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!
Cranbrook prep has a new sports pavilion, built by Girvan Waugh, and Pinkerton provided some slatted timber benches made from Blackbutt timber and attached to a stainless steel rail. Perfect for kids, teachers and parents to enjoy an afternoon's sport.
Some new stock has arrived in store. Great tea towels from Sketch & Jones... There's new colours in the Hamamist towels - we love the raspberry... and oodles of Clay Australia ceramics. Maker Kim Long is about to have her first baby and predicts that this will be the last lot for quite a while. New colours in stock include blue and lilac, as well as small number of pieces from the pokadot range.
Following on from Grant's chest of drawers, another student in the 'Choose Your Own Woodwork Adventure' course has a completed project. Anna installed her built in ply shelves last weekend and we think they look great! Anna is using the shelves to display various bits and pieces she has collected over the years.
Brown Sugar is a great restaurant on Lake Macquarie at Warners Bay. Owners Sam and Michael completed a very glamourous refurb recently, calling on Pinkerton to construct two banquettes.
Following on from the circulation desk Pinkerton completed for Maitland Library last year, we were engaged to provide a complimentary desk for a number of computers. The desk is built into the sweeping curve of the building, meaning Stu had to remember all those sin cos tan things from high school to work out the design. Better him than me! The side panels feature a range of Australian recycled timbers to match the circulation desk.
This term has seen the return of some previous wood school students for our inaugural "Choose your own woodwork adventure" course. Grant is the first finished with his chest of drawers made of blackbutt veneer on ply, perched on a steel frame base. The students spent 12 weeks working with Stu from design concept to finished product.
An article about Pinkerton recently ran in the Newcastle Herald - you can read it here.
The new $90m HMRI Building opened last week after a three year long construction process. Pinkerton was commissioned to create a large communal piece for the interactive zone of the new facility. Measuring 4m by 2m the table references the indigenous practice of using river stones (or "healing stones") in a decorative inlay of rocks sourced from Hunter valley creeks and set in a resin inlay. The top is solid blackbutt while the base is made from spotted gum and matches the timber panelled walls which are found throughout this part of the building.
Some lovely residential projects have been going out the warehouse door in recent times, in between all the retail and hospitality stuff.
GG Espresso, the cafe and catering company run by Erica and George Gregan, has opened its latest outlet at Australia Avenue in Sydney's Olympic Park. The cafe was designed by Rob Harper at RDO and Pinkerton provided all the tables, which feature a subtle champhered edge, as well as the wine wall that extends along almost an entire wall. We love the mural! And most importantly the coffee passed the test too.
If you don't know about Renew Newcastle,
you should, and Studio Melt is another excellent shopfront that has
recently been added to its growing list of rejuvenated spaces in the
City's CBD. Run by silversmiths Angela Hailey and Suzy Manning, Studio Melt
showcases their jewelry, which they make on site (and where they run
workshops as well). They also sell a selection of clothes and unique pieces for the home, which how Pinkerton came to work with
them. Angela and Suzy wanted some interesting shelves to display the
lovely mix of new and vintage items they have collected in their
travels. Simple ply boards and a rusted steel frame create a simple but
effective background against which the prints, bowls and candle sticks can show off.