Croft House began in a garage with one simple design - our Railcar Dining Table. The first of our tables, constructed with reclaimed wood and about as straightforward as we could make it. We wanted the salvaged lumber to be the star, but didn't want to create an excessively rustic piece. So we took two pieces of steel and bent them into a U for the table legs. The base wobbled a little when we pushed it so we added an X, and just like that the Railcar Dining Table was born.
Dozens and dozens of tables later, we decided it was time to evolve the design. We wanted to take similar aspects of the table and create a more modern, less rustic alternative. Which is how the Arden Table was conceived of.
We wanted to approach the base concept from the original table from a new perspective, as well as improve upon some of the common drawbacks to the original design.
Creating a smoother table was our first goal, and to achieve this we decided to work with a Planed Oak. The issue with planing the rough texture out of a wood, is that it takes away some of our favorite characteristics that add such beauty to the table, a total catch-22. So, we added another sort of character to the table with our custom Arden Grey Stain to the top, as well as adding a few specialized details.
We decided to add a point of interest by separating the two center boards, similar to all the boards on an outdoor piece. Large enough to notice but small enough not to be a hinderance. The only drawback here was how to keep the top as joined in this design, since there is no apron around the base of the table. We settled on routing in a small piece of industrial steel to act as an oversized and visible biscuit. It came out better than we even imagined!
After we moved on the top, we took on the task of updating our classic U-Shaped Railcar Legs. As I mentioned above, the steel X was a functional addition after the prototype was constructed. To avoid that with the new design, we used a tapered steel tube as the uprights. The steel tube has more rigidity than the solid, and therefore helps to alleviate the shake. For good measure, we placed the legs at an angle and finished them with a beautiful matte black coat.
And there we have it! Our newest piece - The Arden Dining Table! Come check it out in person at 326 N. La Brea Ave. LA CA 90036 or on here on website! As always, customization is welcome!
]]>But, there are positives here too. Fall foliage, the kids HAVE TO head back to school, and most importantly a chance to finally settle into your new space! Summer is one of the most common times of year to move, which means Fall is filled with plenty of home projects. Not the least of which is furnishing. But where to begin? Well, we'll tell you.
Each room has its own purpose and features, and that means different furniture(duh.) Though it may seem obvious, it's not always simple to pick a starting piece when you're staring at a completely empty space. So let us help you solve your problem room by room.
A simple place to start. The dining room has an obvious purpose and therefore an obvious answer, the Table. You may love the antique chairs that Grandma Joan gave you, but don't let them limit your table options. Start by asking yourself, "how many people do I realistically want to sit at the table?" That will help you to narrow down the approximate size of the table and allow you to see what else you can fit into the space. Maybe there's space for a credenza! Don't let that distract you! Stick to the table, and find one that fits your dimensional requirements and aesthetic tastes. You may find that the only table you like doesn't allow you space for a credenza after all(not a problem you would have with a Croft House table thanks to our any piece any size system!) As every table needs a centerpiece, so does every dining room, and your table fills the need.
Now it starts to get interesting. Contrary to popular belief, I do not believe the bed is the first piece you need to find for your bedroom. Like the dining room, to determine the most pressing need you have to ask yourself a question. "Do you have enough built in storage?" Not every room has an adequately sized closet, and if it doesn't you may need to bring in a chest of drawers. The space allotted for a chest of drawers could decide the difference between our Railcar Bed and our Havenhurst Bed. If you're not able to fit a chest of drawers, then it's time to move to the bed and decide if a piece like our Hudson Bed with built in storage is the way to go.
The Living Room is the room that involves the most restraint. Though a coffee table may be the center piece in the space, the seating is of the upmost importance. The size and shape of a coffee table must be dictated by seating in the room, and the orientation of the seating is dictated by the shape of the room. A longer coffee table is best for a standard sofa, while a square or circle coffee table fits perfectly into a space that has seating facing more than one direction.
Though everyone uses their spaces different, the primary purposes remain. Make sure to start your room off in a way that allows you to fit all of the pieces together. It's always a process, but try and remember that is supposedly the fun part!
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A designer recently visited the showroom with her clients on the hunt for the perfect coffee table. They immediately gravitated towards the Chambers Coffee Table. The size and shape fit their living room layout but they wanted to soften the look a bit.
Inspired by the Granada Coffee Table, we decided to customize the piece and replace one of the glass shelves with Carrara marble. The top shelf remained glass to showcase the marble underneath. The honed Carrara marble added a subtle touch of sophistication to our classic design.
As much as we love the standard Chambers Coffee Table, we enjoy when we get the opportunity to spice it up! The glass shelves can be replaced with any materials here in our showroom. Whether the material is diamond wire, marble, glass or even wood, the Chambers Coffee Table can make any living space special to you.
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A mirror can change a room unlike any other piece of furniture. We have always been very proud of our line up of leaning mirrors and the way that they add a relaxed modern feel to a room.
The scale of our mirrors is their most unique feature in my opinion. The sheer size of our large leaning mirrors set them apart from others you will find in Los Angeles.
I love the way we use slightly oversized mirrors with sleek minimal frames, its a very architectural look inspired by the large picture windows you find featured in some of California's most beautiful structures.
Here below are some examples of where these originated from -
Above: Eames Home, Los Angeles California / Chambers Mirror
Above: Black and White Kitchen, Santa Barbara / Round Chambers Mirror
Above: Carmel, California / Rivera Mirror
Classic California Modern Shape
Recently we added a large round hanging mirror to our collection - a very modern steel frame mirror simply named the Round Chambers Mirror. It has a very timeless vibe to it, and I find the seamless circular steel frame to be very relaxing to just be around. I could not be happier with it.
