Autumn aspirations

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Teel, orange and deep violet: We are enjoying the beauty of autumn at the shop!

Teel, orange and deep violet: We are enjoying the beauty of autumn at the shop!

Sights of the season

As we enjoy the cooler breezes and warmer shades of Fall, we are reminded of the beauty of colour. This powerful tool is important to our own creations as well. Whether it be a light hue or natural wash, these choices give a piece character and effect the rest of a space in the process. So in the spirit of grey skies and golden landscapes, we wanted to share some pieces which we feel best capture the essence of Autumn.

But first, a few things to love these days:

  • natural accents taken from outside the home (like the gourd above!)

  • beautiful entry doors against burnt red brick

  • walnut pieces that evoke the rustic essence of the wood

  • golden yellow doors (and leaves!)

  • cool grey doors

Some of our favourite Fall moments

 
 
 
Grey chevron sliding doors.

Grey chevron sliding doors.

Whether it be Autumn or not, colour is magic and we love using it for exactly that.

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

An Eclectic Home Makes a Bold Move with Two Yellow Barn Doors

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Say hello to yellow, the Danforth! Just look at this main floor closet covered with two brightly painted barn door on our bypass system. The two doors are are 7' high, made out of poplar and painted a curry spice yellow.yellow_Z_door_bypass_02

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If you would like us to build the barn doors and install a bypass system for your closet, contact us!

We are Featured in Designlines For Hire!!

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We were really excited to have Designlines magazine feature 1925Workbench in their 2014 fall issue "For Hire"!! Designlines is Toronto's ultimate design guide! We were even more excited to have Shannon Anderson, an art writer and curator, write the article. We love the title...Let it Slide. The photo shoot with Naomi Finlay was so much fun at one of our client house, yes, the one who transformed her house with three barn door systems! Take a look for yourself ! http://designlinesmagazine.com/who/1925-workbench/

Or get a copy in print at any design venues (funiture store, condo sales centre, art galleries are some examples)...it's FREE!

We have never been in a photo shoot together before, and I have to say it was so much fun to have our photograph taken beside the infamous yellow X door!

 

A House's MAKEOVER with BARN DOORS!

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Tucked somewhere near Mount Pleasant is a little house that's got gorgeously big style! The owner wanted to replace her closet doors that don't work well, her powder room door that gets in the way of another entrance, and to add a door to the basement to create a private oasis. One by one, we installed the barn doors to these openings and the result...a wow reaction from anyone walking into the house. I'll take you through each install and see for yourself if you wouldn't love to have your house transformed like this! When you open the front door, you are greeted with these walnut framed mirror sliding doors on the bypass system. Just look how beautifully the walnut blends with everything in the place. That is the beauty of walnut.

It does help that the owner has got big style herself! I was enthralled with the unexpected ways she's designed her space, like painting the fireplace wall a neon orange. The art on the walls were intriguing to say the least.

I have to say photography as art is the most interesting to me, and there are many to be interested about, including an Edward Burtynsky in the back wall there.

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And then your eyes are led to the maple slab door for the powder room just straight ahead.

As you can see, entering the front entrance, your eyes first catches the walnut mirror closet and then to the maple slab door.

The powder room hinged door posed a problem, when it opens, it blocks the entrance to the basement, making it awkward and annoying. But with the sliding door, all of that is resolved.

Because the floor is maple, we decided to made the door maple and the planks be vertical to lead the eyes from the floor up to the door. It also goes nicely with the maple stairs. Notice the other two owners looking down at me!

This is the before, where a hinged door was in place. You can see it, but when the door is open, it blocks the stairs to the basement and side door.

 

The door open to reveal the powder room.

From where the powder room is, we move down to the basement where a big yellow X door awaits us.

As you can see the door here covers the entrance we just entered.

 

We horseshoe hardware goes nicely with the X pattern door. The owner loves horses and she also rides them, so having a stunner like this door on the horseshoe is nice gesture to that.

Did anyone wonder how we got such a big door down the basement? The door was made and competed in the workshop, it was then literally cut in half before the installation. Once brought down stairs, the halves were assembled back together and finished to look like one door again!

This is what it looked like before. Notice there is no overhead where sliding hardware track can be mounted. Rock had to install a beam across the opening to make this work.

As you can see, the door closes off so that the whole basement becomes like a hotel for the guests. There is a Murphy bed behind the cabinets in the back. Now who wouldn't want to the guest here?

Completely closed off.

If you would like a makeover that will change the way you (and everyone else) look at your house, contact us!

 

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!