The Well Made Life

Out and About in JAX

2010-09-23T13:41:00.000-07:00

Due to budgetary cutbacks, my wings once again have been clipped but for those of you locals stuck in the samo samo, thought I throw out a little photo op I took around Riverside. Now to my friends from out of town, "Riverside" means little to you but I'm sure you know the same old story. The attrition rate of business' downtown and in Riverside is quite alarming and before we thin it too much, I want to spend some time enjoying what we have.

For the most part Jacksonville has reminded me of the missing episodes of Hee-Haw but metropolitan culture is everywhere if you look with the right kind of eyes. Since my return from the West, I've come to appreciate the mix. If you're like me and working to keep your business afloat and trying to maintain your identity as an artist, let me offer this recent observation:

There's no better time than right now to double down and work for yourself. Start up costs are at an all time low and with a killer lease and a lean and mean business model, you could find yourself well positioned when the turnaround happens. These are snaps from my town and I find I'm consistently surprised at the sophistication I spot in the cracks and crevices of this sleepy little trailer park we call a city.

"Easy for you to say!" you might remark, but I'm putting my money where my mouth is. I'm working on a brick and mortar concept for our downtown. I'll post updates as we make progress but suffice to say, I'll see you there in the long shadows of bars and museums with a smile on my face saying "Come on in! Culture lives here to fight another day."

See you around the neighborhood,
J.C. McKay
Founder of Craft and Custom

Milling the future of my company.

2010-08-12T11:43:00.000-07:00

I've always thought this would be a great road to go with my little furniture company and today I took a first step. I began rough milling downed trees to make furniture. After reading James Krenov, "The Fine Art of Cabinet Making", I got the crazy idea to make this a cornerstone to starting my business. It's green, it's cheap, and most of all it's rewarding in the fact that I can pick my timber from the absolute beginning. It will make me a better artisan and a better woodworker. Can't wait to see this timber dry. More pics to come.

Industrial Modern on La Brea

2010-06-30T10:00:00.001-07:00

Just as promised more on industrial modern with more to come. The pic directly above was taken on the showroom of Cisco Modern on La Brea in Hollywood as was the table above it. The cool thing about the table is that it was milled from reclaimed teak (although I've seen a lot of this...maybe too much for it ALL to be reclaimed). However in principal, what a great concept. The accent table has a solid stone top. It was salvaged from a factory and re purposed as either an end table or as one customer suggested, a kitchen island.

One Last Word...

2010-06-28T17:55:00.000-07:00

On a parting note when it comes to the Dwell on Design Show, as a furniture designer and hopeful business person, I had the same question for every business owner I spoke with whether a builder, green energy company, or showroom owner: "How has business been in 2010?" The answer was almost always a resounding "good and getting better". Some designers said '09 was a terrible year but 2010 has been even better than '08 already. Without a doubt I was left with a sense of optimism. Everyone is having a good first quarter and looking forward to a strong finish to 2010. The numbers are looking good and the momentum getting stronger. In a seemingly endless sea of negative press giving us a constant reminder of a sagging economy, the word on the street is "best sales in a long time". So suit up. Lets go for a ride. I think it's time already.

Dwell on Design Rapid Fire Wrap Up

2010-06-28T17:35:00.000-07:00

From the top are Sarah Turner's cleverly recycled light bulb vases and her ingenious doorstop stools (sorry for the blurry pic). Malfi flooring's ingenious concept for pouring resin into wooden floors. These materials can be back-lit to showcase the resin coloring etc. Lastly featured above is the uber artistic combo of Modern Murals. The Evans' pictured above are probably the most congenial and approachable business I encountered. They enhance and enlarge artwork both by other artists or your own to display on your walls. modernmural.com is definitely worth a click.

Dwell on Design Rapid Fire Finish Up

2010-06-28T17:24:00.000-07:00

Pictured above are tile samples from Soli Architectural Supply and in the middle, terrazzo looking flooring from Ice Stone. Ice Stone mixes glass shards with concrete to create the terrazzo aesthetic popular in lots of 50's minded home owners and designers.

Dwell on Design Furniture Row Part Four

2010-06-28T12:53:00.001-07:00

Dwell on Design Furniture Row Part Three

2010-06-28T12:47:00.000-07:00

The first three items on in this post are actually from the Asia Now portion of the Dwell on Design show. Many Americans probably have difficulty wrapping their brains around the sophistication and extensiveness of the far Eastern marketplace but as someone who has seen it first hand, it is awesome.

Dwell on Design Furniture Row Part Two

2010-06-28T12:16:00.000-07:00

Dwell on Design Furniture Row Part One

2010-06-28T12:01:00.000-07:00

Without a doubt mid-century mod is still dominating the face of modernist furniture according to many of the vendors at Dwell on Design but it was refreshing to see some new influences making their way to the front as well. Hand made look is surfacing more and more as well as a mix of industrial aesthetic is showing up more and more. As for the industrial part. I've been been seeing it more and more over the years and welcome the inclusion of up-cycling not just materials but also entire fixtures that might not serve their original purpose. Personally, I can't wait to experiment with it when I get home. For more examples of where I'm getting this from check out Truck furniture (http://truck-furniture.co.jp/), Cleveland Art (clevelandart.com) and even Cisco Home (ciscohome.net). Look for more post to come on this.

