tennessee river sun therapy

Wonderful, restful afternoon catching up on some reading while basking in the brilliantly shimmering sun.  During the winter, I appreciate these sunny days to catch up on my much needed sun therapy.  Our currently vacant condo is overlooking Wilson Lake on the Tennessee River (facing due South).

Sustainable Saturday

Another beautiful, warm Saturday in February.  Between the tornadoes and blizards we've had some amazing weather this winter, and this day has been no exception.  This morning I met my buddy David McAffee (McAffee Mechanical) and a couple of his electrician friends at the studio to install the fan and duct work for our new spray room.  In our continuing effort to leave a light environmental footprint, we will soon be using waterborn finishes with no VOC's (volatile organic compounds).  We will certainly be the minority as far as VOC's are concerned.  Hopefully, within a few year's we'll all be there.  This pic is of David installing the exterior louvered exhaust panel.  Sustainable Saturday

It's already friday - and like most friday's we are "finishing"

Gosh, time flies!  We are all in quite a whirlwind getting ready for this next High Point Market.  But it's already Friday again, and as usual, we are applying our hand rubbed tung oil finish to a few pieces. As you can see, we are still thinking about seating and walnut benches.  Many first's here.

new sassafras bench, maple bench, and walnut timber table

   

Here's the last of the pics of the tables we've made recently.

In order is a "bent sassafras" bench, a maple bench with a comfy seat cut out on the end, and a three timber walnut coffee table.

Just finished - maple coffee tables and benches

     

We just finished these beautiful maple coffee tables and benches.  This is not (or maybe it is) your grandma's maple furniture.  Made from locally sourced maple logs, flitch cut thick, keeping the natural edges that were just inside the bark.  If you have no idea what i'm talking about, please touch.  Maple coffee tables and benches.

Maple consoles just finished

We've just haven't worked much maple in the past.  Just recently, we received our flitch cut, natural edge maple lumber back from the kiln.  And what a treat it's been working with this beautiful species.  Although it seems like it might crack just a bit more than some, I couldn't be more pleased with the outcome.  The color is wonderful, but I'm even more impressed with the wild natural edges of this maple furniture.  If you like wood, you've gotta run your hand down the edge of one of these.

     

walnut chairs

  

Chairs and seating have been on the forefront around here.  We've already made several iterations, with more coming.  And, have the parts made for a dining chair version of the walnut chair on the left.  The designer may or may not want to add custom cushions or pillows.

I just did my monthly or so photo shoot and have more interesting pieces too share.  I'll be back with them just as soon as I crank Photoshop up and silhouette a few more.

Beautiful wild cherry tree begins a new adventure

I was so glad to hear from Gayle and Doug Evans when they called several months ago.  They have/had a beautiful old wild cherry tree right behind the house for the 30+ years that they've lived there on Lelia.  We'll have to do a growth ring count, but I'm guessing it's been there a century or longer.  Well, the tree service business is good around here, and this majestic wild cherry tree came down yesterday.  I left my 20' trailer parked in front of the house all day, and around 4:00 Doug called to say the bulk of the trunk was sitting on my trailer in three parts.

I'm going to stop back by next week and help them cut down and remove the bottom 4' of the trunk.  Now all these pieces might look like junk or good land fill, but I'm seeing a few beautiful tables here.  Really looking forward to placing them in the sawmill, and getting started on the next life of this beautiful old wild cherry tree.  Stay tuned.

Some American made, less sustainable in Tupelo

It was really good to see there there continues to be a good bit of mississippi made upholstery in what is / or used to be the Upholstery Capital of the world.  Of course, there were plenty of imports.  But the Mississippi and other US manufacturers continue to have a fairly good presence at this show.

