Things we'd like to do this year

Recently I've not been up to too much, I've been at the house doing dad stuff, washing dishes and driving Gemma to the hospital.  With my time gazing out the kitchen window while cleaning up and wondering what the point of this whole life is, I've had a few ideas for some of the types of jobs I'm looking to get involved in.  Have a look, maybe there's something your looking to have done.

CONCRETE 

concrete worktops, I've been messing with this idea for a while now.  I have just about got the set up all together and ready to get a few practice pieces done.  Since ripping out my office I've not done anything to it yet except doodle a few doodles of what I'd like to do.  I'm thinking on doing a section of the work surface in concrete.  I'm not sure what the benefits are, I suppose it should last forever, I like to do stuff that you'll never need to change.....ever.  All this decorating every few years and changing with trends would drive me nuts.  Trends are shit!  So we're looking to do some for of concrete work surface, maybe mix it with a reclaimed top, maybe build a concrete dining table, maybe do something like in the picture for a bathroom, maybe use some metal, maybe do some concrete stuff for outside dining, maybe maybe maybe.

ROCK A BILLY

You know like one of them diners you see now and again.  Usually in the UK they fail at it and looks like some fake un-authentic sorta' thing that they really never wanted to do in the first place but they think their friends will think they're cool, so they do it anyway.  There's a really good tattoo shop in Glasgow that looks really good.  Anyway I quite fancy fitting out a kitchen like this.  Maybe a shop, I suppose it's not too unusual for a shop so a room in a house would be good to do.  I don't think doing just a black n white floor would be doing the look any justice, we should really do it right and get some cars, cut them in half and use them as seats, wurlitzer jukebox, hot teenagers rolling around in roller skates, all that sort of stuff.  The pictures not mine, I found it online.  It's from a diner in Wildwood NJ.  I've been to Wildwood before, we stayed in Cape May after getting married in Central Park, I liked New Jersey, best thing about Wildwood was the slice of pizza for $1, it was a big slice.

LOADSA' BOOKS

This would be ideal for someone with thousands of books and loads of space....and probably an interest in the architectural orders.  I'd like to do a library with elements copied from some old old old structures.  Think the Partheon in Greece or Maison Carrée in France or even a place not so old like the GPO in New York.  The only difference is that there won't be any stone involved.  The things that I'd like to carry over into the library would be the details.  The corinthian columns and capitals, the triglyphs, the dentil block, the pediments and the way they kept the proportions.  It would be a really nice room to design and execute, finished in a dark stain, throw in some chesterfields and maybe a tartan carpet.  With the walls fitted out it leaves the ceiling.  A nice deep coffered ceiling would do the trick.  I posted a picture on Instagram recently of a nice coffered ceiling (thats over on the right sidebar if you want a look) This is probably the room I'd like to do most, my house has 8' ceilings so not ideal for an install like this. 

DESERTED ISLAND  

I see kitchens for sale on TV and think to myself WTF.  They look bland, all one colour, too shiny and boring.  I'd like to do an island that totally different than the rest of the kitchen.  Opposite colour, doesn't match in any way, maybe some metal. curved at one end or maybe both.  I'm thinking on doing a really thick top with reclaimed materials on it, maybe about 3-4" thick and leave the end grain exposed on the each end.  I think it would be nice to have some sort of hanging ceiling thing above it, I suppose you could hang pots on it if you fancy but I think I'd do some sort of funky lighting apparatus.  For the doors I'd maybe do a really large and deep raised panel and possibly use some end grain ply. 

LIVE EDGE

The other thing I'd like to do more of is live edge work, bar tops and various other work surfaces.  I've recently set myself up with a way of flattening wide slabs and have a steady supply of different species from a tree surgeon friend of mine.  He does big jobs with all sorts of trees so this could be what I'm busy with this year.  I've had some redwood slabs that I'm making a chest from and a small table.  They're not finished yet but when they are I'll have them on here.  You can use live edge timbers really anywhere, you see them in these 'trendy' coffee shops that are opening up everywhere, you know the places where all the guys have beards and are covered in plaid while their fixed gear bike sits proudly outside.  I seen a really nice piece done for a whisky tasting room and it looked like it grew in the room.  I'm open to ideas on where it can be used.  An easy solution would be in your kitchen, if the tree's big enough you could get enough to do all the work surfaces or pick a certain piece for an island or incorporate an overhang for eating at.  Another nice idea is to fit them as window sills or window seats.  A great rustic feel.    

FILM ME BABY

I quite fancy doing some sort of film/tv set or exhibition work.  I've never done it before but would like to have a blast at it.  I'd be happy to do it in exchange for getting a part of an extra or whatever on your movie, this Hollywood smile isn't getting any younger!!  I'm not talking massive production because I don't really know what to do, I understand the basic structure but I'm sure there's a way of doing it so maybe a small theatre or something like that.  For the exhibition stuff I'd like to do, I'm thinking some sort of small art installation, community display sort of stuff, anything along those lines.

So there we go, a few nice ideas.  None of these pictures are my work, I found them online, it'd be funny if I built the Partheon and took the photos at the end of the job, I'd be really old and fuck knows where I'd have got a camera from.  Anyway this is the stuff I think would be enjoyable to work on.  As far as costs go, let me know what you fancy doing and what money we have to play with and lets see if we can make something happen, we might even do the old barter system if you've got something interesting to barter with.  I enjoy doing cool stuff so money's not the main motivator, everyones got bills, needs to eat and blah blah blah but everyone needs to enjoy their work too.  If its interesting and cool, I'm into it.  Let me know what your thinking.

Over and out.