Most of our clients have seen and fallen in love with a particular piece – the lines, the colors, the overall feel of a piece, only to find its out of their budget, or it won’t fit their space.  When this happens, most people will settle on what does work for their space and wallet…but those who know, contact someone to build the piece for them.

This happened awhile back when a client was doing a kitchen renovation and wanted to have an eat-in area.  The space was finite, as they couldn’t do any additions, and all the tables they had seen were simply too big or not to their taste for the space.  Their daughter-in-law grew up down the street from my wife and their grandkids go to the same school as my kids, so their daughter-in-law recommended we get in touch with them.  We met and worked with them to take what they’d seen online and make it something special and unique for them.  The result was a stunning Alder Dining Table with a matte black pedestal.  They loved it and shortly after we delivered it, they contacted us asking about a display shelf for an awkward wall space near the table, above their desk.

This time, we built another fully-customized modern floating shelf unit, based around a single piece they wanted to display.  Our clients are globe-trotters, and as a result have pieces from many different places they love to have out to remind them of their travels, and this shelving unit was to be home to several, along with her cookbook collection.

Again using alder, we sketched and measured and sketched and altered and tweaked until we had the perfect combination of cubbies and shelves for her pieces.  Backed with a gorgeous dark stain, the clear Alder wood pops against her terracotta kitchen walls, and sets the pieces alight and draws the eye.

This project was an engineering, design and construction challenge all rolled up into one gorgeous piece.  How far can the shelves extend without stressing them and bowing or breaking?  How can we insure that it’s fully usable and doesn’t protrude too much into the space?  How do you mount it without creating a giant mess in their spotless kitchen?

After much deliberation, the piece was created and finished with a clear satin coat, and a clear back-panel.  Mounted to their wall using a French cleat, we had it installed and cleaned up in a short amount of time.

The client loved it, and has enjoyed filling the shelves and cubbies with her beloved memorabilia and cookbooks.