This long buffet is packed with features that make it a superb server. The curly maple top has an inset of St. Laurent Marble where hot items can be placed. There is a bow front drawer above a pair of mappa burl doors on each end. The middle section provides three touch latch doors with leaded glass panels that reveal a lighted display area. The donut stack pilasters provide visual breaks along the facade and are accented with hand carved feet.
Shell Table
Whenever we are asked to engineer unusual functions or integrate unique objects or materials into a piece the result is referred to as a "specialty item". In the case of this shell table our client had been given an extensive collection of shells from a friend and neighbor."The shell collection itself is not that valuable but the neighbor and the memories are." Therefore, we set out to design a table that would showcase the shells while still providing a functional coffee table. Each individual shell rests upon a black lacquer faceted pedestal arranged in a balanced geometric pattern. The radiused book and butt walnut burl aprons wrap around each side and join the carved and gold leafed legs. An inset glass top lies flush with the aprons and is removed via a concealed "lifting block".
Hammered Gold Spice
This dining table incorporates a variety of exotic veneers and hardwoods such as radiused zebra wood aprons with rosewood beading, sketch and patterned curly maple top, and mahogany legs with ebonized boots. Each corner block is hammered for texture and gold leafed.
Obrien Desk and Credenza
Crotch mahogany veneers, mahogany solids and mappa burl accents come together to create this unique office look. The customer requested that we engineer a number of concealed compartments throughout the desk. Observe the bowed crotch panel, the bowed drawer front and the decorative 3-dimensional appliques.
Antique Bookshelves Revisited
These pieces were designed and engineered from an old photograph of a fine antique bookcase. These two bookcases employ inlaid solid brass elements and borders. The fronts show a columnar leg post that translate its three quarter round shape into the marble stone top. Note how the brass matches the radius of column and stone.
Contemporary Screen
This whimsical five panel plastic laminate screen was designed to convey movement. The small red discs move as the window drops and rotates across the panels. The concave shape at the bottom catches the disc and repeats the cycle.
Cascading Cabinets
This cascading progression of white lacquer cabinets affords a variety of storage depths while creating movement with its pulls and rolling corner cabinet tops. The round knobs are black and the knob mounting areas are gold leafed.
Dutch Pullout Table
This heavy masculine table literally grows on you. The dutch pull out feature extends the table eighteen inches on each end giving three more feet of stable dining surface. The top is composed of a sequenced book and butt pattern of mappa burl veneers surrounding a center rectangle of curly maple. The solid maple aprons and feet are hand carved to add character and detail.
Houston Century Buffet
This buffet was designed by Woodleaf Studios to compliment the client's existing dining room furniture from Century. The buffet incorporates lion head ring pulls, black lacquer engaged pilasters with gold leaf capital, and base elements. The primary door and drawer panels are banded with ebonized bead. The unusually deep niche allowed for an elevated upper tier at the rear for additional serving surface.
Richardson Credenza
This elegant server is made with mahogany solids and sequenced olive ash burl veneers. One unique feature is that there is no visible hardware. The doors operate via a "touch latch" while the drawers , which project slightly beyond the doors, open via a finger pull groove that runs along the bottom edge. The donut stack columns are accented with ebonized rings and capped with an olive ash burl capital. The Richardson Credenza is one of the many pieces that Woodleaf Studios has built and donated to a fundraising auction. This particular piece was donated to the Visual Art Exchange(VAE), a non profit that supports emerging artists.
Lectern and Table
High gloss black lacquer surfaces are accented with gold leafed capital and base elements. The lectern's facade and body is lightly ebonized cherry.
Steiner Ball and Claw Table
This table was designed by Michael Steiner. Like the Steiner Urn table it was built and then donated by Woodleaf Studios to Interact for a fundraiser. The table has a cherry top banded with olive as a burl. Brass claws clench black lacquer spheres. There are also gold leaf accents.
Fanfare Dresser
Art Deco inspired six door dresser. Three dimensional solid wood appliques. Maple and mahogany applied over carpathian elm burl drawer fronts with black lacquer pulls.
Simply Biedermeier
This medium sized mahogany, Biedermeier inspired, entertainment center packs a lot of bell and whistle features that make it an engineering wonder. The custom hinge pediment clad bonnet cocks open to reveal a large concealed storage space while still allowing objects to be displayed on the top of the piece. The black engaged pilasters are affixed to side panels that slide forward to reveal additional concealed storage. The large crotch mahogany doors pocket open to show TV an AV storage. The lower base panel is actually a large drawer.
Steiner Urn Table
Michael Steiner, ASID, designed this glass top table for a Woodleaf Studios sponsored design competition. Woodleaf Studios then built and donated this winning design to a fundraiser for Interact(a shelter for battered women and children).
The main urn body is birdseye maple with hand carved spiraling trunks finished with silver leaf and lacquer. The dangling black tassles add to the whimsical feel and create an unusual texture for this piece.
Painted Cascade
Matthew collaborated with fellow artist and friend, Fred Stewart, AIA, in designing this large entertainment center. Fred painted the four panel door to depict a performer taking a bow. The upper doors pocket to reveal the TV compartment. The arched bonnet and base are veneered with balanced carpathian elm burl. The decorative squashed cubes are veneered with ebony. The bookcase and display areas are painted black and flanked by sloping mahogany wedges.
Mathis Entertainment Center
A medium sized entertainment center featuring pocketing crotch mahogany doors flanked by chamfered mahogany planks with decorative buttons. The base section consists of olive ash burl door panels flanked by curvaceous mahogany legs with dentil toothing.
Alice's Curio
Alice's Curio is an exploration that Matthew took into the whimsical world of Alice In Wonderland. The padauk door opens to reveal a landscape painted on a concave wall depicting a myriad of wildlife. The Pamele Sapele veneered body is accented with maple escutheons and rosewood banding. The upper and lower deck is made with teak parquet flooring. Ebonized columns help create an architectural feel while the maple balcony "pops" in contrast. This piece is one of many that Woodleaf Studios has donated to various fundraisers over the years. Alice's Curio was built for the Visual Art Exchange where it was auctioned at their annual fundraiser. The money raised was used to help support up and coming artists.
Library Extraordinaire
New meets old within this fully wrapped mahogany library/drawing room. Woodleaf Studios took two rooms from this historic home and made them into one. The original wall separating the two rooms was replaced with a balanced group of columns and pilasters. The coffered ceiling provides elegant character and depth. There are concealed wall panels engineered to allow access to mechanical systems. This elaborate room also has integrated cabinets and bookshelves. The north end of the room is tailored around a large flat screen TV(see image 03).
"Bond" Wall of Doors
This elaborate wall system engineered by Matthew Smith consists of a series of twenty-four operable door panels. There are also double acting pass-through doors on each end of this thirty two foot long facade. The facade is comprised of a blueprint matched sequence of pamele sapele veneer schedule. The middle four doors break into two sets of bifolding pocketing doors to create a fully continuos niche (see view 2). The doors on either end conceal built-in linen and silver storage (see view 3).