Roughhauser Design and Build, LLC

04/10/2012

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/home_blog/2012/03/salvaged-wood-furniture.html

10/27/2011

10/25/2011

How well do you know the objects that were in your room as a child? While trying to get to sleep, how many hours did you spend considering the marks on your ceiling, walls or objects in your room? This bookshelf was designed with those valuable hours in mind. The live-edges, contrasting wood grains and colors bring the gentle complexity of nature into the child's bedroom. The puzzle-like joinery provides the human-element of wonder to this piece.

10/24/2011

10/24/2011

One of the struggles of living in NYC, especially when young in your career, is that space is limited. Rooms play many roles: "This is my bedroom/library/den/office/kitchen/bathroom. And here's my closet" As a builder in NYC, this presents a fun challenge of building pieces that fit, enhance and maybe take some of the sting out of such situations while also being versatile enough to fit into future living situations. This bookshelf is a good example of one such piece, as it was designed to fit exactly on a metal filing cabinet, but you can imagine it in a future library surrounded by other, similar pieces.

Another cool feature of this bookshelf is that it is left completely unfinished. The client did not want any chemicals on the wood, and leaving it natural also makes it more versatile for other living situations. Over time, the tannins in the white oak will react with the environment and its color will deepen into that beautiful tan/brown so characteristic of white oak. I look forward to seeing this process.

The burl (irregular grained wood that is really beautiful) in this piece was selected to match the client's curly hair.

10/24/2011

The client wanted a new look for her kitchen because she'd grown tired of the old cabinet doors after 25 years. So, I came and took the old cabinet doors but left the cabinets and hinges behind, both of which were in good shape.

When I was making the cabinets, the most experienced woodworker in my shared shop saw me making the cut-outs for the hinges and said, "Nice hinges." Of course, the hinges were still at the client's home in Westchester. When I relayed this to her, she decided to clean-up these tarnished hinges, and the black tarnish came off to reveal solid bronze hinges. This worked out because she had purchased solid bronze doorknobs for the new cabinet doors.

10/24/2011

It's not surprising, as I sit down and think what to write about the work I recently completed, that two people asked me to build them shelves in May. Spring does this to us. Spring creates in us an impulse to reorder. Perhaps the trees, now so full of perfectly orded leaves, inspire us to fill our walls and homes with little books, figurines, and other things we've picked up along the way. Maybe having these things on display make us feel alive.

I look forward to the feelings the Summer brings. I imagine a couple on their NYC rooftop, enjoying the sunset, breeze and each other in two lounge chairs made by me. I also think of a group of friends gathered around a picnic table in some backyard, enjoying the weather, good food and company.

10/24/2011

10/24/2011

This client just bought a place and leaving the world of the renting, and having invested in a home that suited her, she decided to chose furniture that suits her, as well. The first piece she asked me to build was the catbox that you see in the last photo. This box fits perfectly and hides the plastic the liter box the cat is used to.

The pictures of the maple table were take at Tompkins Square Park en route to the delivering it. It was nice to have one of my pieces out in public. Two people stopped and might commission me to do work, and one person warned the person who was with me deliverying the pieces and taking pictures not to take it because it might have bed bugs. She assurred her that the piece was bedbug-free, as I'd just made it. I assurred her that the piece was impervious to bed bugs. This is, of course, a complete lie but would be a pretty good marketing tactic. What am I talking about? What have I become?

The maple was a pleasure to turn after the resinful heartpine. The walnut drawer is edged with maple, and creates a nice contrast.

10/24/2011

The wood was sourced from a building in NYC that was a landmark building damaged during the construction of an adjacent building. This is made from 5.5" beams from that building, and the lumber yard that supplied the wood said it was some of the densist and most resiny heart pine they'd seen. I turned the English Tavern-Style legs on a lathe at my woodshop. This was finished with a durable but handsome hard oil and wax that is safe for use on children's toys.

10/24/2011

This table was designed to fit an entrance area just inside the client's apartment. The client requested that the table be both elegant and feminine. We dialogued about a few of the drawings and pictures I sent her. The light design was a nice contrast with the strength of the heart pine, and this piece was a real plessure to build!

10/24/2011

Made of the scrap patina of the lumber for the picnic table, this colorful, rustic desk now resides in my room. I was without any of my own work, so I spent some time making this little desk for myself, as there is a trend amongst craftspeople that I'm trying not to be a part of. The Romanian carpenter who I worked under referred to himslef as a "shoeless cobbler." With almost 40 years of woodworking experience, one would expect his home to be full of beautiful creations, slowly built by him over the years, not according to shop drawings, but just as he pleased. However, this isn't the case, and he said his home does not have anything he built, except maybe a cutting board or two. Having spoken with other craftspeople, he is not alone. I can think of a few reasons for this trend, and I'll spend more time pondering it. But for the time being, I wanted to build myself a little thing of wood that I think is beautiful.