Bryan Appleton Designs

Alameda on New Years Day.

2011-12-29T06:15:00.000-08:00

We will be at Alameda on Sunday, Jan. 1. Booth N-2 Come on out, should be beautiful weather!

NEW INVENTORY, WE WILL BE AT ALAMEDA SUNDAY 12/4 Booths N-15,2

2011-12-02T06:04:00.000-08:00

Here are many photos of new inventory to be shown at Alameda on Sunday 12/4. We have much more than is shown here, 2 full truckloads of new pieces. It will be a beautiful sunny day, the gods are smiling!!

Closeup here shows large chimney style cabinet, beautiful cast iron eastlake hardware, salvaged antique stained glass panel found at urban ore in berkeley.

Amazing green wood was salvaged from 100 yr old cabins at Lake Cty. former hot springs resort. Media cabinet?

The iron bistro table pedastals are french, very old, purchased last month at Alameda. Antique cast iron doggie bin pulls, polished steel top. Very cool.

Antique sewing machine cast iron table base was inspiration for this piece. I have had this for awhile, was not sure how to integrate it into a piece of furniture. I am happy with result:)

This cabinet has doors from window collection purchased in petaluma several years ago. The top sections were filled with some very unusual glass acquired from a fellow alameda vendor. Thankyou Rosie!

Found the base of this nightstand at Sacto antique flea. Cast iron, very old. I have no idea what it was originally. The inspiration for the design came from a mid century modern piece I saw on First Dibs website.

The machine age base for this island was purchased a couple months ago at Alameda. Carved drawer face from antique dresser, The top is 2" maple butcher block, salvage find at Urban Ore. Has been treated with food grade mineral oil.

Another island. The cast iron wash tub frame was purchased at local junkyard. I used the tin from original tub as sides, built the rest of the cabinet within. The top is oak repurposed from antique table purchased at Allemany flea, beautiful antique cast iron eastlake hardware. Again, top is treated with food grade mineral oil. This piece is going to Zonal, great store in SF, located in Hayes Valley.

Kitchen piece? I used an old maple tabletop for surface of this piece, treated it with food grade oil so could be used for food prep. The crest is an architectural piece that would have been originally found as lintel in old brick building window. The paint was so thick the design was illegible, I had to carefully take the piece apart and chip out old paint. Worth the effort, beautiful accent.

Purchased this old bowfront dresser at Allemany
flea, gutted the top drawers and started over. Very cool colors.

Another cabinet made with beveled glass door from my Kansas Connection. The blue wood came from victorian house remodel, across the street from my warehouse. I bought the entire houseful from the contractor. He was going to take it to the dump! The brass embellishments I found on old busted up table legs found in trash pile at end of day at Alameda.

Here are a couple of vintage steel cabinets. Originally wardrobes, they now have shelving. One has been polished, the other we left the old yellow paint on.

Cool vintage drawer unit bought at allemany flea. Love the vintage glass knobs, purchased them on ebay, not sure what era they are from, 20's?

Here are some new mirrors, I had acquired some absolutely stunning victorian entry doors, was at a loss how to use them, other than taking them apart for the frags. Kind of sad to think how many of these old doors just went to the dump.

Interesting crusty rusty shelf unit. Found it at an estate sale, they had the shelves filled with flower pots. Metal has been clearcoated,and I made shelves.

Old iron bed headboard made into bench. Found it at Urban Ore. I made the seat out of boards salvaged from old NYC watertank, they are port orford cedar. Finished with spar varnish, this piece can be put outside if desired.

Another console table. Porch brackets from conneticut salvage yard. Center tile from deconstructed 150+ yr old stove, probably english.

Coffee table made from old factory cart. Replaced the top with some Ipe I had left over from a deck job I did 10 yrs ago. Glad I saved it! Steel frame has been polished.We added some rough sawn doug fir down below for additional ht., aesthetics. Really cool old cast iron wheels.

Another coffee table. Found the steel frame at Allemany flea, was originally stackable shelving unit.

Shoe benches, very popular. These are 48"

The rest of the photos below are a selection of some of the interesting, one of a kind vintage items that I have been collecting for Alameda.

I found this Victorian cabinet at Allemany flea. I was captivated bt the beveled glass top portion. It is oak, with some neat carving. I had to replace one of the lower glass sides, otherwise this piece is original, a curio cabinet?

A couple of very nice teak benches found at an estate sale. Reconditioned, oiled. Like new, ready for their new home.

A nice collection of vintage steel chairs. polished, clearcoated.

Very cool handmade tin chest. I added the knob and the round iron medallion. I have no idea what it came from, but very cool.

NEW INVENTORY, 3 SHOWS in 2 weeks!!

2011-09-23T03:45:00.000-07:00

The following photos are of available pieces. I will be at Farmers/Artisans Market in Oakland on Saturday 9/24, 9-2, located at splash pad park, just off grand ave exit of 580. Sunday, 9/25, we will be at Petaluma downtown Antique fair, booth F-2, 8-4. Finally, we are back at Alameda on Sunday 10/3, booths n-15, and n-2. We are located on corner of row N across from food vendors. As always, shop hours are by appt., if you see something here you like, want dimensions, or cannot make it to the markets, just call me on my cell, 415 336 2784, or contact me by email at bappleton01@yahoo.com.

The first couple of photos here show a massive dining table, 10 feet long by 45" wide. This table was used by a commercial construction company in their woodshop for many decades, and it looked like it when we got it. Several days with a belt sander revealed a beautiful surface, 4 x 12 doug fir beams with much character. Finished with several coats of spar varnish, this table could be placed outside year round. The second table shown is a vintage farmhouse style dining table, about 7 feet by 40", also finished with spar varnish. Both tables will be shown beginning at Petaluma show.

Here are a couple of double door cabinets. I recently purchased a large lot of vintage leaded glass doors from my midwest supplier, the second cabinet below has a nice pair of these.

Vintage steel cabinet. I have been collecting quite a bit of industrial salvage recently, and will be showing several pieces made in the industrial look.

Very cute, petite cabinet found at local flea. Label says it all, originally a piece from a scientific lab, I gutted the equipment, polished cast iron legs and the aluminum frame, made some shelves and painted with several coats of enamel.

Vintage industrial cart, polished and clearcoated, new top of roughsawn doug fir timber stock. Nightstand?

Found this dresser at local flea, really rough shape when I got it. Square nail construction, very old. The drawers were shot, so I gutted it and started over. New interior with shelves and added doors, nice small storage cabinet for pwder room or???

More industrial stock, vintage steel cabinet, on wheels. Polished, laquered, converted to wood shelves inside. Second cabinet is identical but kept the yellow painted surface, also converted to shelving.

Found this at Alameda in august as I was walking back from parking my trailer. I believe an old dental office piece, I added the small cabinet below, finials are vintage curtain rod ends, new old stock from ebay! Interesting combo of repurposed wood and steel industrial.

Another vintage steel industrial piece found at sacramento antique fair. Polished up and sealed. shelf is beatiful slab of oak, found at Urban Ore. Perfect ht. for kitchen at 36".

Small steel table with decorative scrollwork on all 4 sides, multi-colored wood top.

Multi-colored console with drawer. Antique cast iron brackets, repurposed wood throughout.

Very nice small shabby dresser with original surface. Sealed with waterbased clearcoat.

More mirrors from collection of victorian windows. Very popular.

Another console, available at The Warmth Co. in Aptos.

Chimney cabinet, available at Zonal interiors, located in SF on Hayes st.

Also at Zonal. Door was antique window purchased at local flea.

The carcass of this cupboard was found at sacto flea. Probable origin was a kitchen built in, square nail construction with 1 x 18 solid redwood back boards, very old. Upper doors added from midwest collection, new doors below made from repurposed stock. Beatiful antique hardware throughout, will be shown beginning at oakland market on Saturday 9/24.

48" bench with shelf, available. I have a full inventory now of these, many lengths. Popular for shoe storage in an entry hall.

Another bench, now available at The Warmth Co.

Massive table, again.

Console Tables here are available now at Zonal. Standard dimensions, 58 x 16 x 35" high, with shelf.

At Zonal.

Photo of sink base I made last year, in clients kitchen

Fireplace mantle, custom.

Got color? Vintage steel worktable. Polished, laquered, sold.

Another console, sold.

Jelly cabinet, door from midwest stock. Was at Zonal, sold.

Another photo of double door piece shown at top of post, avail. at upcoming markets.

Small cabinet with beatiful leaded glass cabinet doors found at urban ore in berkeley. Was at Zonal, sold.

