GIBBS FINE DESIGNS

Process

With all my work I take a ton of in-process pictures. It helps me record some of the processes and procedures that I had to develop along the way to solve the issues that building things brings to light. If you’d like to see more in-process pictures of the whale cabinet, or in-process pictures of any of the pieces you see on this site, contact me and I’ll gladly share some of the images. I believe sharing the process allows others to learn, just as I have learned. Keeping a process “secret” is a disservice to us all. 

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My work sometimes starts out as a small thumbnail sketch. An idea will come to me and I’ll quickly draw a small little rough sketch. Some of the largest projects I’ve ever built started out as a tiny sketch, and became an 8ft tall case or a large lamp.

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I have hundreds of sketches in sketchbooks, and every so often I’ll decide to pull one out and start bringing the object to life. With the Japanese Style Floor lamp, it began with making the lamp shades and evolved into a large floor lamp.

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gibbs fine designs, unique furniture makers, unique furniture pieces, unique furniture online, furniture maker florida, furniture makers in jacksonville florida, handmade furniture usa, custom furniture florida, handmade furniture in florida, custom

The Whale Cabinet was just an idea I had sketched many years ago. I love the ocean and I am fascinated by all the life found in it, so I decided to take that small sketch and build something iconic.

As the Whale Cabinet began to take form, the cabinet started to become a canvas for all the sea life and whimsical little creatures I could conjure up. Shown here is the lower portion of the case as it was being worked on:

Once the entire case was done, which took a couple of years, it was time to fill all the “windows” with stained glass. Shown here is an image of the cabinet before the stained glass was installed:

Then the work began on the stained glass panels for each of the openings in the cabinet. The stained glass was a joy to do, although it is a time consuming process. I drew my own designs, and colored the patterns to help me keep track of the color of glass that was needed for each pattern piece. There are approximately 1000 pieces of hand cut glass in the Whale Cabinet. Here are some photos of the stained glass process, which you can click to enlarge:

All my pieces are made from sustainably sourced hardwoods.

Each piece has its own personality and function, and all are designed to bring joy and pleasure into the home.

Every piece is heirloom quality and made to last a lifetime. It is my hope that these pieces will bring joy into your life and be passed down to the next generation.