Editorial Columns

This Client had always wanted to have a more substantial visual divider between her living and dining rooms. The top photo is the before picture.

The 1925 vintage house is a great example of bungalow architecture and the owner is a collector of vintage glass and furniture. She had a picture in her head of exactly what she wanted. I simply had to interpret her words and build it.

This is what we came up with. A simple column system that complements the original woodwork, and doesn't look like an add-on.

A View to the Finish

This house has an amazing view of the Columbia River, but the cabinets were nothing to look at.

They were, however structurally sound, and the owner wondered what we could do to update the look of her kitchen without the expense of all-new cabinetry.

I suggested using a tinted lacquer to change the color of the cabinets. We also added a matching cabinet where the fabric once hung, replaced the tired hinges, and added knobs for the doors and drawers.

We also added a flat display shelf above the upper cabinets along with s simple crown moulding.

It took around a week to refinish the doors and drawers in my shop and a couple of days to do the on-site work. The result was a great transformation, with almost nothing going to the landfill.

How are you going to do that?

When we were leaving the client's house after a design meeting, I showed Clint and Josh the photo that the client had given me.

"How are you going to do that?", Clint asked.

"I don't know yet."

But projects like this are the reason I love this business. I love the challenge of solving complex problems.

There were several design concerns with this project. I was going to be building a small bathroom vanity in the style of the large kitchen island in the picture that the client had given me. Even coming up with a design proposal that had appropriate scale would be a challenge.

Fortunately, I nailed the drawing on my first try. "Love it!", said the client.

Then there were the challenges of building the cabinet I had drawn.
Most shops would have taken simpler approaches to each of the problems, but we want our projects to be a level above "most shops".

In the end, we created the lattice work for the false front by dadoing small strips of lumber into a solid piece of alder.


The door is constructed much like a common raised panel door, but material is cut away to leave the diamond in the center. a cove is cut into the edges of that diamond. This makes a grain that stays consistent all the way through the panel. A simple applied lattice, or an applique for the diamond would have looked cheap and wouldn't hold up.

We couldn't be happier with the result.

The Tweener Cabinet

My Clients had always wondered what this space was intended for. Between the living room and the dining room, there was this gap. It was parallel to the entryway, and only a foot away so it served no practical purpose.

They decided that it needed a cabinet. The dining side would provide storage for wine and glasses, while the living side would be home to stereo equipment.

The primary challenge in this project was making everything fit. The depth was tight when we considered the amplifier and the wine glasses, but in the end, everything fit perfectly.

Note the unusual angled shelves for wine storage and the fabric panels designed to allow the use of remote controls.

dis mantle isn't working for me.

This mantle in a 30's era Vancouver cottage probably looked great at one time. The basic form was crafted from plaster. But the oak mantle top was dated (dated 1979, actually. It said 'Tom Petersen, master craftsman' on the bottom. The Heat n' Glo fireplace was added more recently, as was the green marble tile with the awkward square cutout around the damper operator chain.

The client wanted to update with a simple design that was appropriate in scale, and would preserve the operation of the damper chain.

From Swine to Spaghetti: A restaurant remodel

Saratoga Woodworks was recently honored to be involved with the remodel of a restaurant in Redlands, CA.

Originally, the building was built to house "Babe's Slim Piggins", a BBQ joint, but it became a part of The Old Spaghetti Factory's family of restaurants in December of 2009.

These pictures were taken during the remodel process; the pig references, ladders and tools have now been removed.

Saratoga Woodworks designed and provided the arched and inlaid mahogany doors below the Pigs Gone Wild Sign. We also provided the panels and columns above the arched mirrors behind the bar, and panels for the mahogany wainscoting.

The doors are 1" thick and feature applied moulding and corners that are notched out to give them a strikingly different look.

The panels above the bar are bigger than they look. The entire system is thirty feet long. It's difficult to see in the picture, but the final panel on each side is bookended by four spiraled columns. We really like the way the light plays off of the pyramid shaped onlays.

First Quarter 2010 Newsletter

Happy New Year! We've all survived another year in a challenging economy, and we'd love to help you on your projects in 2010. Here are some examples of work we accomplished during the latter half of 2009. You can read more about these projects and others on our blog or at SaratogaWoodworks.com

A project with 80% recycled content. This series of twelve bookshelves was constructed largely from material left over from the customer's demolition projects. We were able to design this project so that it could be installed in a working office in about an hour with a minimum amount of dust and disruption. A kitchen with a modest budget and unusual protrusions This kitchen was unique because of the pair of chimneys that intruded into the space. The limitations posed by the unusual nooks and crannies led to great storage solutions like this corner where an appliance garage, wine cubbies, and a corbelled open shelf combine to create visual interest. A Classic Hutch with hidden wine storage and broom closet This hutch was designed based on a picture in a realtor's flier. The hutch is made almost entirely solid reclaimed fir. Only the drawer bottoms are made of plywood. The left tapered column opens to reveal a broom closet, and the right contains a wine rack. The hutch is designed to be portable. The removal of eight screws allows the unit to come apart into five pieces for easy transport. A Space Saving Staircase/Ladder A client came in with a grainy photo of a similar staircase in Europe. We worked together to reverse engineer the angles and dimensions to produce this unit designed to access a loft.

Saratoga Woodworks offers period appropriate cabinets, custom furniture and high quality custom cabinetry for any home. We offer design services and work to provide the highest quality products possible with the least environmental impact. What can we do for you?

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Saratoga Woodworks - 4001 E 18th Street, Vancouver, WA 98661
(503) 784-4570
Saratoga Woodworks

In Oregon, we're Saratoga Woodworks LLC CCB# 183449 WA LIC # SARATWL921PW