Custom tv cabinet, client found twisty stick on the beach, brought it to me to be used for handles.

Custom jelly cabinet for Zonal client, letter "M" on bottom was provided by customer.

BIG!! TV armoire with shelves and drawer. LOTS of storage in this puppy. Custom piece.

Another console, was at Zonal, sold.

Table was vintage flea find, originally covered with linoleum, pleasant surprise to find the original painted beadboard underneath. Bench custom made to go with table. Sold.

Moss Landing Location

2011-07-30T05:53:00.000-07:00

Below are photos of many new pieces, made for the upcoming show at Moss Landing. I will have a double size booth, should be a beautiful day. Tommorrow, Sunday July 31. I will be located in 58-60, Just across from Post Office. Much of the inventory shown in last 3 or 4 posts is available and will be shown tommorrow.

New Pieces

2011-07-30T05:08:00.000-07:00

First photos are of chimney cabinet. The door is made from Napa Valley farmhouse 4 panel door. Very nice victorian cast iron hardware. The flower in center of top rail came from an antique hand wrought iron fence panel.

Another chimney cabinet, beautiful hardware, purple crystal knob. Cabinet to the right uses a couple of New England shutters for doors. The green sides are of wood recently salvaged from Lake County resort cabins I deconstructed.

Very cool primitive piece recently purchased at SF flea market. The larger piece was a tack box from a Fresno horse barn, originally had a sloped top that opened. I took it apart and leveled off the top and added the doors and an interior shelf. The top is nicely patinated tin. The smaller box is lined with tin, same barn, no idea what its function was.

Console table, very interesting cast iron base. Labeled "Singer Sewing Machine Exchange, San Francisco", and "USA".

Another console table, sides are from old wooden painters ladder, porch brackets from the midwest.

Found this old icebox at Alameda, love the green and white distressed finish. I gutted the insides and created a cabinet with drawer and wooden top.

Another whimsical piece. I loved the lines on this old victrola cabinet. I gutted the piece, painted it and added the door and a drawer on slides. Top still opens.

Found this antique vanity at Urban Ore in Berkeley. Solid black walnut construction, dovetailed drawers, very nice solid bones. The top was in very bad shape so I removed and created new one to match the paint job. Very Beachy.

Bought this old medicine cabinet at Sacramento flea market, originally an in wall piece, I rebuilt as hanging cabinet. The patina on the metal case is amazing.

Cool old metal base, polished and laquered, added the wood top and shelf.

The industrial metal base here I purchased at SF flea. We removed paint and polished the steel. The solid black walnut top piece was salvaged from a recent estate cleanout, nice match.

Upcoming Show Dates, Locations

2011-07-17T04:43:00.000-07:00

Bryan Appleton Designs will be at Moss Landing Antique Fair, Sunday July 31. Space nos. 58 & 60, directly across from Post Office. Also, I will be back at Alameda Antique Fair, Sunday Aug. 7. (After this I will not be back until October)Booth space N-15, on corner facing food vendors. Other future scheduled appearances are Sunday Sept. 18 at Marin Farmers Market at San Rafael Civic Center, and Saturday Sept. 24 at Grand Lake Farmers Market in Oakland, across from Grandlake theater. Also, in September the Petaluma Antique fair, Sunday Sept. 25, I will be there.

New Pieces, Custom Pieces

2011-07-17T03:15:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I last posted, quite a few photos. Note, Any photo here can be viewed in close-up by clicking on photo. Thankyou Google! First cabinet shown, marble top salvaged from victorian table. Mix of repurposed wood, vintage kitchen cabinet glass door, carved oak embellishment from deconstructed victorian era sofa.

These photos are of new piece that is showing in Zonal, in Hayes Valley, SF. Very cool shutters purchased at Alameda as doors. Antique Windsor pattern cabinet latches, steeple tip hinges. The hand wrought iron embellishment is from estate of an Antique dealer in SF. this was part of an old fence, incredible workmanship.

Shelf unit, I purchased at salvage yard, added beadboard back and the top crest is part of an antique chip carved headboard. Available.

I recently purchased these vintage diamond paned panels at an estate sale in Novato. I made the doors with these panels and then created this cabinet around doors. Vintage hardware, repurposed wood throughout. Very cool tile piece at top center, was marked "Richmond Tile Works" on back. Black walnut carved corbels are salvaged from a deconstructed victorian era armoire. This piece is going to store in Half Moon Bay, called Abode.

Recently built custom Table + Bench. Architectural columns were used for legs, crosspiece. These were salvaged from old victorian in Weed, Ca. More of the handwrought iron fence balusters used here. The iron banding was found at a dump site in Lake County, originally old bedrails! Tabletop made from roughsawn doug fir timbers, planed, and some vintage barnwood.

This custom cabinet is a file cabinet/ drawer combo. Exterior is made entirely from rough sawn doug fir timbers, resawn. The handles are from an estate sale, originally from old Bank Of Italy in SF.

Very nice old farmhouse table, pretty beat up when I got it. It has been rebuilt, very solid now, finished with spar varnish for exterior use. Available.

This table I purchased when I moved into my warehouse as a possible worktable. It was covered with a sheet of linoleum, and painted pink. I left it outside in the rain, and the linoleum began to delaminate. Very surprised to find this beautiful blue painted beadboard top underneath! Sanded off the pink on legs and skirt boards. Perfect table for beachhouse? Available.

Custom bathroom vanity, created for a vessel sink. Mix of architectural elements, antique cast iron hardware, vintage furniture parts. Top is black walnut, from deconstructed bookcase.

Beachy cabinet. Created from vintage kitchen cabinet door, repurposed wood throughout. This cabinet is available at Warmth Co., store in Aptos.

This piece was created for customer who wanted something to put a flat screen TV on, and to organize cable box, DVD player, etc.

Console table, created for exterior use.

Planter box and bench combo.

Endtables with shelf. Other photo shows same tables from backside, very colorful!

This piece started out as a vintage metal shelf unit purchased at a junkyard. Probably from a commercial sized kitchen. I painted with white enamel, then created from white barnwood from deconstructed horse barn in Marin, very cool antique French hand wrought iron fence sections as sides, vintage headboard piece as the crest. Available.

Very popular bench unit, with shelf. This one is 48". Available.

Very cool storage piece. Purchased at junkyard, came out of the Lawrence Livermore Lab woodshop. I added some trim and the antique milkglass and crystal knobs. Available at The Warmth Co., in Aptos.

TV stand? Very interesting iron piece from junkyard, I added the top. Available.

Marin Farmers Market Cancellation

2011-06-24T06:06:00.000-07:00

I have cancelled my next two scheduled appearances, Marin Farmers Markets on Sun. 6/26, and Thurs. 6/30, in order to catch up on backlog of custom orders. I am very grateful for the interest in my furniture and look forward to showing again at Moss Landing Antique fair on Sun. July 31 and Sun. 8/7 at Alameda. As always shop is open by appt. and I will be posting photos of new pieces as Moss Landing show approaches. Many of pieces posted on blog last several months are still avail., call 415 336 2784 for specific info.

Alameda Sunday June 5, other June appearances, New pieces

2011-06-02T22:16:00.000-07:00

The upcoming Alameda Antique show on Sunday is forecasted to have chances of showers. However, I am planning on showing at this point, booth N-15 as usual. Below are a few photos of some new pieces. Many of the cabinets, tables, etc. in last few posts are also still avail. Future scheduled shows for June are Sat. 6/11 at Grand Lake Farmers Market in Oakland, Sun. 6/26 and Thurs. 6/ 30 at the San Rafael Civic Center farmers Market. I am not planning on attending Alameda again until Oct. Other July and August appearances will be posted here first week of July. Here are a couple photos of a pair of very cool industrial factory carts. The tops have been polished, the carts then were laquered.

This piece was created from an antique english washstand. Interesting contrast between the quarter sawn oak and the distressed beadboard.

Another mirror made from my stash of antique victorian windows.

Small octagonal coffee table, antique balusters.

Console table, multicolored top. Check out the house numbers on the front legs.

Small bench with shelf. Great for entry, shoe shelf, etc.

Same bench, larger.

This was a salvage yard find, a victorian solid black walnut small cabinet. I added the top, sides, painted it.

Old growth redwood planters from salvaged timbers, remilled.

Nice vintage chair, very 4th of july colors.

The nightstand on the right began as a vintage sewing machine cabinet. I added the drawer, top, painted it white.

Another victorian solid black walnut piece. Double drop leaf top, painted.

Another console table. Very cool porch brackets on the sides.

A custom console table.

