Week Two of Fifty Two (Seven Days by any other name)

Copper, Distressed This is a sort of sneak peak as we'll be showing much more of this work soon when this portfolio project comes to a...

Copper, Distressed

This is a sort of sneak peak as we'll be showing much more of this work soon when this portfolio project comes to and end. This is a distressed copper splashback, each one is unique and you can see pictures of another in our post Cu On Fe. The astute reader/viewer may have also spotted the big cupboard which was the cause of some real challenges but is going to play an important part is showing how cupboard/cabinetry choices can really drive the sense of space (or lack there of) in challenging sized kitchens.

Distressed copper splashback (machined fixings on their way)

The Unbearable Itch of the Unseen Error

Mistakes we all make them...

The picture below shows a test install of aluminium upstands complete with pin-drive fixings (discussed in Fixing Fixation). Can you spot the mistake?

"Good Enough" - NO!

Whilst glaringly obvious now we really wish it was when we marked it out. The excuse reason is that the upstands are vertically asymmetric in terms of the mounting holes. This is done to ensure the pin-drive tool can be used without damaging the work surfaces. This asymmetry unfortunately means that any upstand only has one correct way to be installed.... blah blah

We drilled the hole in the wrong place, it's that simple, no amount of justification, fancy words, rationalisation can take away the fact that we had a "moment" and put the hole in the wrong place.

To make us sound better let us attempt a positive spin on this; We initially thought it would be ok, it was "good enough" but that itch of knowing it was wrong was growing and within, oh, 2 minutes we knew we'd have to start again. Detail is everything and "good enough" isn't, well, good enough.

Two Tales of Two Switches

Rather than devote an entire post to the subject we thought we'd give a quick rundown on a couple of industrial switch installs completed recently. Why? you may ask (and probably should) well... for a start it gives us a chance to show some pictures of cool stuff and secondly because we can show how using cohesive design elements can be useful in zoned open-plan spaces to establish a relationship between zones.

Two Tales, Two Switches

Tale the First

We had a challenge presented to us; use two reclaimed switches from a recently demolished brewery to switch an external extractor fan and some task lighting. This, from an electrical point of view, is not the world's toughest job but it did pose some challenges from an installation point of view.

The two switches would look best stacked vertically, cable entry for the extractor fan would be from a 13A 3-pin socket, task lighting switch wiring and switched extractor cabling would need to enter the ceiling void above the switches.

This was a job for the workshop; We've done lots of this work in the portfolio house, typically in brass, but this particular area called for a simpler approach and for a different material; aluminium. We used some of our favourite "tricks" during this installation; we created a simplified form of our ceiling ferrule which creates a really neat egress into the ceiling void, we used standard galvanised conduit to carry the wiring into the ceiling void, we used machined stand-offs to lift the switches off the wall and accompanied this with bolts rather than screws to attach them to the wall.

Adjustable Coupling

The end result is a domesticated industrial switch stack which back references the retro industrial feel of the dining zone whilst adhering to the prevailing aesthetic. The use of a machined connector ensured we were able to adjust the stack accurately and the machined cable entry point allows for a braided flexible cable to enter the stack neatly.

Stacked!

Tale the Second

This is a shorty but it helps to show a useful technique. Take a look at the switch diptych below; ignoring that one is a 3 gang and the other is a two gang note the similarities in the connection of the switches to the galvanised conduit; it's the same and yet it's not the same. Whilst clearly from the same family and design foundation they do differ subtly. The point of this is that one switch is in the retro industrial zone and the other is in the modern kitchen zone. The similarities ensure a cohesive feel across the two zones, the differences reinforce the prevailing aesthetic of each zone.

Same but Different!

Subtle tricks like this or where other stylistic elements reflect or repeat across zones can be really helpful in open plan planning (!). They allow zones to be clarified whilst also allowing a clear relationship between zones to be viewed.

And Finally...

In place of our usual weekly obsession this is personal message about a week which has seen a cultural icon leave us.

I'm not going to pretend I was ever a cool kid, I'm not going to erect a scaffold of credibility sat on a foundation of an outpouring of melodramatic "grief" instead I'm going to tell you why the passing of David Bowie resonates with me.

Back when I was young, I had hair, money was a thing to be spent on consciousness enhancers (or dullers) and every weekday was but a necessary prelude to the weekend I was the kid it was "sport" to verbally or physically bully. A sheltered life, a "posh" accent, an interest in things that these days would mark me as a nerd all but raised a placard above my head with the words kick me.

Alternative to Wham? Bauhaus is not just a modernist style

I have no real idea of why but I was fortunate to make the acquaintance of a certain David Hampson who unlike me had credibility, a cultural awareness and confidence to not walk the simple line of Wham fandom. He introduced me to the world of Goth music, a gentle introduction of the Cure lead me to explore deeper into this murky world and this is where we finally get to the connection with David Bowie; Bauhaus.

The bats have left the bell tower

The chain of events is really quite simple; Bauhaus performed a "song" called Bela Lugosi's Dead which was used in the title sequence of a certain stylish but relatively unknown vampire film called The Hunger. 

David Bowie, Catherine Deneuve; The Hunger

Whilst for many the main attraction to this film was the artfully rendered scene of female seduction by the lead of another female for me it was the music, the imagery and a certain Mr. Bowie's portrayal of vampire promised eternal life who finds himself aging rapidly and facing an eternity not of youth but of decay.

This is why his death resonates with me; he was there at the very start of me finding something resembling an identity, he was there when my love of music was forged, my fascination with cinema that is not an over-exposed HDR CGI fest started and when an obsession with imagery began.

John Blaylock?

This week has seen Radio 6 Music repeat interviews with David Bowie and what immediately comes across is a lack of ego, a humbleness perhaps even an ordinariness? Not for him the the drama of a huge ego, or an overblown sense of his own importance rather a man who was articulate to the last and with an interest, love and breadth of knowledge and experience across many art forms.

It would be remiss to not also include a mention of Alan Rickman who's scene stealing Sheriff of Nottingham in an otherwise unfortunate cast Robin Hood film was and is still one of the greatest portrayal of that most Hollywood of things; the polarised bad guy. To bring us right up to date he played Professor Snape in that quite well known series of films about a wizard with an ordinary name beautifully. 

"You 10:45, and bring a friend" Alan Rickman doesn't so much steal the scene as the entire film. RIP.

There's some commonality between David Bowie's and Alan Rickman's death; both died from cancer and as such this is a timely reminder of this most democratic of conditions. Cancer does not distinguish between the worthy or unworthy, the famous, infamous or unknown. It doesn't care if you're young or old, whether the world will grieve or no one will. Personal wealth (or lack of) can make no difference. It kills without compassion or care.

If you want to try and make a difference, if you've found something in any of the deaths this week that resonates with you consider visiting Cancer Research UK who are working tirelessly to identify ways to treat and diagnose cancer or MacMillan who provide support to cancer patients.

Max Stringer

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• Week What of What? You What? I mean, pardon?
• These posts give us a chance to recap on the last week at Bokoshoko and give you a glimpse of what's happening. Many of our projects take time to come to fruition or our customers would prefer we did not share so these posts also show we're not just sitting around!