Stunning Surfaces for Unforgettable Homes

Stunning Surfaces

FOR UNFORGETTABLE HOMES

We all know that satisfied feeling when we find the amazing, unusual or soulful room design that commands our attention—we say, “Yes! This is it!”

There are thousands of hours in design, labor and discretion committed to bringing perfect furniture and room design to fruition.

Hours reclaiming wood from a barn on the plains in Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma. Finding, dismantling, stripping and polishing a steel door made to contain fires in a factory in Massachusetts in 1900. Perhaps the wood for our panels needs nothing. Wanting to only preserve it and not change it in any way, the woodshop dedicates hundreds of hours formulating a proprietary finish. One that doesn’t change the color or sheen, and so unique and preserving that it becomes their signature, patent pending mixture. Only woodworkers and designers can truly appreciate the labor and talent it takes to make stunning into reality. From imagination, to engineering, to crafting and building—to the people who live with the spaces and enjoy their utility and beauty every day—some rooms simply deserves the laud and respect of publishing.

BY MARY LYNN HEATH Massachusetts,” Bela Fodrovics, Halkett Woodworking general manager, said. “Materials which were scarce because of the pandemic a year ago are becoming more available,” he adds. Bela says Halkett Woodworking obtains mahogany and rosewood imported from Africa, and maple and cherry from North America. “A lot of it comes from Canada,” he says. CONTINUED ON PAGE 50 ›

ABOVE: ONE-INCH THICK, FLOOR-TO-CEILING, MAHOGANY PANELS ARE EASILY INSTALLED DIRECTLY ONTO THE STUDS, ELIMINATING THE NEED FOR DRYWALL. “THIS SAVES THE BUILDER A LOT OF MONEY,” FODROVICS SAID. BELOW: HALF-HEIGHT, PRIMED AND PAINTED MAPLE PANELS ADD COLONIAL STYLE TO STAIRWAYS AND HALLWAYS.

Wainscot panels transform $400,000 homes into looking like multi-million dollar castles off the shores of England or France. This study from designer Richard Kiefner of Narberth, Pennsylvania, offers a built-in office desk and is the focus of this unforgettable room. Framing the desk are lambskin leather panels—a very traditional design. The entire reddish stain is illuminated from the natural light of the window and the bright white, art-deco ceiling. The walls, desk, and shelving are milled from curly maple, usually reserved for cabinets. “Maple is very versatile and we can get it from New Jersey and

Crafted from 100-year-old reclaimed barn wood from all over the United States, the fireplace pictured at right was designed by Hank Page Design, and built and installed by Halkett Woodworking in Souderton, Pennsylvania. The tongue and groove white oak beams are stained for variety, light and dark and then sealed with Halkett’s topcoat finish in their woodshop. “We custom made every piece and set it in the shop,” Bella Fodrovics, Halkett Woodworking general manager, said.” And we then take it apart and reinstall by scribing every board to fit and create the randomness style and color.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JAY GREENE PHOTOGRAPHY

“We source reclaimed materials for most of our beam, truss and wall designs from 100-year-old or more barns that have been taken down throughout the country, and give every board a new purpose. We want to give each board another 100 years of new life!”

Collaboration of design between Weiss Philadelphia and Halkett Woodworking manifested the over-sized kitchen island shown at left. It doubles as a breakfast bar. The white oak is finished with a proprietary Halkett flat finish which does not changes the wood, color or sheen. “The effect is a pine cabin feel, because oak will stains a lot darker, even with a clear coat applied to it,” Fodrovics said. “All the LED lighting is integrated flush with no visible wires engineered in the sides of the cabinets. This is a plug and play feature we call our Halkett Lighting System developed by our engineers in recent years.”

This white oak design was conceptualized by the homeowner and engineered by John Parker, engineering manager at Halkett Woodworking. “With a degree in architecture, John can produce most anything a client communicates,” Sara Halkett, owner of Halkett Woodworking, said. “We get written thank you’s for John regularly because he makes our customers so happy.”

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ABOVE: THIS ENTIRE WALL IS BEAUTIFULLY DEDICATED TO ORGANIZING THE FAMILY. EVEN THOUGH IT IS CALLED A MUD ROOM, IT GIVES THE FAMILY STORAGE AND CLARITY. FROM ITS UPPER CABINET SPACE TO THE MULTIPLE COAT HOOKS, CUBBIES AND ROOM TO TUCK AWAY BOOTS UNDER THE BENCH, A FAMILY OF FIVE CAN STAY ORGANIZED AND EFFICIENT.

RIGHT: THE ROOM-FOR-EVERYONE KITCHEN TABLE WAS CREATED BY FURNITURE DESIGNER JEFF SODERBERGH OF CUSTOM SUSTAINABLE FURNISHINGS, BASED IN PORTSMOUTH, RHODE ISLAND, WWW.JEFFSODERBERGH.COM. THE TABLE’S TOP USES A STEEL DOOR MADE TO CONTAIN FIRES, FROM A FACTORY IN MASSACHUSETTS IN 1900. THE STEEL WAS POLISHED AND CUT TO MAKE THE PERFECT EATING SURFACE—NO HOT PADS NEEDED!

PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID STIMMEL, STIMMEL DESIGN GROUP, WWW.STIMMELDESIGN.COM

ABOVE: THE SETTING FOR JOKES, DEALS AND REUNITING FRIENDS, THIS CURVED BAR SERVES ITS HOMEOWNER ON THE LOWER (BASEMENT) LEVEL OF A THREE-STORY MANSION IN MAIN LINE, PENNSYLVANIA. DESIGNED, BUILT AND INSTALLED BY HALKETT WOODWORKING, IT IS CRAFTED FROM PLAIN SLICED WHITE OAK FOR THE STAINED FRONT OF THE BAR, AND WHITE OAK PAINTED WITH A RUB THROUGH FINISH FOR THE BACK.

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The oversized kitchen pictured above is part of the award-winning 2015 and 2016 Designer Kitchen & Bath Award from KBBA. Designed by Dave Stimmel, www.stimmeldesign.com, and built by Halkett Woodworking, it repurposes century-old reclaimed barn wood for the cabinetry and beams.

Jeff Soderbergh is acclaimed throughout the design community for using repurposed materials in nearly all of his creations.

“My passion for reclaiming and creating is inspired by what comes from nature and the resulting beauty that only time can produce,” Soderbergh states. “There are already enough materials in existence today that we can utilize with stunning results. Let’s start looking at sustainable options through a different lens. One that offers beautiful possibilities.” s p