Above and Below: Round Chambers Mirror - $950
A large leaning mirror from Croft House is one of the easiest ways to add a dramatic architectural vibe to any space. We keep our most popular mirrors in stock in our showroom, and are happy to design you a custom mirror as well.
]]>This is our most basic concept. Our client needs a few pieces from us and wants help designing those pieces to fit their space. We don't necessarily have to provide a complete build out, no job is too small or too large for our team. This simple process was how we went about thing with a restaurant in Miami, FL called Swine as well as our neighbor on La Brea in West Hollywood, Gant Rugger.
At Swine they needed simple two top and four top restaurant tables. They had bases but were interested in a natural looking reclaimed top. They were also looking to have a 21' long communal table created. All of which needed to be shipped to Miami. Luckily for them, tables are our go to. We mailed them a sample of each of our table tops, along with pricing based on style. They chose the materials that best fit their style and budget and we moved on to the communal table. Shipping a 21' table is no easy task, so Croft House came up with a simple solution to allow the table to be shipped in three sections and assembled on site. Our customer used the same table top material process to pick a salvaged wood species for the communal table and we were all set. About a month later the pieces shipped out and Swine opened up!
Gant Rugger's process was even simpler, as you'd expect with a retail space only a block and a half from ours. They had many racks and shelves already built, but needed a centerpiece table and bench set to provide a tiered display area. We brought them into the showroom and showed them different options. Once a material was decided, we custom picked a finish that would protect the apparel they were showcasing from the rough texture of the wood. We turned the table around ahead of time and held it in our shop for a few weeks while they finished out their build. Shortly there after they came to us for cabinet doors to cover the built POS station storage. We went over to the location to measure, only to find that the space was not even which could mean they'd have to opt for an expensive on site build. Instead, Croft put our minds to it and came up with a sliding door option that allowed for the imperfections of the desk. We finished it with the same wood as the display table and had it delivered in about a month.
We're also capable of more than just a few pieces. If you have a rough idea of how you'd like to build out your space, but need help conceptualizing it, Croft House is happy to do so. We helped a few other La Brea neighbors in Bludsos, Modo Yoga, and Clover Juice in just that way.
At Bludsos, they liked the idea of having a combo of tables and benches, but were not sure how many they could fit or what they should look like. Croft went to the location and measured the space with the Bludsos team. We then took that information and built a 3D model for how we thought the space would look best. They loved the concept and we put it into action. We delivered and installed all the pieces just in time for their opening.
At Modo Yoga and Clover Juice, Croft was asked to come up with simple designs that would fit the space. We needed to create point of sale stations, reception desks, shelving, cabinetry, and even some common area furniture. We started this process with all the must haves, and measured on location for each. We pitched an aesthetic that we thought fit the space and designed our 3D rendering around it. The ideas were approved and we went into production. Since then, we've continued to build various pieces for Modo such as a storage based sofa sectional and bathroom storage.
We're also happy to create furniture and fixtures that are completely designed by our clients. Whether it be through like images of a piece, or completely custom drawings, we can convert anything into a completed piece.
We did this recently for Swell Surf Shop's offices as well as Derby Curtis LLP's offices. Both spaces were created by Source Studio and both spaces utilized Croft House touches. Swell needed a portion of a reception desk as well as a conference table fixed with data ports. Source came to us with the design and dimensions for both and we happily brought them to life. The reception desk now has a Croft House face to accompany its modern body, and the rustic conference table we built was placed on a modern, white base commissioned elsewhere.
For Derby Curtis LLP, we were the ones to build the base of the conference table. We were commissioned to use modern, oiled walnut to create three bases for the large table. Two of the bases had a push release door to access the interior electrical that ran from the table. We gathered information about the table top so we could retrofit the bases for seamless attachment. On top of the tables bases(no pun intended) Source brought us a massive reception desk design. The piece was to be a combination of walnut and industrial steel, materials we are very comfortable combining. Behind the desk was to be a massive wall of walnut, which Croft milled and finished as well.
Derby Curtis LLP loved the pieces so much they came back to us on their own for some of our standard shelving!
Lastly, we're capable of bringing all of your designs to life and building out an entire space. Though recently closed, the restaurant Fifty-Seven in downtown Los Angeles was a perfect example of this. We had previously done some original hospitality work for one of the owners(the Hudson + the Churchill) but with this space they had hired a team. The team came to us with a huge combination of designs for the restaurant. Tables, Table Tops, Bases, Bars, Benches and then some. We quoted out the whole project for their team and won the bid. We built a prototype of each piece and worked their intricacies to perfection. We finished the project a number of weeks prior to the space being ready, and stored all of the pieces until our client could bring them in.
These are just a few examples of our commercial process. We have a few more on the site divided into Restaurant, Retail and Office, and our constantly adding both new and old projects to our archive. If you're interested in becoming part of our community, it's simple to start. Just shoot us an email at info@crofthouse.com, call 323.424.7743, or best of all come by our showroom at 326 N. La Brea Ave.
Whether it's just a few restaurant table tops, or a whole retail space worth of fixtures, down the street from us in La Brea, or all the way in Miami, there's little we can't build within a timeline and budget that works for your space and needs. Hope to hear from you soon!
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While Croft House style is a little bit of modem mixed with a dash of industrial it goes to show that we can build anything as long as it is within the materials we use. Inspired by our Rivera Credenza I designed my media cabinet and added some open shelving on the side for my electrical components. Adding the tapered legs is what gave this modern piece its mid century edge.
