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Jamie Buxton
12-22-2004, 9:10 PM
Here’s a design thread with opportunity for comments by Creekers. I’m going to spread my initial discussion over several posts so that I can place text near specific pictures, so read on.

A friend of a friend asked me to build “a mudroom sort of area” in a wide place in a hallway just inside a side door to her house. This door is the one closest to the detached garage, and is the primary entrance for the family. I was puzzled by her interest in a mudroom. We live in central California. We never have snow, and with less than 20” of rain per year we barely have mud. It turned out that she wanted a place for people to hang jackets, for the kids to drop their school packs, and for everybody to remove their shoes. They have gleaming Santos Mahogany floors, and encourage stocking feet in the house.

I suggested a hall tree plus some open hooks for jackets. She was receptive to this approach, but the discussion slowed a little when we started talking about what style the furniture should be. This is common. Many people don’t know how to describe what they like, and only know they like something when they see it. I looked around her home for clues about her taste, and didn’t get much help; the place is eclectic, with a wide range of styles. I tried my furniture design “Rorschach test” --- looking through furniture books with her to find pieces she likes. Again, she liked a wide range of styles. The result is that I’ve had to come up with a bunch of designs to see which one she likes. Fortunately, it will be a while before my schedule allows me to set saw to wood on her behalf, so I have time to think of many different designs.

I thought I’d post several of these designs to see if y’all have suggestions for improvements.

The first drawing records the design objectives. That is, it shows the critical issues in the design, but doesn’t address how they will be achieved. The red stairs to the right are made from that Santo Mahogany, the floor is light oak, and the walls are off-white sheetrock. The point of view for this drawing is actually someplace through the hall’s opposite wall.

Jamie Buxton
12-22-2004, 9:11 PM
This drawing is the first hall tree I tried out on her. She describes her home as a Craftsman, so this drawing is intended to be a hall tree as Gustav Stickley might have designed it. (I was surprised to find that the Stickley catalog doesn’t include a hall tree. It seems like such a Craftsman-era thing that I really expected to find a ready-made design from him.) I’m thinking fumed white oak, but the design could almost be any species. I actually did several variants on this design – with and without arms, and some differences in the back.

Jamie Buxton
12-22-2004, 9:13 PM
This drawing uses designs elements from her kitchen – particularly the rectalinear shapes and the simple crown molding. The kitchen is cherry, so that might be good for this approach.

Jamie Buxton
12-22-2004, 9:14 PM
This approach is much more sculptural than the first ones. My initial inspiration for this came from the onion-shaped domes on Russian Orthodox churches. Don’t ask me how I made the leap from a church to this hall tree – it just came to me. The sides are likely to be bent laminations. I don’t know what species this wood be. I’d like to do it from Santos Mahogany like the floors, but none of my local hardwood dealers carry Santos in lumber form.

Jamie Buxton
12-22-2004, 9:15 PM
Here is another curvy one. There’s really no reason that a hall tree must be symmetrical. I like the animation of this approach. To me, it looks a dancer swooping across a stage, or a person leaning over to talk intimately with a friend.

Jamie Buxton
12-22-2004, 9:16 PM
So what do you think?

Jim Becker
12-22-2004, 9:21 PM
They are ALL excellent, but my first inclination is for either the "Craftsman" in post #2 or the "Onion" in post #4. I really like the very unique design in post #5, but it really has to be the right person/home for it. I'd show it to her to get a reaction, for sure...one never knows.

I'm also confused about Stickly not having a hall tree, especially since there are a number of examples of that form out there...Norm even did one in the NYW series a few years ago.

For all of these, I like your use of both walls and just the narrower bench for sitting while being "shod" or "un-shod". This goes beyond just the furniture design and makes for a look of continuity in the area surrounding the main piece. That's good design in my book.

Oh, and on the "bend" design in post #5, the wall hook on the opposite wall is too straight and regular...it needs to have the same interest as the hall tree through an irregular shape or something...

