649 6th

bathroom counter

At the end of my vacation I showed the beginnings of the structure that forms the bathroom counter and sink combo. Drawing inspiration from the expanding Danish bench we got for the living room we wanted to integrate the danish slat idea while working with the cedar sauna references the bathroom is using.

The construction was fairly easy. I used 1/4 inch threaded rods with large washers and lock-nuts to bind 36" 1x6 western cedar slats and 6" spacers together. For the first time ever I also got to break out the forstner (or Forstnerboher, if you will) bits!  They were part of the tools my dad gave me and I had been eager to find an appilcation for them. I needed to drill a wide flat bottom whole to conceal the hardware inside the front fascia board; they worked like a charm in the soft cedar.

I left the front and back slats off to shape the center boards to receive the sink. When done the sink appears to hover 1/8" above the boards...oh the details. I'm very eager to get the brackets up in the bathroom and see what it looks like in place, but that means getting in the last bit of grout and caulk (sigh).

mod lamp

We spent the weekend in PA visiting Michael's family. We had rented a van so that we could pick up a chifferobe he had in storage for WAY to many years.

Much to my surprise Carole had something special for us. Seems she had inherited a Danish modern lamp from her mother. They passed it along to us as a gift.

As I know they are our most loyal blog readers just a quick note to say thanks. You were right, it found the right home.

danish treat

Unexpectedly, we found a deal we couldn't pass up. Visiting friends in Hobart New York a few years back, we became infatuated with a recliner. I'm not sure which came first our decision to go mid century Danish or seeing that chair. We never found one in the right condition until we were pretty "funitured-up".

Walking home the other day we saw a woman selling one in the local flee market. It was in mint condition. The woman thought it was "some sort of cheap lazy boy".  I've been looking at them on ebay and knew that for the price she was asking we could at least resell it for a profit.

...that was until I sat in it. It is the most c o m f o r t a b l e chair ever!

northstar by elmira

I mentioned yesterday that we had finally installed the hood. Having cooked on the Northstar for a couple of weeks now I'm really starting to know it well. Getting the ventilation going yesterday was a huge leap in performance.

I had been sticking away from anything really hot that would produce a lot of smoke until yesterday. With 780 CFM's to draw on we decided it was time take the kitchen through the test course. (and yes the wine is moving away from the big heat source ASAP)

The kitchen was designed to have three zones; food storage and prep, cooking, and cleaning. It's turning out that there's usually two spots in each of those zones. Meaning: feels more like a professional kitchen than the pin ball machine most NYC residential kitchens tend to be.

We wanted it to function like an industrial kitchen --we didn't necessarily want it to look like one. We wanted the performance of the big brushed metal behemoths (Viking, Wolf, etc.) in a somehow different package. In the end it came down to two choices the "companion" by aga and the Northstar by Elmira. The aga had two small ovens rather than one big one. As a second range (which is what it's designed for) that would be OK, but as a primary the two small ovens limited performance as some things simply need more room. We talked about the Northstar's minty green color before, now I want to talk a little about how it feels.

We were making mini quiches for a dinner party. I prepped a lot of vegatables and then we baked the small pies in about 25mins. The high heat combined with vacumous venting took cooking to a new level. I have never been able to truely stir fry on any range I've had in the 17 years I lived in New York. Now I can. You can get a pan hot and suck a away the smoke just like the takeout guys! The range has four burners with three different heat ranges. From a simmer to a high heat, precisions controls make it easy to use.

On a side note: when we first got the range we thought that the clock was just a design thing and really didn't work as it had no controls. Once we plugged it in we realized that the controls are actually digital and appear (as if by magic) from behind a seamingly opaque surface. Once the clock was digitally set the analog "design" clock scurried around to position where it continues to give a satisfying click 60 times on the hour as it advanaces to the next minute.

The Stove is great the vent is great. I think the only slight down side to the Elmira is aesthetic and not performance. While it makes me happy each and every time I look at its retro styling, polishing the chrome is a full time endeavor. 

Somewhere in the middle of the quiche prep last night it all came together, the savory smell of the baking pie-lettes, the sizzle and smoke of mushrooms in the wok, the satisfying sound of the air handler, the chopping of the vegatables-- It finally felt like all the pieces were in place..

checking back in

Yes I know, it's been quite a while. For those of you who've been reading the blog for a few years you've probably noticed a pattern. We work like possessed animals for several weeks, night and weekend, posting wildly with tips and commentary of every ilk. Then the factory comes to a screeching halt.

