Over the years, we have replaced so many doormats that we lost count. When we moved into a house with double doors, it was an even bigger challenge to find something that looked appropriate, that might last for more than one summer. TK came up with what we call the Lifetime Doormat. Made of rectangular steel tubing that has been sliced into 3/4″ pieces and welded together, we will never shop for a doormat again! This mat does it’s job perfectly no matter what time of year. It’s great for stomping sand off your shoes throughout the year, gets the snow off in the winter and in the rare occasion that we have rain, is great to scrape the mud off before entering the house.  It is heavy so instead of shaking it off like you would a normal mat, it catches the debris in between each steel ring and you just run the shop vac over it once in a while to clean it up. It could be inset into concrete or wood decking for a smooth finish. Our Lifetime Doormat can be made any size to accommodate a double or single door entry.

We have posted a number of photos of this outdoor kitchen/sink cabinet while it was being fabricated and installed for artist Andrea Zittel. TK recently completed the project. Made of 14 gauge hot rolled steel with a poured concrete countertop, it’s built to stand up to the extreme desert weather. The steel will rust over time and look even better with age.

It’s Memorial Day weekend so everyone’s attention turns outside. We wanted to share some various projects that TK has fabricated  to help people enjoy their outdoor space. Some are in  the middle of being installed now and some have been completed for some time.

Speaking of fabrication, TK and I have been fans of Morgan over at The Brick House for a while now and we had the pleasure of hosting she and the boy for a day of fun and welding in the high desert. TK was blown away by what a natural born welder she was! I know we are going to see some amazing steel objects showing up in the yard of The Brick House soon.

TK made these steps for his Roadster Pickup that he has been building for many years. These are one of the final few details. He made the brackets from 1/2″ steel and foundry pattern of MDF with lettering cut out of acrylic. Last weekend, TK was able to start up the roaster for the first time! It’s been a long time coming but this project is almost complete. See a history of the build .

With temperatures in the 70’s and 80’s for the last week, our minds are definitely moving to outdoor living. There’s nothing like opening up the house, hanging out on the patio on a warm evening,  and enjoying a cold beverage, especially after a frigid winter. About ten years ago, when we bought our first house near Los Angeles, one of the first projects we tackled was the patio. This house was a mess! We had to do what we could on the cheap, and we had to do it all ourselves.

TK tore down an existing patio cover to replace it with one that he fabricated. It was made with steel square tubing to create the frame, and 18ga galvanized Deep Vercor, suspended at five points.   Besides the cover, we also laid flagstone for the patio floor, put up a new fence and landscaped.

We had not been by the house for almost five years until recently. It was great to see that it still looks as good today as the day we left it behind, even though we had used inexpensive materials. To see other examples of Shade Structures and various outdoor projects, check out TK’s photos on flickr.

After days of rain and snow in the desert, on Saturday we woke to an amazing weekend with bright blue clear skies. It was finally Wexler Weekend in Palm Springs. We didn’t get much work done this weekend but we sure got a lot of inspiration!  The contrast of the amazing colors of the desert with snow on the mountains as a backdrop to some of the most awe inspiring architecture anywhere, made it a perfect day.  We wanted to share a few highlights.

The first four photos are of the Dinah Shore House in Palm Springs built in 1964. At over 9000 sq. ft., it’s impressive. While walking around inside, you can imagine the amazing parties that probably happened in this house back in the day! The next two photos are of the Kirk Douglas Home. Spartacus! Way more subtle than Dinah’s home but equally beautiful. The current owner had great stories of guests who had stayed there, (Tracy and Hepburn) as well as the fact that the Douglas’s still return to visit. It had been their home for over 40 years which really says something about a house. From the street, all you see is a stone wall that once you walk through, it opens to a breathtaking desert oasis with walls of glass, a pool, tennis courts and outdoor fireplace. The outdoor space is as much living space as the inside. Beautifully typical of Wexler. The next two photos are of our favorite house of the day, Donald Wexler’s personal residence at the time he was starting his young family in Palm Springs. Built in 1955, the home featured a floor plan that was a variation of Richard Neutra’s “pinwheel” with lanes extending into the landscape to join the house with the site. Wexler had originally come to California from Minnesota to apprentice with Neutra, whose influence is evident in much of his work. Next door to Wexlers original residence sits a new steel house that he designed years ago but that the current owner just completed in 04. The last home was custom designed and built in 1960 for Tennessee Ernie Ford’s business manager. This one was a favorite as well.

