The boards came from the Success, which was built in Burma in 1840 by the British as an armed cargo ship, Over the years, it served many purposes: an immigrant ship,freighter, ammunition storehouse and a prison ship. After it was retired, the Success was brought to the United States, where it toured as a museum. In over a century, the Success actually sank five times. In 1946, however, it was burned and sank in 15 feet of water. While most of the ship’s teakwood was completely destroyed by the fire, the below-decks material was salvageable—which is what this customer did!

Carol was visiting Ludlow on a retreat and happened to be taking a walk along Route 100 when she discovered our shop. She came in and talked to us about her salvaged wood and her desire to turn it into a wine cabinet. We were instantly intrigued!

Our job was to design a custom wine cabinet that would utilize the unique characteristics of the wood, including a rectangular hole that had served some function (but we’re not sure what). ClearLake Furniture’s founder and master craftsman Brent Karner used the design training he received at the prestigious North Bennet Street School in Boston to come up with a creative solution.

This wine cabinet will use the three planks for the top and front facing of the cabinet, providing a rustic façade—and conversation piece. The back, sides, and interior of the cabinet will be custom crafted from cherry. The existing rectangular hole will be used as is. We’re having a copper kettle custom-made by Copper Waterfall Studio. The kettle will fit into this opening and function as a wine chiller.

After cleaning up the two teak boards, we saw that lots of copper nails were stillembedded, so we’re working that unique feature into the piece. And with just one cut for the bottom angle, these boards will live on to serve an entirely different purpose.

We’ll post photos of this custom wine cabinet as it progresses so please come back to see how this cabinet turns out! And check out these other one-of-a-kind ClearLake creations.

His idea was a hit. The next step required Brent to put his vision on paper. After visiting the home in New Jersey and seeing the foyer first-hand—with its vaulted ceilings and semi-circular balconies—he decided to integrate those lines into the clock’s design. Inspired by ClearLake Furniture’s Serenity collection—with its gentle curves and simple lines—Brent sketched a grandfather clock that features concave curves, which would be crafted in ebonized walnut. The contemporary style of the clock is complemented by modern clock works. Although fully mechanical, they feature weights and pulleys so that the clock preserves some of the traditional grandfather clock appearance.

As you might expect, some ideas look great on paper but present new challenges in the three-dimensional world. Rather than dive right into the process of custom crafting the grandfather clock, Brent asked Steve, one of the ClearLake Furniture craftsmen, to build a prototype out of plywood so that they could uncover any snags in the design. The biggest problem they experienced was the height of the piece. As it turns out, there was only one area in the workshop where the ceiling was tall enough to set up the clock.

In the end, Brent had to change very little on the design. With all the pre-planning, the delivery of the grandfather clock should be right on time! Check back here to see photos of the progress.

You don’t have to spend a fortune with a design professional, nor do you have to engage the individual to handle the buying for you. Consider this person your trusted design advisor. Keep him/her informed of your choices, share your dilemmas, and use this resource to end up with a cohesive, balanced room that feels great!

Joan Canfield is the design professional at ClearLake Furniture. We recruited her because of her experience, her ability to guide people through the process, and her great skill in creating great work and living spaces. When you come to ClearLake Furniture, talk to Joan about your thoughts, share your challenges, and ask for her advice. Or email her with your questions.

That’s all good, but maybe you’re still feeling paralyzed  and unable to take the next step toward a makeover.

When people come into ClearLake Furniture to get help  with a room, here are questions we ask:

• What is the function of the space? Keep in mind how you want to use this room and focus on that function.
• Do you have pets, children, or someone with special needs using the space? Consider any safety features that need to be included—or kid- and pet-friendly furnishings.
• How does traffic flow through here? Knowing how people navigate the room will help you decide on where to place your furniture, as well as the best type of flooring.
• What type of natural light comes in? The amount of natural light will impact the way the walls, floor, and furniture look, and the types of window treatments you will need.
• How many windows do you have here? Consider how you will incorporate the windows into the room’s design and how to handle the window treatments. You’ll have lots of options to consider, covering a broad budget range, too.

Sometimes, a room starts with inspiration, like a collected piece of furniture or an area rug. Use that motivator and begin your design process with the flooring and walls. Then add furniture, and, finally, the lamps and decorative accents. Every choice you make builds on the foundation of the room—color, theme, or function. Take the time to consider your choices so you will feel comfortable with your decision.

