zavadildesign

Beautiful Design out of New Zealand

2012-02-04T12:44:00.010-08:00

As part of our kitchen renovation we have been looking for a new fridge.

Our main crieria were that it had to be counter depth, freezer bottom and not ugly. A bit daunting considering that last criterion but, we were very determined. I have always preferred built in or flush fridges as opposed to the behemoths that are ever creeping out into our paths and eating our precious floor space. Who can ever reach behind all that stuff to the cavernous depths of the lost and fogotted foodstuffs that lurk at the back of the mega deep fridges of today? Is it not hard enough to reach the back of a 24" base cabinet? I ask you. My ultimate dream fridge would bet a totally concealed built in unit but that will have to wait for our next project...

So we were doing our usual bargain hunting and spotted this gorgeous beast at the Sears outlet in Burnaby:

Fisher & Paykel RF175WDRX1 17.5 square feet of beautifuly detailed easyclean stainless. The stainless has been burnished and passivated to eliminate the oil staining so common on consumer stainless objects. The burnishing makes for a smoother surface and the passivation produces a thicker layer of protective oxide, both of which stop oil from burrowing into the surface scratches that you find on common brushed stainless. The handles present a square edge but have a fully radiused inside for a comfortable feel.

Regular price: $1999.99
Scratch and dent price: $810

There was a 2" long barely noticeable scratch on the side below cabinet height.

Now, of course... I want this: IZONA cooksurface

Long Lost Album Cover

2012-02-04T12:29:00.002-08:00

Just found this in Discogs. I totally forgot about this comission. It's the album cover of 'Another White Male' 'Cattle' of 1996.

Facet Table in Stainless Steel

2011-07-16T01:17:00.005-07:00

Facet Table in TIG welded, polished 304 stainless steel. 30"H X 44"L X 16"W

"Intersections Fence Project." Puplic Art In the Downtown East Side

2010-11-12T00:16:00.031-08:00

painting by Taiga Chiba

I have been working on a public art project with my friend and esteemed colleague, James Koester in the DTES. It's a show of paintings of local artists. James has been working with Intersections media to produce this show. Plans are still in flux but it looks like the paintings will be displayed as a perimeter installation on the fence of the Intersections parking lot, like the banner of James' blog of the project.

James is designing managing and curating the project which is a much bigger job than you might imagine. Some of the artists have been chosen by Intersections and some by James. Intersections will be producing a short video of the project. My contribution to the effort has been the making the metal frames for the project and the installation which will happen in early December.

Of what I've seen so far, the paintings have a quality not seen in a lot of public art. Refreshing. It reminds me of a quote attributed to Candido Portinari who when asked for his position on social realism he replied "All I know is this; art is art or it's shit." We can thank James for his integrity on that score. He has gone out of his way to create an artist centered community based exhibit of exceptional quality.

Here is another teaser of one of the pieces:

painting by Colleen Carroll

A must see show in the making...

Figurations: Shelf-X-Wood first showing

2009-08-26T10:34:00.004-07:00

Wenge and maple. Gloss lacquer. Stacked with glass units.

Studio photography to come...

The Return of Mothra

2009-06-23T12:31:00.005-07:00

I was visited by Mothra a few years ago while framing in the living room of my house. This time she arrived while we were watching a movie. She was fluttering against the window so we shut off all the lights and I went out on a ladder to save her from the cobwebs on the window sill.

The wingspan of this incarnation measured 5". You can hear her wingbeats when she files. She had big red fuzzy legs which didn't show up well in the photos. Too bad she didn't show up in the daytime. She is a Polyphemus Moth ( Antheraea polyphemus ) from the fabulous Bug Guide website. Link to the caterpillar stage

Facet Box

2009-06-11T16:31:00.012-07:00

Jewellery box from the Facet Series by Marcus Sabathil. Hand sculpted from a solid block of black walnut and finished with hand rubbed shellac. The box lid swivels 360 degrees and is held closed by rare earth magnets. It has a satisfying "snap back" when it is closed.

My work is now available on Etsy at my store: design4furniture.etsy.com

Spring Critter Round Up

2009-05-28T21:46:00.010-07:00

Super busy with so many projects... but I have some sweet shots that have been burning a hole in my flash memory.

I post these without comment. I may add something later.

As usual, click to enlarge. Much fuzz to observe.

Enjoy.

Shelf-X -Wood

2009-04-16T20:00:00.004-07:00

I'm just in the middle of building the first Shelf-x-Wood pieces.