Getting my new piece of furniture was both a blessing and a curse. I now have an amazing media cabinet that my friends have complimented on (and in turn want to have their own made) but now, I cant stop! My bedroom furniture needs an upgrade, and the guest bedroom too…Maybe my cat needs a new platform bed? Opportunities are endless when you're designing your own piece of furniture.
The challenge was to create an eye catching and multifunctional workspace. The duel height desk needed to work for the attorney’s clients as well as front desk employees.
The foot print of the desk was a large L-shape composed of three sections that would attach as one on site. All desk sides had a waterfall leg to hide storage underneath. Once the technical details were ironed out it was time to select materials.
The designer sent over inspiration and concept images for the space. The idea was to mix a new, sleek wood species with the raw industrial steel of our Chambers Dresser. We had recently been working with a lot of Walnut and thought that this was an excellent fit for this. The rich, warm walnut tones compliment the steel perfectly. The entire exterior casing of the desk was composed of several sheets of industrial steel with an inset panel of beautiful oiled walnut. Finally, the wall directly behind the desk was completely covered with horizontal boards of oiled walnut.
Croft House is honored to have a hand in the gorgeous interior of the Derby Curtis Law Office. With the help of the interior designers, we were able to build a one-of-a-kind reception desk.
]]>Does a houseguest with food headed toward the living room make you bust out a slow motion “Nooooooooooooooooo”?
The phrase "clean lines" gets thrown around a lot. From cars to website design, those two words get a variety of uses. The presence of the word clean within the phrase is a frightening prospect to me. Are people peddling messy lines? Soiled Lines? Barf. I'll take clean lines, please.
-Clean Lines, Mid-Century Shape
A quick google search for a definition of clean lines yields vague explanations of the meaning. For me, it's hard to explain, but I know what it is when I see it. At face value, as it relates to furniture, I would say it means simple, easily drawn dimensions void of elaborate details, curves, and textures. These qualities would be considered clean because they are easily organized and understood by one's eye. In choosing a sofa with clean lines you are effectively making your room appear cleaner by eliminating unnecessary details which add to visual clutter.
This is one major appeal of mid-century modern furniture. We have taken a mid-century shape and modernized it by increasing the depth of the seat, ultimately making a super comfy sofa with clean, modern lines.
- Deeper Seat for Comfort
The wood detail on our Sierra Sofa offers a few benefits apart from looking elegant. Chances are you have a few pieces of wooden furniture in your home, probably even in the same room as your sofa. By choosing a wood that matches or compliments these pieces, you will help tie the room together by creating a repeating material, texture, or color.
This cohesion is going to make your room look much cleaner without ever picking up a broom.
-Notice the Walnut Cabinet Against the Wall?
The arm of a standard sofa usually wears out quicker than the rest of the piece, causing it to look old and gross much sooner than other parts of the sofa. Trust me, that this can be a heartbreaking experience.
This issue arises because the fabric is tightly stretched in opposing directions over the wooden frame, which puts more tension on the fabric here than in other areas. This causes the material to breakdown more rapidly (think of the toe portion of a sock.) By covering this area with a beautiful wood (like walnut!) you completely eliminate the problem.
-Walnut Arm Trim Keeps Edges Clean
Tweed carries with it a subtle refinement. Its place is well established in modern furniture as well. But, one of the best features of tweed is its ability to naturally thwart dirt and stains. The material achieves this wonder by combining multicolored threads of wool in a twilled pattern.
It was originally used for hunting and fishing garments in cold and wet Scotland, so you can imagine why this was an important aspect of the design.
Take the intrinsic dirt and stain fighting ability and combine it with high tech upholstery yarns and what you get is one durable sofa. It always looks clean if it never gets dirty in the first place!
Lets dive a little deeper, specifically into the cushions. While some people prefer down filled sofa cushions(I include myself in this camp, and any of our sofas can be ordered with down as a standard option), everyone can agree that they can become messy if not fluffed properly.
This is why we gave our Sierra Sofa a wedge shaped, solid foam back cushion. It never need to be fluffed, and thus is always looking neat!
I hate it when one seat cushion slides further out than the other. I'm sure you do too.
Well, we discovered, this can’t happen if the sofa has only one long cushion! To make upkeep even easier, we seamed the fabric in an organized pattern to eliminate the wrinkles that occur after you have been relaxing in the sofa for a long time.
A sofa that never needs to be fluffed, flipped, or f****d with is going to shave valuable seconds off of the fire drill that is cleaning a messy home when you find guests are unexpectedly dropping by!
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Originally we created the Bronson Sofa as a part of a large project for a client south of Los Angeles. We had been crafting the different design elements in our heads for some time before the opportunity finally arrived to bring the piece to life. When we presented the idea to our client they loved the concept so much they commissioned us to build a sectional for them sight unseen.
Upon completion of the piece(which they love!) we realized we had created something we've long aspired for- a truly Croft House sofa. At Croft, we pride ourselves on straight forward form and function, while presenting both in an original light. But, of course, with Sofas comfort trumps all other factors.
So that's where we started, we made sure our base shape was comfortable and modern. This sofa has different proportions than our other designs. It's deeper and shorter, which allows you the option to sit in a more lounged and relaxed fashion. We liked the idea of adding a thin, industrial steel base to the piece to keep the look clean. We also wanted to provide a more original solution for the back pillows. We had envisioned oversized throws, but knew that could require constant fluffing and rearranging. Thus came the idea of the steel bar in the back. It holds the cushion firmly in place, while also becoming an interesting, "Croft House" detail to the back side of the Sofa. The leather strap added another texture to the piece, and helped to blend the steel and upholstery while simultaneously adding a pop of color.
