1 Bligh Street Lecterns

We were super excited recently to get a call from Architectus ordering two of our curved lecterns for 1 Bligh Street. This project has been in the news over the last 18 months or so as Australia's first 6 Star Green Star office building. A double skin facade and a 120m high atrium create excellent indoor environment quality allowing natural light to penetrate throughout the building. And then there's the solar panels, rain water recycling, black water recycling and chilled beam air con run on gas and solar energy. The elliptical shape of the building is also 12% more efficient in terms of floor space compared to a rectangular building.

The lecterns are destined for the new Commonwealth offices within the building which will include suites for the Prime Minister, Opposition leader, a number of Federal Ministers and other MPs who are moving from their old digs over in Phillip Street. Made from Tasmanian Oak Veneer which has been vacuum bagged around a circular jig, the lecterns certainly provide a contrast to the usual box-y versions on the market and bear a passing resemblance to their new home.  

Here's some more images of this amazing building...

And there's a great video which looks at the design and construction of it on YouTube

Dynamic Life Drawing with Anna Jaaniste

Coming soon to Pinkerton....

Anna Jaaniste will be running a couple of Dynamic Life Drawing classes on Saturday afternoons in June in the Pinkerton workshop. We are delighted to have Anna using our space - her lovely personality will no doubt make these classes great fun. Details below.

Saturday 1 June, 4 - 6.30pm
Saturday 22 June, 4 - 6.30pm
Cost: $40 for one workshop / $70 for the two
Bookings/enquiries: annajaaniste@gmail.com or 0431 977 358

Suitable for beginners or experienced.

These classes focus on the physical and sensual processes of perception and imagination through responsive mark-making. With live models for inspiration, students will work through a series of explorative and experimental drawing exercises. Be prepared to learn new approaches, let go of expectations, tune in to your sensitivity and enjoy the process, in a supportive and energising environment.

Jamie's Italian Perth

Jamie's Italian has opened in Perth! This is the second Jamie's that Pinkerton has worked on, following on from Sydney in 2011. For the Perth restaurant we provided various custom items including communal tables, round tables, lean shelves, partitions, display shelving, blackboards, flour bins and bread boxes.

Designed by Swedish-born, London-based interior designer Martin Brudnizki, with documentation by local architecture firm PVH, the scheme uses ample recycled timber and burnished metal work to create a rustic-industrial look. We once again sourced our timber from the guys at Round 2 and steelwork from Andrew Earp of Imagiron. 

Brudnizki has worked with Oliver since 2007 to create over twenty Jamie’s Italian restaurants internationally and all feature an open kitchen, anti-pasti bar and pasta making area. However each restaurant adapts the Jamie's Italian look in a slightly different way to create "an individual concept inspired by the building and geography of each site". Our favourite would have to be the Manchester private dining room, in an old bank's safety deposit box room.

But back to Perth. Another common feature of the Jamie's Italian look is using a local graffiti artist to create a memorable feature wall within the restaurant. For Perth it was local boy Kyle Hughes-Odgers and you can see one of those stop motion kind of films of him working on the mural (and a bit more of the restaurant itself) here. 

Jamie's Italian's Australian restaurants are run by Pacific Restaurant Group - we couldn't ask for a more professional and decent client - and the next one is due to open in Canberra later this year. Images reproduced courtesy PRG.

Textiles - Sketch & Jones and Timeless Textiles

Well the first event in our series of creative talks exceeded all expectations yesterday. We would have been happy with three people and a dog but about around 40 lovely souls turned up to listen to Anne Kempton and Diana Jones talk about how they came to be what they are doing in the wonderful world of textile art.

Anne's story of leaving a stable bureacratic career to fearlessly - but not recklessly - start up Timeless Textiles in 2011 was truly inspiring. Who would have known that in a short time she has put Islington on the international textiles map, securing highly-regarded artists from around the globe for their Australian exhibitions. Anne's passion and vision are amazing.

Meanwhile Diana Jones actually studied film at uni but when faced with the notion of having to move away from Newcastle to work, she decided to reinvent herself as a graphic designer - despite knowing nothing about it! 400-page tool catalogues and photo-bombing herself into scores of Yellow Pages ads later, she threw caution to the wind and started Sketch & Jones 5 years ago and hasn't looked back.

Both spoke candidly of the challenges of running a small business - of pricing for what something is worth in a commercial landscape where discounts are king, of trying to still find time for art around busy production schedules. Both brought examples of work and explained the techniques used to create them.

The session was filmed, we'll upload the video soon for those who couldn't make it. Here's some images in the meantime.

There was also an article about the talks in the Herald, you can read it here.

On the Road - Briggs Veneers

Following on from our last visit there, this time I remembered the camera! Briggs Veneers is, as the name suggests, a company that supplies sheets of timber veneer. Normally we buy veneer already glued up to a substrate (eg ply) but if you are going to curve it, then you need it loose before you wrap it around a jig and clamp it in place. 

So having been engaged by Architectus to provide two semi-circular lecterns for the Department of Finance in their new home at 1 Bligh Street, it was back to Briggs again to sift through the individual sheets of Tasmanian Oak veneer to find the few perfect sheets for this special commission.

Briggs has been around since 1908, and descendants of the original Mr Briggs are still involved in the company. They offer 140 different kinds of veneer from sustainably managed forests. Big thanks to the guys for letting me snoop around the shop floor and especially Greg for explaining how it all works.