New Pieces, Cancellation of Sunday 5/15 at Civic Center Farmers Market(Rain Forecast), Various custom order photos

2011-05-12T04:14:00.000-07:00

At this point (Thurs may 12), rain is forecast for this upcoming Sunday 5/15 scheduled appearance at the Marin Farmers Market in San Rafael, I am canceling my reservation. I will try to reserve for following Sunday, May 22. I will post here again next thursday, 5/20, as to whether I was able to reserve the space.

Here are photos of several new, available pieces. The first two photos are of cabinets built within vintage industrial type rolling iron frames. These both have natural Douglass Fir tops, I am thinking great for kitchen island use. The frames were likely originally holding washing machines. The castors are cast iron, and the frames have rivets,
I polished the iron frames and then laquered. The first piece shown at very top has "Clio" iron emblem as part of door, likely from an old cookstove. Antique cast iron hardware. Second piece has door made from antique diamond pane leaded glass panel, vintage hardware also.

Next up, a small nightstand type table, probably an old dental office piece. I made the top and the shelf from natural doug fir boards. The small shelf unit was rescued from the salvage yard. I found the vintage aqua color under several coats of latex, very nice. I added the beadboard back and created the shelf , the balusters are from Texas by way of Alameda!

Benches are always popular, this one is a variation on the theme, with shelf, I am thinking in an entryway to put all those shoes on.

Another dental office piece. Found at an antique store, I built the shelves from some turquoise wood I had, nice match.

Here are a few photos of a bathroom suite of pieces created a while back, never got around to posting photos until now.

The headboard and nightstands were created out of some old cedar barnwood from Grants Pass Oregon. The barn was over 100 years old, wonderful textures from all the windblown snow and ice.

Small coffeetable with architectural element as centerpiece.

This piece is a three drawered file cabinet, with modern full extension slides, created to match clients rough sawn fir interior walls.

This piece was created for clients to house a TV, mounted on a wall.

This door was picked out of my collection by client, then I created a simple halltree type piece for orginization of hats, coats etc. Note the ht. of the lower row of knobs, sized for youngster of the house:)

Additional New Inventory, Petaluma Antique Faire on Sunday 4/17

2011-04-15T10:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of new pieces for Petaluma Antique Faire, Downtown Petaluma.. Booth space F-2, corner of Fourth St. and B. Small cabinet has antique marble top, stained glass door, beautiful Eastlake brass hardware. Next is halltree made from stunning victorian half-lite door. I replaced glass with mirror and made the bench seat from repurposed wood and a vintage Coke cooler. Cast-iron antique halltree hooks. Very fun,whimsical piece.

Next up are photos of a couple of new parsons tables. Multi-colored strips of repurposed wood and some very nice trim pieces. Next photos show some mirrors made from vintage arch topped windows. Below that are a couple of photos of an antique dental or medical cabinet. This piece was handmade by a tinsmith of sheet zinc and has nice thick glass top. When I acquired it the glass top was fully painted over. We stripped over 100 years of paint off it and polished the zinc for a very cool industrial finish. Laquered, fully restored.

Next photo is of coffee table of repurposed beadbpoard and some antique balusters. After that, photo is of another industrial piece, vintage steel shelf unit, polished and laquered.

Next up, pair of cute little nightstands, with single drawer and shelf below.

April Show Dates, Many new pieces, NEW BOOTH SPACE AT ALAMEDA! N-15

2011-03-31T06:49:00.000-07:00

Show dates for April are: Sunday April 3 at Alameda, NEW BOOTH SPACE!!!, N-15, corner booth across from food vendors(Bay side). Sunday April 17 at Petaluma Antique Faire. (Downtown Petaluma). 3 Marin Farmers Markets this month, Saturday April 23 at Grand Lake market, Oakland. Sunday April 24 at Marin Civic Center, San Rafael. Thursday April 28 at Civic Center also. For those of you interested in Estate sales, there will be a sale at 683 26th st, Oakland, on Saturday April 2nd, held by my new business partner, Jon Favors, an Estate Liquidator and well known troublemaker:) Great Deals to be had!

These are 2 new hutches. Both were purchased as salvage pieces at Urban Ore in Berkeley, then rebuilt, my style. The cabinet with the purple glass drawer knobs had some interesting history. I was told it came from the Richmond Plunge, it was used to store flippers!

Here are some photos of available cabinets, previously posted but shown here again. I have been rained out at Alameda 4 of 5 previous shows, so many cabinets are available.

Near the bottom of these photos is a beautiful small primitive, new to my inventory. Also,new mirror photos. I purchased an antique window collection last year, here are some mirrors made from some of these beatiful old window frames.

Also shown at bottom of post is small table, very interesting wrought iron base. It had many layers of gold paint on the iron, Yuck! We removed paint and polished the steel base, very nice! Also shown here is a recently built custom wardrobe.

New Cabinets Avail. now, Planters and Benches, Alameda Rainout

2011-03-05T07:01:00.000-08:00

The planters and benches are made from remilled old growth redwood stock. These were made to show at upcoming Marin County Farmers Markets in April, May, and June. I will be showing at San Rafaels thurs. and Sunday Markets, also Saturday market at Grand Lake in Oakland. Dates for April include Sat. 4/23 at Oakland Market, also Sun. 4/24 at San Rafael civic Center, Thurs. 4/28 also at Civic Center

Beautiful victorian era stained glass window as door for this cabinet below. Antique Cast Iron Eastlake hinges and shutter catch. Black walnut crown salvaged from old piece of furniture deconstructed.

The doors on this next cabinet are from a 1910 Rockridge house original kitchen cabinet. Oversized cast iron eastlake hinges, also eastlake cabinet latch and sash lift used as handle.

Salvaged vintage 4 lite cabinet doors used here. The sides on this piece incorporate some old beadboard purchased from salvage yard in East Palo Alto. Beautiful rose/chocolate color combo.

This cabinet has some old stained glass windows purchased at Alameda incorporated in doors. Eastlake cast iron hinges, cabinet latches. The upper trim contains some of the antique stove tiles that I recently acquired. Very colorful piece.

The base of this sink was a custom order. Very cool piece, made for an Emeryville loft.

I acquired the architectural window surround used in this about 15 years ago. It ended up in a retail store as a display piece. I walked into a small shop in Groveland, ca last year and there it was, for sale, going out of business! Had to buy it back, of course! Oval mirror from SF victorian fireplace surround.

I found this small vanity at Urban Ore, missing the original mirror and frame, looked pretty rough. I sanded off many years of paint, added the victorian knobs and backplates & made a new mirror/frame. It is very cute and colorful piece now. I especially like the contrasts of the cream drawer fronts and the blue/red in frame.

This bathroom wall cabinet was made as a custom piece. The client purchased this stunning beveled glass window at a local salvage yard. I tried very hard to do it justice.

This piece was made for a new store in Pleasanton, Ca., called "Prim". It is located at 520 Main st., and the cabinet is for sale at that location. I started here with an old farmhouse kitchen base cabinet. Round milkglass doorknobs as drawer handles. The doors I made and framed within a couple of very cool arch frags purchased at Candlestick Antique market. The trim that surrounds the top is milled from an old handrail.

Another parsons table. Sold.

Pieces made recently, custom, etc

2011-03-05T06:29:00.000-08:00

Sofa or "Parsons" Table. Old painters ladder incorporated as legs, bottom shelf. This piece is avail. at Zonal in SF.

Custom Parsons table, made to fit in clients entry hall. Legs & frame are rough sawn doug fir timbers.

This piece has many elements. The glass doors on top were purchased at antique flea market, I believe the glass is called "glue chip" . Very old, interesting geometric pattern. Many antique furniture trim pcs. used, also note the very cool vintage stove tiles incorporated into trim.

Chimney Cabinet using old window for a door. Not the best photo, but this pc. is avail. and can be seen at Zonal.

Available pieces, Alameda Point Antique Faire this Sunday Feb. 6

2011-02-03T06:12:00.000-08:00

Here are photos of some new pieces, to be shown this Sunday at Alameda, Booth I-22

The first photo on left is cabinet with vintage cabinet door, the lower pane has been replaced with antique piece of tin ceiling. Legs are cast iron stove legs. Very colorful piece. Next photo is table made with large ornate cast iron grate. The frame is of rough sawn douglas fir timbers, very cool textures. Antique balusters for legs. This table has a beveled glass top, not shown in photo. Next piece is a buffet, the cabinet body was a built-in purchased from local salvage yard. I built the upper portion using some antique corbels to surround a framed mirror. Very cool piece, I especially like the sexy curved feet.