This final detail adds a bit of versatility to the piece. The combination of upholstery, steel, and leather meld together allowing the sofa to acclimate to any aesthetic by providing multiple textures and tones to join a room into one cohesive space. For sofas not placed against the wall, the interest points on the back break up the large fabric surface. On top of that, the design is modular, allowing for plenty of easy-to-arrange variations.
The array of features on this piece helped us to create a Croft House Sofa we're extremely proud of: an original, functional design, with all the comforts of your and our dream sofa. We've already had the opportunity to show a handful of clients exactly that! We've already started to expand the fabric choices for the Bronson Sofa, let us know what tone will allow it work best for you and your space!
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When I visit someone's home I immediately gravitate towards the bookcase to see what literature they are interested in. Call me nosey, but you can tell a lot about a person by what they read. Anyone and everyone has a bookcase in their home, and recently we have made a couple of bookcases that have stolen the show.
We introduced our Chambers Bookcase a couple months ago and it immediately sparked ideas. We designed a custom tiered bookcase based off of the design and left out the standard leather shelving to leave only the oak and smoked glass shelves remaining. This was the perfect display piece for our customer's entryway.
Our Railcar Bookcase is one of our classics. Its sleek and simple design can blend into any home. We had a couple that needed a unit to place their electronics in, while simultaneously hiding unsightly cords and wires. We used our Railcar Bookcase as a reference and incorporated the industrial steel back from our Bronson Bookcase to hide the electronic cords. This piece is not only functional, but beautiful to look at.
Check out our other bookcases and let us know how we can make one into the perfect statement piece for you!
]]>We were tasked with the conference room table top and a panel for the reception desk. Their client wanted light colored, weathered wood in the space. Our reclaimed oak was an easy choice to fit their vision.
A butcher block top was the inspiration for the conference room table. So that's where the design started.
The table spanned 120” long and 48” wide. Due to the large size the table could not be solid, as butcher block tops traditionally are. The solution was to mimic the butcher block pattern with thinner reclaimed oak strips mounted on a solid substrate, similar to our Mossam Table. The oak was then topped with a clear wax finish. The interior designer supplied their own square hollow metal bases with a hinged panel to access wiring. Wire management troughs were attached to the underside of the table and a grommet hole was cut out of the center to house a data port.
Reclaimed oak was also used for the reception desk’s accent panel. The panel was composed of 3-6 inch wide reclaimed oak boards. The wood was sanded smooth but left raw for a more natural look. To offset the rustic reclaimed wood, the panel was paired with a crisp, white, two level desk from another source.
The Swell Online Surf Shop is one of many commercial spaces that have a touch of Croft House. Check out more of our restaurant, office and retail pieces in the Commercial tab on our website and check out our commercial design process here. Stay tuned to the blog for future commercial work like this!
]]>It's no secret that Croft House loves custom projects. In fact, we have a whole page on our site devoted to the way it works(if you haven't seen it click here!) Since our inception in a garage on Croft Avenue in 2009, we've considered patronage for custom work a crucial part of our creative process. Whether it's an opportunity to try something new, a slight adjustment to one of our classic pieces, or a completely novel idea to our team, we're always eager to meet the task.
We firmly believe that our clients shouldn't have to settle for a piece that almost works, and since we build everything in Downtown Los Angeles, we're afforded the luxury of making even the smallest adjustments to a piece if necessary. We happily modify the dimensions, materials, finish, and even functions of our standard pieces in order to get them just right.
For example, a custom Rivera Credenza we completed this past Spring. Our client needed open shelving AND closed storage for their piece. So we simply adjusted the piece by making it a little taller and adding some open cubbies on the top. A perfect solution for our client and a great option for us to share with anyone else who may have similar needs!
We also relish the opportunity to bring a new design to life that aligns with our client's needs. Nothing is better than when a design we've been waiting to create meets with exactly what a client is looking for. Such was the case with the Arden Bed. Our client had a rough vision for what they wanted in a bed frame, and we happened to have that vision clarified, sketched and waiting. As soon as we showed them the sketch they pounced, and sure enough the piece was perfect for their space. A few slight adjustments later and now it's a staple of our line.
Nothing is quite as fun as when a potential client or interior designer comes to us with a piece they've imagined hope we can complete. We take on these challenges and eagerly determine functional solutions for the piece, without sacrificing the design at hand. Earlier this year, one of our favorite LA designers came to us with the dream of a piece inspired loosely by our Carrara marble coffee table. They wanted the piece round, with a thin, elegant(yet rustic) base that would surround the piece. Our designers took to the idea and compiled a few options that would produce the desired result. The designer was thrilled and we loved the piece so much we snapped a few pics for our custom gallery.
And then, of course, there are those moments when who knows what to do with that space? It's us. We know what to do. In those exasperating moments when you're unable to find anything that is right at all, we'll help to formulate your needs and ideas into the piece that fits. This happened just a few weeks ago while trying to come up with a storage solution. Nothing out there was right, including our own media cabinets but with some back and forth between our client and team member we we're able to design the perfect combination of aesthetic and function.
There's no customization too big or too small for us. The only question is how can we help you? Email us at info@crofthouse.com with any requests or ideas, and we'll happily start the design process with you. Again, why settle for something that is almost right when we can build you exactly what you want and need? Can't wait to work with you soon!
