I really love my job, and I think the best part of it is getting to meet so many incredible locals, whether they've been here all their lives or just moved into town. (We seem to be getting a lot of people moving down here from Chicago lately.) And now that we've set up our separate brand as professional picture hangers near Asheville, we also get to "meet" a lot of wonderful art collections. Last week we worked with a delightful couple who had a large collection including some great pieces from local painters, like this one of guinea hens by the artist known as Cornbread. On the right is another piece made by an autistic child at a special-needs school. He says it's his experience of the sky at night. It's really bold in person! The couple was downsizing to a smaller space, which is why they called us in to hang their collection. (It can feel overwhelming to place and hang a lot of pictures when you're just moving in!) This colorful still life is by a Puerto Rican artist and definitely brings a tropical vibe. It's the first thing you see when you walk into the home, and it really sets the tone. One of the challenges of relocating a collection is finding a home for the larger pieces. The couple was actually planning to sell this large Masai textile, even though they loved it, because they couldn't find a wall for it. Fortunately our in-house Asheville art consultant (my wife Faith, who is a trained artist) spotted the perfect place for this piece. Look how well it coordinates with the chair! And the little red bits were really set off by the red pillow on the bed. We also mounted a Kingfisher sculpture for them, with a little help from their kitty. This is just a small sample of their collection. I really enjoy seeing how other people choose and live with art. This pair of pieces was particularly nice. The one on the right is a set of etchings of the ancient cave paintings at Lascaux. We found the perfect spot for it on this wall in their dining room. I like how they chose to mount it on transparent glass, so the wall color shows through. Hanging big pictures like this can be trickier than it sounds, especially if they're mounted using D-rings as this one was. Fortunately we have a system for putting each picture hanger at just the right height. And after we hung 93 pieces, the house suddenly feels like a home! If you'd like some help hanging your favorite artwork, take a look at our new sister brand, Asheville Art Installers: We offer a white-glove installation service to ensure that each piece is safely and beautifully mounted... so you can relax and let us do the work.
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As always, the first thing I asked to see was his portfolio of work, and I was truly impressed. Check out this before-and-after of a big farmhouse kitchen renovation he recently did. The before was "okay" but really dated... But the "after" was incredible! There were too many good pictures to choose from, so here are several. We'll start with a wide-angle view: As you can see, lots of things were relocated, including the fridge. Check out the meticulous trim work on the cabinets and range hood. And the dated old wallpaper has disappeared - either removed or well painted over. He also does decks, like this mahogany beauty with all of the fasteners hidden: And dig the trim work on this staircase! Really nice. He has an aesthetic sense for good proportions which makes the difference between "so-so" and "outstanding" trim carpentry. Of course, we did our due diligence as we always do before we add someone to our network. His references from former clients were glowing. In particular, they mentioned his great communication skills, and the way he always left the job site clean after each day of work. (That's really important in a kitchen reno!)
Sam rounds out our amazing team of local Asheville trim carpenters, and I think his kitchen remodel is one of the most meticulous I've seen around here. I'm really proud to be working with such a great network of people. So if you've got a deck or kitchen project that needs a thorough and experienced craftsman, please get in touch with us. We'll put you in touch with the right person for the job. Sometimes you have a vision for a centerpiece in your home that can't be accomplished with out-of-the-box cabinets from the hardware store. When that happens you might think of having custom cabinets made. But custom can be expensive, so here's a trick to save money: ask about semi-custom cabinets. Today I'll show you an example of a semi-custom job and how well it turned out. It started with a phone call from local interior designer Liz Hackett. One of her clients, a couple living in West Asheville, loves to entertain and wanted to create a cocktail bar in their dining room. After meeting to look at the space and review the project budget, we determined that a semi-custom project would be the best choice. We started with these cabinets from Lowes... ...and then carefully considered them from all angles. They were very plain on the sides, and would look odd sticking out into the room like that, so we suggested adding end panels. Liz also wanted to incorporate a mini-fridge, so we designed an end panel to surround the fridge, too. Once the cabinet arrived at our workshop, we got busy building and attaching the panels. We also sourced custom pull-out drawers to make it easier to access the items in the cabinets. This is another advantage of semi-custom: the pull-outs wouldn't have worked in the stock cabinets. We had to add interior supports to attach them to. When we stepped back and snapped a photo, it looked a lot like our original drawing. (Except for the countertop, which was installed by another company.) Liz's clients were thrilled with the way it turned out, and tagged us in their story on Instagram. There are times when semi-custom cabinets won't work well. If the cabinet will be fit into a niche, it really does need to be custom built for the space, like on this project: Semi-custom works best when the cabinet will be free-standing, like a kitchen island... ...or placed up against the wall with three sides visible, like the dry bar we just showed off.
So if you've got a "custom" cabinet project, it may be possible to save a little on cost by doing a "semi custom" installation. All you have to do is click the big orange button and contact us to find out. This is one of those rewarding projects that brings a big return on a small investment. Many new homes in Asheville are built with places for shelving, but since since the builders are trying to stay on budget, the shelves are left out and the homeowner has to install them later. This is especially common in pantries and closets... or in this case, in the niches around the fireplace in my customer's living room. These little nooks were even more awkward than usual, because one nook was deeper and wider than the other, so the homeowner couldn't just pick out a matching pair of credenzas. We worked together to come up with a plan to install semi-floating shelves on each side, and by making the shelves the same height and thickness, we were able to create a sense of visual unity. Here's our "proof of concept" sketch. You may notice that there aren't any shelves on the lower right. The homeowner wanted a place to keep her daughter's large toys, and since she was considering selling the home in the future, she also wanted to leave a place for the next occupant to install a large TV. Once we had the size and spacing of the shelving worked out, I went to work behind the scenes in my shop. The new shelves were painted to match the trim around the existing fireplace, so they looked like a natural extension of what was already there. Even without books and accessories, the niches around the fireplaces have a much more unified look. If you've got an awkward empty space that is crying out for cabinets or shelves, give us a call. We'll put in the pieces that the builder left out.
I don't have any "before" photos of this project, but I thought you might enjoy it all the same. I recently got a call from someone who needed a really simple closet upgrade. He just wanted to divide their closet into two parts: one side with a single hanging rod, and the other side with a double rod. At the top he wanted a very short shelf for his wife's purses. I made a divider and shelf in my workshop, and also cut the closet rods to length. He had me install the divider off to one side because they didn't have a lot of long clothes to hang up. As usual, I used cabinet-grade plywood with solid wood edging, which gives it more durability than the usual particle-board systems you get from big hardware stores. While I was there, he had me build a custom cat condo similar to the one I've already featured on here. It's enclosed in hardware cloth to keep Kitty inside while still giving him access to fresh air and sunshine. I was too busy to take pictures, but soon afterward I got this by text: The cat condo was kitty-approved! My client and I got along so well that I'm coming back soon to install a semi-custom kitchen island. The color is still to be determined, but here's our initial drawing. To keep costs down, we're using pre-made Shaker cabinets, and I'll be installing Shaker-style paneling on the back. I'll also be modifying the cabinets to allow a recessed kick all the way around, which will make it more comfortable to use.
If you'd like to see more of our custom and semi-custom cabinet work, check out our sister site at Artisan Built-ins. Or just give us a call for a free estimate. We're always glad to chat! |
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