We finally feel like we're starting to come into our own a little bit with some of our sectionals!  Check out these two custom pieces we recently did for some of our favorite(and most trusting!) patrons.  

The first one is heading to an office space off of La Cienega. We took pieces of our Clap Your Hands Chair and our Daybed to build a beautiful leather sectional.  The burlap backing helps to bring the piece back into our industrial, rustic comfort zone.  This is actually the first sofa that we've done in leather.  We've used it a few times for beds and chairs, but hadn't had the opportunity to take the plunge with sofas until this little beauty. 

Our second piece we've just sent out is a little closer to our actual Daybed.  This piece has an aluminum frame, for a little extra sheen, combined with stark white upholstery and our reclaimed hardwoods.  As you can see, the white creates a sleeker feel to this piece than its leather cousin above. 

What do you think??  This is just the start for us!  We're planning to incorporate these elements into a new design for the line and the showroom in the next few weeks.  And!  In order to do so, we're selling our standard sectional from the showroom!  This piece is good for both indoor and outdoor use.  Sunbrella fabric and the very last of our exotic java wood(reclaimed from old dunnage.)  

Marked down to $2500!!  Email sales@crofthouse.com for more info on this piece or a custom quote!

Anyone who has ever signed a year lease knows what it’s like to try and decorate a space under those terms.  Roommates to collaborate with, Landlord’s rules to follow, bedrooms the size of spacious closets, rickety to no furniture, no money, no built in fixtures? Does this place even have space for a dining table? No closet… anywhere.  We’ve all been there at one point or another, struggling to feel at home in our very own space.

Recently featured in Sunset magazine, Interior Designer Kyle Schuneman’s newly released book, The First Apartment Book, can help.  In the book, Kyle puts his expertise to work by providing different ideas and inspirations for newly found spaces, with special focus on small spaces and spaces on a budget.

Taking 10 different apartments throughout the country, Kyle shows how each space can be transformed into an ideal sanctuary, regardless of size and budget.  The 10 apartments have ranging inhabitants and styles, from a couple moving in together for the first time to the recent college graduate finally ready to take on a place of his own, each setting provides new and elaborate ideas to pick from.  Kyle doesn’t stop at providing the ideas for his unique décor, but he gives great tips on where to acquire or how to create most of his favorite design ideas (check out that bookcase on page 111!)  

Kyle describes The First Apartment Book as way of showing everyone in their 20’s and 30’s that they can still live in a cool space regardless of circumstance: be it fussy roommates, a depleted bank account, an overbearing land lord, or just a tiny space.  “Just because your living in a temporary space, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be expressing yourself in it.  Design is problem solving and it doesn’t have to be expensive or mass marketed.”

You may be asking yourself what some of these great ideas are.  Go grab the book and find out!  You can purchase the book both on amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and indiebound.com.

The Birth of a Barrel from Travis Robertson on Vimeo.

"Shot inside the storied walls of the Brown Forman Cooperage in Louisville, Kentucky, this short film follows the creation of a whiskey barrel from start to finish. Jack Daniel's is the only major distiller in the world that still makes their own barrels."

Found this great video Jack Daniels released on the creation of one of their barrels and thought it was worth a share.

It shows the process from lumber yard all the way through filing, pretty interesting stuff!  Great to see that they make all the barrels themselves here in the US.  Very cool set up, and look at all that wood!  Would love to get our hands on some of those barrels, full or empty.

Seen some other cool processes like this? Send 'em over to us and we'll share!

About Reclaimed Wood

photo courtesy of Katie Bofshever

What is reclaimed wood?

Reclaimed wood, or repurposed wood, is any wood that is recycled from one use, like an apartment building, and turned into something different, like a dining table.

Where does reclaimed wood come from?

Reclaimed wood comes from everywhere!  Old barns, pallets, apartment buildings, dunnage, railroad ties; any and all of the above.  At Croft House we’re currently getting our material from barns in Wisconsin and Ohio, an apartment building in Gramercy Park, New York, and various local architectures here in Los Angeles.

How old is reclaimed wood?

It varies.  Since reclaimed wood is technically any wood that is reused, it can be relatively young.  Most the reclaimed wood Croft House uses is from Architecture erected prior to WWII, which means the age of the wood is estimated in the 100’s of years old.

Why use reclaimed wood?

Reclaimed wood can be useful for a number of reasons.  The wood that Croft House uses is all old growth wood, which is hard to access outside of reclaimed sources.  So in order to get beautiful old growth markings naturally, it has to be through reclaimed(or fallen) material.  Another great reason to use reclaimed wood is the sustainability of the material.  Instead of cutting down new trees, Croft House uses wood that was cut down hundreds of years ago.  This helps to keep our footprint very low, and preserve tens of thousands of board feet in lumber per year.

What is “Old Growth” wood?

Old growth wood is wood that contains certain markings that denote it is a specific number of years old.  Most new trees are grown sustainably and are chopped down at a younger age than was practiced in the past.  This causes the lumber to look different, and deprives it of some of the textures and characteristics that can only be found in older trees.   These older trees are protected, so one of the only ways to attain this look naturally is through reclaimed materials.

Why does reclaimed wood vary?

Reclaimed wood varies in both color and texture because each piece of wood has seen different elements than each of the others.  Some boards were sawn rougher, some were stained deeper, while others have bigger knots.  Each board has different defining characteristics, which makes every piece of furniture unique.

Can reclaimed wood look like new wood?

In short, yes.  Take any beam of reclaimed wood and you’re likely to find a chipped, painted, weather worn, rustic piece; if you were to split that board in half you’ll find something entirely different.  Beneath the rustic, what we call ,“skin” of the wood is essentially new wood. It’s never seen the elements or a paint brush.  The only distinguishing characteristics are the old growth markings, and possibly some of the deeper nail holes.  This material can be utilized to create sustainable pieces, without the rustic look!

Have more questions about Reclaimed Wood?  Feel free to ask!  Email us at info@crofthouse.com. 

One of our very favorite designers has updated her website!  Facaro.com, run by the lovely Carolina Fontoura Alzaga, has re-launched to show off the beautiful Connect series. 

Much like Croft House, Caro takes something old and gives it dazzling new life.  Unlike Croft, her medium moves off of the floor and on to the ceiling.  Using salvaged bicycle parts, Caro creates beautiful, draping chain chandeliers like this –

If you haven’t taken the time to peak at what Caro is doing, we highly recommend doing so as soon as possible.  We’re not the only ones that feel that way.  The popular (and awesome) marketplace website, Etsy, thought Caro’s work was important enough to do a feature on her pieces and process as part of their video series.

As you can imagine, the process for these pieces is as elaborate as each tier.  Caro scavenges junkyards and bike shops all throughout the Los Angeles area searching for the right components for each one of her works.  A tedious process matched only by sizing and suspending each arch, tier by tier.

All of Caro’s hard work pays off, as every piece seems more beautiful than the preceding.  An artful collaboration of luxury and industry reinforcing the idea that, as Caro has said, “you can make beautiful things out of unlikely materials.”  We couldn’t agree with you more, Caro.

Email info@crofthouse.com or Caro directly at caro@facaro.com for more info.