A retired school teacher and avid gardener asked us to design and build her an addition to her home of 30 years. The addition was designed to provide a better visual connection to the garden while preserving a cedar tree she planted with her father. We designed a 14’ x 18’ addition to house a light-filled sitting area that can be closed off to serve as a bedroom, a full bathroom and laundry room, so that the owner can age in place. This project was a joy to work on: a true collaboration with our client and friend.

The first five photos in this series were shot and edited by Rue Sakayama.

All rights reserved.

This project helped to change a small 1 bedroom cabin into a comfortable space for a family to live and work. Interior photos coming soon…

In need of more space for visiting family, our clients wanted to turned their unused garage into an additional dwelling unit. With new legislation passed by the State of Rhode Island encouraging ADU projects, we turned this 12’ x 20’ garage in Historic Elmwood into a space to host long-term overnight guests. We added two skylights and four windows that look out onto the garden to brighten up the small interior, a bathroom with storage cabinets, and a kitchenette, and a sitting area that can be converted to a bedroom. We opted for a simply designed, uncluttered interior so that everything has its place.

Our client came to us wanting to upgrade their kitchen in a historic Four Square style house. The client took on all the interior design elements while we executed her vision. We worked closely with her to source complimentary materials that really make this kitchen sing.

An old kitchen in a 120-year-old house in Elmwood was in desperate need of renovation. We collaborated with our clients to design, fabricate and install custom cabinets and countertops. We accommodated seating by building a custom breakfast nook with a built-in bench and table.

We were approached by a graphic designer to design and build a studio and recreation room in place of an existing detached garage. This small but spacious cottage has a beautiful handcrafted ping pong table as the centerpiece with an open stair leading up to the second floor. The studio maximizes views of the property with windows throughout and cathedral ceilings with exposed wall ties.

Building upon the success of their East Side location, owners Erin and Asher Schofield approached us to build several furniture and display pieces for the new West Side location of Frog & Toad, located at 713 Westminster St, Providence. We collaborated with Bridge Hall Design Inc. to design and build a checkout counter with storage cabinets, two wall display shelves to hang backpacks, bags and clothing, a shelving unit to showcase small gifts, and two mobile dress racks. A true collaboration between all parties, this project is a vibrant addition to the shops on Westminster St.

This project reflects the efforts of a true collaboration.  We began by removing the wall between the kitchen and dining room and having the floors refinished.  We then moved to the kitchen for a complete renovation including new cabinets, and custom countertops and open shelves.  We poured a pigmented concrete slab with a copper pinstripe inlay.  A series of shelves display the couples' beautiful ceramic collection, complemented with custom backsplash tiles handmade by the owner.  

A client's new home had what appeared to be a walled off classic double-parlor room. Upon opening the wall between the rooms, two, 42"x97" original glass pocket doors were burried in the walls.  They needed full surface refinishing, a dutchman blowout repair for the full depth mortised traveling sheave rollers in the bottom edge, low friction top guides, a new machined brass floor guide rail, fairing the floor down a 1/4" for a smooth transition and complementary four piece casing to match the homes Victorian millwork.

summer 2016

This humble one-room cabin was built on the Wood River in 1974.  It was damaged by a storm and subsequent flood in 2010 and has since been left vacant.  The building was gutted and raised to sit atop a new poured concrete basement.  Our clients expressed interest in modernizing its use by installing indoor plumbing as well as maintaining a feeling of spaciousness and light in the small 20' x 24' footprint.  Through careful planning and execution, we gave the interior new life while maintaining sensitivity toward natural materials.  We gave some much-needed light to the interior with three skylights.  The bathroom is the only enclosure, acting a separation between the kitchen and the bedroom.  A cedar-framed glass transom finishes the enclosure giving the room a pleasant glow in the evening.  Most of the storage elements remain exposed as shelves to show off their beautiful ceramics collection.  The interior was designed by the very creative Cathy Taylor and the electric wiring and service was completed by the talented Eric Taylor.  

winter 2016

Every time it rained, the playground at Reservoir Elementary School would flood.  It was covered with asphalt, an impermeable surface.  In collaboration with Holly Ewald and the Urban Pond Procession, students of DownCity Design accepted this design challenge and proposed a structure which could collect rainwater and store it for later use.  Functional Aesthetic acted as the builders on this project using the students' design.  As rainwater collects on the structure's butterfly roof, it pours into a barrel which is connected to two larger barrels to store the water.  After a period of dry weather, students from the elementary school pump the water out of the barrels using a pitcher pump, fill their buckets, and water the adjacent garden.  

Our take on a client's idea to isolate the sound in an open floor plan mill loft, without blocking tons of daylight coming from the other room. This ended up being an exercise on point, line and plane with a few curve balls thrown in the mix.

Benches, table tops, counters and line posts for an Eastside restaurant and ice cream shop. The live edge benches hold a pair of sliding dovetail, drawbore mortise & tenon legs with brass gussets.

A 350-lb salvaged heart pine beam is balanced by a calculated miter-bevel sliding dovetail steel leg. Simple connections between materials show their raw appearance and adjacencies can be a form of beauty; a conceptual reflection of Providence. This sculpture was displayed at the corner or Broadway and Empire St for The Avenue Concept’s, Influx 2016 event which supported several sculptures.

This is currently for sale and includes installation as well as the architectural orthographic development drawings.  $2700

A third floor attic was finished out.

A small outbuilding using a client provided steel base frame from pallet racks.

An ill arranged kitchen in a 1930s bungalow was reworked to give much more space and light. We built the rock maple counters with the quartersawn face up. Open upper shelves were made to match and sit on pipe brackets.

This 5ftt by 14ft. table was created with client provided old mill floor planks. Being 3" thick and 600lbs, it had to be split up and lock back together mechanically. A rectangular hole in the middle needed a structural inlay to cover the location where huge belts used to run through the factory. The top sits on a modified vintage shuffleboard base.

A dining table from hard maple with breadboard ends locked together with draw-bore mortise & tenon joints with room to expand and contract.  Tapered legs and skirt joined similarly.

An exercise on experimental joinery with wood and steel. Continuous #10 rebar leg bent at the same angle in elevation as the miter-bevel sliding dovetail legs at the other end.

This stone setting bench was made for a local jeweler.  The mass of the piece is a necessity given the nature of the work needing absolute stillness under a microscope.  A Peruzzi cut was shaped from the end of the bench for style.  The salvaged cast iron legs are attached to a sliding dovetail stretcher.  

coffee table series text here.....

A sofa table with a mix of oak, walnut and bent stainless steel.

A different take on kitchen furniture. This island has sitting space with plenty of knee room on one end and one edge. The inside has two open slat shelves. A butcher block style top from pine with hardwood edges sits ontop of this wood and painted steel base.