This beautiful black built-in went in right before the end of the year 2018. Installed a the penthouse apartment for Philly area designer Michele Plachter, it conceals the air conditioner and sprinkler heads, provides display for a collection of books, photos and collected items. There’s an alcove for a television above ample doors and drawers for additional storage. A clever hiding spot for a large exercise mat can be found in the left most end panel, while the right side goes all the way to the wall, with over-the-door shelf space.
Crafted from Maple lumber and furniture-grade sheet goods and stained using Saman brand water-based product, these cabinets transformed the room and prove that not everything ought to be white!
These solid walnut bookcases, made for the new Comcast Technology Center in Philadelphia, are absolutely one of a kind. Shop made blackened steel bases support the long cases, and live-edge, bug damaged slabs float over blackened case tops. These were designed for an art advisement company overseeing the project; sketches and samples sent back and forth until we agreed on the eventual design for these five long pieces. Two pairs live end to end, becoming very long spans, and one stands alone. They’re so beautiful! The black walnut and black stain are quite nice together.
This gorgeous traditional home overlooks beautiful Harveys Lake Pennsylvania in Luzerne County.
The family room houses loads of cozy seating and a television along with a large stone fireplace. One of the homeowners is an avid reader and wanted some beautiful and super functional storage for games, photographs, and of course – lots of books!
The built-in custom bookcases reach from floor to ceiling and wall to wall, flanking a couple of stairs and a pair of pocket doors. They have a somewhat formal styling with panels wrapping the staircase and gracing the inset door fronts. The paint color is Sherwin Williams Extra White.
Interested in a built-in of your own? Let us know!
Our latest install was this beautiful white wall of built-ins to a home on historic Pine Street in Old City Philadelphia. The piece has a desk with bookshelves on the right side, with a closet in the middle, and a built-in bank of drawers with more shelves on the left. The desk area included LED lighting. Solid brass Firenza pulls from Signature Hardware were used and the finish is waterborne lacquer matched to Benjamin Moore Pure White.
This room was up three flights of old stairs and was expertly designed to break down to make it to its destination. Just ordered a new camera to take out on installs because this phone just isn’t cutting it any longer! Better images coming soon, promise.
I hope to soon have a back up of all that great work here.
Until then, I’m trusting our web hosts to sort things out and crossing my fingers. Please follow @SpringhouseShop on Instagram, in the mean time, to stay up to date!
In our latest finished work, two wall-to-wall cabinets create some classy storage with Carrara marble counters. Seven drawers and seven doors flank the carved mantel in this beautiful home in center city Philadelphia. The inset doors feature a raised panel with historic style and brass knobs. The paint is semi-gloss waterborne lacquer tinted to match Benjamin Moore Mascarpone, a creamy white. This project was a collaboration with Shophouse Design.
The left side is intended for bar usage and the right side to store children’s items. No matter what they chose to use it for, it adds style to this interior!
custom Philadelphia woodworking
Below are a few progress shots of this piece as it was made in the woodshop as well as the original sketch, which underwent some changes before being built to adjust the size and number of doors and drawers.
The following text was our entry into this year’s American Made competition (different images accompanied). From the About page: “Martha Stewart and the editors of Martha Stewart Living are spotlighting the next generation of great American makers: entrepreneurs, artisans, and small-business owners who are creating beautiful, inspiring, useful products; pioneering new industries; improving local communities; and changing the way we eat, shop, work, and live.” As nominees, it was a thrill to be in the company of such a wide group of makers from across the country. There are three days remaining to cast your vote for the Audience Choice award. The contest culminates with a summit in NYC in November.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS.
Adam studied Geology in college, but when his employer asked where he saw himself in five years, his reply was “building furniture”. When he left that job he did just that, working first at an established shop; then setting out on his own. Naturally, an extra set of hands came in handy, so Nicole soon joined him, helping out in the woodshop, at installs, and running the other aspects of the business.
learning the trade, 1999
In fifteen years, the business has evolved from a sole proprietor to a partnership, and now to a S-corporation this year. We’ve had a handful of employees over the years, but at our core it’s two people working together, and one very experienced set of hands. Much of our work is custom- we receive input from the client, and we listen carefully to their desires, refine the design and select the most appropriate materials and finishes. Adam thrives on making new original furniture, allowing the wood to speak for itself and creating a piece that is functional, beautiful, and durable.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR WORKSPACE, SHOP, OR STUDIO.
