Month: July 2018

 

New clients of ours were in the beginning stages of living room renovation. They came to us early on and wanted us to design a modern entertainment center complete with a TV lift. After working with them on design over the course of a week or two we narrowed it down to a sleek Scandinavian design with inset doors and drawer fronts on spindle legs made entirely of native Oak and stained to a dark ebony finish.
The Scandinavian style alone is not hard to achieve. It is very minimalistic and simple, much like the American Shaker style. However, entertainment centers get quite complicated rather quickly, especially when they have a TV lift embedded in the heart of the piece. This one was no exception. We managed to fit a 55in TV, sound bar, TV lift mechanism, cable box, three pieces of bulky stereo equipment, and accompanying wires and cables into the smallest “box” feasible while still leaving room for storage drawers and shelving space.
With good design anything is possible, mission accomplished on this fun and challenging build!
Don’t forget to check out the video of the TV lift in action at KrafkaKraft on Facebook!
Soon after we were commissioned to build the entertainment system, it was proposed that we make matching mantles for the fireplace. The mantles were made with the same sleek Scandinavian design in mind, hewn of the same native oak, and stained to the same ebony finish. These four inch thick mantles really tie the room together, adding a sleek modernization to their living room renovation.

 

Before

After

My second restoration project for this client was this unique, antique side table dating from about the 1950’s. As evidenced from the “before” pictures, it was in quite a state of disrepair, coming apart at the seams, finish fading and worn. Yet the rareness and beauty of the piece was undoubtedly beneith its fading exterior. The audacious design alone warranted its restoration. Coupled with several engraved details and its multi-hardwood construction made this a truly rewarding restoration project.
The original builder utilized wood dowel construction, typical of the era. Over the years, however, seasonal hardwood expansion, contraction, and antiquated glue led to this pieces expiration. With some effort Jeanette and I were able to dismantle the side table into its individual parts, which made stripping and refinishing much easier.
A surprise occurred when we removed the grim from the top surface, revealing a combination of walnut and beautiful “birds-eye” maple woods previously indistinguishable.