The large mirror in next photo has a rough sawn douglas fir frame, again very textural material. The flower accent pieces are from an old piece of trim I recently purchased at a flea market, they are plaster.

Pepsi!! I recently accompanied a friend on a road trip to visit what was once a hot springs resort in Lake county, I returned with an old pepsi cooler. I deconstructed the cooler, this is the first piece I have made using the panels from that cooler. The trim on this piece has a very unique history. Many years ago a man deconstructed a victorian era hotel in the Pocono's area of Pennsylvania, and contracted with a local pig farmer to store the salvage in one of his barns. Many years passed, and both men passed away. A young couple purchased the pig farm, and were cleaning out the various buildings when they came upon the old wood salvage pieces. The wife pursuaded the husband to not burn the "junk", and she listed this trim on ebay. I aquired quite a bit of it, and now that bit of a grand hotel has been reborn!

This piece was recently sold to a store in Aptos, Ca. called "The Warmth Co." They have some really cool stuff there, check it out!

Here are some photos of cabinets already described in older posts, they are all avail. and will be shown at Alameda on Sunday. Remember to view details on any piece just click on the individual photo and it will be shown close-up. Love that feature, Thankyou Google! Should be a beautiful day on Sunday. I expect it will be VERY crowded, so arrive early and avoid the traffic. Thanks, Bryan

Candlestick Point, SF Sunday 1/16/11, Available Pieces

2011-01-14T06:47:00.000-08:00

Here are photos of a few new cabinets, also standing coatrack. All pieces shown in this post plus those in posts dated 12/31 and 12/2 will be available at Antique Faire this Sunday at Candlestick Point Antique Faire, SF. This is a fairly new show, located in parking lot of Candlestick stadium. Current weather report is for sunny day, should be a great day! Remember that clicking on any photo will show blow up of photo, handy for looking at details. First cabinet shown features porcelain plate from vintage stove as part of the door. Antique Eastlake cast iron and brass hardware, old furniture parts as trim, colorful repurposed wood throughout. Second cabinet has antique tiles from deconstructed woodstove incorporated into trim area. Vintage leaded glass panel as part of door, Antique Eastlake hardware. Again, repurposed wood construction throughout. Third cabinet has very cool cast iron legs, these legs are from same antique stove that tiles are from. The door is an old leaded glass cabinet door purchased at local flea market, it came out of a SF victorian built-in. Colorful beadboard sides, very ornate eastlake latch. Last piece shown is a standing coatrack, base is cast iron victorian style christmas tree stand. The post is a column from SF salvage yard, very ornate capital, vintage crystal doorknobs

January Alameda Antique Faire, It's On! Sunday Jan. 2, Booth I-22

2010-12-31T05:44:00.000-08:00

Bryan Appleton Designs will be at Alameda on Sunday, Jan. 2, Booth space I-22. Happy new Year everyone, and travel Safe! All furniture featured in Dec. posting below is available. Lots of new pieces. Cabinets, mirrors, many tables, boxes, benches, ETC.! First photo is of old kitchen cabinet purchased at Alameda last month. Completely rebuilt, with very nice yellow/blue beadboard back. Antique cast-iron hardware, including very pretty dark blue glass pulls, french I believe. Large cabinet above has antique french shutters as doors. I removed the upper panels and rebuilt them adding these beautiful victorian carved bellflowers. These are some of the nicest architectural fragments I have ever acquired.They are absolutely stunning. Cabinets has solid black walnut shelving, repurposed from old tables. Very nice piece. The close up of the stamped label above is from the back of a french mirror. Very large beveled glass mirror, has a beautifully carved frame, columns, rosewood throughout!

The small desk with doorknob handles was fun piece. The shelf is from a victorian panel, with some interesting iron embellishments. The vertical rods I believe were originally transom window hardware.

This small endtable was a result of some old wooden extension ladder cutoffs leftover from another project. Has bottom shelf, cool redwood turned trim sides.

Lots of photos of more furniture below in previous post, and as always, to see [photos in closeup just click on photo.

Available pieces, Alameda December 5 Antique fair

2010-12-02T06:03:00.000-08:00

As of this post weather for Sundays scheduled Alameda Antique fair is very iffy. Hopefully it will not be rained out, I am planning on showing as usual in booth space I-22. Looking forward to a rain free show, and Happy Holidays to all! This tall cabinet has purple prism glass panel in door. Bronze gate hinges, very cool copper metallic leaf motif picture hanging moulding are also part of this piece. The amber cut glass knob was salvaged from 1860's french armoire. Very pretty.

Small cabinet below left has cast iron stove feet, door has tin panels set into architectural element. Double glass door piece right has "spaniel" doggy bin pulls, highly collectible hardware.

This cabinet on right has pilasters on sides salvaged from victorian remodel in SF. Pictured next to that is cabinet from old house pillar, sized to hold DVD's.

The floral design on the door of this cabinet was originally part of an antique headboard. Handpainted with cute beading around design. Antique cast iron hardware, red glass knob from depression era kitchen cabinet.

This dresser had label on back, manufactured on Howard st. SF, furniture store. Don't see that anymore! Dovetailed drawers, many layers of green, pink, white paint. I distressed surface and added the crystal doorknobs.

"Birds" panel salvaged from Alameda Victorian teardown. Petite antique cast iron hooks.

Several mirror+coat and hatrack pieces. Beautiful antique hardware. The oval mirror piece was from SF Victorian fireplace mantle. Marked "July, 1903" on back, extremely well preserved silvering.

Brass "shell" embellishment was salvaged from vintage slot machine!

Very ornate brass doorplates with keyhole, vintage amythyst crystal knobs.

Here are several small tables. Octagonal piece is end table hieght, as is the cast iron base piece. Cast iron base was flea market find, very cool. It was rusty crusty when found. I cleaned with wire wheel and found french wording in round seal, "Chambon Lacroisade". From google I discovered an 1861 English patent application , "device to heat multiple tailers irons". Mystery solved! Interesting feet, also stylized dolphins on the sides.

September show dates, New pieces

2010-09-22T05:18:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the new pieces I have been working on recently. I spent the summer building out new shop and residence in West Oakland warehouse. Alot of work moving inventory into new space but I am very happy to be in my new space. The photos below are a sample of what will be available at my upcoming show dates. Look for me at Marin Farmers market at Grand Ave. on Saturday, Sept. 25. I will be at Petaluma Antique fair on Sunday Sept. 26. Booth F-2 , corner of Fourth St. and B St. Lastly, the following Sunday, Oct. 3, back at Alameda Pt. Antique fair in my usual spot, I-22. Please excuse the confusing placement of text for photos. Although I write the text next to the corresponding photos, it seems google blogs put the text wherever they want when I publish. Thanks!! Vintage steel medical cabinet purchased at Alameda was inspiration for this piece. Love the Deco teardrop hinges on door. Antique cast iron stove feet, carved oak pediment salvaged from victorian sofa frame.

This piece below built around vintage cabinet doors. The doors came from SF remodel, via Craigs List. Antique cast iron window locks, upper trim salvaged from antique bed rails. Very cute!

The stained glass panel in the door of this cabinet below is from Alameda. I built the door around the panel, then built this cabinet. Lots of storage here. Nice.

This blue steel cabinet below was another flea market find. I love the color, appearance. The sticker reveals it was from the old International Harvester plant in San Leandro. Originally a rolling mechanics tool cart, much work was needed to transform into functional cabinet. Very different, very cool.

The carcasse of this armoire was
found at Alameda. (Right photo) Completely rebuilt, new doors and hardware, trim. Verey nice colors.

Custom pantry cabinet created as special order. Stained glass doors salvaged from old curio cabinet.

This oak side table I found at flea market in SF. It needed a new top, here is what was created. Trim was created from antique bed rails.

Polished steel table with benches below. Vintage steel factory worktable was purchased at Alameda Antique fair. I have been intrigued by the polished steel furniture I have been seeing at Alameda. This piece was rusty crusty when I found it. I built a new drawer, benches, and stripped paint and rust. After extensive polishing, here is what was created.

Here are a few of the many new coatracks.

Coatrack made from vintage fireplace surround, crystal doorknobs, cast iron brackets. The detail on brackets is amazing. There were so many coats of paint on these that the detail was completely hidden.

2010-06-05T06:13:00.000-07:00

Here are several photos of a custom gate recently made.

Here below are photos of available cabinets, they will be at Alameda tommorrow, 6/6/10. Booth space I-22.

" Tulips", cabinet is available

Here are some pieces sold since my last post.

This cute little cabinet was made from the shell of an old radio. I included a couple of photos of the original appearance. This piece is available.

