‘Jim’s Ceiling’
Drawing from a repertoire of previous patterns and designs also frees Finne to devote more attention to the completely custom areas of a job. “So many of the things that Nils brings to the project are first-time ideas that are unique to the job,” says Vassallo, who offers the master bath ceiling as a prime example. Assembled from Douglas fir stock in a variety of widths and thicknesses, the composition walks a fine line between order and chaos. “There is a repeat to the pattern,” Finne says, “but it does have a random feel. The repeat is about every 24 to 30 inches.”
The task of projecting that pattern onto the room’s complex ceiling plan fell to lead carpenter Jim Hovick, a 25-year Schultz Miller employee and master finish carpenter. “That ceiling was called ‘Jim’s Ceiling,’” Vassallo says. “He was absolutely the right guy for the job.” And Hovick’s input went beyond scribing the multitude of fir pieces to plaster walls and steel beams. “Because of the ceiling geometry, he did a lot of figuring out in the field,” says Finne, who considers jobsite feedback essential to the success of such one-off designs. “You really can’t anticipate every condition,” he says. “You can draw a lot, but there’s a point at which you have to stop drawing.”
“Nils is very open to input from the trades and the carpenters, to hearing someone say, ‘If you can make this a quarter-inch larger, we can use a different material and save some money,’” Vassallo says. When working with Finne, he adds, “we use a lot of mockups—with light fixtures, trim details, cabinetry—prior to investing in the actual production. We do elaborate things out of cardboard and foam. Often that yields refinements.”
