Live edge slabs come from full logs sliced into multiple sections and thicknesses.
We used a burled maple with a pretty crazy shape
Once we came up with the design of the metal base we made a scale drawing to make sure the client's vision would be perfectly executed before we started the fabrication.
After the base was welded came the 4 step finish process to achieve a smoked brass finish. The first step was to chrome plate the base.
Second step, to apply the brass finish over the chrome to create a beautiful transparent color.
Final step, applying a satin pre-catalyzed bar top lacquer.
Our client also wanted a dining room console with the brass base to match the dining table base.
Time for delivery. The console was pretty heavy so we assembled the base at the client's home.
Set up complete and the room looked beautiful.
One last pic...
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LEGASPI COURTS DESIGN
3505 w pico blvd
los angeles ca 90019
t: 323 641 0250
Rain on zinc
A custom metal extension table in Downtown finish
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we've made the Hollywood in Silver Metallic
as well as antiqued gold
This year we worked long distance with a couple in Virginia to get the perfect two-tone look on the Hollywood base--a new thing for us. Receiving inspiration pictures really helps understand the look.
First the concept was for the stem to be one color and the base another.
On further consideration we decided a more sophisticated look would be to just highlight the square detail at the bottom of the pedestal stem . This felt more organic and balanced. Next, making samples to go with the chandelier in the dining room.
With the instant communication possible these days it's easy to work out design details instead of the literal months that it took years ago of mailing images and samples back and forth. The base looked amazing.
And the room came out stunning.
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Here's the final product. At first glance it appears like an ordinary bench albeit a bit chunky in proportion--like a Shaker bench that got upsized. But wait, there's more.
Upon further examination it becomes clear this is no ordinary bench, but a two for one fold up of some kind....
Voila, a bench transformed into a complete dining set. Not exactly the finessed Japanese furniture design for tight spaces, but an American, beefed up version of space saving.
Making a template for the custom metal plates we fabricated
Puzzle put together and ready for a distressed wax finish.
And here's the original piece that was brought in...
illustration by: Freepik
]]>Read the L. A. Times article about this "mystery man".
We were asked to create a coffee table as a three dimensional rendition of Zhu's logo.
First we designed the logo to be seen as a top view on the coffee table, but it lacked the dynamic we wanted and finally came up with this rendition.
Everybod loved the design, but rendering something on a cad program is the easy part; making it a functional piece of art is another matter. It was important that the "Z" have be structurally stable so we used 2" solid wood.
Sanded and ready to go into the finishing booth.
The juxtaposition of the earthy vintage Douglas Fir and the minimalist, clean design created a piece that was modern and edgy, while elegant and bespoke
The final product was a perfect representation of Zhu's innovative, clean sound. Love his song Faded.
]]>It started with this inspiration picture--looks innocent enough, some invisible drawers, some drawers, easy peasy.
Challenge 1: Draers being shaped. At first we thought we could use pre made moulding, but of course just like Goldilocks, they were either too big, too small, or too darn ugly to work.
Option one: use some prefab moulding and add the bead moulding that was used on the table, but this made the interior height of the drawer too short for what our client wanted, and the design was looking clunky and contrived.
Option two: Custom make each section of the drawer-- not a small feat considering we don't have a shaper machine or time to order custom router bits.
Success!
an immense amount of work, but well worth it .
Challenge 2: the baseboard. Given the size of the drawers, an appropriately scaled base was necessary, but once again none to be found in the ready made world. We created our own moulding to create the perfect balance.
the winner
runner up
Challenge 3: LED Monster Lighting. Is it because the population age gap that all lighting now is either geriactically runway bright or milleniumally a mere glow? The LCD strip light for the center section felt neon bright instead of nuanced glow for crystal ware so we tucked in behind the drawer box and it produced the perfect, soft lighting for a romantic dinner.
The final product came out beautiful and most importantly correctly proportionate.
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The benches featured n the blog are all built in reclaimed douglas fir that we salvage from mostly homes (1930's or earlier ) throughout the Los Angeles area. The wood is very tight vertical grain from old growth forests along the west coast.
Many of the custom pieces we make are from pictures or drawings our clients give us so most of these projects are one of a kind.
Matching bench and table design provides a more formal feel.
A rift on our classic tapered leg design. This table and bench set was for outdoors made of Ipe wood with an out door powered coat finish.