Also as expected, I didn't find much in the sustainable area.  (Note:  I didn't do market research, just walked the 6 huge buildings with my eyes open).  One wonderful exception was at the Shaw Living space.  These guys seem to have been working at recycling for years.  And now all Shaw Living rugs are recycleable at their Evergreen Nylon Recycling facility in Augusta, Ga.  I look forward to learning more about Shaw's sustainable efforts.  Maybe I can even get a tour of their recycling facility next time I'm in the Atlanta area.  (This pic is of the knowledgeable and helpful Shaw reps at the Tupelo Show - standing in front of one of their recycleable Tommy Bahama Rugs).

barge heading to pickwick lock

While traveling on the Natchez Trace Parkway yesterday, I caught this pic of a barge heading to pickwick lock and then who knows.

natchez trace parkway to tupelo

I'm constantly looking for excuses to take the lovely Natchez Trace Parkway.  And the semi-annual Tupelo Furniture show was plenty good enough an excuse for me.  Even with the winter's leafless trunks, it was a wonderful drive.  Almost therapeutic.

Finishing Fridays

Each Friday we try to save at least half a day for finishing.  This allows the first coat of our tung oil blend to set up nicely before applying the additional coats on the following Monday.  Here we have quite a mix of seating and tables, walnut and oak, live edges and straight.  Hoping to get the camera out next week so I can share pics of these new products.  Finishing Fridays.

walnut and cherry slabs back from the kiln

I took this pic this morning of these walnut and cherry slabs that just came back from the kiln.  It's for our February issue of the monoLOG our monthly email newsletter.  If you haven't already, you can sign up for it from our home page.

These 3" and 4" thick walnut and cherry slabs air dried for three and four years before they were ready for the kiln.  It's always a celebration when the truck arrives from the kiln, never know exactly what's inside the rough package.

If you need a custom piece from one of these walnut or cherry slabs, you can see that we might just have a couple available.

Another informative sustainable webinar yesterday

Uh oh.  I'm already behind on one of this year's few resolutions.  It's been over a week since my last blog post! 

Yesterday, again at 1pm was another very informative GreenLeaders class on sustainability, given by the Sustainable Furnishings Council.  This session was on "sourcing green products".  Wonderful information that buyers need to know about thoughtful purchasing of furniture products and various issues related to each.  A few of the topics were: 

Certified wood, plantation grown wood, rapid renewables, recycled content, VOC finishes, Bio cushioning, leather tanning as well as shipping and deforestation concerns and organic textiles.

It is quite interesting that in leather (very much like in purchasing wood) purchasing a locally sourced product resolves several of the primary issues/problems associated with it.  That is, with the BIG exception of the tanning process that's still a big concern.  Bottom line, if you are going to purchase leather, try to make it US leather, rather than the common (and cheap but with MASSIVE issues) Brazilian leather.

Green leaders sustainability webinar

Three minutes until my second (of 6) weekly monday 1pm central webinar training classes given by the Sustainabie Furnishings Council.  Last Monday was my first session.  Jeff Hiller really knows his stuff.  If you are interested in Sustainability in Furniture or furnishings, this course is a must.  They'll be doing it in a one day (all day) session at the next High Point Market in April.  Starting now, gotta go.

Dale Chihuly Exhibit, Las Vegas

The Dale Chihuly exhibit at the Belagio was amazing.  Now I'm going to have to get up to Nashville to see his outdoor exhibit up there.  Here are some pics:

Las Vegas Weather and sun therapy

I think it's taken 30 years of visiting Las Vegas to overlook the obvious negatives and "see the trees" - well there aren't many.  The weather in Las Vegas is amazing.  To have 65 degree days in the middle of January with brilliant blue skies every day makes up for lots.  After spending each morning inside the World Market Center, I had to get outside in the afternoons.  And three days I spend an hour or two each by three of the nicest pools I've seen in a while.  My top pic is the ultra hip Cosmopolitan and the Cosmopolitan pool (top pic).  It was really no contest, but had it been a draw, the poolside ping pong tables would have sinched the deal.  But, just talking Hotel, the Mandarin is the place.  If I can afford it, that's where we'll be staying.  But then again, $39 at Balleys (connected to Paris) is going to be hard to beat.