The Palm Springs Preservation Foundation did a great job in honoring an architectural icon still living in the community he helped shape, and in putting together this educational tribute. It has certainly given TK and me an even greater appreciation for some of the treasures we have been driving by and dreaming about living in for years!

Living and working in Southern California, we’re so fortunate to be surrounded by some of the most iconic architectural treasures in the world. If you have an interest in mid 20th century architecture, living and working near Palm Springs is like being a kid in a candy store! Some of our favorites are the Steel Development Houses by Donald Wexler. If you’re looking for a special gift for someone for the holidays, or a great gift for yourself, the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation will be presenting The Wexler Weekend Jan. 22-24, 2010.  You can purchase a weekend pass that will get you into all of the events which run from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon, or purchase al la cart and you can pick and choose. A few of the highlights will be a Champaign Jazz Brunch with Mr. Wexler in attendance, in honor of his 84th birthday, and tours of Wexler designed properties. Tours will include Wexler Tract homes in El Rancho Vista Estates, Wexler’s own Palm Springs home and Wexler designed celebrity homes. Attached is a clip of the film “Journeyman Architect: The Life and Work of Donald Wexler” which will be previewed in its entirety to kick off the weekend on Jan. 22. No matter where you live, here’s a great reason to come spend a warm, beautiful  weekend in Palm Springs. Happy Holidays!

\”Journeyman Architect: The Life and Work of Donald Wexler\”

We’re the kind of people who always live in  the midst of construction. We buy a fixer, because we wouldn’t think of buying new, we say we are never doing this again, and as soon as it’s complete, we sell and start over.  So here we are, in year 5 at 7487 and although on the surface it looks pretty good, we still have a long way to go until it’s “done” in our minds. Moving forward, we will share before and after stories of what has changed to this point, and where we will take the house from here. It’s a 1960 long and low mid-century California ranch. TK as usual had good vision. I had a harder time seeing through the layers of 1980’s  country floral covering up the simple design that the house was meant to exude. We have been peeling it back to it’s original design, while adding modern convenience. The screen above, on the front of the house, replaces a screen originally made of redwood, but unfortunately, it included wood that had rotted and had been painted many times. It had to come down. TK  took scrap wood from the original screen, glued it together, cut out and created the shapes that you see, used a wire brush to get a wood grain texture and made a mold so that he could duplicate the pattern in concrete. He used square tubing to create the frame, welded on the concrete forms and attached 2×6 doug fir to give a vertical appearance to contrast with the horizontal lines of the house. You can view “before” photos and  more detail in flickr. Many mid century homes have screens and allot of them have been damaged. TK can custom create or duplicate any screen in metal concrete or wood.

Well we finally have our site up and running and I’m really happy to share my work! Check in with us often as we will be showing and always updating our progress on current client projects, personal projects as we finish “7487″ the home I share with my wife and partner Jill, I’ll show some “how to” tips for those of you who like to “do it yourself” and of course, information on an array of services we can provide for those of you who don’t. We’ll talk architecture, tools (vintage, American made are my preference), furniture and fabrication. We may even throw in cars and guitars once in a while. It’s going to be a blast so take a look around, ask questions and drop us a line. We’d love to hear from you.

Pretty spiffy, isn’t it? Well, hold on to your horses folks as we are just getting started. Please excuse the dust as we are just in the middle of getting this site up and running. Check back soon to learn more about TK’s work, to view his galleries, or just to check on the latest. It’s gonna be rad.