John Buchanan Custom Tables and Demi-Lune

[Kevin]

TXCajun,

I have only seen one kitchen island made from mesquite and it was in a southwestern style kitchen. It was in an upscale adobe house constructed from double thick walls outside of Taos.

[Asomer]

One of my next projects will be two torchiere lamps similar to the one in the photo but without the vine wrapping around the lamp column. I am still in the planning stage so I am not sure what species of wood I will be choosing for the base and column. It probably will depend upon the color and shape of the glass shades.

Oooh, I think that lamp would look beautiful in flame mahogany, or some other wood with a lot of "effects." I'll have to see if TXCajun would agree with me, but Sinker Cypress might be just the ticket for a floor lamp with a significant base like that!!

What say you, TXCajun?

[TXCajun]

Oooh, I think that lamp would look beautiful in flame mahogany, or some other wood with a lot of "effects." I'll have to see if TXCajun would agree with me, but Sinker Cypress might be just the ticket for a floor lamp with a significant base like that!!

What say you, TXCajun?

Asomer, it certainly would make for a beautiful and unique pair of floor lamps. My only concern is the context of the room in which they'll live. With what other pieces would they be expected to make friends and play nice, right?

TXCajun

[TXCajun]

TXCajun,

I have only seen one kitchen island made from mesquite and it was in a southwestern style kitchen. It was in an upscale adobe house constructed from double thick walls outside of Taos.

Kevin,

I can only imagine! It sounds beautiful. What was the scale of the island? Was it more of a piece of furniture design? What was the island counter top material?

I have never, ever seen a kitchen island made of mesquite, but know it would be something special.

TXCajun

[Kevin]

The mesquite cabinets and open storage space were under a stone top (maybe marble?).

For the era (1990s), the island was considered large. Today, many houses have similar sized kitchen islands. The house was constructed to make a statement since the owner was a retired TX injury lawyer (he fit the stereotypical image to a "T", it was like he was sent over from central casting). As for the furniture in the house, I had so little knowledge about furniture (I am still a novice) that anything that didn't wobbly was good.

Growing up in a family of farmers and carpenters, I did recognize that the mesquite cabinets were made with a high level of craftsmanship.

As for the torchiere lamps, they will be replacing two very cheap lamps that I purchased on clearance from a big box store. The purpose of the cheap lamps was to verify that torchiere lamps would look good flanking the fire place in my living room and to help determine the height of my proposed project lamps. The cheap lamps will ultimately find a home in my combination work out/computer room.

[Asomer]

Asomer, it certainly would make for a beautiful and unique pair of floor lamps. My only concern is the context of the room in which they'll live. With what other pieces would they be expected to make friends and play nice, right?

TXCajun

TXCajun, Kevin says they'd flank the fireplace. If you see the photos he posted at the beginning of this thread, I believe that's the room they're going in. So, they'd be amongst John's custom pieces & H&M...nice friends & company, indeed

[TXCajun]

TXCajun, Kevin says they'd flank the fireplace. If you see the photos he posted at the beginning of this thread, I believe that's the room they're going in. So, they'd be amongst John's custom pieces & H&M...nice friends & company, indeed

Asomer,

Exactly. Those custom pieces are exceptionally refined. My concern is that the use of Cypress will seem inconsistent. Don't get me wrong. I love Cypress. It can be beautiful, but it has its place. I'm just not sure it is best for Kevin's purposes. But, that is my opinion, and it's based on only my interpretation of what I see in his photos. So, I could be completely off base!

If I correctly recall, Kevin did post that he'll likely start with the glass shades and then select a wood. Seems like a good plan because shade selection can be make or break. Kevin, do you have a specific shade shape and shade color you're going for? Any example photos?

Now, this is only my first impression and nothing more than a fun exercise... My initial thinking landed on the use of cherry, such as that used with Kevin's coffee table. That thought was immediately followed with consideration for the tiger maple side table that Kevin mentioned was stained a darker color that wound up being such a nice match with one of the rug's colors. (Would a floor lamp be an appropriate application for tiger maple, though? I know nothing about that wood.) Again, I could be way off base for what Kevin is considering. He's done such a terrific job, thus far, that I know whatever he decides will be exactly right!

TXCajun

[Asomer]

TXCajun,

Yes, it may be a bit too much going on with the other woods in the room, but when you see it stained & finished like this it's beautiful!!

P.S. This is a Sinker Cypress live edge dining table that's $9,000 on Etsy!!

[Kevin]

TxCajun,

All I can say about tiger maple is never underestimate the beauty of this wood especially when John Buchanan uses it to build a piece of furniture. I have a glass bowl, full of glass floats, sitting on one of his tiger maple tables. The glass refracts indirect sunlight across the grain of the maple and the color of John’s finish changes through out the day.

As for the lamp shades, I am exploring different shapes that are all based upon abstracted flower blossoms. My current vision is the lamp shades will have an organic but refined shape and more than likely, will be red. Once I have a final shape and texture then I will have to determine how the lamp shades will be fabricated, i.e., blown, slumped in a mold, or draped over a mold. At this point, the only thing about the design that is set in stone is the shades will need to be somewhere in the 15-20 inch diameter range and my wife has the final decision.

Once I have the shades in hand then I will select a wood to compliment the glass shades and the other furniture and accessories in the room. My lamp project will definitely take a year or two to complete but it will be a fun journey since I would like to fabricate the lamp shades.

[Asomer]

TxCajun,

All I can say about tiger maple is never underestimate the beauty of this wood especially when John Buchanan uses it to build a piece of furniture. I have a glass bowl, full of glass floats, sitting on one of his tiger maple tables. The glass refracts indirect sunlight across the grain of the maple and the color of John’s finish changes through out the day.

As for the lamp shades, I am exploring different shapes that are all based upon abstracted flower blossoms. My current vision is the lamp shades will have an organic but refined shape and more than likely, will be red. Once I have a final shape and texture then I will have to determine how the lamp shades will be fabricated, i.e., blown, slumped in a mold, or draped over a mold. At this point, the only thing about the design that is set in stone is the shades will need to be somewhere in the 15-20 inch diameter range and my wife has the final decision.

Once I have the shades in hand then I will select a wood to compliment the glass shades and the other furniture and accessories in the room. My lamp project will definitely take a year or two to complete but it will be a fun journey since I would like to fabricate the lamp shades.

How did you decide to commission a custom lamp project & how in the world did you find someone to do the glass work?! I think it sounds amazing & I consider myself fairly well versed in at least, knowing where to look for custom work(the quality of this custom work, I cannot be certain of.) But, all I'd know what to do is Google "custom glass blowing near me." Lol, can't say that'd surely turn out any great resources