Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

Growing, gathering, and weaving with plant fibers from the Pacific Northwest

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Old Kitchen – New Counters

February 14, 2013 By Melinda

2013, Jan 30, Kitchen Counters

We’ve lived in this nearly a century-old house for thirty-three years and finally have had a chance to upgrade our kitchen.  We didn’t want to change the character of it, but wanted to improve its function.  Built in 1918, with very little counter space available, it sported the original 4″ deep cast iron sink , perfect for splashing water all over our floor.

Thanks to my talented musician/carpenter brother, Karl Haug, our wood-working sons. Spencer and Jeff West, and their artist/carpenter friend, Miles Koivu, the kitchen really hasn’t changed character much, but has been artfully improved.  Now we’ve got a 10″ deep sink, hand-carved Fir counters, Maple backsplashes, and a cement counter inset and backsplash with a basket weave impression, which was my minor contribution.

 

Miles Koivu and Jeff West

Miles Koivu, fabricated the cement pieces.  Miles and Jeff West installed the cement and wood counter tops.

 

Basket Weave in Cement

It was fun to do a simple basket weave impression in the cement.

 

Wood Crafting Crew, Spencer West and Family

Thanks to Karl Haug, who laid the groundwork by completely rebuilding the drawers and cabinets reusing the old drawer-fronts and cabinet doors.  And many thanks to Spencer West. of “West Timber Craft” for the hand-carved wood elements (seen here in the picture above, with his crew of three).   Thanks  to Miles Koivu for his cement-crafted counter parts, and thanks to Jeff West for support and the install.

 

Yew wood butterfly, Figured Maple, Fir Slab, Cement

Yew wood butterfly, Figured Maple, Fir Slab, Cement.

 

counter

We are enjoying our new kitchen!  Hopefully it will last another century!

 

 

Filed Under: News Tagged With: artisans, Cement Counter, Jeff West, Mile Koivu, Spencer West, West Timber Craft, Wood Counter

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About Melinda

Forty years ago, while sitting on the beach playing with my young children, I made my first basket out of a pile of willow trimmings someone had tossed there. It looked wildly made like a crazy bird’s nest. While being together with my two sons on a beautiful Pacific Northwest shoreline, this simple experience of crafting with the natural materials at hand kindled a passion for creating forms using plant fibers. I thank my family, my community, and all my teachers for cultivating this gift in me.
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