This piece is a James Krenov inspired Cabinet on Stand. Krenov (Oct 1921 - Sept 2009), the son of Russian aristocrats, was arguably one of the most influential woodworkers of the late 20th century. He traveled between Asia and the United States in his youth and finally settled in Sweden where he honed his woodworking skills. Krenov eventually moved to the United States in 1981 where he taught woodworking at the College of the Redwoods in Fort Bragg, California until his retirement in 2002. He passed away in September 2009 - he was 88 years old.

Krenov was known for his use of common materials and highly figured woods which often contained varied colorations. It’s been said that he wasn’t exactly against the use of power tools – but he often relied on hand tools and preferred simplicity in his work

He is probably known best for use of the Cabinet on Stand furniture form and he produced many pieces using this concept. His furniture typically consisted of differing materials and was often diminutive in size (some say this was because Krenov himself was slight in stature and his use of hand tools limited pieces to manageable dimensions).

"It’s not that I had a message that was outstanding or unique or anything like that. I just expressed the feelings that a great number of people had - Live the life that you want to live. Don’t be unhappy in your work.” James Krenov, Cabinetmaker

Bombe Chest

Bombe chests originated during the French Regency period of the early 1700’s. The side to side and top to bottom double-serpentine curvature of this chest is taken from the French verb bomber, meaning to bulge. These pieces would have been costly to make, rare in their own time and surviving pieces are valued today.

During the second half of the 18th century the bombe style had arrived in Colonial America, but with much less ornamentation than earlier European designs.

Most bombe style furniture made in America came from Massachusetts in general and Boston in particular. The form
in America was sometimes described as kettle-based or kettle front. However, by
any name it was a costly piece of furniture.

This Bombe chest includes hand-antiqued brass griffin bail pulls, a harlequin
patterned inlay of Jarrah and Mahogany surrounding the top edge of the case and
cabriole legs instead of the traditional ball and claw configuration.

Plans can be found on the Project Plans & Notes page

Material: Mahogany, Maple, Birch and Jarrah

Size: 38”w x 32”h x 20”d

Finish: Varnish

Dining Table and Chairs

Material: Jarrah with Ebony detailing

Size: 84”l x 40”w x 30”h

Finish: Varnish

This trestle table and chairs are made in the Craftsman style. Born out of the Great Britain's Arts and Crafts furniture movement of the late 19th century, American Craftsman (or simply Craftsman) furniture is exemplified by strong, clean lines, simplicity of form, and usually emphasizes exposed joinery further enhancing the beauty of the material being used. In addition, the elements of Craftsman style furniture are generally thicker and larger than those of the Arts and Crafts style, as evidenced by the trestle legs supporting the table top.

The table can be fully disassembled - the bottom stretcher being secured to the trestle legs with a tusk tenon which is securely wedged into a thru mortise (both are elements common to Craftsman furniture)

Figured Maple (often referred to as Tiger Maple) was utilized on the front and side rails of the Hallway Table and the drawer fronts of the Writing Desk to add visual interest to the each of the pieces. A dye was used on the Hallway Table to better “pop” the grain and further emphasize the striations of the Tiger Maple. The Writing Desk incorporates a “hidden” drawer within the left-hand drawer pocket as a place to store one’s “secrets”

Hallway Table

Material: Cherry, hand-cut and book-matched Cherry veneer & Tiger Maple

Size: 48”w x 15”d x 32”h

Finish: Danish oil, dye and lacquer

Writing Desk

Material: Maple, Tiger Maple & Jotoba

Size: 40”w x 23”d x 30”h

Finish: Varnish

Material: Jarrah, book-matched Jarrah veneer & Ebony detailing

Size:

End Table: 22”w x 27”d x 23”h

Coffee Table: 47”w x 22”d x 18”h

Finish: Varnish

Tansu Style Coffee and End Table

The coffee and end table are a blend of Craftsman and Japanese Tansu influences. Tansu literally means “container” or “chest” and are intended to be portable. Tansu design elements embrace simplicity, minimalism and strong straight lines. There are usually no “legs” to speak of with furniture instead lying flat on the flooring surface. One can see how seamlessly these elements are blended with American Craftsman design sensitives.

Chest of Drawers, Dresser and Nightstand

These three pieces make up a portion of a bedroom set and are constructed in the Shaker style. Shaker furniture emphasizes simplicity and function over ornamentation. Rather than tapered feet at the base of each cabinet, which is typical of Shaker furniture, a plinth base was instead utilized to elevate the overall design aesthetic. Cherry is often the material of choice for Shaker style furniture and so was the case with these pieces.

Material: Cherry

Size:

Chest: 37”w x 18”d x 51”h

Dresser: 63”w x 18”w x 31”h

Nightstand: 25”w x 17”d x 26”h

Finish: Danish oil and varnish