Recycle That Old Headboard Into A Bench!!

That is Adobo, the black dog behind Black Dog Furniture Design.  

This bench is an excellent example of how we can reuse and recycle old furniture. This vintage headboard turned into an awesome bench. The decoration on the front stay was cut with a jigsaw. The blue-green color is what I call Versailles Green since a similar color was often used there.

Versailles Headboard Bench: Vintage headboard, vintage bedposts, pine, Miller Latex Paint, Spar Varnish.

By Brett Bigham

Black Dog Furniture Design

Portland Oregon

Oranges Smoranges! Who said there ain't no rhyme for oranges.

Pardon My H.R. Puffinstuff reference there.  

I was leery about doing orange furniture, due to emotional scarring during the '70s when everything my mother bought for half a decade was orange.  But when it came time to paint this mirror, it just seemed like it should be orange.  

The response to the color was also so positive that I tried orange out on a few tables and benches.  It ends up that orange is still a popular color.  Orange pieces sell faster than almost every other color!

Orange Temple Mirror: Pine, Recycled Victorian House Trim, Antique Mirror Glass, Pressed Wood Appliques, Miller Latex Paint, Spar Varnish.

Designed and Built by Brett Bigham

Black Dog Furniture Design 

Portland Oregon

My 100th Post! A Cupboard Door, Victorian Staircase Spindles and Some Fiery Red Paint.

This cute little table is nearly all recycled woods!  

For fun I tried using stripes on the top and was extremely happy with the result.  The piece was bright, cheerful and sold extremely fast.  What's not to like about that?

Again, I remind you, don't be afraid of color!

Fire Stripe Table: 1950s Cupboard Door, Victorian Staircase Spindles and Trim, Pine, Pressed-wood Applique, Miller Latex Paint, Spar Varnish.

Designed and Built By Brett Bigham

Portland, Oregon

What to do with your woodscraps!

These are a great example of what to do with leftover pieces of wood and trim.

The top rack was made using old cupboard knobs.  The natural brown rack was using hand-forged iron  hooks from an artisan.  The last two used Mexican cast iron hooks left-over from a restaurant project. (I've seen these same hooks on Ebay for $10 a piece.  Shop carefully, I got mine for $1.50 a piece in bulk).

The most notable design feature of these is the hanging applique that slides open to reveal a hidden screw. This allows the rack to be secured to the wall and the screws to be hidden.

Coat Racks: Pine, David Douglas Fir, Victorian House trim, Vintage Door Knobs, Cast Iron Hooks, Miller Latex Paint, Spar Varnish.

By Brett Bigham

Black Dog Furniture Design

Portland, Oregon

A Little Bit About the Artist

In Kindergarten I was a star!  (At least as far as Sacramento goes).  Romper Room used new kids every week but we lived close to the TV station so I was their "substitute kid".  If someone was sick or late we could be there in a few minutes.

That's me on the far left.  I was a Do Bee.

A Goodwill Dresser Gets A Facelift.

All this $15 Goodwill Dresser needed for a new lease on life was a paint job!

Every store that has ever carried my furniture begs for two things.  Bookshelves and dressers.  Bookshelves I like to build.  Drawers, I hate.  Seriously.  Unless it is a hidden secret compartment drawer, I do everything I can to avoid drawers.

But, the stores still want dressers.  So, when I see a cheap dresser that is banged up and lost it's finish but remains stable and sturdy, I grab it.  I'm sharing this redo with you because I really liked the top of the piece.  The stripes were rich looking and unexpected and I used blue because I was working on a blue table and I thought they would look good in the store together. (I learned a long time ago that if I take in several pieces in the same color scheme, the stores will decorate around them so instead of stray pieces floating around the store, I tend to end up with groups of pieces in the windows and high traffic areas).  The funny thing is I delivered the dresser first, came back the next day with the blue table and the dresser was already gone.  So much for grouping.

A Garden Shrine For Buddha.

When I bought this Buddha from woodcarvers in Bali, the statue was shiny and new. (Super shiny, in fact, since they were using shoe polish instead of paint!)  I didn't care for the finish so I figured some good old Oregon weather would give the statue some character.  

