I zipped back to Germany to take in the 'Weihnachtsmarkt' in Osnabruck. The ornaments, nutcrackers and rauchermanner (smoking men) are so finely crafted - yet another thing they do better than North Americans. Although maybe looking at everything with...
A good selection of Marcel Breuer and Mies Van de Rohe tables and chairs along with some interesting equilibrium models by students of the academy. Lots of bent steel. www.bauhaus.de...
Here are a few shots of the decor at the stasi museum - kind of creepy inside. I don't think there are any hidden cameras in these offices but who knows... www.stasimuseum.de...
The nice thing about Berlin is discovering truly one of a kind furniture and retro bric-a-brac. The furniture and design in Denmark was brilliant but also homogeneous, it's nice to see something new....
Just to be clear I did see furniture made by designers other than Finn Juhl, but his was the only house I visited (Unfortunately it was closed so I only got to peek in the windows). I won't post...
If you want to drool over the nicest and most expensive vintage danish furniture, then the shops on Bredgade in Copenhagen are the place to go. Klassik and Dansk Mobelkunst are probably the two biggest and most well known...
A department store that sells Finn Juhl's chieftain chair along with at least a dozen different Hans Wegner chairs, and works by other designers such as - Arne Jacobsen, Borge Mogenson, Ole Wanscher, Eames etc. Sort of like the...
Possibly the best source for vintage bent plywood furniture - filled with vintage Eames and Aalto designs along with newer works by Dutch designer Hein Stolle. The vintage pieces have so much character and beauty, proving that furniture is...
I'm back in the father/motherland and went to see all the cool stuff at droog design - Hup Holland Hup! Check out the limited edition Gerrit Rietveld - Red & Blue chair made out of Lego.... www.droog.com...
There are some members of the household that may not fully appreciate the dustiness that invariably swirls about when I enter the house after a full day in the shop. I prefer Pablo Neruda's take in his ode to...
Building an exterior door in the Yukon is fraught with peril - not the actual construction but the sleepless nights spent wondering whether the door will stay true in the dead of winter when it's -40c outside and +20c...
I could watch this video over and over again. Jen and I are heading to Copenhagen in November to sit in style. Got to love the danes.... David Sedaris on the other hand has a slightly different take on...
The leaves are pretty much on the ground here in Whitehorse and the mountains have a good dusting of snow. Time to turn the heat up in the shop and 'throw it down' so to speak. I'll also try to...
This is the first piece in my new 'Math is Hard' line of furniture. Look for it at the upcoming "Roots" exhibition at the Yukon Arts Centre in Whitehorse from May 22nd to August 24th. It will be displayed...
April was a busy month at Gort Inc. (the suit and tie division of gort finewoodworking). We were finishing a custom kitchen in beech for an excellent client here in Whitehorse. Gort Inc. is fully booked until January 2009...
The furniture section of this book written by Rachel Gotlieb is super cool. Canadian designers were pioneers in the use of materials like plywood and plastic but were overshadowed by Eames and furniture manufacturers such as Knoll. I'm sure...
I finally delivered on a long standing promise to build a new bed for me and the missus... The frame is made of cherry, with a live edge piece of Alaskan yellow birch I picked up on a recent trip...
This piece based on the U.S. Homeland Security terror alert level indicator has just been accepted into the Yukon Permanent Art Collection. It's designed to be placed near the front door to help you decide whether it's safe to...
Here are a few shots of the walnut seating cubes I just finished... The cubes are 18 x 18 x 18 and finger jointed at the corners. Here they are during assembly in the shop and a closeup after the...
Welcome to the launch of the new gort design collective. I was just in Toronto and everyone and their brother had a design collective so I thought what the hell, I should form my own. The current membership stands at...
If this book won't take your heart rate up a few beats... Written by Noritsugu Oda it includes a concise introduction on the history of Danish furniture design. It also has a brief description of each designer, profile pictures...
Prepare for the second coming.... It was -45 Celsius in Whitehorse this morning as we loaded up the truck full of furniture to head down to the gallery. You know it's cold when the car seats are frozen solid...
Opening on February 1st at Arts Underground in Whitehorse, the show will run for the entire month of February. Gortwerks is an exploration of contrasts – strong geometric shapes tempered by organic forms. Each piece is characterized by clean...
This is the first of my new 'Book of the Month' postings. Each month i'll post a must have book from the gort archives. Nature Form and Spirit: The Life and Legacy of George Nakashima written by Mira Nakashima...
I was just down in L.A. rubbing elbows with the glitterati and decided to make a side trip to Pacific Palisades to see the Eames House. It's a museum now and you can tour the outside while peering in...
This is a new feature here at gort fine woodworking. Check back often for fascinating tidbits from the recesses of the gort brain....