‘Tis the season to be jolly!
The countdown to Christmas has begun. Every year in business we all push on to finish our projects, so that we can start to wind down and enjoy quality time with our family and friends, enjoying the seasons festivities. What better way to finish the year than to stop and celebrate what we all work so hard for, with our nearest and dearest.
With the workshop working at full throttle this week to meet our deadlines, we have wardrobes, doors, and cabinets to complete and install so our Clients are set up for their Christmas festivities. Each morning starts with a catch-up of the Joiners, checking progress (over a coffee!), tasks for the day and checking we’re on schedule for the shutdown on 18th December. With tools and machinery being in full demand, you have to expect problems will be thrown into the equation – compressors leaking, spray pumps failing, vans breaking down, but we’ve overcome, found alternatives and kept to schedule.
As the days countdown, the pressure is on, but the humour remains. We are checking the workshop schedule, getting business updates on what is coming in for the New Year and we naturally start to reflect on what we’ve been busy on this year, the highs and the lows.
The striking Oak shoe cupboards with ledged and braced doors
Matt: “I’ve particularly loved all the restoration work we’ve done for Angela. The gates, doors, cupboards, the ledged and braced doors. The natural oak look, creating each piece of furniture, there has been a Wow! factor throughout the various stages of the projects, from when the first piece comes together – Wow!, then when all the wood is oiled and the natural colours and grains come through another Wow!”
Dark oak front door with bevel edged windows
Martyn: “I think what I found most satisfying is when you work on a project such as windows with leaded glazed units, and the client see’s your skills and is impressed with every aspect of the job, that gives me personal satisfaction. I think my favourite job though would have to be the front oak door I made with the bevel edged glass. It was the first I’d worked on by myself, so I felt enormous pressure, there were challenges when it came to fitting, but it looked amazing when finished. (Matt: “I made that.”) The gates we made were challenging structurally as they were totally different to the normal type of gate and required a lot of thought in the design process.”
Julian: “For me it would have to be the Oak honours board I’d made for St Columbus School. Conquering problems, the double curved moulded tops out of solid wood, very challenging. To see the quality of the workmanship in the end result is what it’s all about.”
Wine rack made to fit in with client’s existing kitchen
Toby: “The wine rack for Alex. I loved the design, the specifications, and once installed to see how it matched the existing kitchen units so well from top to bottom, it was an enjoyable project. (Matt: “I made that”). I think the bedside cabinets we made where the frame and drawer fronts were made of continuous pieces of woods, with the grain running along the front of the furniture as it did in the tree, so there was no room for errors, stands out as one of the challenges for me this year. Next year I’d like to work with more modern materials, encompassing edging and a mixture of grains, contemporary furniture that involve minimalist shapes that’s more unique and less generic(MundyVeneer).”
It’s certainly been a productive and enjoyable year, and as we take our Christmas break to either go sightseeing in Scotland, or touring round the coast, and spending time with our family and little ones, we’d like to say a big thank you to all who’ve played a part in Waterhall Joinery this year.
Best wishes for a happy holiday season and our sincere thanks for your loyalty and goodwill throughout the year. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Waterhall Joinery team, Hertfordshire