Camphor wood is very soft and the weather did more than give character.  Poor Buddha's hand fell off and he lost his knees.  Finally I decided I'd better make him a home or there wasn't going to be much left of him.

Buddha: Camphor Wood, Hand-carved in Ubud, Bali by a very nice family that lives on the side of the Volcano.

Buddha Shrine: Pine, Recycled Cupboard Door, Hand-cut Appliques, Gold Leaf, Miller Latex Paint, Spar Varnish.

Lying In My Grass As The Sun Set Behind Me.

This is my view as I lay in the grass this evening.

Happy Spring Everyone.  What a beautiful day.

Tonight In The Garden Of Earthly Delights.

This is the Eden that we call our front yard.

Last week it was all tulips.  Just as they faded, the dogwood took over.

Don't Be Afraid Of Color!

I am always telling people, "Don't be afraid of color!"

I thought I was being crazy when I started doing multi-color pieces.  Mostly it stemmed from having so many mixed colors left over from other projects.  When it was all said and done I loved the look of so many weathered colors.  The black undercoat that I sanded back into, brings a cohesion to the colors that usually wouldn't exist.

The amazing thing about the "Colour" pieces, as I call them, is that they usually sell within a day or two.

Colour Bench: Pine, Hand-cut appliques, Miller Latex Paint, Spar Varnish.

Built and Designed by Brett Bigham

Black Dog Furniture Design

Portland, Oregon

Victorian Spindles, Recycled Trims and Wood. This Table Is As Green As It Gets.

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Who says recycling isn't glamorous?! This little table is recycling at its finest!

The legs came from a Victorian Staircase, The corner trim and applique are trims salvaged from Portland-area homes and the wood was also salvage.

The legs set the color-scheme for this piece.  I didn't actually paint them, they came with the green paint that had been heavily weathered back into the wood.  I mixed my colors for the top based on the colors coming out on the legs.

As a note to people who are thinking of building out of old woods.  Be suspect of old paint and varnish.  In the sanding process those mediums can become airborne particles.  As a rule you should always wear a mask.  As a best practice, I also make sure that any old paint is sealed and covered with several coats of a high quality varnish.  

Victorian Spindle Table with Harlequin Top: Mixed Media Woods, Miller Latex Paint, Spar Varnish.

By Brett Bigham

Portland, Oregon

Saved From A Burn Pile. The Story of the Bali Goddess.

This is the Bali Goddess.  I was on a motorcycle, out alone riding around the edge of a volcano outisde of Ubud, Bali, when I came across a hut with a big wooden bonfire set up in the field.  The fire was already burning on one side and there, poking out of the other side, was the Bali Goddess.  

The burn pile, at least part of it, appeared to have once been the carved pieces of a wooden temple.  There were carved beams and panels and beautiful roof ornaments.  And the Goddess with her beautiful face. I jumped off my motorcycle and ran up to the family,  I pointed to the Goddess and mimed that I wanted to save her. 

They did not understand and did not pull  her from the encroaching flames.  I wanted to grab her myself but feared they were performing a religious ceremony.  So I pulled out a handful of money.

"Oooooooh," said the Papa.  "Antique."

That was the only word of English they spoke. But they understood the value of the word.  $15 later (A fortune in Bali during the time...right in the midst of their financial meltdown.) The Bali Goddess (Who is almost 5 feet tall) was being strapped to my back so I could ride her down the volcano. It was quite the undertaking to get her home.

 When I bought the house in Portland I put her up on my front porch.  Each year I plant her a new type of vine, burn a little incense, try to give her a little bit of the tropical homeland she came from.  I believe she brings me good luck.  If not, she certainly brings beauty.

Happy Spring.

A Three Dollar Endtable's Facelift Left It Looking Like A Million Bucks.

Sometimes I'll find a little piece that just needs a facelift.  This veneered 40s endtable had lost it's top layer of veneer.  A good sanding and some paint really brought the piece back to life.

1940s Endtable, Miller Latex Paint, Spar Varnish.

End of the Week Scrap Pile Project. Reuse, Recyle, Reuse some more!

I never throw away my scraps! I challenge myself to make something small and beautiful.  Even the mirror was a left over from a larger mirror I cut down.

