armoires by Pinch. Simple and elegant.

Delicious Friday

2007-06-22T13:41:00.000-07:00

Gene and I decided to play hooky today. This morning, after delicious cappucinos and scones, we headed off to our studios. Our day has since been pleasantly interspersed with dog walks, the farmer's market, lawn mowing, and a now a moody late afternoon thunderstorm, which I think will be relatively brief.

I'm on a modelmaking binge - trying to gear myself up for the construction of a new cabinet later this summer. Diving into a the creation of a largish, speculative piece represents hundreds of dollars and hours of labor with an unknown outcome. And the design and construction isn't the end of it - if nobody sees it, then it winds up sitting in the studio, which does no one any good.

The diffusers for my new lamps are finally at the printer's and should be finished some time next week. I can't wait to see them.

Summer is Upon Us

2007-06-22T13:27:00.000-07:00

A man and his accordion...

Talk of the one that got away...

Headed to the shipyard...

Haystack Walkthrough

2007-06-22T11:42:00.000-07:00

Some nice work done by first session's students....

...and the work of the resident breadmaker. We got a loaf fresh out of the oven.

Birthday Boys

2007-06-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

They've got almost 100 years between them.

After dinner we were treated to Farrel the Firethrower:

Spring is Graduation Time

2007-06-12T12:50:00.000-07:00

Remember when you graduated highschool?

We're very proud.

Louise Nevelson

2007-06-06T04:22:00.000-07:00

While I was in New York I also went with a friend to the Jewish Museum see a Louise Nevelson retrospective. I've always loved her work and was thrilled to see so much of it one place. When you look at her pieces and try to break them down, it's not easy to explain why they have so much power, but they do, and those quiet galleries vibrated with it.

I thought the show was also beautifully curated and presented - the order and placement of the pieces, the color of the gallery walls, the lighting. I would have enjoyed seeing more photos of Louise in her studio though, and learning more about her artistic process.

Bride and Disk, 1959-67

Dream House XXXII, 1972

Sky Cathedral Persence, 1951-64

Settle In, It's A Long One

2007-06-03T14:01:00.000-07:00

I spent the morning doing some more Spring tuneups around the shop, which included changing the planer knives. I always approach this task with dread, remembering other, older machines that I've worked on that have taken hours to deal with, but I tend to forget that my planer is pretty easy - it took less than an hour, even with non-disposable knives.

I'm still in the process of getting my current lamp design up and running. Sampling things takes forever! The laser engraving samples came in a few weeks ago. They were beautiful, and the detail of the artwork was as precise as I'd imagined.

Unfortunately there are a couple of downsides though, at least in terms of using this process for the diffusers on my current lamps. First, when the lamp is off, the pattern is hardly visible, especially from a distance. Second, using a laser engraved diffuser would really add to the overall cost of the lamp. That wouldn't be a big problem if it added a compelling effect, but as I already mentioned, it is in fact too subtle. Bummer. Although I hope to use it for something else...

Below are pics of the samples. The engraved pattern is on the back of the plastic. Also, I sanded the left side of the sample (after it was engraved), which is why it appears lighter.

Now I'm waiting on samples of digitally printed artwork. As you may or may not know, four color CMYK printing uses cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks, and does not include white. To achieve the "color" white, you print on a white background, and the white area is actually created by the absence of ink.

This is beginning to change somewhat, at least in the digital realm. There are digital printers which use white ink, which allow you to print white on dark backgrounds, or, as in my case, on transparent plastic. I'm checking it out, but I think it's going to be pricey.

After all this, I'm beginning to suspect that I'll probably wind up sticking with screen or block printing for the diffusers. I'd love to be able to easily, quickly, and inexpensively change artwork by firing off an email and receiving a box of diffusers a week or two later, but that is proving to be elusive!

On May 18 I went to NYC for the International Contemporary Furniture Fair. I've been to most of them since the show first started (16 years ago?), but I missed last year, so it was nice to be back. I thought the show was quite good overall this year - as always, there were things you'd expect (the big Italian companies, but then again, they hand out free wine), but there were plenty of nice surprises and seductions inbetween. I have no intention of "scooping" the show, or even showing the latest and hottest designs, as that has been done weeks ago by other bloggers, but I would like to share some of the things I personally enjoyed.