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**LIMITED EDITION** Reclaimed Pine Media Cabinet with 2.1 HiFi Speaker System and Sonos Controller. Available in-store now!
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I just couldn't bring myself to buy one. Those cheap, plastic excuses for speakers. How sterile and uninspired, I thought. Knowing my way around audio equipment I knew I was capable of something so much more fitting for the music that accompanies our lives, something must be done...
My first job out of high school was working for a composer in the process of moving into a new high tech studio. I was tasked with the job of sorting through 20 years of old bundled cables and equipment, testing them, and then determining whether or not they were still useful. Essentially this meant hours alone in a dark room untangling knots. But I loved the job, because after my shift I was allowed to stay as late as I liked watching the composer write and record music in the studio. In the control room, front and center above the giant mixing boards was a set of awesome wood studio monitors (speakers). I remember being so surprised at their modest size - I was sure recording studios must use much larger and more elaborate set ups than this! Since those days I have been fortunate to visit many more recording studios and found similar pairs in every single one.
Back to the problem at hand.... I needed an audio solution for a media cabinet I was building to house a record player and a modest Vinyl collection. Thinking back to those monitor speakers I decided that the only option was to build a complete set of speakers right into the cabinet. After some research I found the perfect HiFi speakers for the build and picked out an 8" subwoofer(that I would end up hiding in the bottom of the cabinet). I settled on a Sonos WiFi controller for super simple playback when the record player was not being used.
...More Below
An unexpected color ensemble!
...continued...
For this custom piece, I wanted to try a new idea for the casing and after a few days of experimenting, I was able to come up with a totally unexpected and lovely new color ensemble for our reclaimed pine. A touch of walnut, leather, and brass and the piece was done. One of my absolute favorites to date.
We loved the piece so much that we decided to make a limited edition media cabinet with the same sound system in it for the Showroom on La Brea. This piece is available for immediate purchase off of the floor! Come on in and check it out - you will love the sound it puts out, and how simple it is to use!
2.1 Hifi Stereo System, The Subwoofer is hidden underneath the cabinet! Check out those handmade grill tabs!
Available for Purchase Today!
]]>My personal design aesthetic is eclectic with a mix of clean lines and vintage finds. However, my partner on the other hand, likes a stark "hotel living" sort of style. Making decisions on furniture can sometime be daunting and could lead to months of finding that perfect side table that we can both decide on. Below are my favorite neutral Croft House pieces that make decision making easier without the battles of compromise.
CHAMBERS DRESSER
The Chambers Dresser is the most versatile dresser in our showroom. With its all industrial steel frame it can go with any existing furniture that you may have in your bedroom. The five drawer Chambers Dresser is perfect if you are limited on space but need that extra storage.
SIERRA CHAIR
The Sierra Chair is one of my personal favorites. Our large selection of fabrics this chair to acclimate to any design aesthetic. Whether you go with a crisp white fabric for a modern home, or a blue velvet for something more eclectic, it is a timeless piece and not to mention, comfortable!
HAVENHURST BED
This Havenhurst bed is customized to be made out of rough, salvaged oak and drawers for some extra storage. The rough oak is a light wood with grey undertones that stradles the line between masculine or feminine.
MARBLE COFFEE TABLE
The carrara marble contrasted against this black steel frame is a mix of sophistication and edge. The Granada Marble Coffee Table is great if you are looking for a table that is sleek and refined yet modern enough to balance the classic marble.
Here are some more of my favorites!
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Our customer did not have a preference in wood species and had the space for a decent size top. From the start I already had the perfect slab in mind. We source our live edge slabs from multiple lumber yards and for almost a year I had my eye on a beautiful crosscut of Angelim Pedra. This particular slab is a massive piece of lumber. The overall dimensions are 62”L x 51”W x 5” thick and weighs upwards of 200 pounds. I shared it with our client, who immediately fell in love.
Angelim Pedra is an exotic wood that primarily grows in the Brazilian Amazon and Guiana. The wood has striking, rich warm tones and a distinctive interlocking grain. The coarse texture and density make it great for outdoor decking, furniture that will be exposed to the elements, and even heavy construction. Angelim Pedra trees can grow up to 10 feet in diameter and anywhere from 50-120 feet tall
The irregularities in the wood gave the slab a great deal of character, so we decided the imperfections should to be featured. The original chosen finish was teak oil but that just wasn't enough.
A flat black finish was used to fill the holes, chunks and voids in the slab. To mark the 5” thickness, the sides of the slab were finished black as well. The coffee table top was then completed with a few coats of teak oil.
The Angelim Pedra top was so stunning that we decided to keep the base simple and pair it with similar, industrial steel hairpin legs to our Mossam Table. The raw metal legs complimented the top's rusted orange and matte black coloring and allowed the slab to be the focal point of the piece, and the piece to be the statement piece of the room.
All live edge pieces are one of a kind, but this coffee table is truly special. This custom live edge coffee table will be a conversation starter for years to come.
]]>Approximately six months ago we added a new piece to our line, the Arden Bed. We were interested in designing a piece that would properly highlight the subtle beauty of our salvaged oak barn wood when we planed the material down to a clean surface. The Arden Bed was so successful at accomplishing this that we decided to take another crack at the Arden Collection with the Arden Dresser!
To accentuate the warm elements of the reclaimed oak we placed a steel casing around the body of the piece, similar to our Chambers Dresser. We employed the same custom stain from the Arden Bed, and decided that the legs of the dresser should be matte black to correspond with the bed's frame.
Since the dresser had such a solid body, we decided to keep the legs sleek and thin. Five pieces of industrial round steel worked perfectly.
