Custom Furniture for an Executive Office – Case Study (Part 16) – Final Photography

After the installation was complete JLT was generous enough to allow access to his office for a day of professional photography. The resulting high resolution images are versatile enough to use not only in blogs, emails and websites but also printed media such as magazines and books.

As you can see from the full room images, the completed office looks magnificent.

The walnut on the Herman Miller sofa in the foreground nicely complements the East Indian Rosewood used on the other furniture pieces.

The desk is the focal point of the room, although the mass of the 108″ long top is visually lighted through the use of a deep undercut bevel and the inlay of over 250 pieces of mother-of-pearl around the perimeter.

The drawer pedestal on the desk has 2 box drawers over file drawer.

My favorite detail is the one which is barely seen – namely the point on the back side of the desk where the undercut bevel transitions into a vertical plane.

A total of 3 grommets were inlaid into the tops of the desk and credenza, with great care being taken to align the grains of the wood to make the grommets looks as unobtrusive as possible.

I love the sweep of this curve…

The credenza was custom fitted into the corner, with the curved edge of the top ending exactly at the edge of the window.

A single key enables all drawers to be locked at one time.

At first glance this looks like an architectural wood panel set into the wall.

The panels are actually doors, which conceal audio/video components above…

….and a safe down below.

The A/V components are mounted into a custom pull-out rack system, to allow for ease of installation and maintenance.

The Scotch Bar.

Showing the detail of the faux ivory inlays as they frame the satin nickel pull.

The split shells on the Scotch Bar pivot open to reveal a function interior, which provides a granite mixing surface as well as ample storage for beverages, glasses, ice bucket and accessories.

The corner detail of the Scotch Bar.

The motorized television cabinet, as viewed from the back.

The wedge shaped cabinet has 2 doors for access to storage. These doors also provide access to the lift mechanism for service and maintenance.

The motorized television cabinet, as viewed from the front.

The television raised; shown facing the sofa.

The television rotated 90 degrees so that JLT has the option to watch while sitting at his desk.

Perhaps the most interesting feature of this office is how all of the electronics and lighting that has been integrated into this space can be easily controlled using little more than the touch screen of an IPad.

Hopefully these features will be properly demonstrated in an upcoming video.

Custom Furniture for an Executive Office – Case Study (Part 15) – Accessories

On the custom office project for JLT I ended up becoming involved in many aspects of the interior design, from the creation of the furniture itself to the layout of the ceiling and lighting grid and, to a lesser degree, the selection of wall coverings, carpet and upholstered furniture from Herman Miller.

Admittedly, this participation on my part was motivated in part by my desire to create a thoroughly complete office environment that would help show off the actual furniture when it came time for photography.

My intense focus on the design of the furniture inadvertently spilled over into the creation of some accessories as well, specifically a wine stopper and an ice bucket for the scotch bar.

Given that JLT is an aficionado of fine wines I wanted to create a high quality stopper that would surpass the quality level of any other wine stopper currently on the market.

The stopper itself was milled from a solid billet of FDA food grade 304 stainless steel. Triple seals of FDA food grade nitrile were then inlaid into precision milled grooves. The handle portion was turned from a rare block of solid Macassar Ebony, which is one of the hardest woods in the world.

Sharp tools and considerable patience is required when working with woods such as Ebony. Because of its extreme density this wood must be slowly air dried, lest hairline cracks develop over time.

On this particular stopper the biggest challenge came from placing the inlay of a decorative cabachon into the end. A thin walled pocket was carefully turned with a parting tool to create the recess necessary to receive the inlay of fossilized coral.

The ice bucket ended up being the bigger undertaking, and I have to admit that I spent a great deal of time agonizing over the design.

In an earlier post I described the process of evaluating JLT’s office from a Feng Shui perspective. At the time it worked out that the proposed layout and design was conducive with 13 of the 14 recommended “DO’s” and “DON’T’s” for a balanced office from a Feng Shui perspective. The only element missing was a small aquarium containing a single Arowana fish.

As much as I aspired to achieve perfection with this project I wasn’t about to suggest something as contrived as plunking an aquarium in the middle of the office decor. But given that the Scotch Bar was already located in a most auspicious part of the office, and knowing that JLT also has a taste for single malt scotch and Grey Goose vodka, I came up with the idea of creating a functional ice bucket that could do double duty as a proverbial water feature. Instead of using a live fish I would substitute an image of an Arowana etched into the face of the glass.

Working with Eva Milinkovic of Tsunami Glassworks we selected a colour of blue that would not only become a symbolic representation of water but do so in a way that would also complement the colours found on a Grey Goose bottle.

The most difficult part was coming up with an image of an Arowana fish that was subtle enough not to be overpowering. I didn’t want this thing to look like it had Charlie the Tuna tattooed onto the side.

Once the concept was finalized I left it to Eva to work her magic with the glass.

It’s no surprise that I was quite pleased with the result.

