Vintage Wood
Orange Brooklyn Beam Bowl is reclaiming wood from an 1850 Brooklyn Brownstone. Many Brooklyn and New York City nineteenth century building undergo renovation each year. Due to Landmark Laws the outside of the building must maintain its historical front facing. When contractors do interior work they often remove vintage beams. A good friend of mine salvages this wood to mill vintage flooring. With access to these beams from the 1800’s I enjoy making bowls from this antique wood. I clean up the surface, but maintain the cracks and crannies that are 150 plus years old. These texture surfaces receive a few layers of milk paint. I apply at least two different colors and then sand back so that both layers appear. This technique is often seen on colonial furniture where the top layer of paint is worn away exposing the color underneath the surface.
Process
I shape the square bowls on a lathe. Because I am using a vintage beam I want to maintain the square shape of the beam. I cut a drop off and mount it on the lathe. Then I turn a concave recess in the center. This perfectly smooth recess contrasts the rough lumber surface with nail holes and hammer marks. Once the form is complete I wire brush the years of dirt away and use colorful milk paint to bring new life to these upcycled wood boards. These square bowls are great cell phone holders, jewelry keepers or a safe place to drop your keys when you return home.
If you like this Orange Brooklyn Beam Bowl take a look at another bowl from wood with historical importance from the Underground Railroad Trail in New York. Historic Wood from The Underground Railroad
Gifts
All of my items are made in my Montvale, New Jersey studio.
If you need a special gift and you do not see it in my store on this website, take a look at my Etsy store.