A Craftsman's Notes

The Marvelous Blog

15 Apr 2016
Custom Furniture 1 Comment Permalink
custom coffee table

Custom Furniture: Furniture with a Story

April 15, 2016 1 Comment

We build custom furniture for many different reasons, but we are always solving the same problem—the perfect fit. There is no replacing a piece that is exactly what is needed, fits where it is meant to go, and matches a home’s style and décor. Sometimes our customers see furniture they absolutely love in a catalogue, only to find the item is no longer in production. They bring the design to us, and we make it happen. Sometimes our customers want to keep the look of the furniture they already have, so we create new pieces to match their existing set. And sometimes our customers want a very distinctive piece for a particular situation, like a recreation of an old-fashioned medicine cabinet, or this delicately detailed bookcase crafted to match exactly the décor of this room.

Custom furniture_1

There are a lot of utilitarian reasons to build custom furniture, but another important benefit of handcrafted pieces is the high quality that can be achieved. With custom furniture, we want to create heirloom-quality pieces that will last through generations. We find people love telling stories about items in their house, especially antique furniture that has a shared family history. Our craftsman Doug Marvel establishes the story of his custom furniture pieces with a written provenance, providing the history of the wood the piece was made from, the day the piece was made, who it was made for and the address it first resided at.

This walnut coffee table was made to match the style and color of this client’s particular room. Its design and features fit her décor, but its special story is behind the walnut we used to built it. The tree grew on the banks of the Little Miami River around the area where the Shawnee tribe once lived, and the famous chief Tecumseh. This dark, old wood looks perfect in a modern house now, but its historic background adds to its intrinsic value as a stand-alone piece of furniture.

custom coffee table

Some of our custom furniture pieces have a history for what they once were. We sometimes can repurpose wood from an item that has fallen apart to build a new piece. Doug Marvel has an oak desk that was once a church pipe organ! Repurposing wood also makes sense where a high-end wood is used for a mundane purpose. One of our clients bought a house built in the 1950s, and she was surprised to find nearly everything wooden in the house was mahogany, even the shelves in the closets. By taking the rich mahogany out of places where it was hidden, we were able to build a lovely new bathroom vanity for her that effortlessly matched the existing cabinetry.

custom built furniture

We love working with our clients to create furniture that fits perfectly in their home. Whether you need a matching piece for your existing furniture, or you have a unique design in mind, we would appreciate the opportunity to create the right solution for you. Send us an email or give us a call at (317) 679-5890 to discuss your project.

18 Mar 2016
Fireplace Mantels Permalink
custom fireplace mantel_whitebrick

Custom Fireplace Mantels

March 18, 2016

Many homes come with their fireplace, and changing the look or function of a fireplace and mantel can be frustrating. Store-bought options may not fit the style of your home, or maybe you want your mantel to do more than just look pretty. A popular trend for fireplace mantels is turning them into entertainment centers, mounting the TV just above the mantel. This setup presents a design challenge as there is usually a mass of cords, wires and components to hide around the mantel somehow. This challenge is just what Marvelous Woodworking has experience in overcoming. When we build a custom fireplace mantel, we work with our client to design a piece that matches their home’s look and style, and we create a unique and convenient way to hide the components of their entertainment system.

Custom Fireplace Mantels | Marvelous Woodworking

Here we built a fireplace mantel and its side cabinets to match the white, framed look that was everywhere else in the room. Our client liked the smaller cabinets as a means for display and storing her TV components. We have found that cabinets are almost required if you want to mount your TV above a fireplace. Otherwise, there is nowhere to store components like DVD players and gaming equipment. Many of our clients also think the fireplace looks unfinished without some sort of visual flanking, which cabinets or bookshelves often provide. We built these half-cabinets with recessed paneling that echoed the square mount behind the TV and the architectural detailing of the corbels.

Custom Fireplace Mantel | Corbel

The mantel itself has a panel that pops off at the bottom where the wires and cables are stored, and can also be easily accessed if need be. The style of the mantelpiece did not have to be sacrificed for this hidden functionality.

Custom Fireplace Mantel | movable panel

Our client loved the neat and tidy fireplace mantel solution that completed her living room’s spotless look.

Custom Fireplace Mantel | Living Room

For this fireplace, our client had storage and seating needs, as well as a place to hide TV wires. She wanted two large side cabinets placed on either side of the existing fireplace and mantel. First we modified the mantel, cutting it down so it could fit between the floor-to-ceiling cabinets. The storage and access point for the wires was a straightforward design; just take off the front of the mantel.

Custom Fireplace Mantel | removable mantel

The cabinets had a nifty solution to our client’s needs as well. How do you make a cabinet capable of seating? We crafted a cabinet that was built out at the bottom to form a bench, and put a drawer in the bench to give our client her needed storage space. Voila! A bookshelf-bench-drawer cabinet!