With the dresser nearing completion, we went ahead and added two final details to complete the look. First, we routed a thin line through the center of each drawer face. This helped to break up the body and address our concerns about how heavy it appeared. Second, we chose thin brass handles for each drawer face, to give the piece a distinctively more polished touch.
And just like that, the Arden Dresser was born! Come in to 326 N. La Brea Ave. to check it out in person, or click here!
]]>Through the 4 years that we’ve been open on La Brea, one of the most common questions has been,“Can I use this table outdoors?” It’s not ideal, we’re forced answer. Unfortunately, our standard indoor dining tables aren't designed for outdoor use. The boards are all joined snuggly together, which leaves no margin for the wood to flex and shrink in the sun and elements. Similar to what you can see on a large bridge, it's necessary to allow wood space to expand and contract as it heats up and cools down. When this space isn’t provided the wood can crack and warp.
So, we took on the task of finding a design solution that fit our style. All of the reclaimed material we use is salvaged from architecture here within the U.S. Though we are proud of this practice, it limits us to a few specific species. Unfortunately, none of these species are a tropical wood, which is the ideal outdoor material. So, we expanded our search beyond our standard repurposed lumber.
Lucky for us, we happened upon two excellent material types. Teak, which is common for outdoor furniture, and Ipe. We were immediately drawn to the Ipe, which has a color that slightly resembles some of the red tones of our reclaimed Douglas Fir.
With the material locked down, we went to work on a design that most closely resembled a typical Croft House dining table. We added small gaps between each board to allow for the necessary expansion. We created a modern base, and powder coated the raw steel to protect it from the elements.
Voilà! Our new Outdoor Table was born, and just in time for Summer! We’ve already delivered a few of these beauties to new homes, including a custom version for Rag and Bone in Venice, CA! We attempted to emulate our Mossam Dining Table by thinning the boards, and mixing in strips of Teak to recreate our classic Mossam strips look.
We’re so excited to get these out into the world, and to see what custom variations people can come up for with us! Come check it out at 326 N. La Brea Ave. ASAP to get one in time for your Memorial Day BBQ!
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This past holiday season Croft House hung its first window displays. Himmelis were an easy choice for the display because of how perfectly their clear lines and distinct design accent our furniture(we hung them over our Railcar Walnut Table and Arden Bed.) The ornaments make for a fun craft project and are easy to build, so needless to I was very excited for this DIY. The list of supplies to make a himmeli is short. All it takes is:
- Paper Straws
- 30 Gauge Wire
- Gold Spray Paint
- Scissors
There are several tutorials online, here is one of my favorites.
We stayed late, ordered pizza and twisted wire until our fingers hurt. Once we finished placing the cardboard straws into their final shapes, I sprayed each himmeli with two coats of gold spray paint. The ornaments were then hung from the ceiling at various heights in each of our front windows.
When the holidays ended, it was time to take down the window display. I loved the himmelis so much and such a great time making them that I refused to let them go to waste. They were worth repurposing, so I decided to recycle them and use them as air plant holders. Air plants are low maintenance as they do not require soil to grow, they get all of their nutrients through their leaves and require minimal sunlight. My covered back patio was the perfect home for my repurposed himmelis. To add a little more weight to the ornaments I hung them with hemp twine. I only bought a few air plants to start but the patio will not be finished until every himmeli has an air plant!
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So recently when a client asked me to create a custom ladder for his beach house I was immediately intrigued. This ladder would be located in a loft style master bedroom as an access to the roof deck 15 feet above - so the piece would need to be both strong and handsome (like its maker! High five... no? **sigh**). I headed to the shop and got out my notebook.
Being located at the beach, I knew that a wood frame would need to be very bulky in order to withstand the harsh salt air, so I opted for a powder coated steel frame which would allow for a much sleeker design. Once that was decided, I realized that I could slightly overbuild the tread rungs and use them as a bulletproof substrate for a nice reclaimed wood tread. This would allow me to incorporate a beachy wood vibe without the drama of dealing with a wood joint (more about that below.)
But what about wet feet? Problem. That wouldn't be good on a slick piece of wood, I thought as I started welding the frame.
About an hour into the build I remembered the old wooden step ladder my mother kept next to the washer when I was young. It had simple dado cuts on the top of each tread that would give your foot traction. Bingo. This finalized the design. Excitement kicked in, speed welding commenced, frustration caused by stupid mistakes from speed welding took over. Tools were thrown. Lunch.
After a bowl of beef stew I was a real person again, and quickly finished the frame. Next step was selecting the right wood for the treads. This was a no brainer. It needed to be straight, hard, and interesting to look at (**giggles**). Quarter sawn oak(a material we often use) is altogether extremely hard, straight, and once finished has beautiful "rays" unlike most other species. I found some salvaged oak we had purchased from the south about a year ago and got to cutting. The table saw blade was overdue for sharpening and the cutting caused a bit of smoke - which, when cutting oak, always smells like popcorn. Snack.
It was a saturday afternoon and during my snack break I received an urgent text message from my father explaining that I had not yet switched my defense on my fantasy football team. Panic.
I opened the football app on my phone, but as I had been listening to the new Phantogram album on repeat since I left the house - my phone sputtered and died. Crisis.
Luckily Maria had left the office computer on and after some debate I went with the Bills. Now that the frame was welded and the wood cut I quickly dry fit the pieces, painted and finished the frame and treads, and assembled the ladder. Done.