This first photo was taken before the edge veneer or lacquer is applied. These units are modular and stack horizontally and vertically. The wood veneer is a sustainably produced Wenge look-alike. Cabinet insides are veneered in maple.

The units come apart easily and can be flat packed for shipping and moving. This construction allows for a free-standing unit without backs so it may be used as a room divider.

This photo shows the joinery that allows the modular stacking.

This is a glue-up in progress.

A Winter Surprise

2009-02-14T20:30:00.011-08:00

While out dealing with the snow we've been enduring, this caught my eye...

Click to enlarge, If you dare...

Love the colours. And that belt... So stylish, so now.

How do they do it?

First time I've seen one in the wild. I think it's a Western Tiger Swallowtail. I got some help with the ID from the nice people at my favourite bug site: BugGuide.Net

On the same day I sighted this creature:

"Han, Han, make-cheesay. Pa'sa tah ono caulky malia. Ee youngee d'emperolo teesaw. Twa spastika awahl no. Yanee dah poo noo."

Puppy Pupa. AKA Jabba the Pup.

Ice Feets

2008-12-17T20:39:00.003-08:00

Never a dull moment around here. These oddities of nature were dangling in the creek formed during a cold snap here.

Magical Mystery Diving Bird (solved: American Dipper)

2008-12-10T14:39:00.007-08:00

This little dear was splashing around in one of our ponds today. I grabbed the binoculars to get a better look. At first I thought it was a duck, no, too small. Then I thought it was a wren bathing but it seemed too big. Then It dove under water. Wha?

I quickly got my camera and a sweater and scooted out in my slippers to see if I could snap a few. The body colouring was plain, grey-brown body dappled with some light streaks and the head and breast were a warmer brown. It had a pale cream-yellow beak and flesh coloured legs. It bobbed almost constantly and liked to keep it's tail perked up like a wren. It was about the size of a towhee without the tail.

I was watching it stick it's head under water and swim for short but energetic moments and then it did the most curious thing: It dove under water, flapped it's wings and flew under water for about four feet before hopping back up on a floating branch. A swimming, diving, flying under water wren? It later flew into the creek and hunted about for food there as well.

I couldn't get close enough to get any good shots and the telephoto setting pretty sad on my camera

Orb Update

2008-12-09T21:15:00.003-08:00

New photos of the Orb-1 in Starfire glass. This is the smallest version (so far) of the Orb vase. I don't think Guido could even turn around in this one. Yes, he's grown.

Orb is created from two pieces of kiln formed glass which are hand lapped, polished and laminated together.

They are available at Dr. Vigari on commecrial drive and through my studio. Dimensions are 7.5"tall x 10"wide x 3"deep. $395

Working with Paduk

2008-11-01T20:56:00.002-07:00

This is a video I made showing how I remove planing marks and tearout from Paduk. A card scraper is an excellent alternative to sanding which tears the grain instead of slicing. Scraping really shows off the alternating grain pattern on paduk.

New design: Log shelf

2008-10-07T15:09:00.006-07:00

These are the first in a series of elemental wood and steel pieces. Salvaged black locust milled on the bandsaw and seasoned for two years. Gorgeous colour and contrast between the sap wood, heartwood and the bark. The hardwood will darken slightly over time. Black locust is a rare wood to find. Enjoy.

Limited edition of five.

$450 each

20" x 7" x 4" (measurements are approximate)
Mounting holes @ 16" for stud location. Between studs limit load to 25lbs.

Now available at Dr. Vigari Gallery 1312 Commercial Drive
(between Charles & Kitchener Streets)
Vancouver, BC

Dragonfly

2008-09-28T21:48:00.004-07:00

Caught this a few days ago. She was so intent on laying her eggs she paid me no mind.

Guido The Orb Dancer

2008-08-11T23:03:00.005-07:00

Guido dances to the tune of the O Green World by the Gorillaz. Filmed during the Orb vase photo shoot. If you look carefully you can catch him lip synching.

WANT!!!1!!

2008-08-09T11:13:00.006-07:00

I used to be into fast cars. Porsche being my favourite followed by California style hot-rodded Beetles. I had a 1971 VW Beetle handed down through our family which I totally tricked out and souped up. 2 litre engine, dual Dellortos, ported, cammed out, 135hp motor. lowered, shaved chrome, Tilt up fibreglass racing front end. I could take a 4 litre Mustang in the 1/4 mile and still get 35 mpg. That's 35 mpg city / highway driving like a twenty something.

When I started building furniture, I sold my beloved beetle and I lost interest in cars.

Until I got interested in Electric Vehicles. Then I found the motorcycles. Then these...

These babies have changed everything.