Below is Iannone Design, formerly ianonne:sanderson. I've blogged about their work before, and I'm still a fan. I had read that the original partners, Michael Iannone and James Sanderson, had split, and I was a little concerned, but all is well - turns out James aimicably wanted to pursue architecture (his degree, I believe), and Michael is still up and running, with help from his wife. I'm so irritated I can't remember her name, but I loved this new cabinet:

I always enjoy seeing dform, started by a fellow RISD grad:

Texture in lighting:

Texture in furniture:

Young future designer?

And in textiles:

Things on wires and sticks:

Pattern:

The RISD booth was so beautiful I wanted to cry. Partly from the beauty, and partly from frustration that nothing this exciting ever went on while I was there. Back in the day, it was all you could do to fight for a highly coveted spot in a lone lighting design class offered every other year, and which was not considered "serious" design. Then it was back to toasters and remote controls. OK, I'm exaggerating - a little. But thanks to Rosanne Somerson, there is now a fantastic undergraduate furniture design program that is doing really exciting work and being recognized by industry.

Anyway, the booth showcased students' designs from a furniture studio sponsored by Swarovski. The work and the presentation were exquisite.

Finally, I met up with my sis and went to Haute Green, a curated exhibit which highlighted sustainable designs for furniture, lighting and accessories. It was interesting, but my main beef is not about the specific works chosen, but about how they were displayed. It was wonderful to see the pieces in person, but I was able to learn more about them at home online than I was at the exhibition itself. Sometimes I walked right by a piece without realizing I had missed it. There wasn't enough supporting material, and what there was was printed in a tiny little font - not much help in a crowd.

We stayed for lecture, which was great and added to my knowledge of the thought behind the exhibit, but went about 30 minutes too long. A little more rigorous moderation would've helped. But overall, nice job.

One of my favorite pieces was by Tim E. Dubitsky, edited by Tobias Wong. He recycled pieces of Tord Boontje's Garland Light into the useful items below. Put that into your pipe and smoke it. Heh heh.

Texture

2007-05-10T11:58:00.000-07:00

From my copius "inspiration" file.

Ingrid Donat

2007-05-09T17:35:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled to have stumbled across the work of Ingrid Donat, a French sculptor and furniture designer. These exquisite pieces are made of cast bronze.

The Bad Blogger Returns

2007-05-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

You know that wonderful vacation? Afterwards? Sick as a dog. Head cold from the plane, stomach distress from....whatever. But it was worth it.

Anyway, Spring.

I've noticed that since moving up here to Maine my life is more in tune with the seasons. This is due of course to the place and the people, but I think it's also somewhat due to being self-employed. Because I have the freedom to make my own hours, I notice that I'm more sensitive to all kinds of things - the angle of the light, the temperature, the weather, my own energy swings.

Like many people, I usually have a big surge of energy in the spring, but it's more pronounced here. Lately I've been happily occupied in the studio. I made some nice shop improvements, sent all the knives and blades out for sharpening, and am now making a batch of new lamps for the summer season.

I'm experimenting with using laser engraving for patterns on the lamp diffusers. My sample piece should arrive early next week, and I can't wait to see the results. I'll post photos if they're not too disappointing.

Meanwhile, I'd like to share some photos of a friend's sawmill that he recently got up and running. He bought the actual machinery a year or two ago, spent some time tuning it up, then erected a building to house it.

In the photos he is milling lumber for a guy who is building a post and beam structure. His young daughter flits about the scene, clambering over the unsawn logs, onto the trailer, fixing a broken drainpipe - definitely following in her father's footsteps. Great to see...

Just in Time

2007-04-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it home just in time for the storm. One day later and we would've been stuck in airport limbo.

Arriving home before the storm also gave us a great opportunity to watch the water line in our basement slowly creep up to within inches of the furnace. Nice! Of course, the furnace wasn't running at the time due to the power failure. Neither, obviously, was the sump pump. Fortunately, things seem to be back on track now.

It was great to get away though. This trip was pretty much a classic beach vacation, which suits me fine because I love to travel and am happy to go just about anywhere and do anything.