Here below are photos of some of the available coat racks.

Available pieces, etc

2010-06-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

Photos of avail. pieces, and some recently produced cool custom pieces will be posted tommorrow(Sat 6/5)morning. See everybody at Alameda! Bryan

2010-04-22T06:47:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since my last post. There are quite a few photos here, I have tried to insert the text next to the correct photos . It's kind of tricky. Hopefully not too confusing. Please check out the website at bryanappletondesigns.com, it is being redone with many more archival photos. The artwork below will be my logo. Thanks for reading and please visit Petaluma Antique fair on April 25, booth at corner of Kentucky and Western, K2. Mill Valley on Friday April 30 from 5:30-8 pm, grand opening of RooTs, artists collaborative, next door to Peets. Finally, Alameda on May 2nd, booth I22, and Marin Farmers Market on Sunday May 23.

This cabinet below to the right is made with a stained glass panel as the door. I purchased this at Alameda quite a while ago, but it had a couple of breaks and I just recently got them repaired. Antique cast iron hardware, brass doorknob reads "New York City Public Schools" This cabinet is available.

Small cabinet made with old window as a door. Beachy colors. Beautiful old cast iron hardware and an old faucet handle. This cabinet available.

Custom redwood planter box with trellis shown below. Client wanted to grow hops on trellis. All material old growth redwood salvaged and remilled to make box/trellis.

Custom piece shown below. Beautiful turquoise/blue random boards from multiple sources. I love doing this "patchwork quilt" type of look.

New Chimney cabinet below, available. The door is made with a piece of stained glass I purchased at Allemany many years ago. Beautiful cast iron hardware throughout, green/yellow beadboard sides.

This new cabinet below is available. The piece in the door was salvaged from a vintage headboard. The beads are redwood, and the outer border is hand nailed reed of some sort. The floral arrangement is hand painted and probably made of clay. Very Shabby.

Here are some photos of a relatively new product for me. I first made some of these about 15 years ago, as gifts. I had always meant to make a few more but....These are alot of fun. I collect a huge amount of hardware, not all of it makes it onto a cabinet. Also, these allow me to make use of some of the shorter cut-offs produced in making the larger furniture pieces. For one of these I took the parts off of an old cabinet radio. The cabinet disintegrated in the rain but I salvaged the dial and knobs and made a very cute/whimsical box out of it. There will be a nice selection of these at RooTs in Mill Valley, also I will have many of these at Petaluma and Alameda. They are also available at Warmth in Aptos, Abode in Half Moon Bay, and Beach House Style in Fairfax.

These boxes are available at Beach House Style in Fairfax.

These are a couple photos of a built-in completed for a friend and longtime client. We had been talking about building this for years. I purchased the vintage windows at the Allemany flea in SF, not realizing at the time that the four lowers were an arched set. They are stylized "Snowdrop" flowers, probably from Art Noveau period. They were in pretty bad shape, I had to have several of them repaired. The narrow douglass fir countertop is a nice contrast to all the white. We designed this piece together, the client wanted the sliding glass sides to display a nice collection of vintage radios.

Here below to the right is a custom piece made for a client to display some pottery pieces. Kind of reminds me of a sofa table. Very cool.

The piece below was a custom piece. The client was inspired by a piece I displayed at Marin Farmers Market in San Rafael. I really liked the way the little doors came out, and the oversized cast iron hinges have a nice effect.

Interesting ground score! This desk was sitting on the sidewalk in Oakland. I looked it over, almost left it there! Wish I had a before and after. It was covered with a very dirty maroon paint, I had no idea what nice beachy colors were underneath. The desk is very well made of Port Orford Cedar, I made a new top for it, added the vintage crystal doorknobs, and sanded, and sanded....it was worth the time, very cool piece. This piece is available at Petaluma.

Here are a few of the new Coat Racks I have been making. Beach House Style in Fairfax has many new ones on sale now. There will also be some on sale at the new artists collaborative in Mill Valley, next door to Peets. I will also be bringing these to Petaluma on Sunday April 25, corner of Kentucky and Western, 8-4 pm. And of course Alameda, booth I22, Sunday May 2nd.

Here is a nice "before and after" sequence. I purchased 2 vintage cabinet bodies, they were "uppers", one a right corner, the other left. Each had one nicely finished side. I deconstructed both, then recombined using the nicely finished sides. From there I added new bottom, top, shelves, etc. The double door cabinet below is the finished result.

This piece is currently available at Abode in Half Moon Bay.

These mirrors are made from fireplace mantle parts salvaged from a SF Victorian remodel. The house had 6 fireplaces! The mirrors are beveled, 1/4" stock. Very nice quality.

Another mirror, fence pickets and vintage headboard parts embellish this one. Amethyst crystal knobs to hang things on.

This mirror was made from some window casing purchased at Alameda Antique fair. I acquired the mirror stock from a pacific hts. SF remodel.

2010-04-22T06:44:00.000-07:00

2010-04-22T06:43:00.001-07:00

New Pieces for Alameda Antique Faire,Sunday Feb. 7, 2010

2010-01-29T06:03:00.000-08:00

Quite a few photos here. All pieces shown are available except for safety sign cabinet. Top series is a glass double door piece. Original Victorian brass hardware, the window catch used as the cabinet lock is especially cool. I don't run across these often, very rare. The blue fluted pilasters are from a Hayes St. Victorian remodel. (SF) Repurposed wood thoughout. The next piece shown has an old cast iron medallion built into the door. I found this at Alameda several years ago. Way in the back, at one of those booths that was nothing but rows of dusty cardboard boxes, RUSTY JUNK! YEAH! All I could see was asses and elbows, so I knew there must be some really great stuff, just dig in! I have done some internet research, this piece was from an old butterchurn, probably a counterweight. There are some serious collectors out there, the website I found had dozens of butterchurns listed. This medallion is from the "Boss and Acme Bail Churn" made by H.H. Palmer of Rockford, Ill., and there are many patent dates displayed. The article was fascinating history, all about these companies ripping each other off for their patents, some things don't change! I just thought it looked cool so I made it into a cabinet. Next piece shown is a double door cabinet found at Alameda. I built new doors and completely went through it, new shelves, back, top, etc. Great piece. Next is the "Safety sign", very cool. Found the sign at Allemany, (small SF flea), I just loved the graphics, especially the part where somebody could write in chalk the number of days.This piece has already been sold. Next is "Blue Table." Found at Urban Ore, a great store in Berkeley, Ca. You never know what you might run across there. This is a remnant of an old bin table, the bins are long gone andI had to rebuild the drawers,etc. I loved it because of the colors, there is green under the chipped blue paint, just look at the wear on the drawers. I created a very "Beachy" colored top, greens and blues! More Text below. Remember to click on any photo to enlarge.

Custom Planters, 100% repurposed old growth redwood.

Small box

Coatracks

This small nightstand type table is steel. Found at Alameda, I cleaned some of the rust off, then sealed with a clear finish. The chippy white paint is original. The inside of the drawer is cleaned and repainted. The top was too far gone, I made this wood top, and added the glass knob.

CURFEW!! Cool Sign, handlettered on fiberglass laminated ply. From 50's ? ...or maybe 60's ?. Made this into a cool little side table, with balusters and old beadboard.

Small stool, needed a new top, lots of color!

The base of this is an old enameled hot plate. I found it at a junk sale, I loved the color and appearance. Very small cabinet built on top, maybe a bathroom piece?

This is an old bed end, bought at Alameda. I had these old mirrors, they seemed to fit nicely, and I built a coatrack out them. I loved the color of the bed piece, especially the basket of flowers. (looks hand painted) Antique cast-iron hooks on old beadboard complete the piece.

The next few photos are of a new product. Small boxes for keepsakes, jewelry, whatever! I collect so much old hardware and other little tchotchkes(SP?), not everything works into the furniture. I have a lot of fun doing these, and I get to use up alot of smaller cut-offs from the cabinet making process. I think they will make excellent gifts, starting with Valentines Day!! There are a few more of these shown on the previous post, just scroll down til you get to it. Thanks for looking at my stuff and I hope to see lots of old and new fans at Alameda on the 7th. I will post my booth number beforehand. Enjoy!, Bryan:)

New Product, New Cabinets, NEW YEAR!!!

