Victorian Cast Iron Gate Piece

I loved this piece of cast iron the minute I saw it. I believe it was part of a fancy cast-iron gate surround. I bought it at the local SF flea market-Allemany. I cut off the extraneous ends and attached it to the top of this piece. I used some gorgeous cast hinges and window lock hardware, plus some old spoons for handles. I had been looking for some spoons with just the right character to them, I found them at the Alameda Flea. Enjoy! Bryan

New Piece

Here are two photos, the mirror I purchased at Alameda PT. Antique Faire back in August. It looks to be off of a piece of furniture. Judging by appearance and construction it is quite old. The photo on the left is the finished product, I really like the way this turned out! I will have this piece and many others on display this upcoming sunday (Feb. 1st) at Alameda Point Antique Faire, space #T-20. Hope to see you there. Peace, Bryan

Repurposed Old Growth Redwood Planter Boxes

These beautiful and stylish redwood planter boxes are constructed of 100% repurposed old-growth stock. Due to the redwood trees natural resistence to decay, deck and fence lumber made from old growth trees felled decades ago, is perfectly suited for repurposing. Rescued from the landfill , this former waste is remilled and built into these boxes. The prototypes for these boxes were first developed in 1995-96 and sold at local SF Bay Area farmer's markets by Bryan Appleton as Barnwood Boxes. The company didn't last but the boxes are still going, I have decided to re-introduce them as a Bryan Appleton Designs product. They are available wholesale and retail. I made many custom pieces as Barnwood Boxes, and look forward to serving the Bay Area Green Community with an alternative to boxes made from second-growth redwood trees, with far less decay resistent properties than the old growth stock. For pricing informtion, Contact Bryan At bappleton01@yahoo.com

Old Dresser

Another "project". This vintage dresser was in the basement of my old house. The house had been built 100 years previous by a Norwegian seacaptain, some of the items down there had obviously been there for many years. I trucked it to my house when I moved, and it has sat collecting dust ever since. I found a matching pair of old wooden casters to replace the missing ones and I added the doorknobs for handles. A little sanding and glueing of loose drawers and a shabby/funky dresser emerges. #143. 1/22/09

Before and after

Here is a couple of before and after photos. I found this old chest at our local SF flea market recently. I loved the green color and the condition of the chest was excellent but the lid was hideous. I turned it into a small coffee table. The lid lifts off to access storage. I am trying to make space in the shop, it is full of "projects" like this chest and I would really like to reduce the clutter. #144 1/22/09

New Piece

New piece finished 1/21/09. #142. Until further notice all new pieces will be shown here on my blog. Website is being redone. Contact bappleton01@yahoo.com for pricing, dimensions, etc. Check out the handle , bronze I believe, had a thumb latch but I modified it. I have been wanting to work this into a piece for sometime, I have had this for years. Wonderful patina. The trim came out of the presidio in San Francisco. The door I pulled out of a dumpster in the avenues just a few days ago. I have heard this type of cabinet referred to as a jelly cabinet, also chimney cabinet. Lot's of storage capability with a very small footprint. Thanks for looking. Bryan

inauguration day, custom orders

Here is a custom order coffee table, built for a "machine label" collector. It is a shadow box type construction, a thick piece of glass sits on top. Here is a photo of the table without the glass. I like this idea, I have some old cast iron pieces that would look nice displayed like this. Here is a photo of one of these pieces. My website is down for a couple of weeks, hopefully it will be back up soon. It has to be rebuilt, there were some problems and the web developer wants to start over. Enjoy the inaugurtion everybody.

Happy New Year

One of my resolutions is to keep up on my posts. Here goes. Last post was in August, alot has happened since then. The Economic meltdown hit B.A.D. hard in Dec., but January is looking like a busy month. In addition to the furniture, B.A.D. will soon be offering beautiful redwood planter boxes to the online community. They are made from old-growth redwood, materials salvaged from old decks otherwise slated for the landfill. Here in No. Ca., I have had personal experience replacing decks for clients because the substructures had rotted away due to poor materials choices. The redwood decking covering the rotted framing is in many cases from old-growth stock, full of the naturally occuring tannins that prevent dry rot fungus and termites from attacking it. I rescued some of this material, remilled it, designed some attractive and functional boxes, and started buiding them. They will last for many years, I made some for my parents that are still functional over 10 years now. I will post some better photos soon, but here is a photo of the square boxes. Price info at my website-http://bryanappletondesigns.com/