However, since this is ostensibly a design blog (don't look so surprised), I feel compelled to share this lamp that resided next to my bed for the week:

After all, why use a whole lamp when just half a lamp will do? Love it!

I also fell in love with these half buried concrete blocks, which are used to prevent beach erosion. They weren't working very well, but they were beautiful to behold as the tide went out.

Otherwise, we spent a lot of time under and around beach umbrellas with ice cold Presidentes in our hands.

Cabarete is supposedly one of the best kite surfing spots in the world.

Liz at a swanky beach bar...

Gene at a seedy beach bar...

Lunch after snorkeling...

Green, green , and more green!

Outta Here

2007-04-06T08:43:00.000-07:00

Enjoy the snow - see you in a week!

One Week!

2007-03-30T04:09:00.000-07:00

Closed

2007-03-29T10:20:00.000-07:00

I sure am missing these guys. They somehow managed to stay open the whole winter. I think it was just an experiment, and I'm pretty sure that experiment was not a success, but it sure was nice while it lasted.

I've been getting takeout soup there once or twice a week for months, and I never had the same thing twice. All of it was homemade and delicious - I think my favorite was a Spanish garlic broth. I get hungry just thinking about it.

It's pretty of hard to make a go of it in a town at the end of the road with just 1500 people. There is one restaurant which is open year round. It's right downtown in a pretty sunlit building and not bad. They serve what I think of as Maine Americana diner food - fish and chips (of course), meatloaf, fish sandwiches, tuna, Campbell's soup, grilled American cheese, pies, etc. There's other stuff too, but it escapes me now. The problem is, you get tired of that kind of thing pretty fast, especially when it's the only game in town.

This is a pretty conservative place, food-wise. Nothing too spicy, nothing too "haute", and no ethnic food to speak of, with one or two exceptions. The upscale places are very good (summer only), but lean towards pasta and surf and turf. A pho place did just open in Blue Hill though, and I go in there every chance I can get.

Anyway, I'm now rambling - better get up to the studio. Daylight's burning!

Chez Ingrid

2007-03-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

I took these photos with Ingrid's sleek little Sony Cybershot - can't remember what model it is, but I think it's a year or two old and has a big LED screen and that nice cover that slides over the lens. Dwell magazine did a review of the latest Cybershot along with its competitors and called it "the little black dress of the bunch".

We have a Cybershot too, but it's about 5 years old. It's a hefty thing and allows you to adjust the light and speed settings manually, as if it was a 35mm. I don't even want to tell you what it cost back in the day - and it's only a 3.3 megapixel.

Anyway, age aside, it's actually a great camera and takes beautiful photos, but lately I've been really craving something I can just slip in my pocket. The question is, do I want to spend $350 for it, when I have a perfectly good one now?

Morning Walk

2007-03-25T06:23:00.000-07:00

In order to celebrate a weekend spent not working on the sets, Gene and I went for an early spring walk.

Opening Night

2007-03-25T06:12:00.000-07:00

Cast and crew did a fantastic job - congratulations to them!

Two Weeks To Go.....

2007-03-23T11:21:00.000-07:00

Texture

2007-03-12T19:01:00.000-07:00

I love rattan - even the faux stuff. Especially the faux stuff. These are made of woven polycarbonate, by Lebello.

Weekend?

2007-03-11T16:49:00.000-07:00

Fundraiser went well. No glitches. Check.

Spent the day working on the sets. Slowly getting there. Check.

A friend of mine called to tell me about a beautiful cabinet featured in this month's issue of Dwell. I haven't had a chance to flip through it yet myself, go figure. But the piece is by Brooklyn-based Platform, and is made from reclaimed Douglas fir.

I love the contrast of the organic material with the clean modern design. It gives me the sense of nature being contained.

And dig the blue bunny.

Oh - I almost forgot! I read the other day on Design*Sponge that some of the founders of Dwell magazine are going to pitch in on the creation of a new editorial direction for American Craft. This is so, so needed and long overdue. I just retrieved my renewal notice from the trash. Literally.