2010-01-02T05:47:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to All!! 2009 was a rough year for many of us, I would like to extend my gratitude to all who supported Bryan Appleton Designs throughout the year. I have big plans for 2010. More shall be revealed!! The first cabinet shown is avail. at this time. The glass insert is a beveled glass panel purchased at Allemany Flea, it is in extremely good condition for it age, solid in the lead borders. The butterfly hinges were obviously hand forged, very old. Amythyst crystal knob, cast iron window catch and old beadboard throughout complete this piece. The next two cabinets are shown as displayed in Abode, a store in Half Moon Bay. Very nicely staged. The series of photos below of the boxes are prototypes of a new product. I made these and distributed many to friends and family as holiday gifts, the feedback was quite positive. I was able to incorporate many interesting bits of salvage that I have collected over the years, lots of fun to make. I also like that I now have a use for many of the smaller cut-off pieces from the cabinet making process. Enjoy!

New Cabinets, Mirrors, Custom Pieces

2009-12-12T05:24:00.000-08:00

The first set of photos here are shots of a victorian cast iron fireplace surround I incorporated into the faceframe of a cabinet. The back of the surround is marked Geo H Tay & Co, SF. Through a google search I have discovered that George Tay left Newark NJ in 1849 for the Ca gold fields and opened George Tay & Co. stove parts & tin goods on Battery St. in SF soon after. He became a prominent SF business owner, mentioned in an 1856 roster of the SF vigilance society, also in the first publication of a telephone book in SF in 1876 and numerous other historical documents. The detail in the casting is amazing, I have included several detail shots. A very cool piece of San Francisco history. Th next photo is of a cabinet made with an old shutter as a door. I remodeled an Oakland, Ca. Craftsman Bungalow several years ago and saved the shutters that flanked the original exterior windows, now they are being repurposed as furniture! Next up, this small cabinet has legs from an antique cast iron stove. The door was made from an architectural fragment off a Santa Cruz, Ca. Victorian, I framed some old ceiling tin 4 leaf clover designs in the holes. The first mirror pictured is framed by the top half of an antique entry door, from a SF victorian. Second mirror was a custom piece, as was the small shelf piece incorporating some old fence pickets. The jelly cabinet has a green and yelloow door purchased at Alameda Antique fair, the door came from a old Lodi, Ca. farmhouse. The tall chimney cabinet has a door made from an old 4 panel Victorian door, cut in half down the middle.

New Pieces, Beautiful Doors

2009-11-13T05:36:00.000-08:00

Here are photos of a couple recent pieces not posted before. The first set of photos are of a small cabinet. The door is a leaded glass salvage piece, the brass window lock is very cool, and the fancy brass knob is from the locking mechanism I removed from a set of entry doors from an old SF Victorian, they were 10' tall!. The front feet are cast iron, from a stove I believe. Repurposed wood throughout. The second set of photos are of a small nightstand/table. I purchased an old(square nail const.) schoolhouse type desk at the Santa Cruz flea. The legs had been chopped off in the past. I had worked it into another piece but it just didn't work so I started over. Here I added some angled pieces of wood to the sides to make the top sit flat when closed. The detail shot of the cast iron inkwell holder shows a Star of David embellishment. Perhaps this desk is from Hebrew School? The cover was so crusted with old paint I had no idea this was here until I cleaned it off. Very Cool! The body was constructed with some very nice balusters and some old porch brackets I got from a friend in Conneticut. The front feet are actually some old brass doorknobs, really a fun piece. Finally, I have posted some photos of recently acquired salvage, some entry doors. These doors date to 1860, they came from a SF Victorian. I will post photos of what I make out of them soon.

Custom Vanities, Countertop,Hutch, CD Wall Cabinet, Misc.

2009-11-10T06:33:00.000-08:00

Here are photos of pieces completed in month of Oct., plus vanity photos with countertops installed. I posted vanities some time ago, I recently visited the jobsite and they have countertops installed on these two. I look forward to posting photos of all finished bathroom vanities(5), also Kitchen Island. To see up close details just click on individual photos. The hutch and jelly cabinet are available at Abode, Half Moon Bay. There is a link on this blog. The custom countertop was made for a client that wanted to cover a washer/dryer on one side, and create a shelf area for dining on the opposite side. Because of the unique shape I visited the jobsite and made a template. This piece is constructed of rough sawn Doglass Fir timbers, milled into long strips and glued up. The client wanted to retain some of the rough hewn saw marks, nail holes, etc. so it was not planed, rather I sanded extensively and then applied multiple coats of a water based clear coat. The painted cabinet is a piece purchased new by a client, then I painted the body and created doors to give this cabinet a unique look. It was quite generic when I started. This piece is going to Australia! The wall cabinet door(also hutch doors) was part of an old cabinet found at SF salvage yard. The doors had plywood where probably was originally glass. I thought they were cool because of the arched top edge and the fact that they had been sandblasted to remove the paint. I removed plywood and rebuilt doors with colorful beadboard. The wall cabinet has shelve sized for CD's. It is currently avail. The End Tables are built on the same theme as the benches I build. Multi-colored with a shelf underneath. Available. The last photos are of some more coatracks. The green one has very nice brass collectible antique knobs. The faucet handle one is avail. at Beach House Style, a very cool store in Fairfax, Ca. I will be showing again at Marin Farmers Market in Civic Center parking lot, San Rafael on Thurs. Nov. 12, also Sun. Nov 22, weather permitting.

Available Pieces

2009-10-05T08:40:00.000-07:00

All pieces shown in this post and 9/24 post are available. I will be showing my Bryan Appleton Designs furniture and planter boxes at Marin Farmers Market (San Rafael Civic Center)on Thursday Oct. 8 and Sunday Oct. 11. Tentative schedule for Long Beach Antique fair Oct. 18 also. Thanks for looking, Bryan

New Pieces, Petaluma Antique fair

2009-09-24T08:20:00.000-07:00

Here are photos of new pieces to be shown at Petaluma Antique Faire this Sunday 9/27, booth K2(corner of Kentucky and Western). I will also be at Alameda Antique Faire next Sunday Oct.4 in my usual spot, T-20. First photo below is of a wardrobe, drawer at bottom of cabinet.. Next photo, a cabinet made from antique pillar. I sized the inside shelving for DVD's. (see photo to right) The red paint on the old T&G I used to make the door is absolutely stunning, I had no idea what was under all that dirt until I started cleaning it off! The next photo to the right of the DVD tower is of an old redwood built-in out of a SF Victorian. I purchased it at a yardsale, it was a wreck, but the glass in the doors was original and intact. I completely rebuilt it and added the drawer underneath, it came out very nice. Below that is a low table made from various colored wood and some cool iron pieces on the ends. I bought the iron from a picker who salvaged what she could from a gold country house that had completely fallen in on itself. The iron was I believe part of a decorative cast iron fence, perhaps part of the gate. The last photo is not the best quality, it is of a cabinet made from salvage purchased last month at Alameda Antique fair. I believe that the piece I bought was originally a kitchen cabinet, built up upon a wall. Because of the wood species(white pine) I believe it came from back east, and it is very likely pre civil war because of the appearance, construction method, etc. I kept the facade and chucked the rest.(The shelving was NASTY!) I built a completely new cabinet and mated it to the old facade, it is really cool. Thanks for looking! Bryan

Kitchen Island, Bathroom Vanities

2009-09-16T06:09:00.000-07:00

Here are photos from latest pieces. First, a kitchen island. The island was ordered from cabinet shop as seen in photo below. No doors, drawer faces, etc. I completed this project on site. I will post more photos once concrete countertop is completed and installed. The countertop will be white concrete, with blue and green seaglass. A sample can be seen in photo above. The other photos are of 2 of the bathroom vanities for same house. These were constructed in my shop, color matched to countertop samples. More photos will be posted after vanities, countertops are installed.

Bathroom Vanities, 2 Buffets, Hutch

2009-08-29T10:25:00.000-07:00

These first photos are of the first two of five bathroom vanities being built for a client in Mill Valley. I am also doing a kitchen island and linen closet, + many smaller pieces at the same jobsite. I am going to have a photographer go through the house when the job is completed. I will post photos here as I progress with the job. The next photos are of a hutch and 2 buffets. The hutch was a "project", I purchased the carcass of the lower box at Alameda Antique fair last month. It was very colorful, I knew it would be a beautiful piece when finished. It is for sale at Zonal Home Interiors as of 8/25, located on Hayes St. in San Francisco. The last photos are of a couple of similar pieces, buffets. I salvaged the leaded glass cabinet doors from a Castro Victorian remodel, the building had 6 very large built-in cabinets, I had to demo them to get out of the door! The beveled mirrors are dated "Aug. 1905" on the back. The one with the very colorful pink/cranberry beadboard is for sale at "Summerhouse" in Mill Valley, as of 8/30. Check out the carved oak that is part of the backsplash. I found it at Alameda last month, it is a very nicely detailed carving, not appliqued. The last photo is of another buffet, the first one I made. It went to Zonal and it has already sold. I will be back at Petaluma Antique Fair at end of Sept., (9/27), and am planning on returning to Alameda to sell on first Sunday of Oct 09. Peace, Bryan

New Cabinets, Coffee Table, Coat racks, Moss Landing Tommorrow!!

