Borano makes mahogany doors and then some

Recently, I've become acquainted with a company with an intriguing business model and some of the most beautiful, handmade, mahogany doors, windows, floors and moldings I've ever seen. The company is called Borano and here's some of their handiwork.

These aren't just any mahogany building products, there's a story behind them that's worth telling. Borano is is a company with a sales and fulfillment presence online and it's through their website that they can sell their exquisite products at the price points they do. Custom doors start at $3000, windows start at $2250, floors start at $7 a square foot and moldings start at $7 a linear foot. Those prices are spectacular for the level of craftsmanship at work here.

Since 2002, a team of carpenters and woodworkers in San Pedro Sula, Honduras has been making these custom pieces by hand from native Honduran mahogany. The mahogany used in Borano products is sustainably harvested and certified as such by the Forest Stewardship Council. For every tree harvested for a Borano door, window, molding or floor another mahogany tree is planted and tended in its place.

Someone who's interested in a Borano door starts on the Borano website. It's on the website that Borano explains their process and the business of custom door production begins. Though the process starts on their website, follow ups from a Borano staffer follow almost immediately. Once designs are finalized and the order's complete, the project then moves to Honduras for production. The order ships directly from the factory to the jobsite once its complete.

The doors particularly need to be seen to be believed. They are made from solid, 2-1/4" thick mahogany and the jambs are 1-3/4" thick. That's a solid construction that's downright rare anymore. The hinges required to support that kind of weight are a work of art in and of themselves. Each hinge is a 4-1/2" x 4-1/2" solid brass piece of functional art. I've held one and they are a marvel.

Borano will be at the International Builders Show in Orlando next week. They're at booth number W5691. If you're heading to Orlando and IBS, be sure to stop by Borano's booth and see their mahogany products in person. People who claim that craftsmanship is dead have never met Borano.

Laminate's highest expression

Since the last day's turned into Formica Laminate Day around here, I'm going to wrap up the laminate love with a last post.

This is a new pattern from Formica's 180fx collection and it's called Petrified Wood.

I love its vertical uses in this space, I think it adds something that only laminate could add. Real stone couldn't really do a lot of this without a whole lot of headache and I think Formica's Petrified Wood more than holds up its own.

I've always been a fan of the category, but this new collection from Formica has me thinking about laminate in ways that are all together new.

Guess the counter material, the follow up

Yesterday I ran a series of photos with the challenge to identify the material used for counters in each photo. you guys are pretty slick because just about everybody got it right. Every one of those images showed a laminate counter from Formica's 180fx series. Remember that the category is properly called laminate and the brand name is Formica. Formica has a great website that's brimming with great photos and idea for how to make a room that features laminates look fantastic.

It's very vogue to look down on laminates but for a lot of people, they are the right option. They make a resilient, long-lasting kitchen surface. A properly installed and cared-for laminate counter will last for years and as I've mentioned here before, I think laminates are pretty cool.

A. Antique Mascarello

B. Blue Storm

C. Breccia Paradiso

D. Calacatta Marble

E. Espirito Santo

F. Golden Mascaello

G. Red Montana

H. Slate Sequoia

I. Slate Sequoia

I'm impressed with this latest collection form Formica laminates. While it's true these Formica laminates are a good way to get the appearance of a stone counter at home for a fraction of the price, I can see this being used really well in commercial settings. Sheathing walls in it or covering curved surfaces with these 180fx laminates would make for a spectacular lobby or restaurant space.

Check out Formica's website and take a look at what laminates look like these days.

So what do you guys think? Is there a place in your lives for laminates?

Let's play "Guess the Counter Material"

OK kids, here's a bit of a challenge. What follow are nine photographs of new kitchens in a variety of styles. Each photograph has a letter and the challenge is to identify the counter material used in each kitchen. There's no prize on the line other than the satisfaction of being right, should you get any of them right. Here goes:

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

F.

G.

H.

I.

So let's see how everybody does. Leave your best guesses in the comments and I'll write a follow up later with the answers.

My obituary in 208 words, a Blog Off Post

Every two weeks, the blogosphere comes alive with something called a Blog Off. A Blog Off is an event where bloggers of every stripe weigh in on the same topic on the same day. The Blog Off this round came about by popular vote and it's based on a human resources exercise where people write their own obituaries as an exercise in answering the question "Who are you?"

A traditional newspaper obituary is 208 words or less so we're honoring that old convention to keep things brief.

It may come across as macabre but I don't think it is in the least. Life's short and denying that needling truth does nobody any favors. So without any further ado, here's my obituary. I'm leaving off the dates to heighten the mystery. Yeah right.

Paul Anater died. He hated flowery terms meant to disguise the finality of death so we'll say that he died. Expressions like "passed on" and "passed over" got on his nerves but the inane "passed" sent him into fits of apoplexy. "Passed what?" he would bark. "Passed the bar? Passed the idiot in the right lane? Call things what they are." Oh that Paul.

He had little patience for public self-analysis and was smart enough to know that the term for it was omphaloskepsis.  He was also smart enough to know that it came from the Greek for "navel gazing." He found other peoples' omphaloskepsis to be self-indulgent and listening to it to be tedious. He spent inordinate amounts of time engaging in it himself of course, but he kept such things private.

Underneath his crotchety exterior he was someone who understood the difference between a thought and a feeling and the wondrous nature of each. He could be imperious and demanding but never thought twice about stopping to answer a question or praise an effort. He loved deeply and was loved just as deeply. No matter what else he did or didn't do, he knew they were the only things that really mattered.

So there you have it a Blog Off obituary in 206 words to be precise. That was a fun exercise. Really. What would you want to appear as your obituary? If something like that ran in The Times I'd be thrilled despite being too dead to appreciate it fully. More than anything it said, I'd be thrilled just to show up in The Times. Hah!

As the day goes on, the rest of the participants in today's Blog Off will appear miraculously at the end of this post. Keep checking back and check out everybody's obits. You can follow along in Twitter as well, just look for the hashtag #LetsBlogOff. If you'd like more information about about the Blog Off or if you'd like to see the results of previous Blog Offs, you can find the main website here.