As posted by Grace:

"AMERICAN CRAFT, the 66-year-old international bi-monthly publication, will relaunch in October 2007, the first significant redesign of the magazine in more than 15 years. Former executive editor and founding managing editor of DWELL magazine, Andrew Wagner, recently relocated from San Francisco to New York to steer the magazine’s new direction with former founding DWELL creative director, Jeanette Abbink. The first issue of the all-new AMERICAN CRAFT—the October/November 2007 issue—will feature new typography and photography, and a new editorial voice. It will reflect the current, rapid convergence of craft, architecture, art, design, and fashion, pushing these connections to the forefront of the cultural conversation."

Frazzled

2007-03-09T13:44:00.000-08:00

Ever have one of those weeks (or months) where everything seems to happen at once?

I'm there.

For the past couple of months I've been collaborating on the design of some sets for our local community theater. This year's play is "Music Man". It's been fun, but the play is in a week and all the little details need to come together now.

And I've been helping to organize a fundraiser, which is, of course, tomorrow.

Have I mentioned my big work deadline? Tuesday.

Why do I do this to myself?

Sunday Mornings

2007-03-09T03:32:00.000-08:00

2007-03-07T04:00:00.000-08:00

Four Weeks, Three Days and Counting....

2007-03-06T04:36:00.000-08:00

This Cracks Me Up

In the words of the designer, Staffan Holm:

"CEO is a desk for a powerful person that reflects on a glimpse of the lost childhood, when life was easier and freer. We want to invite the director to a journey back to a time when life was filled with playfulness, more fun and when he or she was better at showing their feelings. We created the desk bound by the structural laws of LEGO-building bricks, combined this with the grace of the late Rococo furniture style and painted it glossy black to evoke feelings of exclusivity and power. CEO is made up of massive beech, MDF and painted with black enamel paint."

2007-03-03T11:26:00.000-08:00

Sigh

Untitled bench by Chicago furniture designer Michael Koehler

Wish I had made this.

2007-02-16T10:04:00.000-08:00

Shop Tour

Want to know why artists like to live in Maine? It's those long winters with nothing to do but hole up in your studio. Makes you productive.

In theory.

I've been so busy lately that I've hardly had time to even get in there.

My studio is in an old part of our house that we're told used to be an attached barn or carriage house. When I first moved in it was a warren of small, beadboard-lined rooms which we tore down - saving the beadboard of course. We pulled an entire baitbox full of rusty nails. And although we've since shored them up, the floors still undulate like a roller coaster, which makes leveling machinery kind of tricky.

One of the smartest things I did was to install a set of double glass doors in the back of the shop. They're big enough to allow me to get lumber and furniture in and out and also let in a ton of light, especially in the late afternoon. There's nothing cozier than being up there working on a piece I'm excited about and watching the snow fall outside. In the summer I prop them open and enjoy the nice breeze. Because we're on the top of a hill near the water, we don't suffer from the dreaded blackflies. I remind myself that when I'm wishing for a little more heat.

I'm working on a full-scale mockup for part of a cabinet. Like the others in the Brix series it will be made out of a series of square tiles, but this time I'm going to make them out of solid wood instead of Baltic birch ply. I'm also putting in some nice beefy tenons to increase the strength of the panels. The biscuits I was using just weren't cutting it. I'm curious to see what will happen with the wood movement and differing grain directions.

I'm also working on a commission for a light which will hang over a dining room table. It's gotten a little neglected lately. There are still some issues to work out and so it remains in the modelmaking stage.

2007-02-14T12:52:00.000-08:00

I succumbed to the cupcake trend that seems to be sweeping, well, the internet? But I actually did just go to Magnolia's. Anyway, they do seem to be everywhere.

I used a recipe from Magnolia's. They taste wonderful but did come out a little dense, more like a light brownie than a cake. Oh well, there are worse things than brownies. Too bad Gene's in Montauk - he'll have to wait until tomorrow to try one. If the snow doesn't stop him.

2007-02-06T10:30:00.000-08:00

Two Months and Counting...

2007-02-04T12:21:00.000-08:00

Urban Pleasures

I went down to NYC this past weekend for the International Gift Show. To me the most interesting section of this show is Accent On Design, where young, up-and-coming designers ply their wares along with more established design-oriented companies like Umbra and Kartell. There are plenty of other worthwhile products to be found in the rest of the show, but for me they tend to get lost in an overwhelming crush of sheer stuff.