A fun kitchen setup for a small space . The chairs are made in aluminum and we added metal brackets to enhance the table and bench corners
Nothing more fun than using huge solid reclaimed beams for golf course in the Texas
Organic modern is all the rage and mixing brushed metal and reclaimed wood is a great design statement
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Being used to the seeing default design of grey furniture, linen upholstery and industrial lighting that has become text book retail design, I nearly choked on my churro at the sight of an actual color being unapologetically used in a commercial lobby, and a bright one at that.
The crisp minty green, colorful liquor bottle and crisp glass chandelier at the entrance instantly evoked the attitude of the hotel--innovative, creative and whimsical. No subdued shades of grey upon shades of grey upon (yawn) shades of linen. No burgundy walls with (double yawn) with tufted chesterfield sofas & vintage Parisian club chairs in distressed leather. I was in love and quickly lured in.
The interior did not disappoint. Instead of a grand lobby there were intimate, homey rooms with well designed lighting to encourage relaxing and lounging.
Tart splash of raspberry to keep the mint in line.
The library replete with it's own newspaper.
]]>We mill all the lumber into the correct dimensional sizes so we can fabricate all the parts of the table before assembly. These pieces are for the trestle legs and the supports that will hold the leaf extension tracts.
Once the top and bottom of the leg is build its time to glue up the wood block that will become the pedestal
Every piece of furniture we build requires templates so we can reproduce the same design in the future. The pattern in this picture will be traced onto the wood block and then it's off to the band saw
Each block is hand cut and shaped on the bandsaw.
Looking good
Pipe clamps are the work horse of the shop . It takes around 2 hours for the glue to dry so we can proceed to the next step ... assembling the complete table.
Love the way this solid white oak extension trestle table turned out . Going to be a perfect fit for 1920's spanish style home in Glendale
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The first and often the hardest part is deciding what materials work best for the interior of the space its going in which in this case is a cozy entertainment room with a bar and fire place. We decided to pay a visit to the marble yard because this was the most important element to showcase the coffee table and we found this amazing remnant piece that is a leathered marble.
The client wanted a heavy feeling top so we made 3" thick side with mitered edges so it looked like a huge slap of marble
Once the we picked up the marble the first thing for the wood shop to do was glue it to a plywood substrate and this will both give the top a strong foundation and also what we needed to attache the walnut legs to the top
Solid domestic walnut was selected since it is the perfect compliment for the beautiful coloring of the marble
Our client wanted a solid feel for the wood to balance the thickness of the top so we laminated two pieces of 2" walnut together
Just chunks of wood but soon our carpenters are going to make furniture magic with these pieces
Once the wood is dry its time to create the leg profile which we did with a bandsaw
It's time to assemble the parts , sand and finish with a linseed oil to maintain the most natural look of the walnut as possible
Our client rocked this design, just perfect for his space and I'm sure many hours of entertaining to follow
]]>We started our company in 1989 and custom tables have been the most requested of all the home furnishings products we build. We can honestly say that almost all our tables are one of a kind, customized for the unique interiors of our clients.
These days I would say that more than half of all the furniture pieces we custom build are for clients out of state .
A amazing 80" round solid walnut dining table with a linseed oil finish .
A very heavy, solid 2" think Mahogany dining table for a modern home in Malibu.
A tulip style in white oak. Over the last few years white oak has been the wood of choice for most of our interior designers.
A before pic of a mission style table for the clients Green and Green home in Pasadena
The finished table with a dark walnut top and satin white base.
Industrial table are a blast to make and this is part of a series of bistro table for a pup in Seattle . The top is made with cold rold steel and we used old tractor brakes for the base of the leg.
Zinc will never go out of style and this 60" round distressed and aged top was a perfect fit for the clients mountain retreat.
Urban Modern is the decor djour in L.A. these days since it's not the stark museum modern. It combines sleek lines with warm wood creating a modern vibe that has some warmth for the residential interior.
We used old Hollywood film light stands as the base for these metal top bistro tables
For the classic spanish colonial home built in the 1920's a blend of chic velvet customized chairs and a birds eye maple family heirloom dining table mixed with a hand carved indonesian cabinet ... the perfect L.A. design story
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an I-beam
a piece of 3/4" glass
and a stack of white oak lumber?
Here's a hint. It's modern. It's balanced. It's multi-planed. No Clue? Here are more hints.
The wood becomes a block which is turned.
Answer: an organic, contemporary coffee table design provided by one of our designers.