Green Mahal Temple Mirror: Scrap woods and trims, Antique Mirror Glass,  Miller Latex Paint, Spar Varnish, Antique Brass Chain Link Hanger.

By Brett Bigham

Portland, Oregon

Greek Temple Mirror From Recycled House Trim and Some Gold Mirror Glass

This Greek Temple Mirror is special because I had just a few scraps of left over Victorian Plaster Trim. (That really fancy trim that runs across the top of this under the triangle roof line). The triangular roof is made from a 1960s ornate plaster picture frame (from a terrible ocean painting). The trims are also Victorian and the gold mirror glass was new and left over from a project.

I really liked the simplicity of the piece.  I saw the wife of the couple who bought it later and she told me that this mirror was the only thing they fought over in their divorce.

As a  note, I grind all the edges of my glass.  No professional artist or builder should ever consider sending cut glass out into the world without grinding the edges.  It takes forever but it is truly the best sign of the quality of a mosaic piece.

Greek Temple Mirror in Ivory: Pine, Victorian Plaster Trim, Victorian Wood Trim, Hand-cut Diamond Appliques, 1960s Plaster Frame Trim, Gold Leaf, Bulllseye Stained Glass Gold Mirror, Antique Mirror Glass,  Miller Latex Paint, Spar Varnish.

By Brett Bigham

Portland, Oregon

My Art Deco Masterpiece!! All hand-cut on a chop saw.

First off...DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS AT HOME unless you are really good with a saw.  All that chopping is dangerous and, as many of you know, my mom chopped off four fingers on her saw.

Be careful and read the safety instructions until you have them memorized.

Usually I edit myself and don't allow too many layers of cuts and appliques but I made this frame for an opening and I needed a dozen frames for the walls.  So, I just started layering, trying to create an Art Deco piece that would look machine made but was all hand-created.  Some of these forms are inspired by the Chrysler Building in New York.

Sometimes I want to be a painter just so I can create my own frames.

Verde Chrysler Frame: Pine and mixed woods, Vintage Mirror Glass, Hand-cut Appliques, Miller Latex Paint, Spar Varnish.

By Brett Bigham

Portland, Oregon

My End Of The Week Scrap Wood Pile Became This Pair Of Footstools.

I love these little footstools because they are proof that you don't have to  waste a single scrap of wood. The tops were the lend cuts off a piece of pine I had used for benches. If I'm left with a foot of pine, this is the perfect project!  The side pieces were also left overs.  The applique was a little piece of 2x4 that I cut down. The legs are the leftover ends from bedposts I had chopped up and used as table legs.

I called the one on the right the "Northstar".  

Brown Diamond Footstool, Northstar Footstool: Pine, mixed woods, recycled bedpost legs, hand cut appliques, Miller Latex Paint, Spar Varnish

By Brett Bigham

Portland, Oregon

A Simple But Elegant Frame

Mike and I have a collection of over 75 paintings. (Or, more aptly, I've bought a bunch of paintings while Mike stands back aghast that I'm buying another painting).  Quite often a good piece of art falls into my price range because it is unframed or poorly framed.  

This is my basic frame for paintings.  It is simple and quick and I like the architectural feel to it.  Gold leaf is a must for an  oil painting. It picks up the light and lightens the work.

Frame: pine, pressed trim, gold leaf.

By Brett Bigham

Portland, Oregon

An Old Twin Bed Got Chopped Up For Legs.

These legs used to be the bedposts on a rather unattractive 1970s twin bed.

The wood on the top had a really nice grain so I decided to leave some of the top natural.  This is one of those pieces that, to me at least, could hang on a wall as a proper (and not too foolish) piece of art.

Chocolate Verde Mondrian Table: Pine, Recycled legs from 1970s bedposts,  mixed woods, Miller Latex Paint, Spar Varnish.

By Brett Bigham

Portland, Oregon

Recycle!  It's easy!

My Version of a Sofa Table... The Chocolate Mondrian

After I built this sofa table I was torn between a solid color (I figured it was going to be behind someone's sofa) or taking the time to make a painting on the tabletop.  Art finally won out over utilitarianism and I made a piece of art instead.

