I recently read an article on Houzz about a man named Raun Meyn, who utilizes recycled wood in a variety of ways – from custom frames for art and mirrors to custom furniture and walls for homes and businesses. His Chicago woodshop is filled with old barn wood, beadboard and 100 year old structural beams.
In his eyes, the older and grittier the wood, the better. “I’m drawn to decay and the wear and tear of stuff,” Meyn says. “A building halfway falling down covered in graffiti is beautiful to me.”*
I also love old gritty wood, or slabs of wood with the bark still on it. When I had a pop-up shop in Ellicott City this past December, I assigned the job of designing the interior to my daughter, Morgan Frailey, who graduated from MICA with a degree in Interdisciplinary Sculpture. With just a $200 budget, she knew exactly where to go to get the appropriate materials to use for this rustic shop in an historic building. Click to read more.
