Neighborhoods

It’s surprisingly quiet over here in the industrial area where I’m loft and cat sitting for the month until I take up residency at the Waldorf Hotel—compared to the neighborhood up the hill it’s absolutely peaceful--I was cleaning my old apartment today and took a photo out the window of the young hipster mob filling bags full of clothes at the alley sale—the shopping frenzy, indie hip hop, trucks honking, and the constant roar of traffic on Broadway—these are the sounds of the city I’ve become accustom to—the aural fabric that blankets my day to day life—

This area is primarily industrial and though there is traffic noise it’s muted and more than twenty feet away—quiet really does create space—right now that space is welcome—

Evaluating the Inventory

Moving is really just a massive inventory—itemizing the tangible pieces of life—figuring out what to hold onto and what can be discarded—it’s an evaluation and I’m in the middle of that evaluation process—getting rid of old letters, architectural magazines, tattered clothing that is barely functional as anything other than cleaning rags, the notes I wrote to myself in the distant past and then stuck in drawers to be forgotten—weighing sentimental and emotional value of these items—their true functionality in my life—

When I moved back to Vancouver just over two years ago it was more or less a “clothes on my back” situation so I haven’t accumulated too much stuff—I’ve been fairly careful about the amount and the importance of things I’ve brought into my life—balancing necessity and aesthetic beauty with a certain Spartan ideology has worked well for me—still there is the occasional find of a letter or photograph from my past that just has no place in my present life—and that’s what the recycling bin is for

Moving Part 3--stuck in the bathroom--

Okay so maybe lately this blog isn’t addressing my business or the work I do in my shop but try and bear with me—construction techniques are generally boring for anyone who’s not an obsessive carpenter anyway (although we are large in numbers)—before I get too far away from construction talk, however, I am going to post some more photos of the bathroom just because I like it—there’s still more to be done here—the tub needs to be re-enameled, a couple of lighting fixtures need to be installed, and there’s small walnut shelving unit at the shop that needs spar varnish—so along with moving I also have some work to do before I get out of here!

Honestly one of my favorite features of this bathroom are the white hexagon pool tiles on the floor—maybe not easy to clean but damn they look good--

Moving Part 2

There are always logistics to moving and they are invariably complicated no matter how simple the move ought to be—this particular move being temporary in nature presented storage issues—I considered selling some of my furniture but in the end I’m giving some pieces away and a friend is going to furnish her apartment with the rest—I like that it is going to be used and not in some climate controlled concrete storage bunker—

When the sun is visible in the sky (in Vancouver that isn’t often) afternoons in this bedroom are close to perfect—the window becomes a postcard for the beauty of this city--But even when the slate grey skies mask the mountains and blanket the buildings in cold static this room retains warmth --a comfort and peace--it's been a good place to wake up

Moving Part 1

I’m moving in a week and honestly it doesn’t seem real yet—I’ve loved this apartment, this neighborhood, and my life in the two years I’ve spent here—it would be easy for me to stay here but there’s something I need to attend to and it requires more attention than I can afford to give it living here—So June 1^st  I’ll be moving into the Waldorf Hotel for the next few months to work on my project—I have some particular clients I’ll be doing contracts for out of my shop but for the summer my primary focus will be elsewhere—

I took some photos today before I begin packing—I like my "Spartan Modernist" vibe—for the next couple of days I’ll be posting the photos and try to make sense of what I’m doing—despite my certainty that this is what I know I have to do there is a sadness here—

Gotham West Coast

From the west side today Vancouver looked like a Monet's Gotham--

Come the rain...

Knowing When to Stop

I’m repairing and refinishing an old turn of the century oak farmhouse table—normally I don’t do much refinishing but this is for a friend and it’s a cool old hearty table—the problem I have with refinishing is I have trouble knowing when to stop—knowing when the piece is as restored as it ought to be—knowing its aesthetic limitations—there is a point in restoration when the age and natural wear of a piece is balanced with its reconstruction—The charm and warmth of this piece is in its dents and cracks—in the fact that it has been well used and led a difficult but functional life—

When it was brought to me I cleaned and reglued the tenons, removed the pieces of wood slapped on to hold it intact, and then I stripped off the old mottled finish—today I started the reassembly process—just to make sure it would go back together—save for a couple of minor glitches it looks like it’s going to work—its top is sagging a bit but I can straighten that out--

I think for once I stopped at the right moment so this piece retains the wisdom of its hard life—and will be able to bring that aged wisdom into another dining room--

Backsplash

I hadn’t planned on a backsplash with this pedestal sink—originally the tap and faucet were going to come directly from the wainscoting but when they were hooked up the plumber had to cut a large hole to run his pipes and that hole needed to be covered up—so intro solid walnut backsplash!

I played a bit with a more angular shape mirroring the pedestal but it felt like the space needed more fluidity—I started messing around with curves and came up with a wave shape I liked—

I have one more piece for this bathroom I’m assembling at the shop—more black walnut—then a little trim detailing, rehang the modified door, and I’ll be able to post some photos of the finished product!

Spring Cleaning

BEFORE

AFTER

Spring cleaning over Easter weekend makes sense to me—rebirth, renewal, resurrection—all the “re” words—So today I cleaned the shop—I had three projects strewn across the shop space in various stages of completion and the layer of dust on everything was getting thick—

After having a coffee and breakfast wrap this morning I walked down the hill and got busy—I culled the hardwood cut off rack—vacuumed out the table saw and behind all the tools—I even vacuumed the rubber floor mats—as I was doing this I thought about the ways I’ve been cleaning out my life—getting rid of the excess and nonessential aspects to create focus on the fundamentals—spring cleaning is really about having a clear vision of what’s important—getting to basic essentials before summer’s clutter begins—

Now there’s just my apartment and my terribly neglected car—

Unpacking

Black Walnut Moulding I Milled Up

After spending a month or more working on location at couple houses I was able to spend the last two days in the shop—when I am away from the shop for any considerable amount of time I begin to feel detached—spending my days in other people’s homes and acclimating to that environment—adjusting to the character of a certain house and accommodating the personalities contained within it—I know I am just a visitor—I’m a tourist with a working visa and like any traveler there is a sense of relief to come home, even briefly, and unpack—there’s comfort in the familiarity of the shop—the sound of the planer—the smell of varnish—catching up with my neighbors—tending at projects that have been left for far too long—I need this occasionally to reestablish my grounding and focus—to remember who I am and what exactly it is I do—

Monday I pack up again to do the finishing touches on a house that is close to completion—I hope I won’t be away too long