Simply Beautiful Furniture.
Larry Northrop, our Shirlington Showroom Manager was recently featured in The Northern Virginia magazine. If you didn’t see it, here’s the magazine and his article on built-ins.
The Northern Virginia Magazine featuring Larry Northrop
My wife, Erika, doesn’t like to waste anything. Her mother came from the Old Country and frugality was a way of life in her house. After all, many immigrants arrived at the New World with very little. My family wasn’t as interested in saving and Erika saw me as wasteful when we merged our lives together. Over 25 years ago, when I started working in the shop of The Loft Bed Store, I would occasionally bring home a couple buckets of scrap wood; small, 0r randomly sized chunks of kiln dried cherry, oak, walnut, and mahogany known as mill ends. We’d use this in our small condo fireplace since we couldn’t afford to purchase seasoned firewood for our occasional fires. She couldn’t believe this stuff was just thrown out. (After all, her mother would have found a way to build a house with it or sell it on Ebay.) But in creating furniture, the fact is that every single inch of wood just isn’t usable. Though the shop guys are very cognizant of using each piece of lumber to its fullest potential, there are sap stains, splits and other irregularities that need to be cut around. Then each piece needs to be edged, squaring it up, and other trim scraps are added to the pile. Admittedly, it is tough seeing all this beautiful hardwood tossed. Well, not exactly tossed. We do send it to the local landfill, to be ground up with other things like yard waste and used Christmas trees. That mixture is turned into mulch.
As you know, Hardwood Artisans loves our local artists and showing them off. We have a collection of new local artwork in our showrooms and we’d love for all the fans of handmade art to visit our showrooms and check them out:
From top counter-clockwise; Fred Eberhart: Old Rag, Clearing Storm; Barbara Gatterdam: Large Bowl; Lawrence Oliver: Vase in ebonized cherry; Amy Jackson: Hibiscus
Throughout this week we will be posting blogs highlighting about different local artists that we are displaying in our showroom.
Tuesday: Barbara Gatterdam & Fred Eberhart
Wednesday: Amy Jackson & Lawrence Oliver
We’re excited to hear your opinions on their work!
The flagpoles at our new woodshop in Culpeper, VA
At the end of the year 2011 Hardwood Artisans will move its whole woodshop and its employees to our recently purchased new shop space in Culpeper, Virginia. We have spent most of our Hardwood Artisans life in Woodbridge, Virginia building furniture for you, your family members and your friends. We have been expanding over the past ten years at about a rate of about 3%. We are hoping this will continue for years and years to come.
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Ahoy to Hardwood Artisans’ newest featured artist, Betty Ganley! Betty Ganley is a local watercolor painter with wonderful scenes depicting gardens, boating and flowers. In the world of watercolor, her name brings instant recognition. Betty’s many awards showcase her love of the marine scenes of the Chesapeake, the coast of Maine, and Cornwall, England. Her nautical paintings, as well as those of her florals and still life’s have been published in art books featuring todays top water colorists. You can almost hear the waves lapping at the shore and hear the gulls squawking at each other when you gaze at her marina paintings and smell the beautiful flowers when you look at her floral paintings.
Dreaming of Summer in watercolor by Betty Ganley (This painting can be viewed in our Alexandria showroom)
Hardwood Artisans is excited to announce that Lois Gloor, our first original employee, has joined the Susan G. Komen 3-day for the Cure. It’s a 3-day walk billed as the “biggest, boldest event in breast cancer [research] history.”
Lois first became aware that the issue of breast cancer was increasing when one of her long-time customers at Hardwood Artisans was diagnosed with it. And then, her daughter’s future mother-in-law was diagnosed. Lois decided that there needed to be better ways to detect and cure the problem.
Lois's Daughter, the founder of the Gloor Bassler Group
“My daughter asked me to join her team to raise funds for cancer research. Since it involves walking 20 miles per day for three days straight, I’ve started preparing. Hopefully I’ll be ready by the date of the event.”
We’re positive that Lois will do great!
To help Lois get to the donation goal of $2,300 (hopefully more), we will have donation options available at our Lemonade Social. If you can’t make it out on July 16th to our Woodbridge shop, you can call 800-996-3DAY to donate for Lois Gloor over the phone or visit her page to donate online.
We’re excited to have such great opportunities available at our Lemonade Social and can’t wait for July 16th!
