Purple Heart is a very dense, water resistant wood that comes from the Peltogyne tree which is native to the tropical forests of Brazil, Guyana and Suriname in South America. Ranked as one of the hardest and stiffest of all woods, the graining is usually very straight with small pores. When cut, the wood quickly turns from a light brown to a rich purple colour, hence its name, but over time the vibrant purple will lesson to a more browny purple shade. Sanding will once again bring out the purple lustre, and clear coating with a UV protector will stop it from fading once again.

Difficult to work with, the density of the fibres can dull a woodworking blade pretty quickly, and if power tools are used improperly (as in impatiently), they can easily leave burn marks on the wood that are hard to remove. When planing against the grain, tearout can occur so it is imperative to feed the boards through a planer in the correct direction.

With all these difficulties, why would anyone want to work with the wood? Because it is beautiful.

Dawn’s Butcher Block Pin Striping

Since Purple Heart is such a dense and water resistant wood, it is a perfect candidate for using on a wood countertop. Dawn liked the idea of having a butcher-block counter on her new kitchen peninsula, and since it would be a focal point within the room, she loved the idea of using various woods to create an interesting geometric pattern.

We layered in a symmetrical pattern of Purple Heart, Canadian East Coast Hardrock Maple, BC Western Maple, Cherry and Douglas-fir. Dawn’s favourite colour is burgundy and the Purple Heart pinstripes feed nicely off  her celery walls and burgundy accents, as does the deep ebony low VOC (environmentally friendly with low “Volatile Organic Chemicals”) solid stain we applied to her new custom cabinetry. Another interesting feature to her new cabinetry is the creation of an open shelf system for all her books on the social side of her kitchen peninsula and a pantry on the other side.

Arelene’s Geometric Electric Fireplace Surround

Arelene’s fireplace is our modern version of a 20th century Scottish Mackintosh Mantel. The basic look of the mantel still reflects Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s design aesthetic, but gone are the dark oak finishes, the curved frieze and mantel, and the 4-square motif in the corners. In their place is a natural Douglas-fir fireplace with three rows of squares and rectangles in Purple Heart detailing. The tile surround is tumbled slate and raku glass mosaic. The unit was built as one piece with an opening in the front to plug in the electric fireplace before sliding it into place.

Laurie’s Gas Fireplace Flanked with Open Shelving

Laurie’s fireplace features Bird’s Eye Maple with Purple Heart trim detailing. The design of the mantel is our own contemporary reinterpretation of a traditional frame and panel design, using the Purple Heart to highlight the “frames”. Built in our shop, we transported it to Laurie’s home in four sections: the two shelving units, the TV panel and the gas fireplace surround which includes mini subway tiles of stone and glass.

Laurie’s Counter Height Kitchen Table

Laurie loved the look of Dawn’s butcher-block table and was excited to get a similar top on her new counter height kitchen table. Laurie’s table includes Maple, Douglas-fir, Purple Heart and Walnut. The finished table is a narrow 24” wide so it does not infringe on the floor area. Big enough for four to six bar height chairs, its convenient counter height turns it into extra prep space when Laurie is preparing a large meal.

Dawn’s Combo Window Seat / Storage Box

Dawn’s bedroom needed additional storage and since we had already used Purple Heart on her kitchen counter, it seemed like a natural to add a vertical strip of the stunning wood to the four featured legs of the chest that had been custom-sized to fit below her window. so she can sit on the chest to enjoy her view. The inside is faced with aromatic cedar as a bug and moth deterrent, so aside from offering a comfortable place for Dawn to sit and enjoy her view, it is also a safe place where she can keep her winter wools.

Redonda’s Vintage Bureau with New Butcher-Block Top

Redonda had two reasons for storing a vintage bureau for quite some time without using it. It had a strong musty smell she couldn’t get rid of, and the top was completely damaged and not original. We solved the musty smell by first washing the cabinet and then clear coating all the exposed wood so that no smells could be absorbed or emitted by the old, dry wood. Then we gave Redonda a new top for her cabinet using Maple, Douglas-fir, Walnut and Purple Heart. The bureau already had a purplish stain on its facing so the Purple Heart was a natural fit for the overall colouration within the unit. We also built a shelf within the top drawer for extra counter surface so Redonda can use the bureau in her kitchen for storage, counter display and extra prep space if needed.

You can see these and more custom creations by Evelyn M on the Design House BC portfolio page here.

Evelyn M, Associate of Interior Design
250-204-4417
www.EvelynM.com
Evelyn M Interiors/Design House BC
Evelyn M Fine Art

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