A treasure island in your kitchen

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Our love of making things goes beyond doors and into the kitchen with our custom islands. The islands we create are completely different from the cabinetry of the kitchen and therefore stand as a piece of furniture on their own.

We naturally progressed into making islands as we branched from doors into other furniture. Clients would ask us if we can make a unique island while we were making their door, and we continued from there. A good example of a unique island is one we made for Sarah Hartill from House & Home magazine. It was a really fun project, as the island needed to be very small and functional… but beautiful. We used white oak and metal to make this and it contrasts wonderfully against the green mist cabinetry Sarah chose.

Our custom work allows us to fit in as many built-in features as possible to maximize space. Functionality is important and that’s why these pieces require a lot of consideration to design.

Making space in small ones

Practicality is important to everything we make: our kitchen islands are carefully designed to meet client’s needs and conserve space. With electrical elements, lifestyle and aesthetics in mind, we craft a space-efficient unit that does more than just look good. Since an island is a great opportunity to create more storage space, we prioritize this in our designs. Anyone with a small kitchen will agree!

Built-in features

Given the custom nature of our work, we have the ability to create pieces that fulfill all of our clients’ needs.

We worked with interior designer Stephanie Lees to create an island with the electrical outlet built into one side of the unit. Stephanie wanted to incorporate the electrical need into the design, which resulted in a beautiful asymmetrical island base.  Made of reclaimed wood and metal, the island now resides in the home it was made for. (which was featured in several media outlets, including Home in Canada magazine).

See left, third image in slideshow: This island for our clients’ small condo kitchen has a wine rack, shelving units and space for chairs to fit underneath. The client requested wheels to allow easy transport, which means it can used as a mobile bar (and that’s an idea we can all appreciate!)

If you would like us to make something for you, please email us at info@1925workbench.com with pictures of your space and dimensions.

Something Small

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We started making small objects for our home using wood off cuts from larger projects. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we have rekindled our love for making these elegant pieces and want to show you the ones we currently have.

we make a variety of small objects using off cuts from our larger projects.

we make a variety of small objects using off cuts from our larger projects.

We always wanted to make small objects but were held back by a busy schedule. While they take a long a time to make, they utilize materials from our larger projects, such as doors and tables.

Not wanting to waste these beautiful materials, we transformed them into objects for the home. The first one was a walnut tray for My Le’s desk at home, which was made when 1925Workbench first began. Next, we made an iPad holder from reclaimed wood and a scroll tray which we gifted to a friend. We wrote a diary entry about our scroll tray, too! Read it here.

Our current small objects:

  • Scroll tray

  • Chopsticks tray

  • Ring tray

  • Butcher block cutting board

In the end, these objects can be used for whatever best fits your space and your lifestyle. We just love making them. The rest is up to you.


Reducing waste

Using off cuts to make our small objects contributes to the conscious consumer society we support. By repurposing materials, we decrease our overall waste and honour the natural beauty of wood. Besides, it is a pleasure to make something beautiful out of something that would otherwise we wasted. Pieces we cannot use become firewood that heat a portion of our shop during the winter.

We now have an online shop for our small objects. It’s a way our clients can have a handmade, Canadian made piece to accent their space. We find joy in having our own “little shop” amidst our larger projects and we hope you do too.

Note: We are still open for business during this time, although email response times may be longer than usual. If you would like us to make something for you, please email us at info@1925workbench.com with pictures of your space and dimensions.

Find us on Instagram: @1925workbench

Special project: bedroom makeover

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We designed a bedroom for two small boys. This one’s a special project because we crafted the entire space: bunk bed, shelves, drawers and door. Having two boys ourselves, we know the importance of practical furnishings that are simple yet effective.

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Room makeover!

Welcome to a practical bedroom by us.

Drawing on our love for multi-purpose designs, we created pieces that are not only nice to look at, but useful. The drawers by the window provide a seating area and storage space while the drawers open from the lower bunk to store clothing.

Small space? No problem.

We utilized every inch of space in designing this room. If you live in Toronto, like us, you know that homes can get cramped, and they only seem to be getting smaller. Since our sliding doors take up so little space, we often work with clients living in downtown condos. For this condo, we ensured that the kids’ bedroom has everything it needs without looking cluttered.

The result: a modern bedroom made in Baltic birch plywood.

Better yet, this space should last until the boys are in their teens because the simple layout is highly adaptable to an ever-changing sense of style! We made a bunk bed using Baltic birch plywood for our own two boys. Click here to see how we decorated the room to match our vision.

If you want us to make something for you, please email us at info@1925workbench.com with a picture of your space and the appropriate dimensions.

To see what we’re doing next, find us on Instagram: @1925workbench.


House&Home magazine Fall2015 small space issue features our house!

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We had so much fun doing the photo shoot with House&Home. Kai and Morgan were so good at making our place look fantastic (that's right, our house don't normally look like this). Thank you Virginia and Sara for photographing our house in the best light! The family portrait. Khai (the baby) is just about to fall asleep, so no smiles from him, only a little frustration with all the locomotion.

 

Dan is a favourite here. And that's not a TV on the wall, it's actually a photograph of a TV, by me. Want to see more? www.mylenguyen.com/work/

And that's what H&H looks like for September 2015

 

Space Saving for Small Mudroom

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For a small house without a hallway closet, this little built-in was the best solution for storage, and a coat station. The space is in the back room where where coats, shoes, bags, etc. were dumped,  it was always a mess... ...until now.  A space of 44" w x 96 h x 18" d was salvaged for a built-in entirely of solid white oak to act as a pantry, coat closet, shoe rack, purse rack, and everything in between.

This little room in the back of the house use to be the kitchen! Can you believe it? I'm a believer in small space living and even though I'm not a cook, this kitchen was a little too little.

View of our kitchen.

 

The cabinet oors are painted a blue that would contrast gently with the white oak and yellow door.

Close up of the walnut handle, it's a clean and crisp line and it goes with all our walnut pieces such as the dinning table, console, and vanity in the powder room.

If you would like a build-in storage unit with thoughtful space saving considerations...consider talking to us!

My Dream Console Table

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After much complaining and whining about the fact that I don't have a work space (partly because our house is so small), Rock finally made me a wall mounted console table to my desire! It would have to work together with all the pieces we have in the house, and work in a way that virtually takes up no space and still be functional.

Here is the finished product, the large door at the bottom is for the printer and storage of the camera, external hard drives, and printing paper; the top drawers are for everything else.

It sits right in a little nook have here, just enough to house a laptop and for me to do paper work. Ideal for small spaces. The dimensions are 50"L x 16" D x 22H

The drawers and doors are made of baltic birch plywood, with holes routed in for handles. The framing around is made of solid walnut. I am in love with it!

If you would like a custom built console for your work space that seamlessly blends in with your house, contact us!