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Check out our new furniture line now available for purchase at City Sprouts in the St. Louis University Loop:

City Sprouts

6303 Delmar Boulevard

St. Louis, MO 63130

314 726-9611

www.citysprouts.com

 

We had so much fun on our last Overland project that we’re about to REdo another home!  This lovely, all brick house is in the process of being totally REvamped by Rethink Renovations.

Not only were the bones of this house great inside and out but the yard and street couldn’t be better.  There is a tree in this back yard you would have to see to believe!  Unbelievably cool and is going to be the perfect tree house spot for whoever the lucky buyers are.

If you follow Rethink Renovations at all, you know we do things as sustainably and green as possible, even on a budget.  This house is getting all new high efficiency systems, new low-e casement windows, and brand new locally sourced Missouri hardwood floors which will cut down on allergens sticking around in the house (I know there’s plenty of people thinking about that this time of year).

Inside, we have added a bedroom (that makes 3!), totally gutted the bathroom, and put in a brand new kitchen with Energy Star appliances and certified cabinetry!  This is truly going to be another stunner when it’s complete. (think mid-April!…)

Stay tuned for progress and finish pictures!

 

And here they are!

After their aforementioned coats of clear finish ensuring a durable, long life for these little beauties, they are finished and ready for new homes!

I hope these brief explanations help to foster appreciation for what it means to own a hand crafted piece of furniture.  These are truly solid, well built pieces that will last the lifetime of your children and will be around for visits from grandchildren!

 

 

“heirloom” [air-loom] : noun

1. a family possession handed down from generation to generation.

 

Our furniture pieces are now available for purchase on Etsy.com

Check us out and tell a friend!

 

These images show the process that Patrick goes through to hand make each stool and each piece of our furniture.

The pieces of each stool are dry fit together, hand planed and sanded; adjusted as many times as necessary for a snug fit.  The pieces are then permanently connected together with glue and clamped to dry.

The care and consideration even the smallest of pieces commands (like our stools here) is testament to the craftsmanship and pride we take in this process and the final product.

After dried and unclamped, the stools are ready to be sanded and finished.  The stools shown here are ready and waiting for their turn to be finished.  Each one gets three coats of a water based finish, however, we also have water based milk paints in several colors that would be done at this time too.

After passing off the shop drawings, Patrick (our woodworker) puts in the order for the hardwood we need from St. Charles, MO based WunderWoods.  The raw lumber is cut down to rough dimensions and delivered to Patrick’s south St. Louis shop.

We see the most beautiful woods come back to us and things get really moving at this point!  To know these beautiful pieces of hardwood will soon become pieces of our furniture is really exciting!

 

This picture shows our little stools in their infancy, all ready for  Patrick’s skilled hands to assemble and finish them.  Notice all the different species of woods we have here?  Truly amazing the varied hardwoods we have available in Missouri.

 

I wanted to post a few entries about the actual process of creating our furniture pieces.  Let’s take one of our darling little stools as an example, shall we.

The first stage, of course, is the design.  For our stools, we came up with a simple sketch of an idea, then tweaked the details with the help of our woodworker, and finally produced a set of shop drawings.  These are the blueprints that are used to build from; from the pieces to the joints to the way it all goes together.

 

 

 

We are now selling on Etsy!  http://www.etsy.com/shop/rethinkrenovations

 

Rethink Renovations: Ladue News Article

Posted: Thursday, February 23, 2012 8:00 am | Updated: 3:37 pm, Wed Feb 22, 2012.
By Diane Alt

In 2007, Gail Elwyn and her husband, Barrett, started Rethink Renovations, offering eco-friendly construction and design services. Soon after the birth of their first child, they decided to expand the company based on their own family’s needs. “I was becoming more aware of the environment, and eco-friendly has always been important to us,” Elwyn says. “We were doing a lot of research on products in the home, and being a mother, I’m also constantly shopping for products for our own home. That’s what led to our new furniture line—I just couldn’t find enough options in St. Louis that I liked. So instead of just the option of buying online, we want to offer a line of furniture that people can physically see and touch and really feel the quality. And it’s something from the Midwest.”

The School House Collection, the company’s first line out this spring, features bedroom furniture designed by Anna Lampe (Rethink Renovations) and built by Patrick Chaney (Turnure Carpentry) for children and teens in multiple woods and finishes, including Siberian elm, cherry and walnut. The company currently offers bed frames, nightstands and craft tables and stools, with a dresser design in the works. “Our products are eco-friendly on all levels,” Elwyn notes. “We have pieces of upholstery within our furniture that’s organic, and the finishes, paints, stains and clear coats are all non-toxic.” And she says the pieces are made in St. Louis with wood that is locally sourced either from the Midwest or within the U.S. “Our woodworker (Chaney) has an art background, and he looks at woodworking as an art form. The design can really fit into any home because it has straight lines, but it’s not completely modern or contemporary. It could work in a Victorian home, Mid-Century Modern or an American Craftsman. And the bed frames are designed to grow with the child, so they have panels that you can pop out, as well as the ability to change the fabric. There also is a magnetic chalk board on the front (that can be changed out, too), which makes it interactive.”
The company plans to make its furniture available in local boutiques. “We’re trying to make it accessible for people to have eco-friendly furniture at an affordable price and in line with the other products on the market,” Elwyn explains. “It’s kid-friendly, fun and different! Our craft tables are not only adorable, but they are so sturdy. The pieces are designed to grow with the home and the family.”

Rethink Renovation’s furniture will be on display at The Healthy Planet Natural Living Expo at the Webster Groves Recreation Center on March 4, as well as at the St. Louis Earth Day Festival in Forest Park on April 22.

Thanks to everyone that came out and supported us at the Expo this past weekend.  It was the first time that we showcased our furniture to the public.  Everyone loved the design and quality craftsmanship. We will let you know where and when you can buy our pieces very soon.  Otherwise shoot me an email and I can send you a quote on what we have in stock and discuss custom pieces as well.

 

This Craft Table and Set of 2 Stools is part of our School House Collection coming March 1st, 2012.

Features include all locally sourced materials and non toxic finishes as well as a craft paper roll holder and shelf.

This St. Louis made table can also function as a bench and the stools are extremely sturdy!

This set can fit into any style home, whether traditional or modern.

Many options on color as well as natural wood finishes.

We are taking pre-orders of the full collection (bed, nightstands, craft table, stools) at this time, if interested email “Pre-Order” to rethinkrenovations@mac.com