These three very unique elements organically and ergonomically come together in a harmonious balance of metal, wood and glass.
barn doors beautifully upscaled from Vidalucida.com
There is controversy, however as some plumbers precaution that there must be air flow for the dryer if gas beyond just venting, hence the cheapo "shuttered" doors someone in the 50"s thought was high design. So while the new doors are gorgeous, they should be left open while the dryer is operating, not so gorgeous.
love the bright green! Image from designharmony.com
I have a solution. A stunning solution. LASERS...
We recently transformed old pantry doors into magnificent works of art.
We used the same door frames as the older tracking hardware was much better quality than the new stuff available, and all the leveling was already done. We cut out the middle louvers and replaced them with custom laser cut panels in a waterfall design.
For finishing, we took inspiration from a gilded end table, but two toned the doors using a metallic silver back panel to accentuate the antiqued gold metallic panels.
The transformation was close to miraculous.
Without the backing the laser panel doors would make the perfect laundry doors, designer chic and ventilated. An incredible replacements to these low grade, dust loving, always-off-the-track bifold doors.
Years ago when I remodeled there were no options for these tight spaces, but now I have a dream and I envision doors made out of these Moorish beauties greeting me as I enter the back ktichen door.
Sigh, someday...
]]>Recently a client wanted to make our metal double pedestal table with extensions which we had never done before. Of course it could be done; the table needed to be completed re engineered.
Here's a top view showing the framing system that is usually under our metal tops. This construction wouldn't work for this project. The grid frame wouldn't allow the tracking system for the extensions to go through.
To give us the space we needed we attached a 3/4" plywood sub straight underneath the metal top to provide strength without impeding the tracks.
We found this new technique superior to the old framing system since it avoided having to make small tack welds between the frame and the top and thus eliminated tiny divets on the table surface caused by the heat of the mig weld. Have I lost you yet? The mechanical details don't matter, but what does matter is that by having an engineering challenge on one particular project we found a better, stronger way of constructing all our metal table tops, proving that necessity is indeed the mother of all inventions.
Another first time detail on this table is the designer decided to make the extensions wood to counter the metal top. She knew her client would always use a table cloth when the extensions were in so why make them three times heavier than necessary? Smart thinking!
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#1 Styling
The combination of zinc tops on wood frames has expanded the design choices. The old choices were limited--having an all wood wood table or having a wood and glass combination. Glass tops are limited to having metal bases which tend to be either overly ornate Tuscany via Vegas style or very contemporary. Zinc can be dressed up or dressed down with either wood or metal bases and it can be finished with either a modern high polish or a European aged patina.
The weathered Oak, inlaid zinc and vintage nailheads make this table look as if it came straight out of a wine tasting in Bordeaux
Perfect blend of warm wood and cool metal
This table prefers to spend it's time in the city.
Zinc also adds a fresh material and texture to a room. Particularly in kitchens having wooden cabinetry a zinc table provides visual relief and texture. Our custom zinc island provided a focal point to the kitchen. The sleek, polished surface balanced well against the heavier, earthier styling of the reclaimed wood cabinet.
#2 Durability
Wood has the drawback of being easily scratched and gouged by kids or most likely the men in the family that behave like kids. Glass is forever smothered by a fog of fingerprints, food or dog slobber (my personal case). Zinc does not gouge as easily as wood, and when antiqued leaves no evidence of hand prints. Unlike wood, zinc will never crack or warp or chip like glass. It is non-porous so water rings, etc. will fade and blend over time along with the natural patina that occurs.
Our Viktor table: indestructible zinc a la urban industrial chic!
For you germaphobes, zinc has the benefit of being naturally anti-bacterial, anti-microbial and nonporous. It also cleans with good old fashioned, non toxic soap and water, perfect for the family's kitchen banquette table.
spill and crayola away kids!
We've been using this fabulous new wax to protect further against water rings. It's 100% natural made from only hempseed oil and beeswax. I apply it without gloves and after years of having chapped hands from applying waxes with chemical, my hands are now pianist soft due to Fend Wax. Get some!
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Most of the projects we build these days are one of a kind custom pieces. The urban industrial trend has grown up and become more refined evolving from loft dwelling hipsters to formal dining rooms in custom homes using a sophisticated blend of clean, streamline metal and hardwoods.
This design for Mark Findlay Interiors is an elegant 10ft extension dining table in solid White Oak top paired with a streamline mid century base. Originally, the design had been drawn with a wood base; there was no way a structure this thin could hold the weight on a large extension table; we suggested replicating the base in metal. The fabulous part working with metal is it allows for a design that looks airy and delicate, but can carry the weight of a three hundred pound top.
Fortunately for us one of our main metal supplier is right next door.
