Can you believe it’s October already?! We’ve been busy bees here at the shop; getting ready for Christmas, stocking up on antique treasures, and as always we’ve been working away on a variety of custom pieces.

Lately we’ve had a lot of requests for pieces built in walnut. Walnut is a great choice for furniture or cabinetry because it’s very durable and has an attractive grain. With proper care, walnut pieces can last many lifetimes.

This entertainment armoire is made of a birch surround with plywood walnut doors (we always always trim our plywood with real solid wood for longevity). The birch is painted a creamy white, the doors were left natural and have been treated with oil. This piece really showcases the beauty of walnut. The simple contemporary lines draw attention to the textures and colour of the natural wood doors and drawers. To keep with the linear and contemporary feel of the design, the vertical wood grain of the doors continues into the drawers.

Because of its durability, walnut is a great choice for any high-usage piece of furniture. We made this custom walnut island and gave it a dark walnut coloured stain. The perimeter of the surface has been embellished with a subtle hand-painted design.

Down below there is a slatted shelf for open storage and “hidden” drawers just underneath the top surface for place-mats and napkins. In collaboration with our customer, the legs were reproduced from an antique newel post, and were hand-turned on a lathe by our amazing woodworker. We feel this design and choice of rich wood perfectly suit the William Morris aesthetic of this Halifax kitchen. What do you think?

Recently, we had the pleasure of working with the young couple who own this beautiful home in Kentville N.S. The house is a charmer- built in the late 1800’s, it is filled with character! We love the look and feel of older homes, but often they need some updating. In this case it was the awkward and dark 70’s kitchen remodel that needed to be completely gutted. As always, henhouse was up to the challenge!

click on any of the images to see them in full-size

A challenge indeed! Before the reno the kitchen had very limited storage and work space, not a lot of natural light, and it had five doorways and two large windows to reckon with. Our designer Sappho worked with the family to come up with some great storage solutions, lighting and colour schemes and a flooring option that would blend in well with the history of this house.

To create more storage, Sappho created a tall pantry unit and placed it where the old stove once lived. A window and a doorway were closed up to accommodate the new placement of the fridge, stove, and surrounding cabinetry.

Its all in the details isn’t it?! Above and below, custom inserts for cutlery and spices, garbage and recycling and a concealed dishwasher panel next to the sink.