For more information about the donation process, you can visit the website at http://www.the3day.org. If you want more details on our Lemonade Social, visit our website.
You may notice a tent set up in the parking lot of our Woodbridge shop during the Lemonade Social this July 16th. Hardwood Artisans will be host to a charity called Friends of Homeless Animals (FOHA) at our Lemonade Social on July 16th. FOHA is a non-profit no-kill animal shelter located in Northern Virginia. They have been providing rehabilitation, rescue, medical care, and adoption services since 1972. FOHA rescues dogs and cats from abusive situations, death row at animal shelters, or from owners who can no longer provide care for their pets. They will have a tent set up in the parking lot of our Woodbridge shop during the Lemonade Social, so you will be able to ask FOHA volunteers questions about their cause.
FOHA’s rescue vehicle is on its last legs and they’re trying to raise money for a new one. They use this vehicle to transport dogs and cats from kill shelters. It’s also the main way they gather food and supplies. This is where we (and you!) come in hand! Hardwood Artisans is hoping to help raise money during our Lemonade Social so FOHA can replace their current transport van. We are going to have a silent auction from 10am to 3pm with two items – a Hillgren Jewelry box and a square Plant Stand.
This is a great opportunity to learn more about volunteering, donations, and possibly about adopting one of the cute animals they have rescued.
Our Marketing Director, Julianne Yurek has been personally involved with FOHA, from participating as a volunteer at some of their events to adopting two dogs from them. We’re really excited to be able to help out and can’t wait to see how much money we raise for their cause!
For more information on FOHA or to look at the rest of the adorable animals they have up for adoption, visit their website at www.foha.org. If you want more details on the Lemonade Social, visit our website http://hardwoodartisans.com/lemonade.asp
I really enjoy designing custom cases for people. I like the customers I work with, and find them all interesting, and I like to get personally invested in projects. If I spent my career just making shiny boxes, I think that would be very boring. Rather, I spend a lot of time getting to know the needs and wants of my customers, and as a result, a lot about the customer themselves.
Cliff and Donna came in to see me this winter. They had just moved back to the area from Alaska, and were in need of a custom wall system to hold a variety of things.
This was all normal stuff at first. Then we discussed scale. Donna showed me the fireplace. It was huge, larger than any fireplace I had personally seen. The room was enormous. The ceilings were very high. The job was now to design an eclectic looking piece that fit the space as well as complimenting the array of objects collected during their many travels.
When Donna told me she wanted a cabinet ten feet tall, twelve feet long, and thirty-two inches deep, I thought she was a bit delusional (sorry Donna-we love you). Once she pulled out her ipad and showed me pictures of the space, I understood the scope of the project. Scale is a driving force to any design, but I find that the space a cabinet sits in also defines the project.
We sat down and walked through all of the ‘this and that’ about what the unit would hold. I really did not know how this would work out. After several hours of AutoCAD, I finally figured out how to do this. Working a design is all good, well, and fine, but you have to execute the task, transport the unit, and get it installed. The sheer size of this job made me re-think how we build cases.
Once the case hit the shop, the lead craftsman and my buddy, Brent, proceeded to question every detail and decision. He always does this. I think he takes a bit too much pleasure doing this, but he is very good, so I really can’t complain too loudly (he’s a little fussy, don’t you know, like most good craftsmen). Due to the depth, he suggested two sets of lights, two in the back and two in the front, to ensure proper illumination.
Brent also suggested adding a top to the crown. This was great for me because I felt the crown was small, relative to the size of the cabinet. I had not come up with a good solution for increasing the scale. This top added a little more mass to the whole effect.
Lastly, Brent wanted to add a second back to the TV area. In today’s world, we don’t need a 32” deep TV cabinet. The “false” back keeps the space from looking cavernous, hides the wire management, and keeps anyone from having to dust way back in the cabinet.
The last problem was the actual execution of installing the cases. I had designed it to come in nine sections – six cases and three platforms. The real problem was that two people could not lift sections of the wall system. The center hutch alone weighed about 250 pounds. They had to strip the cases of all the doors, drawers, shelves, etc. and bring a third man. Oops, looks like I owe someone lunch, again.
The installation took over 12 hours. We had already included things like wire management and vents in the plinth to allow for air flow from the vents we were covering in the floor. The fact that a lot of parts had to be removed added to the time.
