Rustixs.com

This is not a terribly rustic way to go into the woods, but it is very cool. A craftsman in Roanoke, VA, came up with this  gorgeous teardrop pull-behind camper that is nostalgic and luxurious at the same time.

Take one look at this baby and you’ll see that this camper’s daddy was a furniture maker and designer. The form is the same as the classics of the 40′s but the exterior is mahogany and ash, giving a “woodie” persona. The interior appointments maintain the family character and make camping anything but roughin’ it. The base cost of one of these babies? Just $16,500.

Check out their web site at Silver Tears Campers.

With the deadline looming, I have been working like crazy on the cabinet for the Birmingham Symphony Decorator Showhouse. This weekend I got everything assembled except the door. I even started to put on the finish before I remembered to take more pictures. I had already applied stain (Olde Maple) to the interior of the cabinet in this picture.

At first I wasn’t too sure about the final result, but after covering the entire piece with one coat, I am very pleased. The finish looks very natural but has an aged feeling to it that compliments the origin (barn timbers) and rustic character of the raw wood. I have not decided about a second coat. I am leaning toward a coat of paste wax.

What remains is to mount the door and, if possible, apply some fall peeled wood accents to the door. I had originally thought I would trim out the top with  the peeled wood, but it is very difficult to get straight cuts on naturally curved wood without a band saw. That may be my next purchase. Applying some accents may or may not work out. More on that later.

The compound miter saw came in handy on this project and I finally laid to rest my Porter Cable orbital sander. It died after a very useful and productive life. I replaced it with a Black and Decker Palm Grip Sander after trying out the newer model of the Porter Cable  sander. Did not care for it and returned it the same day. The B&D is very nice and feels great in the hands due some gel inserts in the multiple handles. Bonus: It was also on sale for only $34. The PC model I returned was $59. Gotta love that.

The cabinet for the Birmingham Symphony Decorator Showhouse is beginnning to take shape. This first picture is of the frame made of red oak barn timbers from northern Alabama. There are some really cool knots, nail holes, worm-wood, and rough sawn places that make this wood very interesting and rustic. The majority of the cabinet is going to be crafted from this stock. I plan to use fall peeled maple for accents.

I have been asked to build a piece for the Birmingham Symphony Decorator Showhouse. It is to be a storage piece for the forest-inspired children’s room. I plan to use rustic oak timbers and fall peeled maple. I have a concept in my head. More on this as the project moves along….

Mountain Brook manor committed to be Decorators’ ShowHouse this spring – al.com http://bit.ly/vvLjr

Shameless promotion to follow:

I made the local newspaper!
Local artisan’s rustic reclaimed wood furniture gains national attention

The Leeds News (pdf)

I ran across this cool use of natural stones for cabinet hardware. The company, Montana Stones, uses natural stones, available in multiple colors, to make cabinet knobs, drawer pulls, robe knobs, and bottle stoppers. It is a neat idea that makes use of a natural material in an alternative way. The slightly polished stones are pretty, but it is a bit strange to me that the stones are polished at all. I would prefer a natural unpolished, unfinished look that maximizes the nature of these beautiful stones. Also, there is a bit of a dichotomy in the drawer pull construction in that the base is very manufactured and polished. Again, I would rather have seen a more rustic base for these pieces.

But they are very nicely made and would compliment a new kitchen installation or a more modern style of furniture.

Kelly sent me pictures of the ‘Coastal Oak’ (that is what I am calling that style/design) table in her home with the chairs and rug. I love it and she is pleased. Here is what she said:

The table looks absolutely wonderful. As you will see in my pictures my dogs love to be in front of the camera. It turned out perfect and just like I had hoped. Thank you very much! The “S” household is extremely pleased.

I had not see the legs on these chairs before. They have a cool rustic character that adds to the whole look. I think the rug and the seagrass chairs are a cool contrast to the various colors/features of the salvaged oak timbers. I am not sure where the rug came from but I think the chairs are from Pier 1.

Update from Kelly: BTW…the chairs are from Pier 1 and the rug came from West Elm. I really tried to put some thought to the look and it all came together as I had hoped.

Progress continues on Kelly’s dining table. The two halves of the top have been rough sanded and the table base is almost complete.

Remaining steps include fitting the two halves using alignment pins, placing the attachment points for the two halves, finish sanding all the parts, and application of the penetrating oil finish. Then it will be heavily bubble wrapped and packaged for shipping by Fed Ex. If the weather cooperates, I hope to do this my next weekend or shortly thereafter. It looks good and is solidly built. I made a couple improvements to the design since the initial table was built. I hope Kelly likes it when it is in her home. She has picked some fabulous chairs from Pier 1 that will complement the rustic nature of the piece and add some style and class to the dining set.