The Chocolate Mondrian Sofa Table: Pine, Cedar, Miller Latex Paint, Spar Varnish.

Designed, Built and Painted by Brett Bigham

Black Dog Furniture Design

Portland, Oregon.

(And a small shout out to Boston. Our thoughts are with you)

How Is This For A Bunch Of Recycled Wood? The Ivory Harem Mirror.

This frame was more of an art project than a piece of furniture.  By slicing and layering trim I created recessed niches that resemble Ottoman Royal Architecture. I call the pieces with this tecnique "Harem" pieces.  The Harem at  Topkapi Palace in Istanbul was the isnpiration for this piece.

Since I wanted a girly mirror, I added some pressed wood appliques that are new.  I generally prefer to cut my own appliques but sometimes a fellow has to branch out a little bit.  Since I don't carve wood (yet...hmmmmmm....) I rely on antique carving and newly pressed wood appliques.

I have my own (secret) antiquing method for gold leaf.  I don't use it that often but every once in a while I make a piece that just cries out for a little gold leafing.  (Picture frames, I find, often need gold leaf to really show off the painting).

Ivory Harem Mirror: Pine, Antique Mirror Glass, Cedar, Victorian House Trim, Wooden Appliques, Hand-cut Diamond Appliques, Gold Leaf, Miller Latex Paint, Spar Varnish, Copper.

Designed and Built by Brett Bigham

Black Dog Furniture Design

Portland, Oregon

One Of My All-Time Favorite Mirrors

I don't know what it is about this mirror but it is one of my all-time favorites.  I have some left-over 4x4 post ends and desided to cut them down into the diamond shape that I use so often.  I really liked the large-scale of the 4x4 diamonds and they were fun to work with.  I've often thought it would me nice to add them to my house. They would make a great architectural detail to our cottage style house.

For those of you new to my furniture, I often take commercial paints and then add tints and mix colors to make up my own unique colors.  On one of my patterned pieces there may be four or five unique colors to that piece alone.  

These variations in color ensure that I never make the same the piece of furniture twince. Even a matching pair of endtables will have variations in colors that make them unique. Over these colors I then do multiple layers of washes, varnish and tinted varnishes.

Since these variations are hard to keep track of I use my own terms.  Fire is for the hot colors like orange and red, Verde is the whole gamut of greens, Chocolate is for browns.  Since I rarely use blue I just call that blue or name it for the inspiration (Versailles Blue and Versailles Yellow are my versions of the colors from Versailles, for instance.  Ebony and Ivory are my neutrals...but don't take that to mean I like that song.  I don't.   The mirror above is Fire.

Fire Temple Mirror: Pine, New Pressed Moulding, Repurposed Victorian House Trim, Vintage Cedar, Antique Mirror Glass, Hand-cut Diamond Appliques, Miller Latex Paint, Spar Varnish.

Designed and Built By Brett Bigham

Black Dog Furniture Design

Portland, Oregon

A Small Leafy Table From Pine & Recycled Victorian House Trim.

This is a nice technique for adding depth to a piece. By using several different greens in the leaves it gives the piece a subtle appearance of layers.

Small Leafy Table: Pine, Hand-cut Diamond Applique, Victorian House Trim, Miller Latex Paint, Spar Varnish.

Designed and Built By Brett Bigham

Black Dog Furniture Design

Portland Oregon

The Heliopolis Wall Shelf. Recycled Wood and a Love of Egyptian History

This fun wall shelf is called the "Heliopolis".  Heliopolis is a city in Egypt that is basically built at the base of the Pyramids.  This piece echoes the three main pyramids on the top. The dusty orange color also reminded me of the Egyptian dessert.

Heliopolis Wall Shelf: Pine, Victorian House Trim, Hand-cut Pyramid Appliques, Victorian Glass Knob, Re-used Tongue and Groove, Miller Latex Paint, Spar Varnish

Designed and Built by Brett Bigham

Black Dog Furniture Design

Portland, Oregon

Temple Mirror from Recycled Woods and Trims

This Temple Mirror was made from Victorian trims, Bullseye Stained Glass, Pine and Antique Mirror Glass.