This time it was the kitchen. You will note from the photo it's still far from done. But, as I've been telling people, it's  functionally done. After not having a kitchen for a while it's been really nice to have one at all. Even more, the layout and design is so easy to use it's all I want to do.

There was the all fungus dinner party, and the roasted duck for my birthday. I could go on and on about those meals, but I guess that's for another blog.

There was an added reason as to why no post were coming. I seem to have lost the charger for my camera. That means it's been impossible to document progress. More interestingly though, I think it has actually KEPT us from doing anything. It's come to that, if were not able to document the process why bother.

As you can see in the picture the drawer facings need to be installed, plus the trim around the window, and then there's always the shelving that wraps around just under the soffits and flanks the range hood.

This morning I dug out my old digital camera and charged up that battery. We installed the range hood. Here's hoping this trend sees some momentum.

go green

inertia creeps

uh, yeah, well, hi? anyone still out there? time to put our money where our mouth's been. eww...

Marvel's 30" Refrigerated Drawer -- freezer chest in the basement.

Elmira's Northstar Range and Hood -- Mint Green!

Kliptech's Paperstone Certified -- We're thinking lab tables.

Tomorrow we talk to a cabinet maker about our base units and pick out a stainless steel undermount sink and fixtures. Monday we'll go back to Bettencourt Green Product Supplies in Williamsburg to order the Paperstone and look at cork floor tiles. Shame we didn't know about them before we filled the walls with pink stuff; we'd thought about using recycled denim but couldn't find anyone selling at the retail level.

Soon as the Panasonic Whisperline Ventilation Fan arrives we can mount the venting and start closing up those soffits. Yee-haw!

recovering

We got the cushions back for the three piece couch sectional. The foam is not quite as dense as it needs to be to drape over the springs. Other than that they look pretty good...

yardage

I moved to New York about 16 years ago exactly. Slowly Progressing from the East Village to the South Slope in Brooklyn I've seen a few neighborhoods change. We had been looking for upholstery fabric to redo the three Danish pieces we got on ebay back in the Spring

I had been shopping at places like ABC carpet. Their selection is not nearly what it used to be but their prices remained well... retail. I longed for the days of old musty, saw-dusty smelling fabric dealers on lower Broadway and the lower east side.

It was about the time I realized the American Apparel had replaced my favorite fabric store on Orchard St. that it dawned on me. Manhattan was really no longer that different than the rest of America. A broad array of consumer choices where even the most rarefied material has been homogenized and packaged for easy digestion

What Manhattan represented to me 16 years ago is sort of gone. What's replaced it isn't necessarily bad, it's just different. The fabric dealers I long for did not disappear they just moved deeper into the boroughs. I'm not saying that a Dunkin Donuts on every block is a good option but like it or not, walk down 5th Ave from 23rd to Washington Square-- I challenge you to find a shop owner that's not either 1) struggling to hang on or 2) part of a much larger chain that can be found in malls near you.  But I digress...pardon the rant.   

I finally found this guy on Broadway South of Canal. I walked in, he asked me what I wanted. "I'm looking for a canvas or perhaps a wool, very plain for plain cushions." He showed me a few things. Nothing really blew me away. Then he asked me what I was covering. I told him about the pieces and he said, "I have the perfect thing". And he did, it's a Knoll remainder that there was plenty of to do all 11 cushions of the three pieces. Just for a moment it was 1990 again.

more danish lines

For a couple of weeks we have been pretending that work is done and we've moved into the second floor (oh if only that were true). Most of that notion comes from us picking up a bit more Danish modern furniture off of eBay. This time it was a three piece modular couch set containing to straight pieces with arms on opposite ends and one slightly over 90 degree corner piece.

The construction and line works well with the Z chair and the expanding bench. The cushions are vintage. That means that the fabric has seen better days and the foam is disintegrating from within. I'm told that the type of fabric that traditionally covers most mid century Danish is called wool boucle. I've started searching around for it on line but will more than likely end up trekking over to ABC Carpet see some in person.

For the most part the wood is in great condition. It could use a little TLC but all-in-all not that bad. We got it from a dealer out on Long Island. We had paid for it via pay pal. When we showed up no one was home. The pieces were sitting on their front porch under a tarp. Without hesitation we loaded into the truck and drove off. It did belong to us after all.

Finally, the last "moving in" touch on the second floor, I've begun experimenting with screen.  We're considering folding screen to make sculptural blinds for the windows on the first floor. I would like to claim the idea as my own but must give credit to my friend and artist Prudence Gill.She showed me many years ago how wonderful and deeply textured light playing off the aluminum facets can be.