2010-06-28T11:42:00.000-07:00

As a furniture maker, design professional, and all around design geek, I find it difficult to nail down a perspective on sharing information about other studios that would otherwise be considered competition. At Dwell on Design this weekend, I found myself geeking out about a whole range of boutique lines that are visionaries and all around great people. Chief among such companies is Mash Studios with their LAX series and some of their upcoming releases. I had a lengthy conversation with owner Bernard Brucha about fabrication, design, and the rigors of bringing quality into production at an affordable price all while staying green in todays American marketplace. Bernard and his studio manager Zoe were plain out straight shooters and without a doubt one of my favorite conversations at the show. They have a showroom in Venice and a fantastic new collection coming out. Worth your time and worth your money. mashstudios.com In time you'll see more posts from me about these guys.

More Dwell on Design

2010-06-28T11:13:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite exhibitors at Dwell on Design is Handmade. John McDonald has designed a series of upcycled door and drawer fronts that are made for pre-existing Ikea cabinets. As he explained (and as a furniture builder I agree) Ikea sells their cabinetry for less money than most craftsman can even buy the materials for in America. He has devised an simple but ingenious was to dress up your kitchen without having to buy an entirely new set of cabinets with recycled flooring, building materials, and the like. Check him out: ahandmadehome.com

2010-06-28T10:46:00.000-07:00

IQ Haus is a recent take on prefab from shipping containers. The model showing at Dwell on Design is turnkey at $39,000 which isn't bad considering everything is included. In Southern California, permitting can be a real problem for would be home owners and this unit actually simplify the process a bit. At, 300sf however some more suburban dwellers might find it just a great guest house (or place to keep your clothes?). The company actually has other models available (at a higher) price point that are gorgeous but still cost effective considering what you're getting but you're still not looking at under forty thousand. Definitely worth checking out.

2010-06-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

This unit from reclaimed space was on ebay selling for around $60,000 when we were viewing it. The materials were salvaged from an old brewery and assembled in Austin, TX and shipped to Dwell on Design. Pictured is the front and back which has a natural wall and the insulation (made from recycled denim).

2010-06-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

So much going on a Dwell on Design this week. TONS of pictures to come and the full story. Great innovators from furniture, prefab, and the like. It's all about re-cycle, up-cycle, re-claiming. So much more to come.

2010-06-22T19:29:00.000-07:00

Just before heading out to the desert, I showed some work at the Riverside Arts Market in Jacksonville. I love, love, love, shows like this. I would have done the show for free just to meet the great people that came out to support the arts. We got the confirmation a little late that we could show so we had to leave the towering displays and the blinking neon signs at home. Still with such an enthusiastic turn out, I'm looking forward to doing it again.

Upcoming Outgoing Work

2010-06-22T18:50:00.000-07:00

I'm currently visiting California and trapped in the high desert until Dwell on Design this weekend but in the interest of keeping the blog fresh and current, here are some pics from my hard drive to throw in some previous works. Pictured here are my "Belt Deco Chair", "Sculpted Accent Chair" and the "Sutra Coffe Table".

Forgive me bloggers for I have sinned...

2010-06-19T18:45:00.000-07:00

You may notice that my last blog post was about a year and a half ago. Endeavoring to remedy this, look forward to some great new posts including one from the Dwell on Design trade show in a week. Many more photos of work, happenings, and good times to come. Thanks for checking in and looking forward to hearing from you soon!

Hand Made American Modern Furnishings

2008-11-19T20:26:00.000-08:00

I wasn't alive to witness the era where things were "made" instead of "manufactured". I never experienced the revolution of design were the likes of Ray and Charles Eames ushered in a shining era of modernism. Like many design professionals, I worship at the alter of Sam Maloof and George Nakashima. I relish in the innovations of Patricia Urquolia and Terence Conran among others.

However, in the wake of the housing boom and the resurgence of goods made in industrial, sterile invironments, I've started wondering "When did hand made modern become campy and unatractive?" When did modernism stray from the hands of craftsman and into a sweat shop in China? Now, I know what you're thinking (especially if you live in California or New York) that there are plenty of hand made modernists. Let me throw out a couple of names:

BDDW, Palo Samko, Eric Manigian, Tucker Robbins, John Houshmand, etc, etc, etc....

These are atisains and they produce an extraordianry level of quality. If you are not aware of a name of two, and are interested in hand-made american modern, these sites would be inspiring and enticing to the craftsman, the modernist, and the design enthousiast that want to purchase and preserve the best that our design community has to offer.