Introduction: Arts & Crafts Inspired Living Room Cabinets

About: I've been an experimental high-energy physicist for 20 years (since I started graduate school in 1988). I got my BS in physics from UCLA, my Ph.D. at Caltech, and did a post-doc at UBC before moving to SLAC. …

Several years ago, my wife and I decided to redecorate our living room. When we removed the dreadful mirrored tiles over the fireplace (thanks, previous owner!) we discovered that the wall (shared with the garage, water heater, and furnace) didn't have any drywall or insulation, just fake wood panelling, which had been put up before the facade. ....So the panelling comes down, which means the fireplace is dismantled, and redecoration turns into remodelling.

We are both big fans of the American Arts and Crafts movement, so I designed a set of cabinetry to go around the fireplace and have a "built in" look. We ordered the cabinets from Skog, through Hoot Judkins, and had them do the installation.