The center column needed to be a bit wider than the original wood design so we fabricated scale wood mock-up so we could get the angles and design approved before fabricating the final version.
The frame is made of 2" metal tube to ensure stability and no lateral wobbling. Over building is our motto (sorry delivery guys!)
Now that the top and base have been assembled to make sure everything is level and the extensions working well we can start the finishing process.
Before we added the finish coat to the metal we applied a primer coat.
The top upside down in the spray booth . Our client wanted a simple and low profile leaf extension mechanism so we were able to make the apron 2" which left lots of leg room.
Finished and waiting for our white glove shipping company to pickup.
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Perhaps after all the tumult and vitriole in our country recently, the concept of snuggling with someone you trust and having gentle conversations while sipping wine or tea became even more important than ever before. Unless of course, there are alternate facts that prove me wrong...
This year the award for sweetest custom valentine surprise went to our very own Daniel Kucan, move over Cupid
Daniel decided to make a custom cutting board for his special person using solid walnut and oak in a parquet design.
He used the end grains of the wood which are strong and tight grained, allowing the wood strikes to be absorbed against the board without causing knicks to the knife or gauging the board. Antibacterial for the board and good for the knife blades!
I was the puppy wrangler for the secret photo shoot, and Cozy, the star of the cutting board, was happy to be the center of attention...
]]>R E D
I don’t know man, I didn’t actually read the study, too many words. It was all like “aggression” and “sexual attractiveness” and “high social status” and whatever. Maite likes red, she thinks it’s passionate and spicy. Not gonna lie, red makes me a little nervous. Maybe it’s all the variations: ruby, wine, crimson, cherry, blush, garnet, spilled blood of my vanquished enemies, you know, that sort of thing.
But check out this bad boy:
No denying. That is a red that weaves opulence with a masculine derring-do. (Yeah, I said derring-do. Errol Flyn style, bitches. That's how we roll.)
Or what about this chair and rug:
Maite' says that the red here is like the cool sub-plot of a bad action movie. It's the romantic "will they or won't they" of the two side characters that is way more interesting than the big robots smashing up the city to fight the mutant teenagers.
But you've seen all that before, let's be honest, no broken ground. But take a gander at this chandelier and try to sum it up in a word. You can't.
It's like candy and dancing and a princess who doesn't wait for some daffy prince to rescue her, she does that shit herself. It's a late night hallucination after that last tequila mockingbird you probably shouldn't have drunk quite so fast (Not your fault, your buddy ordered it for you.). It's the swirling skirt of a salsa dancer with a giant boyfriend who just caught you looking, but he ain't mad. It's got a little Christmas ornament in it, and some heat, and enough glimmer to make a disco ball a little jealous.
Or you could just say it's RED. Because red has all that inside of it and doesn't need these long-winded explanations, just like that study (that I still haven't read) didn't need all those words.
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Daniel and I decided we wouldn't let the 75 degree L.A. winter deter us from doing some traditional winter activities. We embraced the challenge of doing something quintessentially chilly amidst the sun and the heat and the parched terrain--building a snowman, albeit a tumbleweed snowman. Of course we would have to make some major substitutions, but as designers who value breaking rules and doing things out of the box we were confident.
The hardest part was the dust and the sweat hiking up hills in Griffith Park searching for the perfect material. Tumbleweeds aren't as easily found as we thought. They seem to prefer rolling across highways and sticking to car grills instead of growing right off a trail in the Hollywood Hills. It took some bushwhacking to harvest the perfect specimens and a few splinters for Daniel (I told him to wear gloves--men). In the end we were sweatier and a bit dustier than we expected, but triumphant!
]]>Years ago I began decorating chandeliers in clients' dining rooms and kitchens for the holidays and found them to be a unique, refreshing and yet utterly practical way to transform a dining room or kitchen. The height and placement of a chandelier is already in a perfect visual plane and when it is festooned with ornaments, garlands, and greenery alongs its lights, it literally commands center stage of the room.
This year, instead of snowflakes, pine cones or fir evergreens which manynative Angeleno have never even seen, I was determined to use locally sourced, indigenous material that we, the drought stricken, sun drenched Angelenos, can relate to.
All I had to do was don sunglasses, sunscreen and clippers and walk the neighborhood.
First, of course, Bougainvillea, the queen of California color. Originally from So. America, these tough thorny vines are at the heart of the taunt "our colors are better than your colors", that west coast gardeners hurl at their east coast counterparts right around this time of year.
Next Toyon, which is a California native which birds love to feast on and provide us some traditional red color for the holidays. I removed some leaves to give the branches a more ethereal feel.