Christopher Guy in Las Vegas

I took several pics in Vegas, and I'm trying to get caught up and blog a couple more of them today, before it's even older news than it is now (a week later).  So designer Christopher Guy was the headline speaker at this Winter's World Market event.  I happened to walk by, saw the crowd and slide show going with standing room only, so I snuck in and stood for that remaining 20 minutes or so of his presentation.  I think I must have been the only one in the room that didn't know his work intimately.  But then again, I kinda just do my own thing down here.  But, I did leave the presentation quite impressed.  He has kindof a British accent, but lives in Singapore.  He showed a slide of his studio overlooking that very cool, quite new building (in Singapore) - well seems like it's three very tall skyscrapers, with a rooftop oval deck placed over all three.  I've seen this over the top architecture somewhere recently while it was under construction, but obviously it's now completed.  Quite impressive.  Oh gosh, my ADD kicked in and I've taken you right out of Christophers studio, into a building that I'm not sure he had anything to do with.  Sorry about that. 

Oh, one more interesting thing.  At the last High Point Market, we were setting up the day before the show in the A&DC building, and there was a crowd around the computer in the entry.  They were playing some kind of marketing video of Christopher Guy (company).  Very cool, black and white, had a bunch of good looking models, running around hall ways, in and out of rooms, but the really weird part, was near the end they lead a horse!? out of a room, thru the hall.  Really interesting video.  He's gotta have some pro directing this thing.

Ok now, back to the Christopher Guy talk.  Interesting, Enjoyable, Seemed to be a nice guy.  I guess that's it.  If you know more about Christopher Guy, (and I'm pretty sure all you designers do, please share.

Cique de Soleil, Love, Beatles & Las Vegas

For Vegas to be so far down on my list of places to visit (or visit again), it can be tons of fun.  This Cirque de Solel Beatles show was - well - mind blowing.  My best analogy might be an amazing acid trip - or dream.  Obviously the Beatles had it going.  And the combination of Cirque and the cool '60's Beatles vibe was awesome (can't really come up with the word here).  Cirque's creativity - off the charts.  They seem to have smashed to pieces music, dance, circus, and the human spirit, blended it all up, and have come up with what has to be the best show I've experienced.  I was hoping to get a little video from my Iphone, but they were serious about now pics, with security all around.  The pic to the left is of the Beatles' Revolution Bar, just outside the Cirque stage - also very cool.  This show alone is more than enough justification to visit Las Vegas again.  And, that's quite something for a guy that has spent decades despising places like Las Vegas.

Las Vegas Market

The semi annual Las Vegas (Furnishings) Market was last week.  Although I've been to Vegas several times through the years, this was my first peek at their Market. 

To begin with, let me say that I started out with a couple of fairly strong biases.  First of all, I absolutely love High Point (the city) and neighboring Greensboro, High Point (the Market), and Las Vegas has never been anything but a place to exhibit or attend seminars, conferences.  I've never just flown to Vegas for fun, and would be surprised if I ever do.  I don't gamble.  Don't drink anymore.  But surprisingly, there is a good bit even for me to like in Vegas (following blog posts if I can get to them).

The World Market Center is quite impressive.  Three nice new modern buildings, each 10 to 20 (I think??) floors.  And I really like the quite cool, very modern archetecture and general design.  Nice courtyard between the three buildings, and if it ever rained in Vegas (does it??) there are walkways between the buildings.

This World Market Center was conceived, designed and built during the national construction boom.  There were planned several additional buildings, planned for this development, that, at some future date, when things turn around (no time soon is my guess) they could complete the project.

I've always been one that likes to know my options.  And this was the reason for this trip.  Just to scout it out, and see if it's a viable alternative for us to High Point.  My general conclusion - not now, but I won't say never.  The Vegas Market didn't "seem" to have the number of buyers walking the show as High Point.  And, talking with exhibitors, most of the buyers weren't "serious".  Many of them arrived with a priority for the show, but it didn't seem to be furniture.  More in the gambling, gaming, other types of entertainment, perhaps. 

There certainly was a higher percentage of buyers  from the west coast.  Which, at some future date, might be a market that we want to/have the capacity to market to.  But for now, I couldn't be more thrilled with the High Point Market. 

I've got a few pics I'll try to post over the weekend.