Is this clunky or clean?

[Dave Anthony]

My wife likes very clean, simple lines without much if any ornamentation. She will choose a round over before a Roman Ogee w/out hesitation, and prefers straight lines over curves. Sometimes I feel like I'm building boxes. What do you think of this? Is it crude, clean, something in between? What do like/not like and what would you change?

120 (1280x960).jpg121 (1280x960).jpg125 (1280x960).jpg

[Bill Neely]

If you've already built it - it's fabulous. If not, the heavy rounded carcass rails don't look clean to me. I'd also get some simpler hardware. That's just me though, I like the Ikea look.

[Jacob Reverb]

That's not the hardware I would have chosen but otherwise it looks great to me. Nice job!

[Yonak Hawkins]

It's not at all clunky. It's a beautiful piece. That walnut is gorgeous. The grain is mesmerizing.

If your wife likes only straight lines, she would not like a thing I make, trying to avoid straight lines when I can.

Jacob, you say it's knot the hardware you would choose ?

[Pat Barry]

Very pretty piece, nice wood selection, finish, joinery, etc. but I do agree I wouldn't have picked that style of hardware.

I think with that pretty walnut that handles and hinges that are more like an antiqued brass might look better. Try looking in the Lee Valley hardware catalog. They have lots of choices.

[Wade Lippman]

I agree with your wife about simple lines; I like the wood to be the star.
It came out great, but I also agree with everyone about the hardware; way wrong.

[Todd Burch]

I think the only thing I would change (besides the hardware) would be that I would have done a full round over on the edges of the top, and also put another piece of moulding (cove probably) up underneath the top, and made sure the top stuck out enough all around to make the overhang the same front and sides with the cove underneath it.

Nice finish!

[Ralph Okonieski]

Gorgeous wood with a nice simple design. If your wife likes the hardware, then all is well.

Very, very nicely done !

[George Gyulatyan]

I wouldn't change a thing. Nice clean design, great wood selection. I also like the hardware precisely because it is off the beaten path, somewhat unexpected and gives a fresh look to the piece. With antiqued brass hardware it would look more ordinary.

It is great as it is.

[Prashun Patel]

Make wooden pulls. Everything else is perfect. In some ways its more challenging to work with simple lines because theres no ornamentation or details to hide behind. Your piece is beautiful and i would have ben proud if it were mine.

[John Coloccia]

I really like about 95% of it. I don't much care for the hardware. It has a wrought iron inspired look, but combined with modern styling and they're all identical...it just feels kind of cheap to me, and I think they're distracting and detract from the piece.

The only other thing I would have personally done differently is I would have chosen some different pieces for the doors, and maybe one of the legs. For example, the right door frame really looks nothing like the left door frame and the stiles on the right frame have a distracting, streaky look to them. Ditto for the legs. I probably would have turned the leg on the right front to bury the streaky grain on he inside of piece. The left door is book matched, accentuating a feature that doesn't look good book matched in my opinion, and the right door is absolutely gorgeous wood except it's either not book matched or it's haphazardly book matched.

Overall, I really like it! You asked for criticism so I gave my honest opinion, but it's all nitpicking kinds of things.

[Mel Fulks]

I think it has a nice clean simple look that could go with modern or old ,but the handles are too tied to modern factory "bedroom suites". Turned wood knobs would be my choice ,even if that means that some holes would have to be patched in. I've noticed that even exceptionally good panel matches sometimes just don't photograph well,so you can judge them better than we can.

[John Coloccia]

That panel on the right is really stunning, though, and whatever method used to finish it does it justice.

[Jim Underwood]

I agree with John. The panels on the doors could match a little better. Other than that, I really don't have any other criticisms. I don't really notice the hardware. The design is clean as a whistle. Looks like you have a great finish on it too.

All told, it's a nice piece.

[Von Bickley]

I think it looks great..... I like it.