reclaimed wood

If you were tempted by the customized wedding ring bowl from artist Paloma's Nest, chances are that you'll also fall for these Table Talk Napkin Rings ($48 for four). Made from reclaimed wood, the rings are stamped with a message of your choice. Need a wedding present for a newlywed couple? These, stamped with their wedding date, would be a great choice. Want to commemorate a special occasion or gathering? These rings can do just that. Since each ring is only two inches in diameter, the text is limited to 30 characters and spaces. The text is printed in uppercase letters in black ink, and the wood is sanded to a smooth finish to accommodate your favorite linens.

This Sunday, the Gosselin clan of Jon and Kate Plus 8 will welcome Planet Green's Renovation Nation host Steve Thomas into their home to retrofit it with some eco-friendly upgrades. Steve and his crew will help install electric solar panels and solar thermal panels onto the house, as well as solar powered lights along the driveway. They'll also build a picnic table for the family using reclaimed wood. Of course, the kids will also lend a hand (or 16) with the projects, and learn a few things about being green. Unfortunately, the hefty needs of the large household are not helping the family's carbon footprint! Catch the special at 9 p.m. EDT this Sunday, April 19, on TLC.
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7x7, San Francisco's city magazine, recently wrote about a new bar in the SoMa neighborhood called Bloodhound. My life isn't short on watering holes, and I rarely find myself in that 'hood, but I was impressed by the design of the space. The coolest thing, as the mag points out, is the flock of black birds painted on the ceiling. Beyond that, reclaimed wood paneling and rustic accents like an antler chandelier and wildlife artwork give the space a spooky, lost-in-the-woods aura. I came across the CB2 Flock Rug ($249), which would be ideal for re-creating the look of this bar. Using it as a jumping off point, I decided to round up a few more items inspired by this San Francisco spot. To see them, read more

A dining table is a big investment. So why pay full price when you can swoop up a gorgeous one at 30 percent off? Made from reclaimed railroad tie wood with a sturdy, waxed metal frame, the Viva Terra Railroad Tie Dining Table and Chairs ($278-1,468) is a beautiful set for a casual, rustic home, or an eat-in kitchen if you have a separate dining room. I love its slender form and x-shaped base. The table top and chair backs, with original weathered markings, exude a sense of history that's much more interesting than anything you'd see in a showroom. I'd pair the dining table with a different set of chairs, perhaps something more comfortable for winding, conversation-filled dinners. What do you think?

Woodworker Nick Stagg lives in rural Oregon, where he operates Moonraker Turning from his farm-based studio. Using reclaimed wood whenever possible, Nick shapes rough pieces of wood into beautiful, turned wood bowls, vessels, and vases. I recently had the chance to ask Nick about the craft of woodturning, and he explained the ins and outs of the craft. Also, check out his shop to order some of his beautiful turned wood pieces.

CasaSugar: When did you start woodturning?

Nick Stagg: I started woodturning in 2003 after seeing some turned tool handles in someone's shop and I thought that I could do that! I had an old, inferior lathe and poor tools, but was able to make some small oil-filled lamps for family members. Shortly after that I upgraded my lathe and slowly purchased better tools and continued to turn. I joined a woodturning club and checked out all the books and videos I could from the library and spent my spare time trying to improve. As time passed, I've hosted instructors from Engalnd and Australia in my shop to give classes to other turners. I'm now confident enough that I can offer help to beginning turners and, perhaps, make their journey into the woodturning arena less painful than mine!

To hear about how Nick makes his turned wood vessels, read more

Oakland-based design-building studio Because We Can was hired by SunPower to create furniture for their new office in an old Ford manufacturing building in Richmond, CA. This enormous, potential-filled pile of lumber had been taken out of the building and slated to be dumped, but the studio stepped in, deciding the wood could be reclaimed to build something new. After mulling it over, they "decided that benches were the most feasible idea to use the lumber and keep costs down." They created two designs, one simple with legs and a seat, and another that doubled as a bookcase, with a bottom shelf fit for storing books. They designed 20-foot-long benches to use the wood most efficiently, basically as it was in its found state — but prettier and less splintery. When the wood was milled down, they discovered "a beautiful Douglas Fir glue lam, not far beneath the weathered exterior." The benches are so large that they had to be fork-lifted through a small opening on the second floor of the building. Now installed in the new HQ, they look gorgeous and fit for the vast size of the old factory building. To see the splintery wood planks in their fabulous new form, read more