Next: Custom Furniture for an Executive Office – Case Study (Part 16) – Final Photography

Custom Furniture for an Executive Office – Case Study (Part 14) – The Audio/Video Guys Do Their Thing

With the custom furniture now installed in JLT’s office it’s time for the Audio/Video guys to do their thing.

This image was shown in the previous post. Although the woodwork to the right looks like an architectural panel designed to complement the furniture in the room, it’s actually a built-in closet with doors to conceal storage.

The lower door provides access to a hidden safe, while the large upper door has shelves for storage plus a built-in rack mount system for holding the audio/video components.

Although it’s difficult to see from this photo, there are multiple slots in the ceiling of the cabinet to allow for ventilation of components.

A veritable plethora of tools, components and wires….

The motorized TV lift mechanism needs to be interfaced with the Savant control, using cables that have already been prewired through the walls.

The flat screen TV is mounted into the lift basket, and secured on the adjustable mounts. (The finger prints that resulted from lifting the TV are optional).

Next: Custom Furniture for an Executive Office – Case Study (Part 15) – Accessories

Custom Furniture for an Executive Office – Case Study (Part 13) – Another Road Trip !

With the jobsite now ready to receive our work, it’s time for another road trip.

The truck is ready to load.

Kevin wrapping pieces in protective tissue, then blankets.

The truck’s almost loaded. Time to gather the tools.

The office appears as a blank canvas – ready to receive our work.

Installation starts with the credenza, in the far corner of the room.

The cantilevered top fits perfectly between the wall and the window.

Kevin assembles the desk, while Heath works on the motorized TV cabinet.

There’s a reason for the cabinet angle – to be explained in a subsequent post.

The lift basket showing built-in mounts to receive the flat screen TV.

The Scotch Bar: Closed

The Scotch Bar: Open

Executive Desk and Credenza.

JLT especially loved the detail on the inlaid wood grommet.

Desk, Credenza, Scotch Bar, and Television Cabinet.

Although this looks like an architectural wall panel, it’s actually a built-in closet. This cabinet will be shown in greater detail after the audio-video guys are finished doing their work.

Next: Custom Furniture for an Executive Office – Case Study (Part 14) – The Audio/Video Guys Do Their Thing

Custom Furniture for an Executive Office – Case Study (Part 12) – The Renovation Work is Finally Done

Although our custom furniture work is now completed the delivery schedule for installation has been postponed due to unexpected delays in the renovation work being done in JLT’s office. Finally we received word that the back-ordered LED fixtures have arrived and been installed, so the site is now ready to receive our work.

As you can see from the design and placement of the ceiling and lighting fixtures, this delay has been more than worthwhile. (After all, proper lighting is critical to effectively displaying the woodwork in the room, as well as the artwork that will follow later).

The desk and credenza will be installed in the far corner of the space. (The warmth of the lighting is already more than apparent).

The motorized TV cabinet will be installed immediately to the left of the glass.

The built-in closet will be fitted into the niche space in the far right corner.

Next: Custom Furniture for an Executive Office – Case Study (Part 13) – Another Road Trip!

Custom Furniture for an Executive Office – Case Study (Part 11) – The Furniture’s Done – Now We Wait

The previous post describes how the renovation work in JLT’s office is nearing completion. Although our custom furniture work for this space is now done, the site is not yet ready to receive the delivery – apparently because of a delay with the installation of the custom lighting system. At this stage it’s better not to install the furniture while guys with ladders are still moving around. We also need to coordinate with JLT’s audio/video guy, because once we schedule our road trip we want to make sure that everything runs as seamlessly as possible. Unnecessary delays can end up being costly. Meanwhile, I’m posting more images of the finished furniture pieces.

This is the finished credenza top.

The inlaid grommet in the credenza top.

The drawer pedestal for the desk, complete with the inlaid handles and locking mechanism.

The desk top, featuring over 200 inlays of mother-of-pearl.

This is a detail view of the desk top, showing the custom wood grommet and mother-of-pearl inlays.

A detail view of the Scotch Bar, showing faux ivory inlays and satin nickel handle.

The Scotch Bar interior is now fitted with a pull out tray, drawer, mirror back, glass shelf and LED lighting. All that’s missing is the black granite top that will be set over the drawer and tray.

This is the accessory drawer, which will be handy for storing coasters and other miscellaneous items.

This pull-out tray can be used as a surface for pouring scotch or mixing drinks.

Next: Custom Furniture for an Executive Office – Case Study (Part 12) – The Renovation Work is Finally Done

Custom Furniture for an Executive Office – Case Study (Part 10) – The Renovation Nears Completion

With the custom furniture work almost done, it’s time to check in with the General Contractor to see how the work in JLT’s office is progressing.

As you can see the walls are now finished and ready to receive wallpaper. The carpeting is installed as well.

The desk and credenza will be installed in the far corner.

Although the ceiling grid is done most of the tiles have been left out pending installation of the custom lighting system.

Next: Custom Furniture for an Executive Office – Case Study (Part 11) – The Furniture’s Done – Now We Wait