Kitchen Composition, 2010

We had the pleasure of working with two artists moving into an Oak Park house who were open to a great deal of experimentation and designing during fabrication. Rather than build the cabinets in the shop, we built almost everything on site, with the exception of the initial black walnut frame that was modified to fit over the range. Our consultations were like formal art school critiques, and the composition evolved and developed over time, making changes, repositioning elements as much like a sculpture or painting in wood as a functional kitchen. What developed was a composition based largely on the primary components, a walnut cabinet from the Rebuilding Exchange, and the various colors of aged lumber that we were able to accumulate- douglas fir floor joists, cedar fencing, walnut doors and panels, pine shelving, both natural and painted white. To preserve the color of the wood, we coated all of it with wax rather than applying varnish or sealer. Obviously every kitchen built in this way will be a one-of-a-kind original, using a new set of available materials. These are for the adventurous among you! We also do cabinet re-facing rather than replacing everything. If your cabinets are in good shape, there's no reason to replace them. We can just make them more interesting. Price reflects the cost of the upper cabinets in this particular kitchen. Prices and dimensions will be variable depending upon your situation.