Alan Dorsey Woodworking

In June I built and installed the cabinetry in a kitchen renovation in Murray Hill, NYC. The client is a designer and has worked for many years in the fashion industry (she’s now working on her own line of linens and you can visit her website 8knots-Shelter Island. She had a clear idea of what she wanted and played a major role in choosing the design and materials. I always prefer working this way as the client really gets the benefit of “custom” work in that all the parts are designed to fit their tastes, their needs, and their budget. This kitchen is small and so maximizing space was a key objective, but we also worked to make it as sleek and minimal as possible to prevent the small space from feeling cramped or cluttered. Choosing a Liebherr refrigerator was a big part of this; the unit actually sits inside the cabinets. So rather than having a huge appliance taking up room this compact—but not too small!—refrigerator is truly built-in and practically disappears. Other touches like the scooped faces of the drawers instead of having pulls and the built-in cutting board were the client’s ideas and worked out well. The “before” picture to the right was taken with my iPhone, and the “after” by photographer Julia Cawley. (She also took the shots in my Cabinetry portfolio and she does fantastic work.)

Here is where I will post information about developments with my woodworking business, talk about projects I am working on, and share links and stories of products/designs/stuff that I find interesting/edifying/sooperdooper.

I’ll be taking part in the Fall Crafts in Chelsea Festival on Oct. 15. On offer will be bowls, boxes, and hollow vessels as well as a bunch of those wood handled screw drivers that everybody likes so much buy custom papers. My friend Caitlin of Sweater Toys and I will be sharing the booth space so you can check out her hilarious and whimsical animal creations, too.