But we’ve never shied away from a challenge before, and this would be no exception.

One of our master craftsmen, Steve Bruce, decided to tackle the compass rose inlay. And he did an amazing job!

In addition to this table, we are crafting a coffee table that will display the couple’s maps. The maps will be kept in a drawer that slides out underneath the table’s glass top.

Take a look at the work in progress.

Guys just don’t see clutter. We don’t see crumbs on the kitchen counter and we know better than to look under the furniture and sofa cushions—unless the remote control has vanished. We don’t “do” embroidered guest towels or panic that someone might find a dirty dish in the sink. We eat, therefore, we make dirty dishes. It’s a fact of life.

But not long ago, I decided to open up my workshop at ClearLake Furniture. This July, I’m going to teach whoever is interested how to make a rocking chair. Students of this weekend class will actually craft a classic, lodge-style rocking chair. I’ve never had anyone use this equipment other than my team of skilled craftsmen. Sure, we have customers tour the workshop every day, but this time, they’ll be working, not watching.

So, I’m starting to understand my wife’s pre-visit angst. I’ve got lots of time to get ready for the “guests” but I’m already looking at ways to fix up the place. There are things you overlook in the day-to-day world when you go through the paces. In the workshop, you always know where everything is. You know the subtleties of the tools, what makes a piece of wood the right choice, and where every bump in the floor is lurking. You take it all for granted. Now I’m thinking that maybe I need to assume some of the primping here in the workshop that I always mocked at home. Guests are coming and they’re going to stay awhile.

My mother used to say to my brother and me, “You weren’t raised in a barn!” Well, even though my guests will actually be working in the barn we converted into ClearLake Furniture, I guess Mom’s words—and my wife’s tidiness—will have to take precedence over my guy rules…for one weekend, at least.

Then the Class of 2009 decided to donate a trophy case so the awards could be displayed without so much crowding. The problem was, they needed a size that would fit in the critical space between two doors AND match the existing cabinets. The response from manufacturers was not what they hoped. Basically, off the rack was out of the question.

When we heard about the dilemma here at ClearLake Furniture, we decided to support the home team and hand-craft a trophy case that would meet their needs. We built it to fit perfectly in the space allowed, matched the red oak, and even used safety glass in place of plexi, which scratches too easily.

I’m proud to say this cabinet was delivered and installed yesterday. Now, the latest BRHS trophy—Vermont State Champions, Boy Varsity Soccer, Division IV—can join their championship awards for this title for the previous two years, along with the three consecutive titles for the Girls Varsity Soccer, the three consecutive state titles for Varsity Softball, and the state titles for Snowboard and Varsity Baseball. Go, Pirates!

Fullam started up a sawmill on the property to make lumber from the trees he harvested there. In 1889, Fullam went from making lumber to making furniture from his lumber. He and his son, Herman, set up in a blacksmith shop near their home in Ludlow, not far from the sawmill. By 1892, the demand for Fullam & Sons rocking chairs pushed them to increase production and their facility. Seven years later, Fullam had a staff of 30 craftsmen who turned out 150-200 rocking chairs a day—an impressive number even by today’s standards, but even more so when you consider that these woodworkers did not have sophisticated machinery to help them meet their goals.

A craftsman, businessman, farmer, and visionary, Fullam was a unique combination of Yankee ingenuity and entrepreneurship. He identified opportunities and worked his way through challenges. He managed to start a business, make it grow, and find markets around the country when both advertising and shipping were quite a challenge.

I’m heading down to my workshop now to build a rocking chair for one of my customers. And I will channel the spirit of fellow Vermont furniture maker Leighton G. Fullam every step of the way.

This summer, the Black River Academy Museum (BRAM) and ClearLake Furniture will be celebrating both Fullam & Sons and their rocking chairs. The only trouble is, we can’t find enough chairs to exhibit!

If you have a wooden rocking chair, please take a look under the arms to see if there is a Fullam company stamp. If you have an original, can we borrow it for a short time for this summer’s exhibit? We’ll make arrangements for safe shipping to and from the museum.

Please contact Georgia Brehm, BRAM Director, or me, and send along a photo of your Fullam rocker.