"The first and last lesson of the useful arts is, that Nature tyrannizes over our works. They must be conformed to her law, or they will be ground to powder by her omnipresent activity. Nothing droll, nothing whimsical will endure. Nature is ever interfering with Art. You cannot build your house or pagoda as you will, but as you must. There is a quick bound to your caprice."
Emerson – Essay on Art, 1841
Tom Sharrett of DeMoss Cabinetry describes his company's role in the construction of the Usonian house. Among the partuculars are the 10,000 board-feet of southern cypress and dozens of custom configurations and "profiles" of door parts and jambs, as well as windows, lighting fixtures and shleves.
See the videos below for more details.
The beautiful, warm southern cypress that trims - and fills - the house, begins with 16-foot, rough-sawn boards that are milled, sanded, shaped, and machined to meet the precise specifiactions for ceilings, walls, doors and window frames. It starts with a rugged, powerful planer and ends with the delicate touch of a fine brush laying on coats of color and protection.
They don't have these doors at the door store! Jan Flammer works with the team at DeMoss to build the house's french doors - 31 of them. Precision and patience are important.
Tom Sharrett installs the glass in one of the 31 doors. The design is straightforward and uncomplicated, but it yields a strikingly beautiful result. When matched with its partner and stood with its peers, this door will dress the house like a tuxedo.
Tom and his team make final fitting adjustments, add hardware, and carefully install the south-facing doors. As you can see, they weren't the only ones working feverishly to get the site ready for its November 1st premiere.
Each of the several interior doors - for closets and bedrooms - are made of two layers of 3/4" plywood, covered with a real wood laminate finished in the same color as the cypress planks.
Painters apply the final finishing coats. Smoothly. Quietly. Beautifully.