I also cut some Satsuma Mandarins for their fruity ornaments and leaves to provide some classic greenery and texture as well as succulents and orange hyacinth.
I knew the ornaments would reflect at night with the lights on, but was even more pleasantly surprised how the llglass ornaments glowed and the sparkles caught the natural light during the day.
Battery powered dew drop lights are the greatest Christmas innovation since snow! and made the chandelier look celestial when the bulbs weren't on.
I love the way this chandelier design came out and can't wait for February to start my Valentines Chandelier.
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We Angelenos try to embrace the season and our beloved outdoor malls like the Americana are decorated to the hilt, but notice the tee shirt and shorts as the gigantic Christmas tree is loaded in.
Is it supposed to welcome someone to your garden? Is it merely a giant testament to your wealth and privilege (and lack of taste)?
My head hurts. So here's some that I found in the hood that got me thinking.
This big ole guy is kinda foreboding. I like the shape and the material, but it's so solid that it doesn't feel very welcoming, which is probably the point. I do like the little Judas trap though, and the hammered wood is cool. No doubt these guys are a week away from having their copper mailbox stolen and sold for scrap, copper is a bundle these days...
This gate is so ugly that it makes me want to punch a kitten.
In the face.
Is it the brass doorknob on the faux wrought iron? Is it the because of the beige paint that looks like Satan's sallow complexion after a weekend bender? Or maybe it's the wagon wheel ovals under that cheap arch. Hard to say. But taken altogether this is a truly good example of terrible design. It's also on a big house in Glendale that's gotta be 3 million dollars. So, you know, at least it was expensive.
Good thing they dressed it up with a very attractive garden hose...
This gate is good looking. It's relatively understated, on a Spanish revival house that they have modernized a little bit to really good effect. It's a metal frame with tongue in groove slats. The cutouts on top are in steel as part of the substructure.
Here's a big antique (probably Indian) door on a Spanish revival house. These repurposed doors were huge a few years ago. This one is proportioned just right for the house but is maybe a little busy. I'm buying it though, I think the global vibe of the two ethnic styles is working.
I have to build three garden gates. They aren't super secure, although they will lock, and should be more cottagey than anything else. I want them to have arches and be of similar design but not exactly the same because they are all different sizes. Maite' and I will draw up some ideas and I'll post em as I get closer to building.
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So often when working with clients we’ll be thumbing through fabric books and suddenly they will stop at a certain print that literally makes them freeze. “I love this!” they’ll exclaimed, invariably followed by “ or is it too much?” Their expressions quickly turn from wonder to worried. When I confirm their bold taste as an excellent choice, they nervously bite their lips and mutter “maybe just for a pillow…” as they sigh and deflatedly reach for the swatch book of solid cotton linens.
If you are a print person, but are worried about how it will look, follow these tips:
ACCENT CHAIR
Use a print on an accent chair or better yet, a pair. This will create a bold, personal local and strong focal point while remaining contained and balanced with the rest of the room. Here’s our Bronson chair in a classic black velvet --classic, lovely, safe.
Here’s our Bronson chair that a sharp eyed designer turned into an individual expression of her client’s personality—BRAVA!
Use your favorite print on the host chairs where you can really use bold colors and prints without fear since the large volume surface of the table will provide a good neutral mass to balance any vibrant choices as will side chairs in a solid fabric.
AREA RUGS
Rugs provide a fantastic surface space for large and vibrant colors which will again be balanced by a solid sofa and coffee table. Remember the display rug that is hanging like a piece of art (and many are!) is not how it will be experienced in an actual setting.
GOOD DESIGNER
Designers that enjoy working with prints usually have a lot of experience and talent for color harmony and balance, along with a strong artistic nature. They’ll keep you from making major mistakes.
Finally to all lovers of print I offer Mondo Guerra from Project Runway as your inspiration for all things print. He is one of the all time favorites, won the All Stars Season and is having a successful career. As a contestant his fabric choices seemed downright psycho in terms of the mixture of prints and bold color swatches he announced he would be pairing together, but once seen on the runway his designs were exquisitely individual and bold, as well as intelligent, sophisticated and fashion forward. He had the ability to mix prints others couldn’t because his talent and skill and belief in his own aesthetics. You have that too!
Remember, it’s only fabric, it can be reupholstered. To the closeted print lovers I say try a fabric you’re wild about, and I guarantee you that not only will it be your favorite piece, but your guests will gush over your unique and inspiring home. No mass appeal furniture catalogue can do that…
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