Office Interior

This is Morvant Chiropractic Clinic here in Lafayette, LA on the College Point right across from the ULL athletic complex where Bertrand and College split. Dr. Jim Morvant has been in continuous operation for about thirty years bringing relief to local Acadiana residents myself included and yes, he is my Dad, my greatest supporter and my best salesman.


Console table at entryway made from reclaimed waste material.

We custom made this 16' x 11' reception desk specially for this space. We opened up the wall containing the typical sliding frosted glass window you see in doctor's offices and replaced it with a demi-wall and this giant beauty. The mahogany border and miter inlay really give this piece a refined feel.
                  
My father is not only a great chiropractor he's a very talented craftsman as well. 

(photos taken with an ipad)

Our farmhouse table

This is a table I made for my lovely wife. I must commend her for her patience because it took me nearly a year or more to put the time into it. It is made from pieces I had laying about the shop, some for several years. It is so hard for me to throw wood away just for this reason, someday I will find the perfect thing to make with it.

The center piece is a two foot wide slab that I purchased right around the time I met my wife about four and a half years ago. My lady loves simple rustic design so I left as much gray aged wood visible as I possibly could. 

I glued two 8" boards to the sides for extra width, hand planed all the edges and put a couple of coats of shellac. It was a nice departure from the complex, labor intensive work I usually do.

There are 117 apparent growth rings in the slab. The heart is right in the middle. It is usually the most  unstable parts of the tree, but this one only had a few small fractures. 

Custom Mahogany Dining Table

This African Mahogany table top is 4 feet wide and made from 2 pieces.

The tapered wedge and all other accents are made from Gaboon Ebony

Breadboard ends enhance the look of the table while keeping the top flat 

Mortise and tenon joints with small ebony pins hold the bases together and the large trestle with wedges  make the table both sturdy and handsome.  

Custom Cypress bentwood

This is one of my favorite custom interior pieces I have done. The thin pieces wrapping around the piece are steam bent and laminated.

The shape of the end and middle pieces follow the grain of the cypress wood. The Japanese refer to the grain pattern on the end pieces as the flame.

The middle piece features a grain pattern resembling an eye. A track light system is inlaid in the under side.

 

olde world inspired

We have put some time and energy into our bathroom over the last month.  Mayan green pigmented plaster, earth toned slate, reclaimed mahogany trim, scraped and sealed original door trim, handmade french doors with a solid antique cypress door.  It is coming together beautifully. A great representation of both our styles and inspirations.

a handcrafted bar room

A bachelor's retreat. It's all in the details.

Plastered walls with added earth pigment for color.  Hand selected local Cypress crafted into bar tops with the utmost care and skill paying great attention to detail and the natural beauty of the wood.  Handcrafted cement counter tops made with the meticulous artistic touch of John Finley at Arcadia Studios. A removable cutting board, inlayed fleur-de-lis, stone and his signature fossil add elements of detail throughout.  Hand carved superbowl champions into the large beam installed overhead.  Hand hammered copper bar backsplash, brick veneer accents and the plaster applied to the original brick fireplace really bring home that authentic New Orleans bar decor.

A few extra touches still need to be completed but it is coming together nicely.

Thanks to TJ Gray and Lenny for helping with many of the special details.

You can find another one of our handcrafted cypress bars here.

salvaged cypress beams

What are we gonna do with all these beam ends? My friend Noah Mudge and I rethunkit into a little extra work space in our kitchens. A butcher block of coarse.

The cypress was green and it cracked alot when we brought it in the house. A little character never hurt anybody.



We rubbed in a little pure linseed oil. The top has a velvet like feel and it sucks up oil like a sponge.



The angle cuts are the cut-off side of a long scarf joint.

It is amazing how a little space makes a big difference.

long leaf pine beams and mantel

My brother in law, Buddy Carriere single handedly fabricated and installed this very well executed beam work. The acute angle of the knee brace produced a distinct look. The braces are slid into notches made in the header and post.



The key to this type of joinery is keeping the pieces in tension which requires exact measurement and perfectly square cuts. The beautiful grain of the long leaf pine is strikingly accented by the curved cuts of the braces.

Buddy hired me to make his first mantel with him then he made another one just like it. The fireplace in the living space is directly across from the previous beam work so he wanted to use similar elements. It was a great chance to work out the process of cutting the larger elements. What I love about Buddy is that he knows exactly what he wants.

Complete kitchen makeover

Next we removed the floor in the kitchen. Under linoleum there was particle board nailed to the original white oak floors. Evidently, a fridge or two had defrosted after power outages leaving a black spot about 4' in diameter. Despite the cosmetic damage the floor was still in fairly good shape structurally. A quick sand and a couple coats of water based polyurethane brought the old floors to life with beautiful patina. The cabinets are happy with a quick coat of paint and a thorough cleaning for the moment, but the old hood vent must go. Again in an effort to brighten things up we decided on drywall and plaster opposite our windows, but this time Momma J painted on coffee instead of using mineral pigments. The effect was truly astonishing! The brushing action revealed the mica in our mix giving our plaster a shiny texture. Plaster soaks up oils readily so we wanted something a little more durable surrounding the stove. Donated tin from Mr. Noah Mudge and a cypress frame fit the bill perfectly.