Custom Process: The Idea

By LuAnne Silvia, ASID
How the process of a custom piece is developed...starts with the idea. Our client had limited storage space in her kitchen condominium and needed a place to store her barware and wanted an inviting casual experience for her guests. Our client's mix of worldy antiques, casual inviting entertaining style and open floor plan sparked the idea of a stand alone decorative cabinet.  With our design problem identified we established our concept: to find a cabinet that would function as a bar and mix with her eclectic acquired aesthetic in her contemporary home.
The perfect spot for the cabinet would be near the kitchen island, next to the fireplace. The traffic flow and focal point of the fireplace dictated the size of the piece. Looking for a specific function, scale and and style of cabinet led us to designing a custom piece.
We wanted the cabinet to be rich in texture and pattern to feel at home with her existing antiques, yet light in feel and a quiet secondary focal point to the fireplace. We had the cabinet built out of ash, a visually heavy grained wood, and finished it in gray green stain to let the grain show through. The open design of the natural wall covering adds an exotic worldy flavor and rich pattern and feels light. The cabinet itself is up on tall legs to further create a light feeling and balance the contemporary style of her home.

About the wall covering, as described on Lori Weitzner website:
"Formed by hand from recycled pulp composed of salago and mulberry tree fibers, Eden cuts a figure both graphic and organic. Like a garden, the large-scale open weave pattern suggests an organized chaos. Used a hanging room dividers, window shades or screens, the 4’ x 8” panels work magic with light and shadow while enhancing any paint color when adhered to the wall. Design possibilities abound when the product itself is a work of art."
Photo of the custom cabinet with the wall covering applied to the door panel