New Life to Old Memories

Now that summer is over and the holiday stress, I mean season, is not yet upon us, we can all take a collective breath and relax. Unfortunately, there aren't many places to sit down at the Foundry unless you want to take your chances on one of these wobbly chairs:

It's not a good sign if your chair needs to rest on another chair.

Most of us have memories of these types of chairs when we were growing up. Remember being told again and again to stop leaning back in your chair at the dinner table? There's a good chance your were doing it in one of these. Thankfully, with some woodworking skill, paint, and a vision, these chairs have been given a second, superior life.

Play Rocky theme music while looking at this picture.

But why stop at chairs? There are many pieces now that have undergone the tough love they so desperately needed to both bring them back to their former beauty and update them to look amazing anywhere today.

While we enjoy the rest of autumn we hope you'll come and see what else is being given a new life. We'd love to share a cup of coffee with you, maybe while sitting on some nice sturdy chairs? But no leaning back!

It all started with some cats…

… and a talented young landscaper on Fishers Island.  She commissioned Clint Wright, Garden Gate Blacksmith Shop, to build a gate to contain her cats within a section of her new apartment. It seems her roommate was kind enough to let her move in, in spite of her allergies. 

Clint begins thinking about the gate

We liked her right away - for a few reasons: 

It’s a pretty thoughtful gift

She came to Clint looking for help

She obviously has great taste

She loves her cats 

Clint wanted to make something that would really make our landscaper happy. Plus, he really wanted to build a small gate that could be used in a number of different ways, like:

• Room divider for animals/in-laws
• Garden gate
• Lower half of a screen door
• Decorative wall hanging
• Garden art

Bending scrollwork

Clint puts some muscle into the bend

Fitting the pieces together

Almost done!

Final product

The moral of this story is, if you have an idea, stop by the Foundry and run it by one of the artists.  We think collaboration is truly the mother of invention and we might all be surprised, and pleased, with the results.