A classic, and electric. I must have one. See for yourself.

Paduk Mantlepiece

2008-08-08T20:28:00.006-07:00

I wanted this piece to be a bit deco in the details. The columns were done mostly on the jointer and I was looking for an Egyptian feel. The piece is solid frame and panel paduk with solid vertical grain zebrano as a trim. The zebrano required special backing features to allow for seasonal movement. All of the parts are bookmatched and came from the same board.

No stain was used. You are looking at the actual wood colours. In the background you can see the corner cabinet which I made at the same time (well, not exactly at the same time) I will post on that one later.

It took a whole lot of very careful measurements to make sure the thing slid into place seamlessly. Luckily the building it's in is the best finished I've seen. I had to try and one up the place.

New Auranthetic Orange

2008-05-03T10:25:00.003-07:00

Keep up to date on all things electric and Orange on my new blog:

http://auranthetic.blogspot.com/

Auranthetic Charger

2008-04-27T23:13:00.003-07:00

Meet my new toy.

24 volt, 1 hp, all electric and built in 1974

I'll post more soon.

Spring, Bing, Boing, Doink, Bwaaaang!

2008-04-09T20:48:00.003-07:00

Is it finally here?

All signs point to YES!

God is in the details

2008-03-30T10:49:00.004-07:00

Base cabinet minus doors. You can just see the ventilation for the PVR. I will be installing an infrared repeater so the doors can close but the components will still work.

Book case on it's side.

A cabinet I am working on in figured maple and wenge veneer. The dark wood face with light interiors is an Art Deco motif. The doors will have a brass border. An important part of the design for me is the orientation of the veneers. The linear pattern of the wenge is meant to run vertically down the front creating a visual flow. The shelves have a graduated spacing to create visual interest and to house different size books, etc.

Transitions: A Retrospective.

2008-03-01T23:26:00.005-08:00

I am currently participating in a group show in Vancouver called "Transitions". It's a reunion show of many of the artists who went through the studios of the 1100 block of Richards street in Yaletown. The site is now a park for overpriced yuppy pups to crap in. You can't stop progress!

It's showing at The Chapel Arts centre.

No dogs allowed.

Space slugs are OK...

Please keep you slugs on a leash.

Shelf-X

2008-02-14T23:30:00.005-08:00

These are some arrangement variations and details of the first three components of the prototype Shelf-X.
Each section mates with any other and requires no tools to interconnect. I am planning square boxes as well.

Two kinds of beauty

2008-02-09T23:51:00.002-08:00

Maui envy?

It's only natural.

I've been very busy for the last few months with work and not work, snow and not snow, holidays and not holidays and a birthday or two tossed in there for good measure. So I've had a few nudges to post some more. It's not that i didn't want to post... I guess it's catch up time.

Let's start with the vacation thingy shall we?

Good:

BAD:

Boy, You go away for a couple of weeks and everything changes while you are gone.

Shelf-X prototype

2007-10-22T01:37:00.000-07:00

Here are the first shots of the new shelf unit, They are stacking units or side tables. 10" x 17" x 30" More shots later. Thanks to honey for the beautiful dahlias. Must. Sleep. Now.

Post on posting

2007-09-28T13:09:00.001-07:00

Busy busy busy. Not much posting. Working on a new modular glass cabinet design. Tweaking molds, engineering connections, choosing materials. Some sketches of connections between modules for your viewing pleasure.

Yes, still sketching by hand.

Guido Goes Global

2007-09-09T17:52:00.000-07:00

Guido Sarducci is our resident goldfish. Our friend, James, (who's work I greatly admire) discovered recently the affectionate nature of Guido. James got so close to the water that Guido popped out of the water a bit and kissed him on the nose.

Guido looks pretty fabulous in the orb. The interesting thing about the optics of this aquarium is that the farther away Guido swims, the larger he gets.

Long live Guido!

Orb Aquarium

2007-09-07T17:31:00.000-07:00

Just finished and photographed the Orb
I wanted to post this ASAP so I will add more info later.

Added:

The tank measures 26"wide 22" high and about 11" wide and It holds 5 gallons of water. We will be setting it up with a goldfish and should have the photos up tomorrow.

It is made with two pieces of 10mm starphire glass which have been kiln formed and annealed. The mating surfaces are then lapped before they are siliconed together.

If you are interested in purchasing an Orb aquarium or have any questions please email Marcus at mail@glassmarcus.com

Check in later to see the tank set up.

Guido Sarducci the calico goldfish will be your model for the shoot.

You can't miss that.

