Project Information
Artisans can design and craft chests of almost any size, copying the patterns of past masters, or of original design. A decorative chest can be a feature piece of a living room, bedroom, even a bathroom as one client employed a modern chest as a hamper.
This was a very special order and a first for Artisans of the Valley. It is not often that a customer requests a custom made, hand carved bathroom hamper, but in this case, someone did. After some explanation how wood behaves in a moist environment, and assurances from our client that he accepted the terms, we agreed to this commission. We always appreciate a client that acknowledges when they want something out of the ordinary, understands the technical aspects, and knows specifically what they want.
These pieces are actually six-panel chest, featuring pegged mortis and tenon joints in solid oak. Finish is golden oak, with a hand rubbed marine grade varnish finish; not our normal forte, but we are a custom shop! We even secured this piece using polyurethane waterproof glue for extra longevity, applied shoe sole rubber feet to keep it off the floor, and included multiple ventilation openings to avoid moldy clothing.
We figured back in 2002 that we had made our first hamper, and likely the last hamper anyone would ever commission given cost at that time was $900.00. Well … 2007 came along to prove us wrong. We upped the ante a bit moving to a solid cherry piece based on the design of the original hamper. Final price of the cherry unit was $1,400.00
The moral of this story is simple - you never know what someone will commission. Quote your jobs for the time it will take to create them, the materials, and the artistic value - the rest is up to your name and reputation as an artist. You'll be amazed, jobs you quote thinking it's done deal will fade away. Meanwhile, someone will decide to go forward with a project you never thought was feasible.
Just as a side note - Teri and I have Home Depot plastic bins we use for laundry in our house - even though we can go ahead and make ourselves one of these artistic pieces it just hasn't come up on the to-do list to date!
This was a very special order and a first for Artisans of the Valley. It is not often that a customer requests a custom made, hand carved bathroom hamper, but in this case, someone did. After some explanation how wood behaves in a moist environment, and assurances from our client that he accepted the terms, we agreed to this commission. We always appreciate a client that acknowledges when they want something out of the ordinary, understands the technical aspects, and knows specifically what they want.
These pieces are actually six-panel chest, featuring pegged mortis and tenon joints in solid oak. Finish is golden oak, with a hand rubbed marine grade varnish finish; not our normal forte, but we are a custom shop! We even secured this piece using polyurethane waterproof glue for extra longevity, applied shoe sole rubber feet to keep it off the floor, and included multiple ventilation openings to avoid moldy clothing.
We figured back in 2002 that we had made our first hamper, and likely the last hamper anyone would ever commission given cost at that time was $900.00. Well … 2007 came along to prove us wrong. We upped the ante a bit moving to a solid cherry piece based on the design of the original hamper. Final price of the cherry unit was $1,400.00
The moral of this story is simple - you never know what someone will commission. Quote your jobs for the time it will take to create them, the materials, and the artistic value - the rest is up to your name and reputation as an artist. You'll be amazed, jobs you quote thinking it's done deal will fade away. Meanwhile, someone will decide to go forward with a project you never thought was feasible.
Just as a side note - Teri and I have Home Depot plastic bins we use for laundry in our house - even though we can go ahead and make ourselves one of these artistic pieces it just hasn't come up on the to-do list to date!