Brett Bigham

Black Dog Furniture Design

Portland Oregon

The Emerald City Wall Shelf

This is part two of posts about little wall units that were inspired by famous architecture.  My previous blog was about Gothic Architecture. This piece was inspired by something a little more modern...Emerald City.  

At the bottom of the doors is the skyline of the Emerald City and the doors looming up high, represent, of course, the doors to the Emerald City.

 

It was a fun piece to make and unusual to look at, but I thought it quite interesting and unique.

Emerald City Wall Shelf: Pine, Brass Hinges, Miller Latex Paint, Spar Varnish.

Designed and Built By Brett Bigham

Black Dog Furniture Design

Portland, Oregon

An Old Medicine Cabinet Became This Gothic Cupboard.

This was a case of "what can I make out of this?"

Every once in a while I will stumble upon a cupboard or a cabinet that only needs a facade.  This Gothic Cupboard was once a medicine cabinet with three pegs below to hold towels.  I took off the original door and mirror (which I used on another piece) and put on two Gothicly Arched doors. I was reading the History of England at the time and I used some British Church or other to model the archway.

The tops of the dividing piece between the arched doors and the side supports also echo Gothic design by mirroring the ceiling of the Gothic style church.

Ivory Gothic Wall Cupboard: Medicine Cabinet from 1915 House, Pine, Brass Hinges, Brass Finials, Gold Leaf, Miller Latex paint, Spar Varnish.

Designed and Built By Brett Bigham

Black Dog Furniture Design

Portland, Oregon

Feeling Blue? A Little Table From Recycled Wood.

This little fella is pretty much 100% recycled wood.  The appliques are hand-cut from Victorian Trims, the legs were hand-turned left-overs from a longer turned piece. Even the top is an old cupboard door.

Blue is a rarity for me but this piece just seemed to cry out to be blue.

Designed and Built by Brett Bigham

Black Dog Furniture Design

Portland Oregon

Wondering What To Do With Wood Scraps?

At the end of every building spree there is always a pile of scraps left over.  I like to make a project out of them.  Birdhouses, altars, shrines...you never know what will become of a pile of scraps.

Altar Shrine by Brett Bigham

Black Dog Furniture Design

Portland, Oregon

You Never Know What Secrets Lurk In One Of My Pieces Of Furniture.

I just found this picture of the bottom of the Dog Bench (previous blog). 

It is sad that I don't usually take pictures of the backs or bottoms of most of my pieces.  Quite often I cartoon the bottoms of drawers or the insides of pieces where most people would never think to look.  I've even made sealed compartments full of cartoons and time capsule items that nobody will ever see unless the piece of furniture gets chopped up and the compartments open.  

There is nothing more fun than giving a piece of furniture a secret.  In a complex piece it can be a compartment to hide treasure, or a time capsule.  In something simple it might just be a cartoon on the bottom.  

I do wonder how long it will take for someone to find a hidden family of dogs drawn on the bottom of their dresser drawer or a mouse who lives in the back of a cupboard.

I Made this Living Room Suite In One Day!

I call this style of furniture "Metropolis".  It is my version of Art Deco but I love that my machine like style is completely handmade.  My hand-cut diamond appliques echo square-topped building rivets. Similar ones can be seen on the Chrysler Building in New York.

So, to me, my Metropolis pieces are a fight against the machines in some ways, but at the same time, they are a compliment to a style that was short-lived but incredibly beautiful.

Imagine this Living Room Suite in the same room as this Metropolis bookshelf.  

Ebony Metropolis Living Room Suite & Bookshelves: Pine, Hand-cut Diamond Appliques, New and Victorian House Trims, Miller Latex Paint, Spar Varnish.

Built and Designed By Brett Bigham

Black Dog Furniture Design

Portland, Oregon

This Was Once A Cupboard Door...

What would you make out of a cupboard door?

I made this cute little endtable with a painted mosaic top in blue and green jewel tones.

Mixed Media Woods, Pine, Cupboard Door, Hand-cut Diamond Appliques, Miller Latex Paint, Spar Varnish.

Designed and Built by Brett Bigham

Black Dog Furniture Design

Portland, Oregon