At this point I was a little late for a barbecue, so I packed my things and started shutting down the shop. As I was shutting off the lights I noticed that one the walls in the shop had an old unused bracket that jutted out about 6 inches from the wall. Ever get a new toy? Before I new what I was doing, the ladder was up against the wall and wedged between the ledge and the wall. Up I went.
I am always amazed at how seemingly innocuous items from the past make their way into the design ether. It's this phenomenon that has prompted me to slowly replace ordinary things (like crappy scissors, lamp cords, coasters etc...) with well designed and high quality alternatives. They also have the added benefit of lasting longer and working better. It's a way of life that has allowed me to appreciate ingenuity and see art in unexpected places. With that intention in mind I delivered the ladder to the house, watched the contractor install it, and received a happy handshake from our client.
Wood expands and contracts with heat and moisture changes which deteriorates the fibers in wood, which causes joints to fail. Coastal climates fluctuate rapidly, and combined with the salt in the air, accelerates the damage to the wood fibers.
Steel corrodes under these conditions as well, which is why steel must be powder coated to protect it from the elements. Powder coating is a process in which powdered enamel paint is electrically bonded to steel and then baked on at a high temperature to create a skin that forms around the metal.
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Introducing a new material into our furniture was a risk, but the response we received from our customers reaffirmed that the mix of sophisticated marble and edginess of industrial steel was a design score. The positive feedback was enough to convince us that we needed to bring a coffee table version into our showroom.
Since we introduced our Granada Collection, designers and customers alike have incorporated this style into custom pieces. Apart from the Coffee Table shown above, we currently have a round honed Carrara marble coffee table based off of our Granada Side Table in the works with a custom flat steel base. Creating custom furniture based on our existing designs is simple. The process begins with an idea, translates into a sketch, then travels to our workshop in Downtown LA where the furniture is constructed.
The Granada Collection will be growing so check in for new pieces coming soon!
]]>One of our favorite Croft House pieces is the Parota Live Edge Table. A solid piece of wood with beautiful natural edges is impossible to replicate.
We aim to create a contrast by taking the organic shape of the slab and displaying it on top of our angular, modern legs. The natural wood and steel combination is a Croft House staple, but in spite of this the table top is still a departure from Croft House’s reclaimed background.
At Croft we pride ourselves on using the best materials we can get our hands on, often old growth timbers salvaged from US architecture. In the case of Live Edge slabs we are especially selective, so as to be certain that our material comes to us in a responsible and sustainable fashion.
Though we have long worked with other Live Edge Species, our slab of choice, Parota. Though Parota slabs are not taken from fallen trees, the species is incredibly common throughout parts of North and Central America. This grants us access without having to import exotic slabs from all over the world. In fact, our own supplier works locally here in Southern California.
On top of that, the tree grows very quickly. So, not only will it produce a useable slab quickly, but the species is able to replenish in numbers at a sustainable rate. This has resulted in Parota becoming a very popular, and widely accepted, species for furniture use.
Lastly, the sheer size of the tree itself is a characteristic of sustainability. The trunk can reach upwards of nine feet in diameter, and the branches can grow as thick as five feet in diameter.
Sustainability isn’t the only aspect of the species that has drawn our favor though. Not only is Parota a hardwood, but it’s also incredibly light relative to its strength. Not a detail to be overlooked when it comes to table tops!
The material offers a rare consistency in colors as well. Unlike many slabs, and most of the salvaged lumber that Croft House uses, Parota has minimal variation in the color of both the heartwood and the sap wood. This helps to prevent surprises in tone.
If the reasoning above isn’t enough, then consider this; Croft House has access to Parota slabs that are upwards of 4’ wide. No book matching needed to have the big beautiful table that you’ve always dreamed of.
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Creating a custom piece of furniture with a customer is a fulfilling experience, so naturally we were excited when our client approached us. Our client had been searching for a sofa but couldn’t seem to find the perfect piece to complete his space. We were more than happy to design and custom build his dream sofa but there was more work to do!
Understanding a customer’s design aesthetic is a fundamental step in the conceptual phase of any design. We asked him to provide images of his space and some inspirational pictures to help explain his personal style. Our customer had envisioned a mid-century modern inspired sofa with clean, modern lines. Once the concept of the sofa design was established it was time to test out the sofas we have in our showroom to decide on fill. Our Hayworth Sofa has plush 100% down-filled back cushions and functional foam inserts in the seat cushions. Our client loved the comfort and feel of this combination of materials so we decided to incorporate this into his sofa. Once we had decided on the fill it was time to discuss upholstery! We chose a textile from Robert Allen’s Home Collection that would provide the durability and texture desired. The boucle yarns in navy, charcoal and pewter give the fabric a texture that is rugged yet still soft to the touch.
Finally it was time to discuss the sofa frame. After rounds of sketches with Mark we were able to finalize a design.
The solid hardwood frame we chose spans both the length and width of the sofa and continues up the back to provide support and visual interest. The frame is finished off with tapered oak legs. A clear finish was applied to show off as much of the beautiful, natural wood grain as possible (and it popped next to the fabric!)
Once all technical drawings were completed it was time to send the project over to our workshop, located here in downtown Los Angeles. Production time took about six weeks, but it was well worth the wait to turn our client’s vision from a series of sketches into the focal point of his living room.
]]>Getting into commercial builds can be very difficult, especially when it comes to finding that first job. Understandably, it can be difficult for a smaller design house or manufacturer to secure a bid without having a larger scale reference to vouch for their ability. Luckily for Croft, we had a lovely little restaurant-to-be called Sotto come calling back in January of 2011.
