You may recall that a certian house flipper who will remain nameless screwed up the plumbing job in our upstairs bathroom. That meant that he had to re-route the toilet vent through the downstairs ceiling, meaning that he had to cut an access panel in the wall he had just crudely built. He decided to make lemonade and create a lovely little hutch area - without a hutch. So we can just call it a chunk out of the wall.
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| Nook on move-in day. Note that Flipper did put lighting in there to make it seem less, well, ghetto. We painted the dining room, plunked a piece of really terrible furniture that my parents had kicking around in there, and called it a day. Lather, rinse, repeat for about two years. |
Until one day when my parents came for dinner. My Dad was CONVINCED that he could build something custom to fit in the space and to give us more storage. He took copious measurements and spent massive amounts of his own time (and some of Chris', too) building us the most incredibly detailed, meticulous cabinet I've ever seen. It makes me a little teary eyed to see it every day, honestly...this house is really shaping up around us. When he started this project (remember?), he kept saying that it would fit so well that we could un-install it and take it when we move. I didn't hold my breath. I also never plan to move, so it wasn't on my list of thoughts. But when installation day came, a whole new list of challenges presented itself.
The walls in our house are all bowed. Badly. So no matter how many times Dad measured, this was destined to be a nightmare. Never did we expect, though, that Chris would have to remove drywall in order to get it in.
Videos of the Installation that Wasn't and the Installation that Later Was will be coming soon, once I figure out how to get them off of my phone. For now, though, feast your eyes on what my men were able to accomplish!
Obviously it still needs some work. I need to go have glass cut to size for the doors and the shelves. But just look...just one more time...
Before
After!
That looks amazing!!! And how awesome that your dad made it for you guys! It's got sentimental value too. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteomg your dad is amazing!
ReplyDeleteI don't know why, but the chiffarobe in To Kill a Mockingbird kept coming to mind as I built this piece - possibly because Em and I have a special connection with this book.
ReplyDeleteMy furniture building is not perfect, it improves with every piece but there are things on each piece that have never been done before in my workshop - on this one it was the dovetail drawers, and only the second attempt ever at raised panel drawer-fronts.
Em told me yesterday she was poly'ing the drawers, and when I said to sand off all my writing inside (directions on dovetails), she said that they liked that, and were leaving it. My eyes glistened when she said this, as the point of my hobby is not perfect furniture, it is leaving memories and keeping family ever closer and closer.
I too love this piece, and I love how it went in (believe me it will come out if it ever has to). The simple white paint, the beautiful hardware Em picked, and how the light comes down through - it is exactly how I visioned it all those hours in what was becoming a cold workshop.
I'm looking forward to finishing it, as my kids know, I am one for making sure things are "done done" as I say, before I move on to the next project.
So from the writing inside drawers, the one of a kind molding at the top, this whole piece started with lumber at a yard, and every step from raw wood to the finished piece I think about how much my kids mean to my life, how much I love them, and how doing this brings us ever closer - so, I get just as much from it as they do.
Love you Em and Chris,
Dad