Because there's not much furniture at this show, I like to use it as an opportunity to concentrate on color and pattern. I think the whole recent resurgence of applied pattern is fascinating and seductive.

We also went to MOMA, which I hadn't seen since the renovation.

OK, I have a pet peeve to air here, and it's not about the museum - it's about the hordes of people who spend minutes in front of paintings taking crappy little videos on their cell phones. I mean, what are they going to do with these things? Email them to their mothers? It's not like the paintings are moving.

A quick snapshot? Fine. A posed pic of themselves and their buddies in front of "Starry Night"? Also fine. But extended periods of time spent aiming a cellphone at a painting during which no one else can get close enough to actually look at the painting is just plain rude, people!

We did find an oasis of calm at the Isamu Noguchi museum. I've been wanting to go there for a long time....

Gene, with his highly attuned nose for good jazz, managed to find a little place where Cassandra Wilson was playing - we made it in by the skin of our teeth. Another night we listened to some musicians sitting in at a bar near where we were staying.

All in all it was an excellent trip, and just the thing needed to liven up a Maine winter.

2007-01-24T14:03:00.000-08:00

Tomoko Azumi

Tomoko Azumi is a Japanese designer and founder of t.n.a.design studio in London. Above is "Shingle Chest," which she designed for Benchmark in 2004.

Below is "Table+Chest," which she designed in 2005 with her husband, Shin Azumi, and for which they received a lot of well deserved good press. I hope you enjoy their beautiful work as much as I do.

2007-01-23T17:17:00.000-08:00

Tse & Tse

Such a beautiful website....

2007-01-22T13:40:00.000-08:00

When you're 40...

...you're at the top of the heap. Or so they tell me.

Winter Wonderland

In other news, the Lily pond has finally frozen over. We had some excellent skating this weekend with beautiful, clear ice.

My stepdaughter took these wonderfully moody photos sometime before Christmas.

2007-01-03T19:10:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays

Well, they're over. Lots of wonderful food, family and friends, and quite a bit of driving thrown in too.

I woke up New Year's day with ideas for two new cabinets just sitting right there in my mind. Love that! Now I'm just buzzing along, although who knows when I'll have time to actually build these things, considering that the remainder of our kitchen is slated for construction NOW. Tonight I sat down with my calendar and tried to figure out how to squeeze every spare moment out of a week.

Anyone have any tips?

2006-12-11T07:02:00.000-08:00

Elisabeth Garouste

This is the work of Elizabeth Garouste, formerly half of the infamous French design duo "Garouste and Bonetti". In the 80's, G&B shocked the design world by creating a group of primitive, neo-baroque furniture ("barbarities") in reaction to what they saw as the antisceptic industrial modernism of that time. They did some short production runs sponsored by Paris galleries, and also partnered with industry, designing for Nina Ricci and Christian Lacroix.

At some point their partnership ended and now they are working independently. I can't find much about what Garouste is up to now, but it sounds like Mattia Bonetti has a small shop in an old building in the 11th arrondissment. He continues to make limited edition furniture as well as designing for industry.

He had a show in NYC in 2004 that I luckily happened to stumble upon by chance. I love when that happens - you have no expectations about what you're going to see or the kind of experience you're going to have - you just follow your eyes until it dawns on you with delight that you've happened upon something really special.

I really loved this piece below, which is even more striking in person. Despite the shiny metal surfaces, it has a very warm presence.

And another nice discovery: this morning while surfing around for galleries that show G&B's work, I noticed that Gallery Neotu in Paris also shows the work of Christophe Come.

2006-12-04T10:48:00.000-08:00

Trace Simple

Nathalie du Luart and Delphine Vendel are Trace Simple, a French interior design firm who also produce a collection of their own furniture.

I've always liked their simple, elegant designs and the emphasis on the beauty of the materials they use.

2006-11-28T19:11:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving

What's Thanksgiving without a good poker game....

and some appletinis?