Adam and Stu going through the Tassie Oak sheets

Rolling the selected sheets up 

Greg in front of the individual strips of timber after they have had the glue applied to their edges and before they are stuck together in the machine.

 Feeding the strips of timber into the machine where they are stuck together

 Close up of the same process, on a different machine

Once the individual strips have  been glued together to make the sheet then any gaps/imperfections are mended with timber flakes and a heat gun

Some of the machines have been in use for over 30 years. Mr Ruckle knows his stuff!

These are the people in your neighbourhood...

 

Something we've been wanting to do for a long time and have finally got it together - a series of talks by talented Novocastrians about what they do. There's so many incredible people in this neighbourhood who are very modest about their careers it's fallen upon us to happily blow their trumpets! 

On the last Saturday of each month come and join us for a glass of vino and be inspired by these local people doing amazing things. First up are Sketch & Jones and Timeless Textiles. For more info and bios see our events page.

Wood School - Completed Stools

The lastest wood school class has celebrated finishing their stools. Here's some feedback from some of the participants...

Joe - What I really liked about the course was that I have a great love of wood and it’s smell and texture but I really didn’t have the tools or expertise to do anything about that. Stu creates an opportunity for a small group to make something really useful and use tools and equipment that took me way out of my normal comfort zone. Stu is encouraging and he is such a positive force around the group that you love coming each week. The small group size means you meet like minded people but get well supported. I am looking forward to attending a future course of Stu’s.

Lore - I had no clue what to expect when I enrolled for the woodwork course. I knew I needed a stool for the kitchen and I knew I needed a new hobby, but that's pretty much all I knew. Every Tuesday had a nice surprise in store. It was nice to see how everyone got excited as our stools started to take form. Stuart's passion for the skill was/is truly contagious

Alex - I found it a lot of fun and also picked up a few tips and tricks along the way. Stu has a relaxed teaching style but also knew how to keep everyone on track so that we actually completed our projects and learnt plenty along the way. I also like Stu’s approach to use of recycled timber and through looking at some of the work he had on the go while making our stools, we were able to see how fantastically well old timber can be dressed up and made new. I will certainly be recommending the course to others and will seriously consider applying for another course to build on what I’ve learnt.

Abicus Jewelry Cabinet

Abicus is one of our favourite shops. Owners Tiffany Minell and Tim McPhee mix fashion with music (vinyl!), cameras (polaroids!) and art in their own inimitable way. So we were delighted when they approached us to produce an American Oak jewelry cabinet for their new store in Darby Street. It was great to work with such lovely people - Tim is surely the most positive person in the world despite construction delays and all sorts of problems getting the new shop open. You can read a great Lost at E Minor interview with Tiff here and watch Tim and his band The Firekites new video here. 

Jamie's Italian Perth Opens

Jamie's Italian in Perth has opened to great reviews. Pinkerton provided numerous custom pieces of furniture for the latest outpost of Jamie Oliver's empire, including communal tables, various bis of display shelving, oversized blackboards and more. Stay tuned for pics.

How many clamps do you need to make a surfboard?

Lots! Stu has fulfilled a long-held desire to making a timber surfboard. Constructed from Paulonia timber, he has it in mind to run a wood school course for others keen to do the same in the second half of the year. Register your interest now.

GG Espresso Gore Hill

The Gregan coffee empire continues to go from strength to strength with the latest cafe opening in Gore Hill. Located within the foyer of Fox Sports' new purpose built broadcast facility, it also features an al fresco wine bar to help all those hard working sports journalists unwind at the end of the day. Pinkerton provided banquettes, tables and wine walls.

Wood School Progress Pics

The latest crop of wood school students are mid-way through their stool making journey. Here are some progress pics from weeks 2 and 5 of them on the thicknesser and the bandsaw and then at workbenches refining their finger joints. 

  

Tasmanian Blackwood Table

Sue loves to throw a long lunch for family and came to Pinkerton wanting something that could seat 12, not to mention live up to her fantastic cooking. There's not much you can do to a table top - but underneath things can get interesting. Stu designed a frame that features steam bent rails to give the piece some comely curves, as well as provide a strong base for the 1.1m x 2.7m top.
 

Royal Oak Tables

Having spent part of his youth as a frequent visitor to the Royal Oak in Double Bay, it was a trip down memory lane for Stu when the pub's manager, Jamie Malouf, asked him to produce some custom tables. The Oak has been undergoing a progressive make-over in recent months and now boasts interiors to match the great service and excellent food.

Jamie was after a round six-seater bar table to fill an awkward space in Phil's Bar near the stairs - and he wanted to be able to drop a champange bucket into the centre of it during functions. Six-seater bar tables are hard to come by (just Google it) because an oversized top means they are difficult to stabilise. Using recycled timber to match the relaxed retro vibe of Phil's Bar, Stu created a unique frame that provides a space for the ice bucket but won't topple over. When the ice bucket is not in use, a matching timber circle with a steel rim plugs the hole.

 

Jamie was also after a chunky TAB table, also with cut out sections for betting forms to be placed in. The legs are made from recycled Australian hardwood, while the top was covered in a vinyl stencil featuring sepia tinted racing scenes.

A nice job to finish up the year - and some great food eaten along the way!