2009-07-25T12:25:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of what I have built this week to bring to the Moss Landing show. Two new cabinets, one has a mirrored door, the other stain glass. The coffee table has a wonderfully colorful top, fluted half column for base. I am also bringing benches from previous post. I have been told the traffic is sevee at mos landing on this Sunday, so if you are coming arrive by 9 or 10 am. Thanks, Bryan

BENCHES, MORE BIG PLANTERS,SUNDAY SHOW AT MOSS LANDING

2009-07-21T05:17:00.000-07:00

Here are quite a few new benches I made for the upcoming sunday July 26 Antique fair at Moss Landing, near Monterey. I first made some of these to go with a custom order table.( Photos of table are in previous blog) I really liked the way they came out and made some more, the response at the last couple shows has been impressive. I have emphasized the beachy blues/greens here, although I also plan on doing other colors, plus some that are more the earth tones/natural wood color. I also like the fact I am able to use such short pieces of wood, this is using what was potentially waste fom the cabinet making process. The top sections are sealed with a water based interior/exterior polyurathane, many people expressed an interest in using them in an outdoor setting. I believe they should hold up well as long as they are not left out in the rain. The last two photos are of a couple more large planters, custom orders. They are 72" x 24" x 24". Nice proportions. The photos show before and after the deck oil treatment. I use a product called "Penofin", I have used it for years on redwood that is going to be exposed to UV. I tell people to think of it as sunscreen for your boxes. Next post, coatracks, new cabinets for moss landing!

More Big Boxes! Salvage!!!! Thankyou Petaluma

2009-07-13T07:19:00.000-07:00

I would like to say here how much I appreciate the support of the people who came out yesterday to the Petaluma Art and Garden show. Great weather, friendly people, a great show. I was also very impressed by the work done by the Petaluma Downtown Assoc. in putting on this show, many of the staff were volunteers. Well done Petaluma. My next show is in two weeks, the Moss Landing Antique show near Monterey, Sunday July 26. Here are photos of some salvage recently acquired, the columns are out of a SF Victorian. When I deconstucted the old built-ins, I discovered the original paper labels shown here. Very Cool! The iron gate pieces and the shabby balusters were rescued from a gold country house that had nearly completely fallen down upon itself. Nice pieces.
The coatracks shown are among the new pieces that are at The Warmth Co. in Aptos, Ca. Monica and Naomi have a great store there, check them out.

The last photos are of some more large planter boxes recently made. These are 72" long x 20" wide by 24" high, they are for sale.

Large Redwood Planters, New Coatracks

2009-07-08T05:11:00.000-07:00

Here are photos of a very large custom order planter. Approx. 7 feet long, 30" deep, 18" high. I reinforced the frame to accomodate the forces in the middle. There are galvanized steel rods in the frame to counteract the tendency to bow in the middle. The rest of the photos are of a new batch of coatracks. I will be showing these and many more new benches, planter boxes and furniture at the Petaluma Art and Garden show this sunday 7/12, downtown Petaluma. Come on out! Peace, Bryan

New Pieces, Upcoming Alameda Antique Fair(Booth T-20, Sunday 7/5)

2009-06-30T06:09:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe three weeks have passed since my last post. In my next post I m going to show some photos of recent salvage finds, Victorian Columns with wonderfully carved capitals, also some leaded glass diamond pane cabinet doors. Shown here are pieces I have made in the last couple weeks. The Singer sewing machine base was a rusty mess when I got it. I cleaned it up and painted red, a departure from what I usually pick for colors, it does pick up some red in the distressed wood top nicely though. The next piece was described to me by my gf Jan as "Weird, Bryan", high praise indeed! I have had the stove base for a while, been dying to incorporate into something. I added an old metal medical cabinet, has beveled glass doors with locks(where they kept the narcotics??), the top is solid black walnut, salvaged from an old eastlake dresser. Some cute balusters and beadboard backdrop for a shelf. Weird, I know but this is what would create for my house. The lower drawers are fronted with some small cast iron registers with vey nice antique gass knobs. The next photos are of a table with 4 benches. I made one recently for a custom order, I loved the way it came out so I made another! A client saw it and bought the benches so I made two more. The base is from an old farmhouse table, I created the top from various colored wood, finished with varnish to seal it. The benches are of some more of the colored wood, also sealed. Finally, the coatracks were recently ordered by a local wholesale client. I willbe showing quite often in the next couple months, Alameda sunday 7/5, Petaluma Art&Garden sunday 7/12, Moss Landing Antique fair sunday 7/26. Come on out! Peace, Bryan

NEW PIECES, ALAMEDA

2009-06-09T06:06:00.000-07:00

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

CUSTOM PIECES, NEW CABINET

2009-06-04T08:22:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of new pieces. First is custom wall cabinet with blue shutter door. Built for a referral from a local store, it has victorian cast iron hardware, old stamped tin for crest, and some antique furniture parts as an embellishment along the top rail. The second set of photos shows a custom table and bench set built for another referral. The client wanted lots of color to lighten up the space it was to be in. I used a "patchwork quilt" arrangement of top boards, random widths with various colors and textures. We decided to switch the direction of the top boards for the benches, keeping the patchwork quilt arrangement though. All 3 pieces were finished with several coats of a satin spar varnish to seal. I really liked the way it came out, I think I will be making more like this. The last set of photos are of a new hutch piece. I have been trying to unclutter my shop, it was getting pretty plugged up with "projects", pieces that I have acquired and felt they had potential. This piece was one of those. It was in pretty bad shape. I completely rebuilt it, replaced the cheap, delaminating plywood back wih some old T&G beadboard with lots of color, and added the same to the rather plain lower door panels. Some amber glass knobs and other cool hardware completed this piece. Alot of work! Sometimes it is more time consuming to rehabilitate a piece like this than to build one from scratch. This piece and all my other new work will be at Alameda Point Antique fair this coming sunday, June 7. Booth space T-20. Peace, Bryan

New Cabinets, Coatracks

2009-05-26T07:03:00.000-07:00

Here are several photos of my latest pieces. The large colorful cabinet on the right is setup as an Armoire. I purchased the carcass of this cabinet at Allemany Flea in SF quitea few years ago. I used it to store my ski jackets, etc. , in my house. I moved it in to the shop many months ago and there it sat with all my other "projects". It was originally a "built-in" cabinet, kinda ugly with the top and bottom panels of the door having had many small holes drilled into the wood, and a very blah coat of grey and green paint on it. I added a nice set of old cast-iron stove feet and some old chair rail trim to the bottom to lift it up. I found these colors under the top layers of paint., and that inspired me to fill in the door panels with the very colorful vertical boards you see in the photo. Some old chippy trim as crown moulding and some cast-iron victorian hardware completes this piece. I wish I had taken a "before" photo, what a difference. The six drawer piece I found at Urban Ore in Berkeley, pretty tore up but it was obviously very old, sqaure nail construction and hand carved drawer handles. I think it would make a nice night stand type piece next to a bed or even a couch. I added feet and the top and the shelf /backsplash construction. The crest above the shelf is another piece from the lot of old victorian furniture parts I bought from Steve at Ohmega salvage in Berkeley. The small balusters holdng up the shelf came off of Ebay, very cute. The small wall cabinet I found in a Middletown, Ca. antique store. Divine consignments I think is what it is called. Owner is Gwendlyn, very friendly. It was just a shell, I added beadboard on the back, made a door out of some old beadboard, and added trim and the beautiful cast-iron victorian hardware you see in the photo. I have also added some photos of the new coatracks I recently made. I have been buying lots of old cast iron coathooks on ebay recently, they are getting harder to find. There is one photo of a coatrack where I used some brass eastlake victorian curtain tie-backs as hooks. Very unique hardware, beautiful castings. Thanks for looking, Bryan I will be at Alameda Pointe first sunday in June (6/7). Booth space T-20

Kitchen Cabinet Refacing Project, Really Cool Art!!

