Sand Springs Installation

Matt and Ben are home, recovering from the installation in Sand Springs, Oklahoma.

The project involved mounting 12 mobiles, each 7-foot tall by 7-foot wide, from the 22-foot ceilings of the newly constructed elementary school.

As usual, installing the mounting points was a challenge. A big, big challenge. A challenge that involved scrambling last minute to find a suitable lift.

And as usual, Matt and Ben worked like machines.

They scheduled a full day longer than they usually plan for installs, and they prepped for every conceivable worst-case scenario. But they still had to work through the night...and reschedule their flights home!

In the end, installing all mounting points and mobiles took about 34 hours of work (including a full 27-hour stretch).

Ah, but the satisfaction of completing such a fun project makes up for the sleep deprivation.

Rusty (Materials, Not Skills)

As we speak, Matt and Ben are in Sand Springs, Oklahoma installing this mobile.

Here are some shots of the project over the past few weeks. The client requested that the animal shapes have an earthy rust finish, so we rusted them up using a complex high-tech process involving a cheap drug-store humidifier. These photos give a feel for the shapes, before, and after rusting.

Meanwhile, send thoughts of speed and efficiency Matt and Ben's way. And stay tuned to see the final piece!

How to Make Our Day

Our inbox yesterday included a happy surprise.

These photos:

And this note:

"Thanks as ever for the beautiful mobile; the pictures do not do it justice. It went up about two hours ago, and the space is transformed."

And now, happily, our mood is transformed.

Well, Hello Again

Way back when, we created a brightly colored mobile for a private residence in Virginia. We were thrilled to hear from them again recently, and we were especially thrilled to commission this piece for their living room.

Controlled Chaos

Here's the current state of our shop:

Here's why:

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You'll be able to get one of these bad boys soon at Design Within Reach.

Dimension

If you have 49 seconds to spare, check out this animated fly-through of the project we're creating for the Sand Springs elementary school.

This shows how instead of creating three-dimensional branches (which were way too cost and time prohibitive), hanging two-dimensional branches at oblique angles will add depth and realism when viewed from below.


Manual Labor

How do a couple of mobile makers spend a day off?

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Biking along the waterfront with their families. We hope your Labor Day was equally picturesque!

Innovation (?)

We've been busy busy lately churning out stabiles to replenish the shelves at Design Within Reach. Along the way, we decided to experiment with ways to streamline production. For example, we like to powder coat our shapes (because it saves us painting time and creates a superior finish), but things always bottleneck pre-powder coating: we need to individually mast off each area we don't want painted, plus protect each part for transit.

So we created this gizmo:

It's a metal frame lined with a silicone material—similar to flexible bakeware—that can withstand the high temperatures of powder coating. It securely holds 52 mobile components, protecting them during transport and cleaning, while masking off the area we want unpainted.

We sent a batch loaded into this contraption alongside a batch of parts taped off with good-old tape.

The verdict?

The taped-off parts were easier to deal with, less bulky to transport, and created a nicer finish.

*sigh* Back to the drawing board...

Elementary School Sneak Peek

We're working with the kind folks of Sand Springs, Oklahoma again. This time, designing a series of mobiles for the local elementary school

The school is organized into grade level groups called "pods," and each pod has a unique leaf theme: maple, oak, and red bud leaf. We are creating a series of nature-themed mobiles incorporating each pod's leaf.

We've collaborated closely with the school's architect and board members to develop and refine the designs. It's still a work in progress, but here's a little sneak preview of the general idea.