http://cabfab.com/?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=BlogName&utm_campaign=blog Handcrafting some of the finest quality custom cabinetry for the kitchen, bath, or other rooms, available. Each project is designed individually for your space and is built here in Central NY. {weblog_language} Copyright 2010 2010-06-07T14:13:33+00:00 Carolyn Celmans http://cabfab.com/dovetails/article/couple_makes_cabinetry_using_reclaimed_wood/?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=ArticleTitle&utm_campaign=couple_makes_cabinetry_using_reclaimed_wood http://cabfab.com/dovetails/article/couple_makes_cabinetry_using_reclaimed_wood/#When:14:13:33Z?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=ArticleTitle&utm_campaign=couple_makes_cabinetry_using_reclaimed_wood By Marie Morelli / The Post-Standard Chris and Carolyn Clemans have gone “all in” with Syracuse and the Near West Side. The couple established CabFab (short for The Cabinet Fabrication Group) in Syracuse in 2005 to expand production of their Backwoods Fine Woodworking business in Old Forge. They purchased the former Caldwell & Ward Brass Co. foundry at 124 Burnet Ave., renovated it and brought in high-tech woodworking machinery. Having two locations got to be too much, so the Old Forge operation closed at the end of 2009, Chris Clemans said. Rob Englert, of Ram Industrial Design, approached Clemans to build prototypes of furniture pieces Englert designed using reclaimed beams from the former Lincoln Supply Co. warehouse on Otisco Street. Clemans fell in love with the material and decided to market a line of cabinetry made from reclaimed wood. “I’m not sure I would have gotten on this thread if it hadn’t been for Rob,” Clemans said. CabFab is doing the reclaimed-wood kitchen for an innovative green home being built on Marcellus Street. It’s not too far from the Clemanses, who moved from the suburbs to a renovated house on the Near West Side. CabFab also has ended its relationship with California Closets, a seller of storage systems. That freed up showroom space for a display that will tell the story of the reclaimed wood and the process of turning it into cabinets, Clemans said. “We’re excited about this much more regional focused thing that’s going on with deconstruction and reuse, salvage and, of course, tied to the Near West Side,” he said. “So it’s near and dear to my heart on a lot of levels because it’s as regional as it gets for me — downtown business, downtown resident, downtown project.” CabFab employs 14. Articles 2010-06-07T14:13:33+00:00 http://cabfab.com/?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=BlogName&utm_campaign=blog Handcrafting some of the finest quality custom cabinetry for the kitchen, bath, or other rooms, available. Each project is designed individually for your space and is built here in Central NY. {weblog_language} Copyright 2010 2010-06-07T14:03:52+00:00 Carolyn Celmans http://cabfab.com/dovetails/article/syracuse_website_takes_a_fresh_approach_to_old_wood/?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=ArticleTitle&utm_campaign=syracuse_website_takes_a_fresh_approach_to_old_wood http://cabfab.com/dovetails/article/syracuse_website_takes_a_fresh_approach_to_old_wood/#When:14:03:52Z?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=ArticleTitle&utm_campaign=syracuse_website_takes_a_fresh_approach_to_old_wood By Marie Morelli / The Post-Standard Syracuse, NY -- The old-growth timber beams are stacked waist-high in a corner of CabFab’s woodworking shop. Along with the nicks, nails and patina of age conferred by 100 years of holding up the former Lincoln Supply Co. warehouse on Otisco Street, in Syracuse, each slab of lumber bears a tag imprinted with a two-dimensional bar code. The Quick Response code — QR for short — will stay with the beams along the journey to becoming end tables, cabinets and countertops.If you “snap” the code with the QR reader on your mobile phone, you’re linked to D-Build’s website at d-build.org. The Syracuse-based site plans to add information on the history of the building the wood came from; the people who lived and worked there; the “deconstruction” workers who took it apart board by board; what else was made from that piece of wood; and a place to buy it and other pieces of furniture or art made from reclaimed lumber. But D-Build’s ambition goes beyond documenting an object’s history. By bringing together buyers, sellers, craftspeople and artisans, it aims to create a reliable market for reclaimed materials. That market could make it worth someone’s while to “deconstruct” a house, rather than tear it down and toss the debris into a landfill, where it will give off greenhouse gases as it decomposes.Closing the loop between deconstruction and construction also could create hundreds of green jobs in Syracuse — and any number of Rust Belt cities with vacant buildings to take down and idle hands to put to work. “There’s only so much of these materials,” said Rob Englert, a Syracuse industrial designer and a founder of D-Build. “We’re trying to tell that story. Don’t throw this stuff away, because it has value.” Englert is collaborating with Chris Clemans, co-owner of CabFab, to show just how valuable this material can be. Clemans is launching a line of kitchen cabinetry that will be made out of wood reclaimed from local buildings. The first example is going into the