2009-05-19T05:58:00.000-07:00

These photos are of a project I recently worked on in Lake County. The first Kitchen photo is of the cabinets as they appeared before starting. I took off all the doors and began by applying a layer of material on the face frame. I started with some 100 yr old beadboard salvaged from a remodel job in Oakland, Ca. last year. There were many layers of paint, I sanded down to the colors I liked, white and several shades of a cream color, with just a hint of red peeking out. Visually, it is a strikingly different look from the natural wood tones originally there. There are several more photos of the cabinets after the face frame and doors were completed, I will continue to post photos as the project continues. The two photos at the top of my post are of a Doghouse I found displayed on the lawn of an antique store in Middletown, Ca. I loved the whimsical nature of this anonymous artists creation. The owner of the store said it predated her arrival, didn't knw the maker. Enjoy! Bryan

OLD GROWTH,GUILT FREE,Planter Boxes, Coatracks, Custom Table

2009-05-05T05:39:00.000-07:00

The first photos are of some custom planters recently completed. These boxes are made from REPURPOSED OLD GROWTH stock. I use old decks, fences, and door parts. I remill it and build these boxes. I have been building planters like these for over 15 years, many are with family and friends and are still in use today. The planters I see sold commercially today are built with inferior materials such as redwood containing sapwood( it is the outside layers of the log, it is white in color and it rots out within a couple of years- is usually disguised by application of full-coat stains), cedar(again, has very little resistence to decay), or second growth redwood(pink in color, what you see at the lumber yards today, and again has much less resistence to decay than old growth). I believe that my boxes will last decades. I build them on a frame fastened with stainless steel screws, the boards are nailed with galvanized nails. I use full 1" stock for the bottoms, and use a transparent penetrating oil finish to enhance the natural color of the wood. I have seen only one other company making high quality boxes like these, they are on the web, located near Healdsburg, and my prices are approx. half of what they are charging. I have applied and been accepted by seveal local farmers market associations to sell these boxes as an artisanthis summer. I will be visiting the Marin Farmers markets in San Rafael throughout the summer, thurs. and Sundays at the Civic Center. Also, the Urban Village markets, Claremont(Oakland) and Los Altos. Contact me for specific dates. The table pictured here was a custom order. I recently was given a quantity of rough sawn Douglas Fir framing stock, repurposed from a SF victorian remodel. The clients wanted a rustic piece, they visited my studio/shop and picked out this material for their table. I attached it to a base they purchased at the Alameda monthly Antique Faire,a heavy cast iron piece.I liked the way it came out, I plan on building several other tables out of this material. Finally, I posted several more photos of coatracks, many of these are going to Zonal, on Hayes st. in SF. I am still using the antique furniture parts as embellishments on these, they are very popular.

Antique Furniture Salvage, Tables

2009-04-29T06:40:00.000-07:00

Here are some new photos. The small metal cabinet I recently picked up at the local flea(Allemany in SF). I put a photo of it in the last post here it is with a new top! The next one is a small table built with some more of the Lodi farmhouse beadboard material, I love the beach blue/green colors. The turned post is some salvage from an old victorian porch railing assembly, I found this at Urban Ore in Berkeley. A wonderful warehouse full of possibilities! The base is a piece of marble(wrapped in wood), once the step of a victorian entryway on Hayes St. in SF. The coatracks below are examples of some new pieces I have been making using some antique furniture salvage I recently bought from Steve over in Berkeley at Ohmega Salvage. They have a wonderful inventory of beautiful salvage pieces from all over the world. They are on San Pablo in Berkeley. Check them out! Finally, Thanks to all who visited at the Petaluma Antique Fair this past sunday, the weather was perfect and the people could not have been friendlier! I had a great show and many pieces found a new home! Looking forward to this sundays upcoming Alameda Pt. Antique fair, hope to see you there. I will be back in space T-20. Hope the weather cooperates. Peace, Bryan

2009-04-21T06:17:00.000-07:00

In the last post I showed these Black Walnut furniture crests as raw material. Here are a couple of photos of the finished products. The larger photo show a coatrack with vintage hooks and steel doorknobs. The beadboard background came from some material salvaged from a Lodi, Ca. area farmhouse. It was given to me by my good friend Roff Graves at Graves Country Folk Art Gallery. A link to his gallery can be seen at the "links" section of this blog. The other crest I used in a coatrack of very fancy antique brass doorknobs. I have been collecting these knobs for many years, these are some very nice ones. I really like the way these turned out. The driftwood coatrack uses some black porcelain and vintage crystal knobs. This piece, and the driftwood table below it are alot like the pieces I made many years ago when I worked with my good friend Jon Westburg at Creations From The Sea. The table was a custom piece. The client wanted a rustic approach, she has several other of my pieces and wanted something not so Shabby Chic for her living room. I had fun exploring the shore of the bay around Oyster Point where I live, looking for material. I will be making some more pieces like this in the future. The driftwood coatrack, and many others can be seen at a store in Fairfax Ca., called Beachhouse Style. They have a wonderful store full of unique items. The black walnut furniture crest coatracks, and many other unique pieces will be shown this sunday, April 26 in Petaluma at the Petaluma Downtown Antique Faire, booth space no. K-62 (Kentucky St). Should be alot of fun! Hope to see you there! Peace, Bryan

Store sales counter, Raw Material

2009-04-16T07:33:00.000-07:00

Went out to our local flea market on Sunday. A great day of hunting. First is a small nightstand type metal cabinet. It will clean up nice with a new wood top. The small rusty heating vents are cool, I have already cleaned them of rust, they will be fun to work with. The cast iron table bases were marked "san francisco press club", they must of had an auction. I purchased 4 of these. The Eastlake wood pieces are parts of old furniture, I love them. Finally, my best find. A spring clip, cast iron of victorian vintage I believe. I collect victorian hardware. I have never seen a clip before. Very Cool! The other 2 photos are of a sales counter recently custom made for a San Francisco store. I had not had a chance to get photos since they opened up, It really looks nice in their store.

Busy Boy

2009-04-13T08:42:00.000-07:00

I've been a busy boy, lots of new coatracks. Doorknobs, faucet handles, antique cast iron hooks, even vintage garden nozzles. Here are some photos. Email me to see detailed photos. These will be up on the website soon! bappleton01@yahoo.com. peace, bryan

Alameda Point Antique Fair, last Sunday

2009-04-10T07:21:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Day out at the Alameda Pointe Antique Faire last sunday. Next show sunday April 19 in Folsom, Ca. These photos were taken of my booth in Alameda. The large Armoire is cedar lined. Smells nice! The mirror on the left is new, I was given 100+ yr. old oak victorian fireplace mantle. I took it apart and made a wall mirror out of the top part. I inset balusters on either side, there were painted wooden panels there, very blah, so I created the 3D effect with the baluster. Some nice crown and a good cleaning. The last photo is of my "princess mirror", very popular, I have made and sold quite a few of these. See you in Folsom!

Menloville, Summerhouse

2009-03-24T06:59:00.000-07:00

Visited a clients store recently. Here are some photos of a couple pieces Lisa purchased from me. Lisa's store is called "Menloville", it is in Menlo Park, Ca. (http://menloville.com/about_menloville_shoppe.html) I was very impressed, the store is filled with interesting items. Check it out! The top two photos are pieces that are currently at Summerhouse in Mill Valley. Jane and Robert have an amazing inventory of cottage/shabby chic everything, check them out. (http://www.yelp.com/biz/summer-house-gallery-mill-valley) .

Custom Pieces for SF Store

2009-03-17T07:35:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of a sales counter for a new store in San Francisco. It will be called "Sprouts", they are going to sell natural childrens clothing products. The store will be located on Union St. at Octavia. The counter design was a collaboration between myself and the owners. They visited my shop and we looked at alot of raw material. I also visited the store location and we came up with a workable footprint. The height was determined by ADA code req's. The counter incorporated a small chalkboard for kids to write on. On the inside, the owners had me incorporate open shelving for storage with an additional locking cupboard for valuables. I will post additional photos here once the installation is complete. The last photo is of a slate chalkboard that was designed to hang in the entryway of the store. I salvaged a 100+ yr. old schoolhouse slate board recently and this slate is from that larger piece. Some balusters and old trim complete the design.

2009-03-03T05:59:00.000-08:00

Here is a chimney cabinet. I wanted to show where the spiral embellishments came from so I included a photo of some corbels. These corbels are rather large for furniture building, I acquired quite a few of them last year and have not been able to work them into any pieces. I got the idea to take them apart and here is the result. I love the way the colors contrast with the lighter colored door. The door is from a salvage yard, probably a pantry or ironing board built-in cupboard. The cabinet is lined on the inside with door panels(photo), an old milk glass knob and window catch complete the hardware. Enjoy! Bryan