2006-11-20T17:53:00.000-08:00

November

The last hollyhock

Modern leaf catchers

A corgi's-eye view of the world

2006-11-14T06:19:00.000-08:00

Christophe Come

This is the work of Christophe Come, a French designer who works in glass and metal. I'm crazy about his stuff - I think I first came across a photo of one of his cabinets in the NY Times magazine a few years ago and I immediately googled him. I did find his website (with some difficulty), but not much else. Guess I'll have to go to Paris to find out more.

I love how elemental his work is - how he takes a lens, which seems to express the very essence of glass, and surrounds it with a simple structure of metal. He makes you feel like these two materials need to be together.

His work also makes me think of Howard Ben Tre, the reknowned glass sculptor. Although Ben Tre's work is formally very different, he uses similar materials, and I think captures that same feeling of elemental-ness in his work.

2006-11-13T05:20:00.000-08:00

White On White

I've been experimenting with block printing on plastic, which is really fun - and hard to photograph. If you look at the prints at a particular angle, the shadow created by the shapes makes them appear three dimensional.

I'm planning to use these prints on some shades for lighting. Lately I've been working on the creation of hybrid designs: pieces that are designed to be produced in multiples (either by myself or outsourced), but which also have a handmade component to them, which makes each one unique.

2006-11-09T03:35:00.000-08:00

Firecracker

A friend of mine has a daughter who just signed up for cheerleading. This post is dedicated with humor to her, and with love to my mother, who isn't afraid to speak her mind.

Firecracker firecracker, boom boom, boom!
Firecracker firecracker, boom boom, boom!
The boys got the muscles
The coaches got the brains
The girls got the sexy legs to win these games!

2006-11-08T04:29:00.000-08:00

Courtney Skott

This is the furniture of Courtney Skott, a recent graduate of California College of the Arts. A while back I was researching furniture for an upholstery show when I stumbled across her beautiful Tree Stools on the internet and became a huge fan. I think her work is exciting, fresh, and beautifully made.

She also writes beautifully about what she designs, which isn't always the easiest thing to do. Although her furniture is primarily functional, beneath its' surface (or sometimes on it's surface) there are layers of wit and gentle irony which inform her aesthetic decisions, which she talks about on her website.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what she does in the next few years....

Photo credits: Tim Gasperak and Derek Powazek

2006-11-05T06:19:00.000-08:00

Perdita

Last year Opera House Arts approached me about designing a set for "Perdita", a one-man play Pierre-Marc Diennet. I was very pleased to do so, and worked on it for several weeks in a wonderful collaboration with the director, Judith Jerome, and my husband, artist Eugene Koch.

The set had a number of interesting requirements. To begin with, we knew it had to be light and portable, because Pierre was planning to take it on the road in the future. It therefore had to be able to accommodate different kinds of venues, many of them small and without sophisticated stages or lighting.

Also, it took place in numerous locations; Algeria and India to name just two. Most of the scenes were set in interiors, and we needed to find a way to evoke a feeling of architectural space, both in the abstract and the concrete. We decided to look to Moorish and Islamic architectural design motifs for inspiration.

Using models and sketches, we developed a simple tabbed system that could use existing light and shadow to create depth and complexity.

I'm happy to announce that Perdita is now on a statewide tour of Maine (sets in tow!). If you have the opportunity to see this play I would highly recommend it. Pierre is a gifted actor and playwight - poignant, funny, sincere - and we are very lucky that he has created this incredible work of art.

2006-10-29T03:58:00.000-08:00

Power Outtage

2006-10-28T07:25:00.000-07:00

Steve's

There is an area of our house which we call "Steve's". That's because a very funny guy named Steve used to rent it. Structurally, this area had some problems, namely a lot of rot that was caused by part of it being built more or less right on the ground.

Well, this year we decided we had to do something about it. So we ripped everything out, dug down out the floor a little more, and replaced what needed to be replaced.

I say "we", but really this part of the project was done by a very talented (and fast) crew of local builders. Within a week they had the bulk of it put back together again. The rest is now up to us.

One thing I'm not particularly fond of is hanging doors. It's one of those projects that seems like it should only take an hour or two but winds up taking all afternoon. Gene and I rehabbed this old door and yesterday I finally got it hung, just in time for the storm.

