Grill Part 1

While I would prefer to see this CJ5 Jeep grill actively serving its intended purpose as a functional item, the simple beauty brings it to adorn this wall- at least for the time being.

Traveling

The posts have been less frequent than I would like, but I have been traveling some with my job that pays the bills. Fortunately for me my 9 to 5 is in a creative environment and when we travel it is generally a learning and inspiring adventure.

So here is some color for the blog with more posts soon.

Sneak Peak

The post will be up this coming week, but I wanted to share an image from the project I had going over the weekend.

Split Mirror

The Split Mirror was a weekend project that came together using seconds from the Sanguine project.
I had always wanted to do a "white wash" look and this custom mixed stain achieved the desired look and even gives the Poplar frame a semi transparent skin-like quality; the grain like veins.

Vibrant red strips of high quality vinyl were chosen for the deep texture that when paired with the unique white stain likens to tendons. This is where the "Split" name comes from.

Over all dimensions are approximately 50"x 37"x 1.5".

Nixon the official 7Side French Bulldog checking out the Split Mirror.

North American International Auto Show Part 2

The Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan is a massive produciton. Manufacturers rolling out their latest product spare no expense to provide an environment as inspiring and attention grabbing as their vehicles. For somone like me this is inspiration overload. While this show is noticably scaled back compared to years past, there is still plenty of fodder to keep any creative type occupied.

Volkswagen's immense display at NAIAS.

Interactive display by Volkswagen speaks to all the senses.

Chrysler brought this sleek information desk.

Desk inlay detail.

Smartly furnished private meeting space also in the Chrysler area.

North American International Auto Show Part 1

The stout GMC "Granite" concept.

The NAIAS goes down each year in Detroit's Cobo Hall and I have been fortunate enough to attend four out of the last five years. Each calendar year I manage to attend a handful of events but for me the Detroit Auto Show is like right brain Red Bull. The colors, shapes, materials, technology and textures showcased on the latest production vehicles and concepts keep me going for many months. Here are just a few of the highlights from this year's show.

Exquisite seats in the Hyundai concept vehicle "Blue-Will".

Beautiful combination of textures on a Mercedes CL63 AMG grill.

Lexus' highly anticipated supercar the LF-A.

Plush interior of the Cadillac Escalade EXT.

One of the most exciting vehicles at the show was Tesla's Model S all electic sedan. A four door vehicle who's near perfect perportions slip across 300 plus miles before it needs its next $5 charge. The huge center mounted "Apple approved" touch display garnered a reaction from all that peered through the windows. I was especially excited since I had just (finally) picked up an iPhone myself. More on that in the future you can be sure.

Nautiques of Orlando Product Literature Table

This project came together with an opportunity to use some high quality materials that were left over from a larger display built for the local Nautique dealership, Nautiques of Orlando. The low top table houses product literature and samples and is the center piece of the lounge area.

Approximate dimensions are 42"x 42"x 26". The legs were custom made with the same aluminum pipe material used on many Nautique products.

The engineered veneer certainly has an eye catching exotic pattern. Drawer faces are a brilliant white acrylic, the same that is used inside the Nautique line of boats.

Smooth sliding full extension drawer slides.

Specific display and storage for color samples and literature.

Amazing Assistant

Speaking of photography, I was very fortunate to have Alison of "A Breath of Frake-Air" accompany me as photography assistant and creative director on my last two shoots.
Certainly she has many more talents than just a great eye for photography and I consider her a partner and advisor to 7Side Design. Her creativity challenges my own and her strengths compensate for my weaknesses. You may have only caught a glimpse of her in posts thus far, but she is always involved and critical to the 7Side process and its success. Thanks Alison!

Look for the results of the photo shoot for the Split Mirror, shown above, very soon.

On Location

I started the new year by revisiting a coffee table I had done for a local boat dealership. The piece has been sitting in their show room since I delivered it this past fall, but I hadn't had the chance to get descent photographs of it. Unfortunately that may still be the case.

Overcast skies, wind and freezing rain (yes in Orlando crazy I know) prevented us from venturing out to a remote location so we shot it right where it sat. The gumball machine and arcade games were a little distracting so I tried to focus and imagine myself in a different place.

In the near future I am going to look into hiring a professional photographer, but hopefully some major Photoshop work and a lot of luck will produce descent images for now. More on this table and other projects coming up soon!