kitchen of Live Work Home, the innovative green house under construction in Syracuse at 317 Marcellus St. CabFab is creating a display in its showroom at 124 Burnet Ave. that will explain how a pockmarked beam from the Lincoln Supply warehouse becomes furniture-grade cabinets. “People need to be able to see, touch and experience to be able to fully embrace this,” Clemans said. “That’s why it’s a long road for a visionary like Rob and an organization like D-Build.”The road starts at the Syracuse Center of Excellence. About a year ago, a consortium of Syracuse University, the State University College of Environmental Science and Forestry and local businesses created an “innovation sandbox,” or iBox, at the center where academics and business people from various disciplines could play with ideas. The goal of iBox is to spark innovation, community development and sustainable business practices. Englert, a principal in Ram Industrial Design Inc., in Syracuse, became involved with iBox through his connections at SU, where he taught industrial design for 10 years.The group got to talking about deconstruction — the labor-intensive process of taking houses apart nail by nail, board by board, with the aim of reusing or recycling most of the materials.Citing U.S. census data, Englert said there are 14 million vacant homes in the United States, containing materials valued at $75 billion. In Syracuse, there are about 1,500 vacant houses. Buffalo has 16,000 and Detroit, a whopping 33,000. “This is standing lumber shrouded in house materials,” Carr said. “It could potentially be saved and used to build energy-efficient new homes all in the same area. It’s similar to localized farming — the idea that you would buy a tomato grown locally, so its carbon footprint is much smaller.” At the same time, interest in green building is booming. By some estimates, the market for green building materials is expected to exceed $31 billion in the U.S. by 2014. Demand for reclaimed materials also is growing. Builders get extra points for using reclaimed materials under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design criteria. What was missing is a place for buyers and sellers to connect. That’s where D-Build comes in. Englert described it as a mash-up of Craigslist.org (online classifieds), Ancestry.com (genealogy) and Etsy.com (a place for artisans to sell their wares). “The reclaimed materials industry is a nascent industry, it’s not connected, all these people don’t know about each other,” Englert said. “They’re passionate about it, but they’re not techies.” The power of the D-Build concept, Carr said, is in connecting the not-connected-yet players in the region. “You start to identify new opportunities for product development that don’t exist on the market yet,” he said, such as tools to tag, scan and inventory the materials. “You save the lumber to create new houses and new furniture. You envision Syracuse being a hotbed of reconstruction and new product development.” D-Build also appeals to the same impulse that moves people from Syracuse to flip over their dinner plates to see if they were made by Syracuse China. “We live in this transient world,” Englert said. “What if you could have a rolltop desk made from your old boyhood home? That would be kind of cool.” For now, the six employees of Ram Industrial Design work at D-Build on the side. The hope is to make it a self-sustaining business. ’’It’s good for the environment, the economy and the communities that are involved,” Englert said. “If we can get this working in Syracuse and then show it to (Mayor) Dave Bing in Detroit, this could spur all other kinds of opportunities.” ArticlesFeatured 2010-06-07T14:03:52+00:00 http://cabfab.com/?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=BlogName&utm_campaign=blog Handcrafting some of the finest quality custom cabinetry for the kitchen, bath, or other rooms, available. Each project is designed individually for your space and is built here in Central NY. {weblog_language} Copyright 2010 2010-04-02T14:42:08+00:00 Carolyn Celmans http://cabfab.com/dovetails/article/facebook1/?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=ArticleTitle&utm_campaign=facebook1 http://cabfab.com/dovetails/article/facebook1/#When:14:42:08Z?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=ArticleTitle&utm_campaign=facebook1 News 2010-04-02T14:42:08+00:00 http://cabfab.com/?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=BlogName&utm_campaign=blog Handcrafting some of the finest quality custom cabinetry for the kitchen, bath, or other rooms, available. Each project is designed individually for your space and is built here in Central NY. {weblog_language} Copyright 2009 2009-08-24T13:48:02+00:00 LeafCreative http://cabfab.com/dovetails/article/kitchens_that_cook/?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=ArticleTitle&utm_campaign=kitchens_that_cook http://cabfab.com/dovetails/article/kitchens_that_cook/#When:13:48:02Z?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=ArticleTitle&utm_campaign=kitchens_that_cook Links 2009-08-24T13:48:02+00:00 http://cabfab.com/?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=BlogName&utm_campaign=blog Handcrafting some of the finest quality custom cabinetry for the kitchen, bath, or other rooms, available. Each project is designed individually for your space and is built here in Central NY. {weblog_language} Copyright 2009 2009-07-17T14:36:49+00:00 LeafCreative http://cabfab.com/dovetails/article/cabfab_goes_green_in_utica/?