The "Big Ass" Desk

About a year ago we received a request for quotation for a number of furniture pieces going into a large custom project. One of the pieces quoted was for a custom desk.

At the time I remembered feeling just a little bit nervous about the prospect of making a massive one piece curved top that would measure almost 14' corner to corner. Not knowing whether the quote would actually materialize as an order, I didn't end up spending too much time figuring out how, exactly, we'd do it.

Well, the order did materialize, and we did figure out how to make the top.




This is the credenza that will be located on the left side of the desk. There are a total of 6 box drawers over 3 files drawers. The drawer boxes will all be dovetailed solid maple running on Blumotion self closing linear ball bearing slides.




This image shows the addition of the side cabinet for CPU storage. There will be a removeable angled back added to this cabinet to allow for wiring access.




The curved modesty panel is bolted to the CPU cabinet.




The end gable is added to the far side of the modesty panel. The removable panel for the CPU cabinet can be seen on the right.




The "big ass" top is added to the "big ass" desk. It goes without saying that putting an undercut bevel edge around all 3 sides was more than a little challenging.




This view shows the inside of the desk, including the knee space.




I'm not certain whether this is the biggest desk we've ever made, but this is definitely the biggest desk we've ever made for a home office.

This piece has now been disassembled for sanding and finishing.

A Built-In Audio/Video Wall Unit

Although we usually specialize in making free standing pieces of custom furniture it is not uncommon for us to also do cabinetry such as built-ins.



This audio/video wall unit is one example of something we've installed recently. Measuring 156" long x 96" high x 21" deep this unit has open shelving across the top, and door and drawer storage below.

The drawer boxes are made out of dovetailed solid maple, running on concealed Blumotion linear ball bearing slides. The false door with the black speaker cloth is designed to conceal a subwoofer.

The entire unit is finished in a satin opaque polyurethane that has been custom tinted to match the walls.

A Custom Made Kitchen

Although we typically specialize in building free standing pieces of custom furniture, it's not uncommon for us to also do built-ins and cabinetry such as kitchens.

One current project is for clients who are looking for a custom kitchen that is more "furniture-like" than what is currently available in the market. In other words: they're looking for something more refined than melamine boxes with doors.

For this project the cabinet interiors are to be finished in maple ply, with all drawer boxes being made of dovetailed solid maple running on Blumotion linear ball bearing slides. The cabinet exteriors will be finished in a 2-tone solid urethane.

The following series of images will show the progression of this project from the completion of the renovation stage through to the final installation.








At this stage the contractor is nearly done with his work. All electrical, plumbing and gas lines have now been located, and the drywall is mostly set in place. Once the hardwood floors are installed this room will be ready to receive our cabinetry.








The hardwood floors are now installed and the finishing touches have been made to the drywall. The appliance guys have already plunked the massive stainless steel fridge in the far corner, which will make it all the more difficult for us to do our work.








The lower boxes are set into their approximate locations, and a great deal of effort then goes in to making sure everything is square and level.








The upper cabinets, range hood, fridge enclosure and headers are now installed, and the fridge and oven have been set in place. The photos that follow show the completed kitchen, including counters, appliances, backsplash and crown moldings.

Typically when people talk about having something custom made they're referring to having cabinets made to a particular size, faced with doors of a certain style that have also been finished to match a specified colour or stain. In our world building something "custom" means providing addition service that, hopefully, also exceeds a client's expectations. For example, for the kitchen island we pointed out a minor detail in the fine print of the wine fridge specifications that required an additional .25 inches to be added to the overall cabinet heights to allow for sufficient ventilation of the fridge. This change was made at no extra charge, and provides adequate ventilation to enhance the long term performance of the wine fridge.

Also on this particular kitchen the client wanted to have the window faucet centred on the main window so that she could look out into the yard and easily see where her kids were playing. Although it is the base cabinets themselves that are usually centred under the windows, we were able to make the changes necessary to ensure the client ended up with the kitchen of her dreams.

When it comes to having something custom made it is often attending to the smallest of details that makes all the difference for making a client happy.

Custom Cabinet to the Four Seasons Hotel

Over the years we have made a variety of custom furniture pieces for many 5-star luxury hotels including Four Seasons, Mandarin-Oriental, Ritz-Carlton and Umstead Hotel and Spa.

Typically the pieces we make are either the specialty pieces that get showcased in public areas, or custom furnishings that go into the restaurants, cocktail lounges and the most luxurious of penthouse suites.

Today we completed a custom Audio/Video Cabinet that will soon be delivered to the Presidential Suite of a newly renovated Four Seasons Hotel.




This cabinet was custom made out of a combination of FSC certified Ebony veneer, and satin black lacquered panels.




The tops on each of the end cabinets are made of 1-1/4" thick Nero Assolute granite.




The drawers are dovetailed solid maple, running on concealed and self-closing Blumotion linear ball bearing slides.




The cabinet interiors are finished in satin natural maple, and the inlaid grommet in the backs allow for wiring.




After final cleaning and inspection the cabinet is wrapped in tissue and bubble wrap, before being crated for shipping.

The Knitting Cabinet

Last year Teresa re-celebrated her 39th birthday. To commemorate the event I made a special gift in the form of a Knitting Cabinet.



It took a great deal of planning to work out the design of this piece because multiple considerations had to be factored in. For one thing there had to be storage for multiple skeins (balls) of yarn. Since she sometimes takes on larger projects using multiple skeins it seemed prudent to have a flexible array of cubbies for storage.





In addition to the yarn she actually knits with Teresa also has a core stash of yarn which originally belonged to her late mother. The required an additional deep drawer for storage.



For the cabinet interior I used aromatic cedar, and made the dovetailed drawers out of the same material. Concealed Blumotion linear ball bearing slides allow the drawers to be opened and closed with little effort.

The cabinet exterior was crafted from a rare sampling of Curly Birds Eye Maple which is part of my own core stash of wood. Corner beads of solid Makore were inlaid to help accentuate the grain of the lighter wood. The inlays also help to visually integrate the main cabinet with the wood on the supporting base. The base was fitted together with mortise and tenon joinery.



As an avid knitter Teresa is particularly fond of her collection of ebony and rosewood needles. For these I created a dedicated drawer with interlocking horizontal storage to accomodate all the various sized needles.



Special supports were crafted out of solid domestic sycamore, with each support made of a series of specially shaped pockets that can hold any size of needle diameter. (The syamore turned out to be extremely well suited for this task since its fine grain allowed for very precise cuts without chipping or breaking.)

An additional drawer stores patterns and miscellaneous supplies.

The interior was left unfinished to allow the Cedar to freely respirate, thereby permeating the cabinet with its scent. The Curly Birds Eye Maple and Makore exterior was hand rubbed with boiled linseed oil.



On the large drop lid door I wanted to personalize the design with a customized detail. After much contemplation I decided to commission a custom wood carving from renouned wildlife artist Ron Richards. The resulting artwork was a raised relief showing three hummingbirds hovering in flight. Hummingbirds represent abundant life and joy, and they were chosen as a symbolic representation of our children.

Overall dimensions are 20-3/4" wide x 15" deep x 63" high.

At the present time I am undecided about adding some small drawer pulls to the design. While the drawers function well as they are I am thinking that pulls might provide a nice finishing touch. Perhaps I could turn something that's both decorative and functional - perhaps looking like the end of a knitting needle?

What do you think?