Our woodshop
We started our business in a neglected 18th century springhouse on a horse farm where we lived in our early twenties. Currently, the woodshop operates from a much roomier 4,000 square foot former sawmill building with a separate finishing room, making for superior end products. We’re utilizing a one room schoolhouse as our furniture showroom. The company office is located in a decomissioned timber-framed Methodist church, which is now our home, and only a short walk away from the woodshop. As a family business, this is optimal, since our kids can take a quick stroll over and play at the shop, watch Papa build, and make little wood sculptures by his side. The larger shop space allows for storage of a large inventory of locally sawn and dried lumber and slab wood to draw from for any project without having to go hunting through the stacks at the sawmill or lumberyard.
The finishing bay
lumber inventory
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
As an isolated craftsman working alone in a rural setting, Adam is inspired by the community of woodworkers on Instagram. Being involved in a conversation about the work, and receiving feedback from such a wide range of individuals is great, as is seeing all the amazing craftsmanship out there by other makers. We’re lucky to live in a sylvan paradise where there are four beautiful seasons and the most incredible forests. As woodworkers, this is fortunate; and as outdoor people it is extraordinarily fulfilling to have hiking, foraging, paddling, and more – just minutes from our doorstep.
WHAT MAKES YOUR BUSINESS STAND OUT?
Springhouse Shop and Studio combines time honored joinery skills with the highest quality workmanship and materials. We offer original design and fabrication of nearly anything built of wood, serving clients from the mountains to the cities of New York, Philadelphia and beyond.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE AN ASPIRING CREATIVE ENTREPRENEUR?
Go with what you’re passionate about. Be authentic. Look for your niche. Ask for help from those who are more experienced. Learn as much as you can. Feed your inner fires.
Scrap wood feeds the pizza oven
WHAT DOES AMERICAN MADE MEAN TO YOU?
Buying American made products supports real sustainability. Choosing American made work is a vote for the long picture over the quick bottom line. American made craftsmanship might cost a little more than the imports, but that choice nourishes American families, and American jobs. When you buy products made with local materials, by local labor, you are demonstrating your wholehearted belief in your community and making a choice you can feel good about.
This week and last, Adam returned to New Hope, Pennsylvania in Bucks County to install a large modern vanity and some closet built-ins in a dramatic overhaul of an old stone farmhouse. The kitchen, described by the homeowner as “Extreme Shaker” style, also features white countertops and Miele appliances including an induction stovetop, oven, and steam oven in the island. For another look at the cabinetry, with a variety of views of the pantry pullouts and drawers in action, see this previous post. Shaker Knobs by Nice Knobs and Farrow + Ball Paint in Stony Ground.
The clean-lined 10 foot long vanity was designed by the homeowner and is deceptively simple-looking. It boasts a cantilevered Ash countertop, hand towel cutouts- and a very neat finish. First the lumber was bleached using a two part wood bleach, then three coats of soap finish were applied (nota bene – soap finish process and product described here). The soap finish is not yellowing or shiny at all and is frequently used on floors and furniture in Scandanavia. For another look at the construction of this vanity, see this previous post.
soap finish on wood
Grain flows across the vanity front
bottom drawers extend to the wall with no outer face frame
After a full day’s work installing custom closet rods and shelving ( painted Farrow & Ball Lamp Room Gray), our work at this remarkable house has been wrapped up- for now.
Unique Kitchen Island doubles as dining table and wetbar
It is always a joy to go back to one of the kitchens we have created and see the totally finished space in use. The front door to this home needed some Cherry interior trim installed, and a couple custom thresholds put in (all handmade and finished in the shop). The window trim in the kitchen that blends seamlessly with the custom Cherry upper cabinets was also made by us. This entire home is a stunner and filled with antique wood furniture that looks great in the new timberframe and SIPS space.
Beacuase this homeowner couldn’t get the look and quality she was seeking from a stock cabinetry salesman, they chose to go the handbuilt route, with lovely results. The lightly distressed black lower cabinet frames and the island are highly unique. The finish on all cabinetry is durable dull sheen waterborne lacquer. Both the round sink in the island and the larger single basin main sink are hammered copper. All hardware is black iron. Large expanses of oiled Cherry slab in the island top invite a lingering caress and draw the eye. All cherry was provided by the client who happened to have dried and aged lumber in storage ready to be utilized.
This post gives a look back at the drawings for this kitchen as well as the progress photos in the woodshop, while this one shows the gorgeous custom bathroom vanities built for this home outside of Benton, Pennsylvania.
Last week, this 10 foot long reclaimed fir daybed finished with dull waterborne lacquer was installed in a Pleasant Valley, New York residence.
At the same time, Adam put up some custom pinrails and shelving for the mudroom. These were painted in Farrow & Ball Cook’s Blue with Shaker pegs from Nice Knobs.
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