Farmhouse kitchen in NJ

Last week we had an opportunity to take a few quick snapshots of one of our projects from last year.   The compact kitchen is locate in an early house in rural New Jersey, near Pennington.  The range hood is housed in the enclosure above the Aga range.  A small tv is hidden in the upper cabinet in the corner.  The sink and countertops are by Bucks County Soapstone, of course.

To avoid the dozens of emails and phone calls that I usually get when I post pictures of our work....the stunning light fixture above the island is by Restoration Hardware.

This was not a large kitchen space but we were able to design and build a cabinet layout that met every requirement of the homeowners.  Email us here to discuss your kitchen renovation plans.

Huge, antique butcher block

 We have had an antique butcher block sitting in our shop for quite a while.   We finally had some time to remove some old whitewash paint on the edges, clean it and apply an oil finish to it.  The age of this piece is unknown and  I have never seen one like this before.

I would imagine that the story of its origin would go something like this...
In 1893, a farmer in a rural community of Pennsylvania needed a chopping block for butchering time.  He asked the local sawyer if he could cut him a piece of maple to be used as a work surface.   The sawyer didn't have any maple but he offered the farmer a large section of a butternut tree.  When the farmer got the block to his farm, he and his sons fashioned 4 oak legs.  They drilled 3" holes into the bottom of the block and turned the end of the legs down to 3".  The legs are removable so that the block could be stored when not in use.  For decades the block was used on the farm as it aged to perfection.

The piece is for sale and will be shown at the Historic Home Show of Greater Philadelphia in Oaks, PA on March 9 - 11.  Click here for show details.

If you are interested in further information about the piece, please click here and contact us through our website.

44" diameter

 10" thick

Butternut top with four oak post legs