Joe Mioux
12-22-2004, 9:31 PM
I like number three. LOML wants meto build that exact coat rack/seat/book bag holder/etc for our mud room.


That design fits our house the best. With that said, what is the architecture of your client's house? The style of home and interior should help lead you in the right direction.

Joe

edit: Didn't read all your posts re: craftsman style, but what is your take on the house?

Jamie Buxton
12-23-2004, 11:28 AM
I'm also confused about Stickly not having a hall tree, especially since there are a number of examples of that form out there...Norm even did one in the NYW series a few years ago.
.
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Oh, and on the "bend" design in post #5, the wall hook on the opposite wall is too straight and regular...it needs to have the same interest as the hall tree through an irregular shape or something...

Jim --
I have a reprint of the Stickley catalog, and it does not have a hall tree. I've also searched the web and my other furniture history books, and have not found one by Stickley. As I said, I find that surprising, and would be happy if somebody could show me one.
Curving the coat-hook rail for #5 is a good idea. I'll play with it this evening.

Jamie

Karl Laustrup
12-23-2004, 12:29 PM
I'm in favor of #3, but of course it's not going in my house. That said, while I'm not a fan of #5, I do agree with Jim about the hook rail on the opposite wall. It would need to follow the design of the hall tree, at least to some degree.

It also came to mind, if the client has children, how big/small are they. Perhaps a couple of hooks at their level would be advantageous.

My 2 cents for what it's worth.

Karl

Jim Becker
12-23-2004, 12:31 PM
Jamie, I checked my copies of Bob Lang's Craftsman shop drawings books and didn't find any examples there, either. But I did email Bob and asked if he would comment here on his thoughts. No promises he will, but it will be appreciated if he does.

Ken Leshner
12-23-2004, 2:48 PM
I like #3. It's sort of country style and that's my favorite.

Just a couple of ideas. First, the coat hooks over the seat may get in the way when someone is sitting on the seat. How about a small built-in mirror instead? Second, why not make the space under the seat a box? That way, anything that's dirty, like toys or garden shoes, etc., can be hidden away.

Bert Johansen
12-23-2004, 4:14 PM
Jamie,

Just another totally subjective response. I like the onion (symetrical) one, except I would ditch the coathooks at the top of this one and add either a mirror or some sort of artistic pastiche to draw the eye, perhaps a carving if you are so inclined.

Bert

Bob Lang
12-23-2004, 4:43 PM
Hi Jim,

I can't recall every seeing a "Hall Seat" per se. The furniture catalogs had some "costumers" which were stick like coat racks. The Craftsman magazine had a lot of built in benches, some typical ones are detailed in my book "Shop Drawings for Craftsman Interiors". It is kind of unusual, as this was a common form of furniture at the time. Maybe Gus just didn't like them.

Personally, I like #s 2 & 3, but you might want to enclose the base and make the seat lift up. It's a good way to hide some of the junk that inevitably builds up in an entry. If I really have a picture attached, here is an examle of a rare free standing Gus Stickley hall bench.

Hope this helps,

Bob Lang

Jamie Buxton
12-23-2004, 9:55 PM
Thanks all for the comments.

Karl -- The kids are ten and twelve, but they're going to be tall soon. The older one is already over five feet. Their mother says that the hooks inside the hall tree are for them. They can stand on the seat to reach the hooks if they need, but it won't be long before they don't need to. I did propose a lower rail of hooks on the right-hand wall, but she didn't see a need for them.

Ken -- Yes, I'm guessing that book packs hanging inside the hall tree would hit anybody really sitting on the bench. I'm going to set them fairly high to help with this. However, the homeowner says that people will sit there only long enough to remove their shoes. As I look at how her house is structured, I believe her.

And I tried the enclosed box idea on the homeowner. She laughed and said that it was all she could do to train her family to take off their shoes when they enter the house. Training them to lift a lid and put the shoes inside just wasn't going to happen. That is, there is going to be a pile of shoes in plain sight. With the open design, at least the pile is under the seat instead of being out in front where folks will trip on it.

