norcalmod

Hello!

NorCalMod is a design/build/how-to initiative. We design, make (and document) the creation of custom, modern furniture, and built-in storage solutions. This is our blog, website, and general portal to the world, but also check us out on Facebook and Instagram.


... It is also the sibling of RedneckModern.com — a blog about the renovation of an Eichler-built home in Northern California. While both got their start over 10 years ago, the renovation project took over (as they tend to do) — and interest grew in what we were doing grew. The site and house got a bit of attention at spots like Dwell, DWR, ApartmentTherapy, DesignSponge and West Elm's Front+Main.

Since that project wrapped, more time has been dedicated to /your/ house (not /my/ house) — and the NorCalMod projects... from built-in cabinetry to bespoke storage units (with integrated audio!) began to flourish.

Welcome — let's get to work.

Pablo Pardo Ventana lamp for sale [$600]

[It's been a minute, but we're still around. More activity over on Instagram, but this post is "blog worthy" due to its length and links. This is a project that has been in the "need to finish" queue for a while and I had to do a repair on our own lamp this weekend, so I finished this off.]

One of the more unusual things in our house is this awesome sculpture/lamp/shade called the "Ventana" by Pablo Pardo. The design is about 20 years old and it's long out of production — it was featured at ICFF in 2002. This larger size retailed originally for about $1200 + tax — crazy, right?

We were able to pick one up for ourselves years ago (we even had it in West Oakland) and we love it. Many year later, we came across a pair of lamps for sale and we snatched them up. They were incomplete, but I figured I could remake them into something close to the originals... and this is the result:

[The Ventana lamp is both a shade and a light (and a sculpture) — it's amazing.]

The outdoor CSSU

A different variant on our typical CSSU ready for the outdoors. Made with weather resistant, marine-grade mahogany multi-ply, exterior-grade Eichler-specific siding, and rust-proof aluminum and stainless steel, this one can withstand the elements.

Chanda’s (second) refreshed DCM

After a successful refresh of her earlier DCM in walnut, Chanda and Jamie brought over one in ash that had a dislocated shock mount and a good bit of wear. A few hours in the workshop, and it looks a good bit better. The chair had been repaired a few times before and had an interesting amber glow which we were able to keep with some toned lacquer.

Chanda’s Cherner Chair rebuild and refresh

This is chair number three for Chanda and Jamie. This chair had seen better days and a few unfortunate repairs. The legs were nearly completely shot and a few new holes had been attempted to secure them. The pesky thing about these chairs is that the legs and the body are made of two different materials. In this case, maple and walnut… Both stained/finished to coordinate — The two dissimilar woods will never truly match. A few original features were kept including the light staining around the edges. These chairs as original did not embrace the multi-ply look like the Eames chair‘s did but instead used stain and edge treatments to obscure it a bit.

Because of the excessive wear, the chair could never be completely restored per original, but instead it was rebuilt using slightly more modern materials that took up the slack and will stand the test of time.

Chanda’s refreshed Walnut DCM

This one came into the workshop for new feet and a refresh ... a bit of time in the workshop gives it a renewed lease on life.

Vanessa's Second Bathroom

[This was posted a while back on our Instagram channel, but I've not done a full-post here on the blog.]

After successful completion of their first bathroom John and Vanessa contacted me about doing their second bathroom — the "guest" bath. As previous, Vanessa — with a background in retail/design — had a good number of the design elements and ideas sorted, including the idea for hex tile. When approaching the build, we still had a few extra things to sort out, including the reinforcement of a later-addition pocket door which joined a tiled wall — a terrible combination as there could be little/no structural reinforcement to the tile.

After a few design iterations and lots of structural steel later, we had reinforced the door-wall, created a nook for bath products, created a custom walnut vanity and medicine cabinet and worked the hex tile in an undulating pattern up the wall. It turned out well.

Matt and Danica's new door

Matt and Danica had an 80in door installed upside down in an 84in location — with a post that was loose as a kindergartner's tooth at the bottom. Since they have a kindergartner, we opted to fix all of this.

Stephan's new door

Our neighbor Stephan needed a new door — the old one was in terrible condition (and it was a terrible door). Like many, we replaced more than just the door. The post needed to be resecured and there was a good bit of adjacent refining. The best part was the color... Check it out.

When looking at the Norcalmod / Redneckmodern / Cyanovox / MicroEichler / EichlerStencil world, I either need another world... or I need to keep more of the renovaiton stuff over here (and the work on my house at Redneckmodern). In lieu of creating yet another universe, I'll keep the Eichler door stuff over here especially since they've become so prevalent — but they'll get their own category.

John's 8X8 CSSU + desk(s)

At 8ft X 8ft, this is the largest and most ambitious build to date — and also the largest I can make a CSSU based on existing stock limitations... and, come to discover, workshop-space limitations. Made of 

Made from maple multi-ply and luan-mahogany, it's a 3-bay unit with individual, custom flip-down desks. There's loads of great grain alignment and minimal details — it's pretty bad-ass. Next up — a library ladder to attach up top.

Finished installation:

[The three center desks are designed to flip up into the body of the cabinet when not in use. You can flip each up/down independently and are held up by internal magnets embedded in each desktop.]

Rafe's CSSU-LP2

Rafe contacted me from Canada needing record album storage. We got this built, packed, and shipped to Vancouver with no problems whatsoever. We designed it to be a bit taller than the typical LP2 for underneath storage.