Artificial veneers = sustainably beautiful furniture!

Typically, when a project calls for an exotic veneer we woodworkers use a real wood veneer cut from a real tree. Real veneers are expensive, can be tricky to build with, and require that a tree be cut down in order to make them. About a year ago I discovered a company that makes artificial, non-toxic wood veneers made from recycled manufacturing byproduct ("waste") and the veneers are perfect. I mean, they look, feel, and act just like a real wood veneer, but come in 4'x8' paper-backed sheets that are much easier to work with than a real veneer.

When I was contacted by a prominent Upper East Side family about building a home office and some hallway bookcases in their 5th Avenue home using Ebony Macassar (a very exotic wood) I knew I had a great opportunity to create a green masterpiece using these new artificial veneers. Fortunately, this client was as eco-conscious as they were stylish and they were immediately on board with the artificial veneer concept. A few days of sketching, a few weeks of building, and a few hours of installation and the office was complete. A few weeks later the 104" tall bookcases were installed and the client, a lawyer, immediately asks if it's possible to build matching ladders for both bookcases using a "green" material. Coincidentally, I had just learned of a storm-fallen Wenge tree that was sitting in a gentleman's backyard for the past 50 years and had recently been sawn and kiln dried so I immediately ordered a quarter-sawn plank that measured 4" thick x 24" wide x 9' long. We had used Wenge for the spindle legs that support the bookcases and home office unit so it was the logical choice for the ladder. Another interesting detail in the ladders is that we recessed black leather into each step. The leather is domestic food byproduct and vegetable-dyed. It was a nice, unexpected detail that worked perfectly with the black strands in the Ebony Macassar veneer.

So without further ado...

The Office: A long work surface with 2 locking file cabinets, plenty of display and shelving space, recessed lighting, and a suspended overhead envelope sorter with custom solid brass spacers. The entire unit is supported on solid Wenge spindle legs in true midcentury modern style.




The Hallway: Matching bookcases at either end of the hallway provide tons of storage and display space and are easily accessible via solid Wenge library ladders. The bookcases, like the office built-in, sit atop solid Wenge spindle legs.

1200 Fifth Avenue - part 3

This year-long decorating and design project at an amazing pre-war "Classic 10" on Fifth Avenue overlooking Central Park was a major accomplishment only achievable through collaboration with brilliant interior designer, Robert Fodor, and exceptionally dedicated electrician, Allan Jones. Working with these consummate professionals enabled the successful completion of this project and I'm honored to count them among my friends and colleagues in design. Without further ado, the pictures...

Kitchen:

This picture shows one of our custom Rosewood and Travertine PTAC units. The Rosewood panels are completely removable, which exposes the PTAC system inside allowing for complete servicing and removal if needed. This exclusive Greene Furniture design requires custom metalwork to build the frame upon which the Travertine top sits and the Rosewood panels are attached. Prior to our design and installation, a plywood box was built around the PTAC unit which prevented removal and servicing of the system unless the entire box was broken apart and removed. This was quite inconvenient, as you can imagine.

The cream-colored Travertine top compliments the deep reds and blacks found in the solid Rosewood. A natural, hand-applied oil finish further accentuates the Rosewood's inherent beauty. A custom, solid Brass vent cover inlayed in the Travertine top and Brass screening behind the lower air intakes adds brilliance to the organic feel of the installation.

*Special thanks to SMC Stone in Greenpoint, Brooklyn for their great work fabricating and installing the Travertine tops on all of the PTAC units.

1200 Fifth Avenue - part 2

Master Bedroom:

Furniture and Decor - Freeform mid-century vanity and stools completely rebuilt and restored by Greene Furniture, Chillewich shades from the Shade Store, and custom hanging drum light.

Built-ins (background) - I designed and built the window boxes that run from wall to wall to hide the PTAC (Packaged Thermal Air Conditioner) unit. It was important that the PTAC window boxes not only complimented Robert Fodor's design vision for the space, but enabled unobstructed access to the PTAC unit for service & repair. I engineered the units so that the solid Rosewood facade panels are completely removable, leaving only the Travertine top and solid Brass vent inlay sitting atop the internal metal framework, which allows technicians unrestricted access to the PTAC unit.

We installed these custom PTAC window boxes in 6 of the apartment's 10 rooms. In the Master Bedroom the rosewood panels have 2 cubby boxes with recessed lighting and are used to display sculptures. The lighting runs on its own dimmer switch.