Bert -- One of the main requirements for this project was a place for kids' packs filled with books. Those hooks inside the tree are my best shot.

Your mention of an eye is interesting. If I squint just right at drawing #5, I can see a cartoonish queen. She even has sort of a crown at the top. If I transformed the two coat hooks into two eyes, it'd be even more obvious. However, I can't see how to hang backpacks from eyeballs. :) Or maybe I should say that the only ideas I've had are rather grotesque -- like steel pins sticking out of the eyeballs. :eek:

Jamie

Alan Turner
12-24-2004, 4:48 AM
Jamie,
Just an idea, but if you bring the seat off the wall a bit, and add a back, and then put a shelf from the top of the back, back to the wall, then you would create a recess for the backpacks to hang so that one seated on the seat would not be so bothered by the back packs. I know that my kids' backpacks were quite "thick" with books, rarely removed.
Alan

Ken Fitzgerald
12-24-2004, 9:23 AM
Jamie....I'm no expert but with my limited experience with "Craftsman" style...I like #2.

Jamie Buxton
12-24-2004, 11:14 AM
Jamie,
Just an idea, but if you bring the seat off the wall a bit, and add a back, and then put a shelf from the top of the back, back to the wall, then you would create a recess for the backpacks to hang so that one seated on the seat would not be so bothered by the back packs. I know that my kids' backpacks were quite "thick" with books, rarely removed.
Alan


Alan --

Or maybe I can get pretty much the same effect by just making the seat deeper than normal -- like 24" deep instead of 18". If I do that (or if I do what you suggest), I'm going to have an issue with the sides. If I make them deep too, to support the seat, the whole piece may get to looking bulky. Maybe the sides stay shallow, but I plan on fastening the top of the tree to the wall.

Jamie

Tom LaRussa
12-24-2004, 11:28 AM
This approach is much more sculptural than the first ones. My initial inspiration for this came from the onion-shaped domes on Russian Orthodox churches. Don’t ask me how I made the leap from a church to this hall tree – it just came to me. The sides are likely to be bent laminations. I don’t know what species this wood be. I’d like to do it from Santos Mahogany like the floors, but none of my local hardwood dealers carry Santos in lumber form.
I really like the Onion, and I think it would look really fantastic if each part were made from a single plank.

Do the sides in 8/4, which would be tapered -- by hand planing, of course! -- down to about 4/4 at the top. (Or maybe 12/4 tapered down to 6/4? Perhaps a full-scale mockup is needed here?)

The seat should be 12/4, with an arch along the bottom, i.e., so that it it is flat on top but tapers at the center.

The upper shelf and back would be 4/4.

I'm thinking Italian walnut for the backs and sides, (maybe claro if Italian were not available), and some really wildly curly bubinga for the bench and shelf.

Of course, I don't know if your client wants to pay $15K for a mud room bench, but I think you should definitely keep the design in your portfolio for use at some later time.

Jerry Crawford
12-24-2004, 11:32 AM
I like the first sculptured effect with the barrel sides or the funky Dali-esque last version.

My only other comment is for something like key's you need, IMHO, a small cup hook affair of some design for he sets of key's to hang in full sight. A shelf collects a variety of other free floating stuff and the key's get stirred into the mix makes them hard to find.

Jamie Buxton
12-24-2004, 5:35 PM
Tom --

Yes, I've considered doing the onion's sides as a tapered bent lamination, thicker at the bottom than the top. If I did it that way, I'd use some secondary wood for the inner laminates toward the back, and only use the good stuff where it will be seen. But no, I would not make tapered laminates with a hand plane. They need to have nice flat faces for the glue line to be thin. I'd make them with a tilted sled and a thickness planer.

Budget is certainly a concern. Curves take longer to build than straight stuff. I won't be surprised if that drives the homeowner toward the easier designs -- darn it!

Jerry --
My intent is that mail, keys, cells, and such go on the "plate rail" above the coat hooks on the right wall. But maybe you're right -- I should also provide smaller hooks for an alternative spot for keys.

Jamie