Custom Fireplace Mantel | side cabinet bench drawer

To make sure the mantel and cabinets matched, we did a little recrafting of the framing around the TV to match the style on the cabinet drawers, and we ran the mantel flush with the cabinets for a seamless look. Our client was very pleased with her innovative cabinets and fireplace mantel.

Designing a custom fireplace mantel with special capabilities has its challenges, but the work is worth it, as the end result is a mantel that looks gorgeous while also doing something useful. We at Marvelous Woodworking have built many custom fireplace mantels to meet the needs of our clients; we would love to help you create the perfect solution to your fireplace too!

12 Feb 2016
Cabinetry Permalink
Custom Cabinetry

Custom Cabinetry: Creating the Storage Space You Need

February 12, 2016

For many storage needs, a store-bought cabinet is just not going to do the job. Homes have their own quirks and funky corners where a standard cabinet does not fit or look right, and it can be tough to find a cabinet that is in the style you want and has the space or functionality you require. When Marvelous Woodworking creates a custom cabinet, we work with the client to design a piece that will hold all they need it to and match their home’s look and style.

We build custom cabinets for many different situations and uses. Many of our clients need a dual-purpose unit for their living rooms or home offices. One client wanted a cabinet that could be used both for office storage and organization and as a pseudo changing table, as their home office also doubled as a nursery for their grandchildren. Where we see the biggest custom cabinet need is for a good place to set up an entertainment system. Often we come into a house that is wonderfully furnished but has an awkward piece of furniture where they have put their T.V. with cables hanging out all over the place. A custom cabinet is a perfect solution. We can create a cabinet that has separate spaces for each component of your entertainment system, from T.V. screen to gaming equipment, and make an accessible place to hide untidy-looking wires and cables.

Custom Cabinetry_tvcabinet

The options for custom cabinets are many, to say the least. We have made units 20 feet wide that reach the ceiling! Depending on preference and need, as well as placement of windows, doors, and outlets, the size of a custom cabinet can be just about anything that can fit in your room. Cabinetry can include closed cabinets, shelves, drawers, open spaces, and custom storage designed for specific items you have.

custom cabinetry_shelfcustom cabinetry_display

As for the look of your cabinets, the sky is the limit: paint, finishes, veneer wood surfaces and stains are all possible. However, you will want a piece that complements your home. When we create a custom cabinet, we take cues from the architectural details of your house, such as fluted moldings, crown moldings, angles, or raised panels. Other cabinetry your own will also influence how we design the look of the piece. The result is a cabinet that blends right in with the rest of your furniture and complements your home’s design style.

Designing a custom cabinet involves many complicated components, but the work is worth it, as the end result is a cabinet that not only fits your needs perfectly but your home as well. We at Marvelous Woodworking have built many custom cabinets to meet the storage and display needs of our clients; we would love to help you create the perfect solution to your storage problem too!

18 Jan 2016
Staircases Permalink
Updating Your Staircase

Updating Your Staircase: An Easy Way to Give Your Home a New Look

January 18, 2016

 

In many homes, staircases are natural focal points because of their size and location. They are often the first thing we see when we walk through the front door! Updating a staircase through its components—balusters, newel posts, handrails, tread and other details—can create a stunning addition to your home’s interior. At Marvelous Woodworking we have the experience, tools, and engineering skills it takes to update a staircase to suit your space.

balusters: Updating Your StaircaseBalusters:

Replacing plain wood balusters with wrought metal balusters can add gorgeous detail to a staircase, and is one of the easiest ways to update the look. Metal balusters come in many different styles and finishes (black, bronze or nickel) and, when paired with wooden handrails and newel posts, create a pleasing contrast.

Wainscoting:

Many staircases run along a plain wall. Adding wainscoting to the wall quickly updates the architecture. Installing a combination of metal balusters and wainscoting will affect the look of a staircase dramatically, and is a cost-effective remodel option because it requires little demolition or reengineering.

Newel Posts:

newel post: Updating Your Staircase

Many staircases have fancy, curved newel posts with acorn shapes on the top; an outdated look for sure. One trend we are seeing in newer homes is replacing curves with straight lines, resulting in rectangular and boxed newel posts. Handrails can feed into these posts wherever you want them to. However, we recommend keeping newel posts the same size as previous posts; otherwise the space between balusters and the lengths of handrails will have to be adjusted as well.

wood treads: Updating Your StaircaseTread:

Both carpet and wood treads are used in today’s homes. Staircases can be wrapped with carpet runners for a clean, monochromatic look, or oriental rugs for a patterned flare. We craftsmen naturally prefer wood treads ourselves; it’s a classic look that fits many different interior styles and décors. When finishing wooden treads, we leave a little texture to keep the wood from being slippery.

Refurbishing a staircase takes a real engineer to design all the components to fit and function, and a genuine craftsman to make it all look lovely. We at Marvelous Woodworking have updated many staircases to create the gorgeous architectural highlight our clients wanted; we would love to help you create something beautiful too!