Drive-By Topiary: The Chia Fish Edition

2007-09-06T12:23:00.000-07:00

Another sighting of the rare giant striped coho...

The elusive punk sockeye salmon.

Okay, I can read it now: spawning traffic stay left.

Coho on a stick.

Although not strictly topiary, I had to post these. Representing the different salmon species native to British Columbia these were seen spawning on Marine drive. We had to stop illegally on the side of the highway to take these so I didn't have time to take down all the information. They were metal frames stuffed with soil and planted with some kind of two tone ground cover. Like giant chia pets.

Too Cool.

Float shelf release

2007-08-18T10:52:00.000-07:00

(previously called drape shelf)

Float shelf is named for the effect of the reveal at the back which creates the illusion that the shelf is floating off of the wall. The rippled glass also gives the impression of a little lake on which to float your beautiful things.

I have been working on this design over the past few months, getting it ready for production. It's been quite a lot of work. The three parts all required separate molds, templates and jigs to produce. To the uninitiated, these may look like simple objects but each piece requires many time consuming steps to create.

Float shelf is a modular, wall mount shelving and display unit consisting of three separate parts; the steel mounting armature, reversible / interchangeable hardwood back, and slumped "starphire" glass shelf.

The steel mounting armature consists of the mounting plate, stainless steel shelf rods and cantilever support tabs. The mounting plate is pre-drilled with mounting holes to mount to studs for most applications but you may drill more if needed.

The solid wood backs are interchangeable and reversible. Each back is 3/4 inch solid wood with a wide chamfer border on one side and flat with a fine round over on the other. Backs come in a variety of species: cherry, paduk (top three photos) black walnut (bottom two photos). Other species are available on special order (price may vary depending on species) They may be ordered separately so you can change the wood back if you want a different look.

The glass shelves are slumped on a mold in a process known as kiln forming in the category of warm glass techniques. The process is pretty darned warm, 1425 degrees fahrenheit, to be exact. Some hot glass techniques are blowing and casting from a crucible at about 2200 degrees fahrenheit. Cold glass techniques include things such as stained glass, engraving and the like.

Since I first discovered glass kiln forming I have been excited about the possibilities of this medium. I like to use the more expensive "Starphire" glass which has a beautiful glacial blue tint. The lines are embossed on the glass by the mold and create some fascinating optical effects as you can see from the pictures.

Dimensions: Wood backs: 5.5 x 30 inches. Glass shelf: 25 inches wide and available in 8, 10 and 12 inches deep.

I will be developing more furnishings in this line soon so check in from time to time.

Or subscribe (scroll to the bottom of the page) to have new posts sent to you.

I will be opening an online shop for the Zavadil line of designs in the near future

These pieces are available for purchase the old fashioned way by cheque or money order. Call 604 947 0800 during regular business hours (Pacific time). Shipping throughout North America. Shelves in stock ship within seven days of payment. Special orders ship within 14 days of payment.

Flat out

2007-08-12T00:29:00.000-07:00

Somebody has been workin' hard. When not sleeping on honey's nasturtiums the scruffmuffin can be found impersonating:

1) a solar thermal collector
2) a hitachi excavator
3) Pigpen

I think she's resting up for the dog days of summer.

Drape shelf is here

2007-08-11T23:19:00.000-07:00

This is a detail shot of the shelf. We are going to set up to do a full photo shoot in the next couple of days. I am very happy with how they turned out.

This one has a black walnut back. In the first run there are Walnut, Cherry and Paduk available. Wood backs have a flat side and a chamfered side so they can be reversed for a different look. You may also order a different species of wood back and change them at will.

I am also working on a new modular cabinet design which can be used as a shelf, table base, or stacked as a bookshelf. It will be in the same line as the Drape shelf. I will post some sketches here soon.

Stay tuned...

Clematis blogging

2007-08-09T07:09:00.000-07:00

Just a little eye candy for you. This little clematis is growing up one of my holly topiaries. The land we are on was cleared about thirty years ago. The Federal Government was offering free land if you cleared it for farming! So one of the previous owners received 20 acres for cutting down a red cedar grove and bulldozing about one acre of the 20. So the next trees to come up were the Alders, then the hollies. There are still some of the old cedar stumps around down near the creek. One of them is hollow and you can climb up on it and look into it. You can just see the bottom where the stump opens into a small cavern well below ground level. In the winter there is an underground stream running through it. Creeepy! I'm quite sure that's where the bats live.
So, getting back to the hollies, they really seem to like it here because they are growing out of control. My solution to keep them at bay is to eventually turn them all into topiary. For now, I will keep it simple but my vision is for something akin to a Dr. Zeuss illustration.

