DIY & Remodeling With Margot Guralnick
Now surfacing: shou sugi ban—Japanese-style charred wood—in eye-opening shades. Torched first, the planks are then stained to create a combination that accentuates the pattern of the grain while introducing a dose of color. The new palette is being offered by two shou sugi ban specialists, Delta Millworks of Austin, Texas, and reSawn Timber Co. of Telford, Pennsylvania, and has interior and exterior applications. Take a look at some samples, and start picturing the possibilities.
Delta Millworks
Above: Shou sugi ban was initially devised as a way to make timber resistant to fire, rot, and insects: Read about it in our post Dark Wood. Of late, applying flame to wood has become popular as a decorative finish—and a technique to tackle among DIYers (see a DIY Shou Sugi Ban Tabletop). Partially burned and then sanded wood—a pattern Delta Millworks calls Tiger—takes well to color stains. Most of Delta's shou sugi ban is made using Southern cypress, but not all—this example is redwood.
Above: Shou sugi ban specialists since 2008, Delta Millworks has been offering custom colorways for the last three years. Aspen Green is shown here
Above: Turquoise cypress.
Above: Red Wash cypress.
Delta Millworks makes all of its products to order and can match any color; prices available on request. Go to Delta Millworks to see the company's full shou sugi ban palette.
reSawn Timber Co.
Above: Specialists in traditional shou sugi ban, reSawn Timber has just debuted a collection of 18 new cypress oil finishes in a spectrum of colors. Shown here, Yasai.
Above: Mitsuto.
The company explained its multi-step process to us: "The wood is first milled to spec (with either square edges, tongue and groove, standard shiplap, or custom shiplap with reveal). The next step is to carefully char the cypress, douse it with water, allow it to cool, and then brush it to remove dust and loose debris. The color comes from the oil finish that is then hand applied—it both colors the wood and acts as a sealer. For interior applications, we typically apply the oil finish to the face only; for exterior, we recommend applying the finish to all four sides of the wood to further seal and protect it."
Above: Jinzu is for interiors only, but most of the company's charred colors have an exterior grade oil that further protects against the elements.
Above: Pinku; reSawn Timber Co.'s prices start at $8/square foot.
Read our Shou Sugi Ban Primer, and on Gardenista, take a look at Before and After: A Charred Wood Cottage on a $45K Budget and A Teahouse, Burned and Blackened (On Purpose).
Like the look of bright wood? Go to Trend Alert: 10 Rooms with Color-Washed Wood and Color-Stained Furniture, the Next Big Thing?
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Design Travel With Margot Guralnick
Melbourne, Australia's former Pentridge Prison is now Pentridge Village, a housing and shopping complex with a cafe that's a celebration of economy—and design freedom.
Photography by Martina Gemmola via Biasol Design Studio.
Above: The restaurant is the work of Biasol Design Studio of Melbourne, who told us: "We wanted to bring life to the site and allow it to move on from its dark past." Working with a tight budget, they channeled that life by using plywood paneling and structural timbers inset here and there with playful triangles of color.
Above: The triangular fretwork continues on the ceiling, which is hung with Nud Collection pendant lights with Plumen bulbs: see World's Most Stylish Light Bulb.
Above: The custom tables and stools are also made of plywood. Greenery added throughout softens the angularity.
Above: DIY idea: a wall pendant created with wooden pegs and extra-long cloth cording ending in a simple socket. (For more pendants sources, see our Design Sleuth posts on the Color Cord Company and Wrk-Shp.)
Three of the walls are concrete—the designers used an Australian product called Rockcote
Above: The pastel palette is peppered with touches of black.
Above: The restaurant sign is made of CNC-milled plywood backlit with LED lights.
Jury is in the Melbourne suburb of Coburg.
Go to Social Experiment: 28 Posti in Milan to see an architect-designed restaurant fitted out by inmates. And, on Gardenista, go to Orange is the New Green to see a prison garden on Rikers Island.
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Home Inspiration With Meredith Swinehart
What's the best color for an accent wall, and which wall should I paint? Answer: Any color, any wall. The goal here is to have fun with color, and the permutations of the accent wall are endless.
One thing to keep in mind: Whichever wall you choose, a bold color will end up defining the room, so think first about how you want that space to feel.
Read on for 10 very different interpretations of the accent wall.
Above: A red wall marks the boundary of this open living/dining space featured in House & Garden.
Above: A coral-orange wall anchors a living room by Karhard Architecture and Design, featured in Laws of Attraction: A Paint-by-Color-Wheel Apartment in Berlin.
Above: Bold yellow indicates spatial transitions in a Barcelona apartment by Sergi Pons Architecte, featured in 5 Favorites: Yellow Accents.
Above: French designer Caroline Gomez uses bright colors to great effect throughout her Bordeaux home, including a perky yellow-green in the dining room. For the rest of her color choices, see The Power of Pastels: A Color-Blocked Family Loft in France.
Above: A minty wall in a Berlin bedroom via Swedish/German real estate agency Fantastic Frank.
Above: A sky blue half-wall defines the kitchen in the same Berlin apartment by Karhard Architecture and Design.
Above: Architect Jen Turner used Farrow & Ball's Blue Ground as an accent wall behind her bed in her renovated Brooklyn carriage house. See the rest of the transformation in The Architect Is In: Tips from Jen Turner's Grand DIY.
Above: Interior architect Remy Meijers used pale gray paint to define a room within a room in a remodeled mansion in The Hague. See more in History and Modern Glam in The Hague.
Above: A dramatic double-height dark blue wall in the Metrolofts project by Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory member Incorporated Architecture & Design.
Above: Defined by a single black wall, a child's bedroom fits neatly under the stairs in A Whimsical Family Loft in Brooklyn: Whale Wallpaper Included.
Above: A white kitchen island stands out against a black back wall in this Paris loft by Septembre Architecture. For more, see A Place for Everything: A 900-Square-Foot Loft for a Family of Four.
For more color stories, see:
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