(photo credit: Cathy Chaplin)
(photo credit: Cathy Chaplin)
(photo credit: Cathy Chaplin)
(photo credit: Kari Streib)
We met with Chefs Zach and Steve, as well as GM Dina Samson, to try and design 2 tops, 4 tops, and communal tables that fit the desired Sotto aesthetic, and just as importantly, though less romantically, the budget!
If you haven't been(go!) Sotto is located within a beautiful building on Pico Blvd. The building is split into two restaurants, Picca Peru on top(more about them another time) and Sotto on bottom. As if it's a secret club, Sotto has a set of stairs that lead down to the front door and entrance. Removed and secluded, the interior has a comfortable, modern ambiance. Upon entering, you can see directly into the kitchen, where their massive, yellow tiled, wood burning oven sits. It doesn't take long to notice how fast the pizzas cook, about 30 to 45 seconds each.
The dining room has low lighting, large pale tile floors, and red striped banquette seating to add a touch of color. We wanted to build on the warmth in the room, and add a bit of a rustic quality to the atmosphere.
With this in mind, we decided to go with a solid, reclaimed wood top based on our Railcar line, but with one important custom specification.
(photo credit: Kari Streib)
(photo credit: Kari Streib)
The tops sit on top of a standard pedestal base, like you'll find in most restaurants. With a solid top, there is always the risk that without support, the boards may crack over time. In order to prevent this we gave the tables a patchwork assembly. This helps to prevent damage to the table top by providing more joining points, and distributing any stress placed on the table top across a higher number of individual pieces.
One point to be careful of with this construction style is keeping the tops of the tables even as possible. We added a small brace to the bottom of each salvaged wood table top to keep them as rigid. We think it looked pretty good!
(photo credit: Kari Streib)
(photo credit: Kari Streib)
In the center of the restaurant, there are two large communal tables for bar height seating. The folks over at Sotto had their eye on our Mossam Table top, with repurposed barnwood, for these. No problem, we built two large tops, placed on top of our industrial steel Railcar Table legs. The Mossam top has a strip style look to the wood, which goes perfectly with the pieced together look of the 2 tops and 4 tops.
(photo credit: Kari Streib)
(photo credit: Kari Streib)
(photo credit: Kari Streib)
Lastly, there was a need for a bit of bar shelving. Something understated and industrial, mostly there for function. We measured out the space and custom designed some glass and steel shelving based loosely on our Chambers Coffee Table. Voila - our work for Sotto was done!
If you haven't yet been to Sotto, you're missing out. Aesthetics aside, the food is outrageously good and the staff couldn't be better. You're unlikely to find a night when either Chef Zack or Chef Steve aren't there cooking up a storm in front of your very eyes. The terrific cocktail selection is constantly changing as well as the rest of the menu. Perfect place for a Valentines Day date!
Head in and enjoy the food, drinks, atmosphere and of course the table tops. You won't regret it!
Interested in commercial work and design by Croft House? Click here for more information, or email us at info@crofthouse.com.
Interested in a reservation at Sotto? Click here.
]]>If you bought a piece of furniture that was considered pine, Railcar or Hudson from us anywhere between when we started using the material in 2010 up until about April or so of 2011, your material came from one of two buildings in NYC. One in Times Square and the other on on Orchard St. We bought the two buildings together, most of the lumber in these two buildings was old growth heart pine. Our suppliers tell us these building were put up in the early 1900s.
If you went with our local SoCal fir, Railcar or otherwise, between 2009 and late 2010, then you received salvaged wood from a SoCal Rail Station. Mostly 2x10 and 2x12 material, this is what we used to build the very first Railcar Table and was the namesake for the entire line. It's some of the oldest wood we've used, dating back several hundred years.
Any Croft House furniture that is a Mossam or oak/hardwood piece, purchased from 2009 all the way up until about June of 2011, was repurposed from a barn in Alabama. The bar was used as a whiskey distillery in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The wood was a hodgepodge of oak, maple, birch and alder. This building is where we received the boards with the faded blue paint that gets mixed into each of our Mossam Cabinets.
The reclaimed Pine from the New York gradually switched over to a new source in Spring of 2011. Up until February of 2013 we used pine, mixed with hemlock and spruce, that was used in a building being demoed for an expansion project by Columbia University. The same city and look just a new building, it made for a seamless transition for the look of our furniture.
Currently, and since 2011, our reclaimed douglas fir has come from various architectures throughout the SoCal area. Since we're never too far from the demo sites, we get a special locals only deal in which we're able to pick and choose the material stocks that we need. We've used a large selection of lumber sizes, ranging from 1x6 to 2x10 and all the way up to 8x16s. Though most of the material comes from housing demos, we've had a couple of particularly special sources including an old recording studio!
The oak and mixed hardwoods that we're repurposing now were salvaged and brought to us from a barn in Ohio. This material marked the first time we were lucky enough to get our hands on some 2" thick hardwoods.. getting the nails our of the material was just as hard as you would think!
Lastly, our current pine stock arrived to LA in early 2013 and has been going strong since. This material was all salvaged from a single dairy barn in Wisconsin. The material came to us covered in milk paint(wonder where they got that from.) Though the tone of the wood trends slightly lighter than our previous NYC pine, it will look every bit as lovely in your next piece!
Though we don't have large stocks of our previously materials, we certainly have boards mixed in here and there with all of our current lumber. We do our best to use each inch of every board, so you're likely to get a combo of all of the above in any given piece of Croft House furniture. Which one are you hoping for??
]]>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 planed 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!
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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.” Doesn't hurt that he has a custom bookcase of ours in there as well :)
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!
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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.
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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.
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