Zeeble-blatt bushes and Toomby-snoot trees.

Drape shelf update.

2007-08-04T18:01:00.000-07:00

teaser # 2: more bits and pieces.

The Glass Leg Table web gallery is now open (click on photo)

2007-07-31T23:00:00.000-07:00

Every time I describe this table to people they pause and ask me incredulously " it has glass legs?" but oddly no one pauses in front of an all glass door with the same incredulity. Another common question I get is: "Are glass legs strong enough?" Let me put it this way... You could dance the tango on that table without coming near to their breaking point. Glass is a very strong material, somewhat brittle, but very strong.

I have always loved cast glass especially when it is set into some other material. I first tried the idea of a wood mortise and a glass tenon in 1999 with the Anderson bench (below). The legs on the bench were glass to wood which proved difficult to glue. For this, my second glass leg piece, in order to make the wood to glass joint stronger, I decided to use steel flanges as both structural and framing element. Not only do they make the legs stronger but they allows the table to be disassembled for moving or flat pack shipping.

The gallery documents some of the many steps in the creation of the Glass Leg Table. Click on "view" for price and ordering information. You may see many more of my pieces at www.glassmarcus.com

Anyone want one in black walnut?

The Anderson bench

Fun with shuffle

2007-07-28T21:54:00.000-07:00

Some people like to shuffle their ipod, I like to shuffle my colours.

Blogger has this cool function where you can do a random shuffle of your blog's colour pallet. I'm not sure if this appeals to my gemini nature (easily bored) or my ADHD nature (easily distracted).

Probably both.

(The management is not responsible for retinal damage caused by vibrating colour contrast)

A view of the studio

2007-07-28T20:16:00.000-07:00

This shot was taken during the construction of a pair of fireplace mantle covers for a home in the Granville Rise area of Vancouver. The dominant wood used in these pieces is paduk, an incredibly bright orange wood. Most of the wood came from a huge plank two inches thick and twelve inches wide which I re-sawed into boards 5/8 in. thick. After this project the every surface in the shop was orange! As you can see, I've amassed quite a large collection of antique and collectable hand tools, many of which I still use.

My precious...

Teaser

2007-07-27T19:22:00.000-07:00

Yes, drape shelf is coming. I promise. Just not today. These things take time... one must be patient.

Very patient

Soon

Maybe tomorrow.

Evening.

Bats in your burrs?

2007-07-24T00:39:00.000-07:00

One burr, two burrs, THREE LEETLE BURRS HA HA HAAA ( lightning flash and thunder clap)

I've been getting requests to post this story from last year so here it is...

Last summer I was digging up weeds when I saw what looked like a little
black pouch hanging from a large burr plant. My guess is that the little puff ball was dive-bombing
a moth and pulled up too late. It was stuck to a cluster of burrs breathing fast.
At first I thought it was eating aphids or something but it started to bite
at the burr in it's face and struggle to free itself. I ran to the house
to get the camera and some tiny scissors. It was really tricky to avoid
cutting the wing skin as I was snipping burr hooks. The skin was so soft
and flexible and so thin as well. The body was only about an inch and a half
long. As I was cutting away It was furiously biting at the burr and it
kind of squeal-clicked at me as it tried to free itself. I managed to get all but one
burr removed, trying carefully to not touch the bat. Those little guy's faces are
all teeth. I then clipped the branch so they fell together into a cereal
bowl. It seemed to rest for a couple of minutes before finally freeing
itself from the last burr, awkwardly climbing out of the bowl and flying away.

My friend Alison later identified it as a little brown bat. Who knew they were so darned fuzzy?

amoeba

2007-07-21T15:54:00.001-07:00

The challenge here was to create a shape which looked both organic and stylized and had the ability to contain objects or act as an ashtray. The central shape is surrounded and bordered by a linear texture hinting at human attempts at measurement and catagorization and manipulation. Putting objects in the amoeba references human use of nature as beast of burden. But wait... the amoeba is seemingly escaping through the linear mesh. Run! run for your life!

It's a blog new world for me starting today

2007-07-21T14:44:00.000-07:00

Being on Bowen Island gives me the opportunity to be close to nature but at the same time somewhat far from clients and family. This blog will help those who are interested to keep up with myself and my work. I plan to include nature, home building, teaching, design, humour and political posts here. I do not believe in separating my work, life and my political opinions. All these things together make up who I am so here they are.

I have been working on some new designs which will be available for the first time online. My first posts will be regarding these. I may also later post on some past works with descriptions.

ciao,
marcus