2006-10-28T07:17:00.000-07:00

New House

One of my friends just bought a house from another friend. As the new owner moves in and the old ones move out, the house has become an interesting mixture of the things in their lives.

2006-10-22T15:14:00.000-07:00

Peekytoes

We have a neighbor, Joe, who digs clams. He lives with his wife and daughter in a house across the street. Every couple of weeks our doorbell will ring, the dog will bark like crazy, I'll open the door, and there will be Joe on the front step, his arm thrust out holding a drywall bucket of crab claws, a big grin on his face. As soon as I reach out my hand to take the bucket and express my thanks and delight, he is practically gone, and all I can hear on the air is, "Hope you enjoy 'em!"

I think I'll bring him some jam.

2006-10-16T18:03:00.000-07:00

Maine Squeeze-In

Aren't you sorry you missed it? What's that? Why, the fourth annual accordion rally of course, otherwise known as the Maine Squeeze-In. This is where accordian afficionados from Maine and the greater northeast gather to teach and attend workshops and just soak up good accordion vibes in general.

All this, just a block from my house! I'd been looking forward to this day for months and it did not disappoint! It was amazing to see so many accordions in one room....

After lunch we led a musical procession down Main Street, to the utter delight of restaurant patrons who, in order to show their sincere appreciation, pelted us with hundred dollar bills and shouted for more.

If you missed it, don't worry, there's always next year.

2006-10-11T08:41:00.000-07:00

iannone:sanderson

Here's some work by the Philadelphia-based furniture duo iannone:sanderson. I met them at their 2004 ICFF debut, and in addition to being great furniture designers and makers, they are really nice guys too. The piece shown below is made of kirei board, which is partially covered by white plastic laminate. The shapes of the laminate were cut with a water jet.

Kirei board is an eco-friendly manufactured sheet material made from reclaimed sorghum waste. I have some samples of it, but there's no local distributor up here so it has to be ordered and shipped. Alas, experimenting with new materials can be one of the challenges of working up here in Maine.

Another beautiful and eco-friendly material is plyboo, or plywood made out of bamboo. You can order these sheetgoods from Bettencourt Green Building Supplies in Brooklyn, NY. I have some ideas in mind for another product they sell, Durapalm, which is made from plantation grown coconut palms.

One last piece from iannone:sanderson:

2006-10-10T07:28:00.000-07:00

Sauna

There's nothing like a Finnish sauna on a beautiful autumn afternoon.

During a Finnish sauna you heat up in a room heated to about 70-100 degrees celsius by a wood-fired stove, then cool off with a dip in a cold lake or a pond, or if it's in the winter by rolling around in the snow. This cycle is repeated several times over a period of an hour or two. After the intense steamy heat, the shock and pleasure of the icy water is almost indescribable. Add to that the beauty of the setting sun and good conversation among friends, and it is an experience not to be missed.

2006-10-07T13:38:00.000-07:00

I am a huge fan of Chris Lehrecke. He's a furniture designer and maker working in upstate New York. What I like about his work is that it is beautifully designed - clean and contemporary but has lots of soul. He seems to work mostly in metal and wood, and I just love his sensitivity to those materials. Below, some of his lighting:

2006-10-07T13:19:00.000-07:00

Four cords. Looks rather daunting, doesn't it? Last year we were a little late on the firewood scene and had to put up with a year's worth of not very seasoned wood. No more!

2006-10-04T13:22:00.000-07:00

Going Native

All my life I've wanted to try canning some fruit or veggies from the garden, even when I had very urban gardens. I've always been a little intimidated by the sterilization and all of the different canning methods though. Finally a friend took me under her wing and showed me how to do it. We made combinations of blueberry/raspberry/peach jams, and it wasn't so difficult! So I decided to forge ahead on my own and make some applesauce, which is probably one of the easiset things to can.

First, the apples. Gene came up with a nifty picker, a milk bottle taped to a piece of strapping, which let us get at some of the higher ones.

Not to be outdone, I made my own gadget. One thing that really helps in canning is to have a wide-mouthed funnel, so you can get the hot stuff into the jars without getting any on the rims, which might prevent a good seal. So where to get a wide-mouthed funnel on a Saturday afternoon?

The final result: