Tuesday, June 9, 2009

NEW PIECES, ALAMEDA






Here are some new pieces made last week. I am continuing to clean out my shop of "projects", pieces I have acquired to create with. The dresser at top right was covered with a layer of brown paint when I got it. I started sanding it and discovered pink and blue layers underneath. The top was veneer, badly degraded, I removed it and made a new top out of some old beadboard that had many layers of blue and pink in it. Finally, I made handles out of some old black porcelain doorknobs, adding the oval backplates as well. I also renailed/screwed/glued all drawers and body back together. It is very cute and sturdy once again! The glass door cabinet started out as a shell of old redwood, painted white at one time. It was salvaged by a friend at the Monterey dumpsite, where they pick through what people dump and sell it. I had these glass cabinet doors from a victorian in SF, they were almost exactly the right size for the opening! The front feet are cast iron stove feet, very decorative and OLD. The space below the cabinet body puzzled me at first, I realized that it had probably had a drawer there at one time. I rebuilt the frame/body of the cabinet to accomodate a drawer that I built. New shelves and a crest from an old gate. I recently picked up some very ornate brass victorian hinges on ebay , I used them with a brass cabinet latch and bin pulls to complete this one. The last piece started out as two very old built in kitchen top cabinets. Each had been installed in a corner, so only one side had the many layers of colorful paint. I mated the two face frames together to make one cabinet, and spent may hours stripping the layers down to reveal what is there now. I added a base with feet, trimmed it out and added some little carved grape leaves along the front trim piece, salvaged from an old victorian oval mirror frame. The doors are made with vertical multi-colored slats, I call this look a "patchwork quilt", various colors and textures of wood. The hardware is some old cast-iron window catches as cabinet latches, and the knobs are some beautiful milk glass opalescent with bamboo aesthetic eastlake brass backplates. The white glass door cabinet is now for sale at "Abode", a store in Half Moon Bay, Ca. Bay. http://abodehalfmoonbay.com/ . Check them out! The other pieces are still available from Bryan Appleton Designs. I am excited about my upcoming show at the Petaluma Art and Garden festival, Sunday July 12. I will send an email to all on my list as the date approaches. Thanks, Bryan





















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