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=ArticleTitle&utm_campaign=cabfab_goes_green_in_utica http://cabfab.com/dovetails/article/cabfab_goes_green_in_utica/#When:14:36:49Z?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=ArticleTitle&utm_campaign=cabfab_goes_green_in_utica Designing and building innovative, custom cabinetry is the bread and butter of CabFab's business. Yet every once in a while, a project comes along that stands out among the crowd. Building cabinets and more for the Hage & Hage, LLC building renovation in downtown Utica, was one of those rare projects. Purchased in 2006, this massive mid-century bank building was abandoned and sat waiting for a new owner like JK Hage to come along. Hage recognized a diamond in the rough and spent a year researching architectural and sustainable energy options. Hage wanted to maximize his investment while creating a unique and personal space that would continue to set his practice apart. Along the way, he engaged CabFab to create cabinetry for the many spaces that required functional and beautiful storage solutions. The design/build team at CabFab worked throughout the building on office spaces, kitchens, a one of a kind wine cellar and custom designed work tables for the exercise room. Hage and research assistant, Amy Hilts, chose to implement multiple strategies as they sought to make it a certified green building. By researching every sustainable technique that made sense, Hage and Hilts have outfitted their new office building nearly 80% of the way toward LEED certification and have applied for LEED Gold Certification. Upgrades include geothermal heating/cooling equipment, LED lighting and a rooftop garden. In addition, building materials were salvaged or reused, low VOC paints and carpet were installed and a 50 foot cactus planter was created from the former teller counter. Hage even planned ahead for eventual retirement by creating a live/work space he can move into in the future. H&H staff have occupied the building since last November, where they work in an environment specifically planned to maximize health while minimizing impact to the Earth. As the word spreads about this exceptional company and its new home, it's likely that H&H will become a model for others to follow. ArticlesFeatured 2009-07-17T14:36:49+00:00 http://cabfab.com/?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=BlogName&utm_campaign=blog Handcrafting some of the finest quality custom cabinetry for the kitchen, bath, or other rooms, available. Each project is designed individually for your space and is built here in Central NY. {weblog_language} Copyright 2009 2009-07-17T14:31:17+00:00 LeafCreative http://cabfab.com/dovetails/article/kitchens_that_cook_in_the_blogosphere/?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=ArticleTitle&utm_campaign=kitchens_that_cook_in_the_blogosphere http://cabfab.com/dovetails/article/kitchens_that_cook_in_the_blogosphere/#When:14:31:17Z?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=ArticleTitle&utm_campaign=kitchens_that_cook_in_the_blogosphere Chris  blogs about his passion for cooking and great food at ‘Kitchens That Cook’,  a new addition to the CabFab social media stew.  ‘KTC’ is a conversation Chris started with fellow foodies to share his recipes and unique perspective on the world of food and cooking.  Highlights thus far have been ‘low and slow Chicken’,  ‘Korean BBQ Ribs’ and ‘Mumbo Jumbo Gumbo’ along with some ‘On the Road’ pieces including  wiping out a mess of crawfish in Mississippi. At KTC, you’ll find photos, stories and gastronomic ideas to whet your appetite and keep you coming back for more. kitchensthatcook.blogspot.com Articles 2009-07-17T14:31:17+00:00 http://cabfab.com/?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=BlogName&utm_campaign=blog Handcrafting some of the finest quality custom cabinetry for the kitchen, bath, or other rooms, available. Each project is designed individually for your space and is built here in Central NY. {weblog_language} Copyright 2009 2009-07-17T14:11:22+00:00 LeafCreative http://cabfab.com/dovetails/article/fine_furniture_on_the_menu_at_pastas/?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=ArticleTitle&utm_campaign=fine_furniture_on_the_menu_at_pastas http://cabfab.com/dovetails/article/fine_furniture_on_the_menu_at_pastas/#When:14:11:22Z?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=ArticleTitle&utm_campaign=fine_furniture_on_the_menu_at_pastas If you haven’t been to Pastabilites lately, you are in for a surprise. In addition to owner, Karyn Korteling’s, new seasonal menu, you’ll find CabFab has been busy at everyone’s favorite Armory Square eatery, too! Karyn and Chris worked together to design a new host station, menu racks and a display cabinet to showcase the new ‘must-have’ Pastas t-shirts and gear.  Pastas has one of the most distinctive looks in Syracuse, so finding the right combination of materials and design was an inspiring challenge.  To get the look we wanted, we used a combination of Black Walnut and Spalted Maple together with gently curved forms to lend a sense of organic movement. The top rails were made from reclaimed Chestnut,  milled from vintage factory beams.  