Entertainment Center

Old decisions and new technology are the basic factors for this entertainment center I coincidentally ran into just after creating this blog.  The clients Anne and Braude are new friends, fellow potent little people; and upon visiting their place for the first time, a situation they had came to surface.  Braude said he was thinking of getting a new television but was not so keen on ditching his current furniture to accommodate a sleek, much larger flat panel.  While giving up the mildly sentimental furniture was not totally out of the picture, it was the purchasing of new, equally crafted pieces that seemed unreasonable.

Upon hearing this dilemma I stepped in and offered my two cents.  I suggested expanding the current cabinet in lieu of new furniture, a quick simple move eliminating waste, saving money, and preserving sentiment.  Though initially quite shocked that this was possible, I assured them it was.  There the project started; I explained the basic idea, and how the new work would require less than a day of the television cabinet being out of commission and off I went.

The resulting solution adds 12” to the overall width to accommodate the television and makes existing storage more useful.  New shelves were made from red oak veneer plywood that matches the existing cabinet and Douglas Fir support beams spanning the width of the cabinet.  Spacer boxes were made for the upper and lower portions of the cabinet and perform double duty by anchoring the addition high and low but also conceal attachment to the existing cabinet.  All parts were made and prepared off-site as to minimize the disturbance of the living space, i.e. letting oil stain fully cure and off-gas.

Matching the original stain would have been time consuming and near impossible to perfect, so I opted for a contrasting white stain.  This change in color easily identifies all the new pieces involved in giving the cabinet its second life.  Another added benefit to the unit is that it now has the ability to break down into parts and move much easier, a complaint from the owners.

Since I choose not to own television of my own, I live vicariously through people who do, I am without a doubt doubly motivated for this project as I may have a chance to spend some time in its presence in the future.  As an added bonus Anne and Braude were pleasantly surprised but ultimatley thrilled with the final result.  The reality and detailing of the finished cabinet was much more than they had imagined, the effect thoughtful design should have.


Once I get a chance to snap some finish photos I will get them up here.  For now the model is an accurate depiction of the built project.

December Update: Funemployment

This blog has been dormant and slow to start,  but it just so happened that about two weeks after the birth of In A Spot, I was laid-off and found myself in quite the spot.  As I looked for jobs, I quickly realized prospects were dim and not improving.  It was time to move in the direction of self-employment, and so real life took precedent over the blog.

The storm has calmed down a bit thankfully, and I have been able to reflect on the direction I would like to head.  After much thought I turned to the blog, which represents my core values, and decided that pointing my professional life in a similar direction would be a smart move.  The basic principals: thoughtful appropriate design, care for handmade goods, and the desire to help as many people as possible will still remain pinnacle as I move forward.

Fate seemed to be in place as I received two small repurposing jobs within a couple weeks of being laid-off, and most recently an addition for an expanding family here in Seattle, more on these later.  These few projects combined with an abundance of free time, I found myself developing a more solid plan, and getting real.  This means, acquiring a workshop space and equipping it from scratch, allotting myself the funds to do so, developing a business strategy, and most of all making myself known.  All these things are completely new endeavors for me, with the exception of knowing what equipment I’ll need, a minor detail among the list.

This time off has allowed be to reevaluate In A Spot, more specifically, its ability to support a career while still providing visitors (hopefully followers) with the innovative solutions they are looking for.  This is where a slight tweak in the blog’s trajectory comes in; I would like to open up the possibility for commissions via the blog, to which I welcome any and all projects you may have.  None are too small or complex; the challenge is the fuel I run on.

ps.  the graphic is hand-drafted with pencil on strathmore, scanned and then colored in photoshop.

CD Display Unit

Album art is wonderful to look at right?  My girlfriend and I think so, and we were bothered by the fact that most physical albums, vinyl and CD, are reduced to indistinguishably small slivers in most standard storage devices.  Vinyl gets a some cover art attention with the frames being offered by the likes of Urban Outfitters, but what about all that art on the front of CD's?

It was time to expose the art and do it effectively.  After hashing out a few design ideas it came down to utilizing some easily found materials, museum board and hemp cord, each easily found at any art store.  The result is a minimal system that adapts to fit your needs, but also packs up nicely for people on the move.

As I develop instructions for making the display units you can take a look at some of these photos to get a sense of what is to come.

Cut hemp cord for 10 storage columns, each holding 10 discs.

Assembled columns in their relaxed position, and they bunch up much smaller than shown.

Side view of installed units.

Underside view of the CD platforms.  Lots of knots.

Completed installation waiting to show a 100 album covers the light of day.

Finally, the filled display unit.

Filling the unit is where the fun comes in.  We were able to arrange the discs by a color gradient blue to orange, check out the stop motion of the disc placement here.  Your options with organization are limitless; eventually the columns became dedicated to new releases, favorites, and specific genres.  Best part is that switching albums in and out is quick and easy.

Stay tuned for instructions and details.

The Introduction

The art of making something useful beautiful thrills me. Even the most mundane item can benefit from some clear thinking and experimentation.

Enter me, a curiosity stricken meddler in all things physical, raised a carpenter, trained in architecture, and enthralled by the act of creating and building, the opportunities to explore are endless. As I step into the world of blogs and digital self-expression I hope to preserve the homemade, hand-crafted qualities I have come to value. Even though it took some convincing, I thought it was time to share my ideas with a larger audience, as an effort to foster new, more ambitious creations for myself and hopefully inspire others in the process.

So for those of us with unusual, tight, awkward, or excessive space issues I present projects to help out if you ever find yourself "In A Spot". I will highlight some projects for this first post that I hope to elaborate on in the future. And by elaborate I mean how-to instructions, design background,sketches, photos, and full resource disclosure. Down the road I see this as a useful, tangible resource not an eye-candy blog.  Although the goal is to make beautiful objects, the purpose is to get your fingers off the keys and into the built world.

Here are some preview images...I hope you are curious to create, enjoy.

Wall mounted CD storage:  Detail

Media storage unit

Adjustable corded light holder

Collapsible desk w/movable shelf units

Large map/poster wall hanging system