I think the overall system turned out just the way I had envisioned. Cliff and Donna have told me that they are pleased with the final results. More important, I had a very pleasant experience getting to know these two lovely people, and I got to solve a problem for them. Like I said, I consider this the best part of the job, and I can’t wait for the next adventure.
Mark Gatterdam
Saturday, June 4th
Join us on Saturday, June 4th for talks on the principles behind the psychology of color, how to choose the right color for your home, where to begin when designing a built-in and the current color trends for the home. There will be wine, drinks and hors d’oeuvres. We hope to see you there!
Location:
Hardwood Artisans – Bradlee Shopping Center
3622 King Street. Alexandria, VA – 703.379.7299
A problem solving built-in design by Hardwood Artisans Alexandria showroom manager Larry Northrop
Event Timeline:
11am: Built-Ins… Where to Begin?
By designer & craftsman Larry Northrop
12pm: The Psychology of Color Selection
By designer Denise Willard
1pm: Envision Color 2011
By color expert Alitia Cross
Event Details:
11am – Built-Ins… Where to Begin?
By designer & craftsman Larry Northrop
Larry Northrop has been in the woodworking business for 40 years. He has designed hundreds of built-ins, from custom kitchens and space saving solutions, all the way to cabinetry and desks in the executive office at the White House. Learn what you should know before you begin, and a few tricks from the trade. Please bring any questions you have. Larry will make time to answer them.
There are all kinds of space saving solutions you can utilize with built ins.
This built-in is a white board, a table, and a Murphy bed!
12pm - The Psychology of Color Selection
By designer Denise Willard
Are you looking to update the colors inside your home this spring, but are overwhelmed by all the choices? Do you want to learn some of the secrets professionals use in selecting just the right colors? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then this talk is for you.
Learn about the principles behind the psychology of color. Learn why red is most often used in dining rooms and blue in bedrooms. Learn how your body reacts to certain hues and how a local design professional uses this knowledge in selecting the right colors for her clients.
How does this room make you feel? Design by Denise Willard.
1pm – Envision Color 2011
By color expert Alitia Cross
Alitia Cross will talk on the current color trends for the home. She has been in the design industry for years and currently represents Benjamin Moore & Co. She is a sales representative for the architectural & design community. There will be time after the talk to answer any paint or color questions.
A special thanks to Benjamin Moore for their talk and sponsoring the event.
If you have any questions prior to the event, call Julianne at 703-643-1044 or e-mail her at Julianne@hardwoodartisans.com
Could this work in your home?
Hardwood Artisans is thrilled to have designer Denise Willard of Décor by Denise scheduled to talk at our Color + Cabinetry event on June 4th. Denise will talk at 12pm in our Alexandria Showroom on the Psychology of Color.
Here are a few details on her talk:
Are you looking to update the colors inside your home this spring, but are overwhelmed by all the choices? Do you get stuck making decisions on which color is most appropriate for each room in your home? Do you want to learn one of the secrets professionals use in selecting just the right colors? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then this seminar is for you.
Come learn about the principles behind the psychology of color. Learn why red is most often used in dining rooms and blue in bedrooms. Learn how your body reacts to certain hues and how a local design professional uses this knowledge in selecting the right colors for her clients.
Design by Décor by Denise. Built-in crafted by Hardwood Artisans
Design by Décor by Denise. Built-in crafted by Hardwood Artisans
About Décor by Denise
Décor by Denise is a full service interior decorating firm located in Vienna, VA. Denise Willard, owner and principal, has over a decade of experience transforming the homes of clients in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Northern Virginia. Denise’s work was recently showcased in the 2011 DC Design House and she was selected as to be included in Home & Design’s 2011 “Top 100 Designers.” Her work has also been showcased on ABC Affiliate, News Channel 8, and has been published in Home & Design Magazine, Washington Home & Garden, The Washingtonian, Elan and The Washington Post. Denise is a regular columnist for Viva Tysons Magazine and is part of the Design Diva team for AskMissA.com, a national lifestyle eMagazine. Denise is the President-Elect for the DC Chapter of the International Furnishings and Design Association (IFDA) and is an active member of the Vienna-Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce.
For more information about the event please click here.
Contact information
Décor by Denise
340 Mill Street, NE, Suite F
Vienna, VA 22180
Blog: www.DreamDesignLive.com
Email: info@decorbydenise.com
Phone: 703-714-7343
A Special Thank You to Benjamin Moore for Sponsoring the Event
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