Swing by for a peek and a bite to eat. We promise you will enjoy both! Articles 2009-07-17T14:11:22+00:00 http://cabfab.com/?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=BlogName&utm_campaign=blog Handcrafting some of the finest quality custom cabinetry for the kitchen, bath, or other rooms, available. Each project is designed individually for your space and is built here in Central NY. {weblog_language} Copyright 2009 2009-07-17T14:05:16+00:00 LeafCreative http://cabfab.com/dovetails/article/hbr_leadership_lunches_at_cabfab/?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=ArticleTitle&utm_campaign=hbr_leadership_lunches_at_cabfab http://cabfab.com/dovetails/article/hbr_leadership_lunches_at_cabfab/#When:14:05:16Z?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=ArticleTitle&utm_campaign=hbr_leadership_lunches_at_cabfab Chris Tucciaroni, Shirley Marshall and Mary Thompson, a power trio of ideas and from the Home and Remodelers Association (hbaofcny.com), joined us for lunch at CabFab in early May to cap off a successful 2009 Home & Garden Show.‘Kitchens that Cook’ was our first gig as HG Show presenters,by all measures it was a success.  Serving up a tasty lunch is our way of saying thanks to those  who helped make it happen. Chris and Shirley were  just great to work with, helping with logistics, PR  and crowd control. HBR President Mary Thompson gave the vision and support to get the job done.We couldn't have done it without them. Thanks, ladies! Articles 2009-07-17T14:05:16+00:00 http://cabfab.com/?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=BlogName&utm_campaign=blog Handcrafting some of the finest quality custom cabinetry for the kitchen, bath, or other rooms, available. Each project is designed individually for your space and is built here in Central NY. {weblog_language} Copyright 2009 2009-07-17T13:46:34+00:00 LeafCreative http://cabfab.com/dovetails/article/tessy_plastics_and_cabfab_create_state_of_the_art_project/?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=ArticleTitle&utm_campaign=tessy_plastics_and_cabfab_create_state_of_the_art_project http://cabfab.com/dovetails/article/tessy_plastics_and_cabfab_create_state_of_the_art_project/#When:13:46:34Z?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=ArticleTitle&utm_campaign=tessy_plastics_and_cabfab_create_state_of_the_art_project Elbridge manufacturer Tessy Plastics, came to CabFab last fall for help completing a new high tech conference room and reception area. They had seen CabFab’s design work and wanted something special. The centerpiece was a 14 foot conference table that required incorporating several components of a new audio visual system. This played perfectly to CabFab's strengths in building beautiful, highly functional furniture. CabFab’s design/build team worked closely with audio visual installers to create components with a system of chases that allowed yards of cables to run seamlessly through the table. The final product, a hand crafted Cherry table with inlaid granite top incorporated an invisible housing for power supplies for lap tops, speakers for a surround system, and controls for a projection system. Kim Rinaldo of Tessy Plastics said the room “functions exactly as we hoped it would and everyone is pleased with the final product”. Articles 2009-07-17T13:46:34+00:00 http://cabfab.com/?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=BlogName&utm_campaign=blog Handcrafting some of the finest quality custom cabinetry for the kitchen, bath, or other rooms, available. Each project is designed individually for your space and is built here in Central NY. {weblog_language} Copyright 2009 2009-07-16T21:09:04+00:00 LeafCreative http://cabfab.com/dovetails/article/ccf_makes_a_splash_in_new_york/?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=ArticleTitle&utm_campaign=ccf_makes_a_splash_in_new_york http://cabfab.com/dovetails/article/ccf_makes_a_splash_in_new_york/#When:21:09:04Z?utm_source=Teasers&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=ArticleTitle&utm_campaign=ccf_makes_a_splash_in_new_york March was a busy month for Christopher Clemans Furnituremaker (CCF).  After the Syracuse Home &  Garden show debut, some of the fine furniture pieces we’ve crafted were crated and shipped to the big city.  Chris, Carolyn and production manager, Sandy, drove to NYC and met the crates at Pier 94 in midtown Manhattan – home of the Architectural Digest Home Show. After submitting a portfolio of work to the Architectural Digest jury of judges several months earlier, CCF was awarded a spot in the MADE section, dedicated to the work of small elite craftsmen.  Other exhibitors included Chris’s furniture making idol, George Nakashima, so we were truly among the best of the best! The show ran Thursday through Sunday, March 26th- 29th, with the first day reserved just for designers, architects and other Architectural Digest VIP’s.  In total an estimated 30,000 people attended the show over the 4 days, so there was  plenty of opportunity to tell the stories behind the pieces we brought. The hit of the show was a sink base and wall unit designed around a yard sale find.  Our reclaimed tractor seat stools were definite attention-getters, creating some of the best conversations of the whole weekend.  Photos of CCF pieces at the AD Home Show and more, can be viewed at: http://cabfab.com/furniture Articles 2009-07-16T21:09:04+00:00