Wood Work Griffis House Q&A

Who caught this weeks episode of Wood Work? We loved working with Haley and Judd on their mudroom and living room. There were definitely challenges with their space but we made it work and had fun with this project. 

What was your inspiration for the style at the Griffis house?

 Kelly: I was already working with the Griffis family on their house when we decided to have Clint and the team do a few projects for the show.  We had been working on details like paint colors & how the family would use rooms, the flow of the house, etc.  That family room was one of the reasons Haley & Judd bought the house - it’s such a large space for living & entertaining & they love having people over.  Judd knew from day one that he wanted a TV on the wall opposite of the kitchen, which naturally turned into us dreaming up an installed, modern entertainment center there.  But then came the real challenge of knowing what to do with that strange nook!  The more we thought through the flow of the room & the needs of the family, the more we realized it would be amazing to have a little coffee/snack bar in the family room!  The home’s kitchen has a smaller footprint, so having the additional coffee bar was perfect for entertaining & also provides an additional serving & food space.  I love how the strange nook ended up being the coolest feature of the room!

With the coffee bar area what was the biggest obstacle?

Clint:The space wasn’t huge, but Kelly is masterful at creating a functional nook even if the space is small and executing her design with my crew was not too difficult! But making sure we left the Griffis access to their opening to the crawlspace was a bit of a challenge. In order to do this, we had to create a cabinet which rolled in and out and also still looked like a permanent part of the bottom cabinets. The way I approached it (in my head at least!) was just to keep it simple. With my team around me we created a pretty cool situation that when called upon will function quite easily for the Griffis, but in the meantime will look like nothing more than a cabinet just like the rest!!

Tell us about working with the lobster crates and how did you make them work to repurpose them?

Clint:The lobster crates were too amazing to pass up! Looking at them I was wishing I could watch a quick movie about the journey they had made. Starting from being lobster crates up in Maine to, now holding old shoe molds and being stored in a warehouse in Waco, TX. My guess is it’s a wild story.

There wasn’t too much we could do at the time with the shoe molds, so we focused on the crates themselves. What made the most sense was facing the drawers we had made in the mudroom as well as the walls in the cubbies themselves. We could have taken that wood, laminated it together, turned table legs out of it and made a top with the rest to create a cool table....and I love doing stuff like that. But in this case, we kept it simple dressing up the beautiful space Kelly had designed to make the Griffis lives easier when they roll in from school and other outings. 

 What were the challenges of the mud room?

Kelly: The mud room was such a unique space!  The narrowness of the room & the fact that it’s also a pathway from the back of the house to the front, made this room a real challenge!  We wanted to give Haley & Judd the most storage & function for their family as possible, but also keep the hallway clear.  Being able to move the washer & dryer & use that closet made the project work!

SHOP PRODUCTS FROM THE GRIFFIS EPISODE