Icehouse Coffee Bar

Many moons ago I posted “Coffee Bar Cabinetry Tweaks” which offered a glimpse into our evolving-up-until-the-last-minute workflow. But I never returned to the icehouse coffee bar to show progress and completion. Better late than never!

I still have so many questions to answer, so many gaps to fill, and so many memories and artifacts to curate and preserve before advancing to the next chapter. (Source: Dear Rosslyn: Interlude)

I follow up yesterday’s post and pledge — break the proverbial logjam by sharing all of the “orphaned” updates, “Daily Munge” entries from the early years, etc. — by tackling some of the as yet unpublished updates from the icehouse rehabilitation starting with the coffee bar.

If I were in a longer winded and more energetic way today I’d offer you a comprehensive wrap-up covering design and construction of the coffee bar cabinetry accounting for its evolution, a fortuitous marble countertop opportunity, Peter’s long suffering commitment to see this project through despite a couple of significant setbacks (including refrigerator size incompatibility), and a celebration of the finished results.

But I played hooky this morning (think mesmerizing telemark turns) then paid penance all day trying to catch-up again. So, instead, I offer you a scrapbook of snapshots. Might be a blessing in disguise.

Bit o’ Backstory

In lieu of long-form, let’s start with an elevation of the icehouse coffee bar as originally drawn by our friend and architect, Tiho Dimitrov. This highly functional but basically microscopic addition to the vestibule occupies about 6’ between the bathroom and the column oriented to your right as you enter the icehouse from the east entrance. That should help you interpret the drawing below.

Now let’s time travel back to the winter of 2023 when we were eyeballs deep in transforming Rosslyn’s 1800s historic icehouse into a 21st century flex/multi-use workspace and lifestyle hub.

The following excerpt from my field notes to the crew captures the protean approach that so often characterizes our rehabs.

As discussed during today’s meeting, please review existing coffee bar plans vis-à-vis wall cladding, cabinetry, niche with shelves, etc.

I’ve reworked Tiho’s drawing in order to integrate a small refrigerator. At present I’m conceptualizing this on the right side of cabinetry, with opening to floor in order to accommodate height of refrigerator. I will forward a sketch soon, but in the mean time, please don’t hesitate to offer suggestions. In short the cabinet under sink will have a door matching cabinet above (paint grade, simple Shaker style with flat panel and no panel molding) to conceal the plumbing, cleaning products, trash can, etc. To the right of the under-sink cabinet I’d like to subdivide the available space to include drawers and a small refrigerator in remaining volume. (Eliminating storage for small microwave, etc. in original drawing, but may accommodate in upper right shelves above counter if feasible, so let’s discuss electrical switch.)

Note: As with loft cabinetry, we need to determine whether or not we can/should fabricate cabinetry in-house or subcontract to a cabinetry shop. I’d like to make this decision ASAP. As noted above, I’m trying 1) to evaluate whether or not our existing team is capable of undertaking this carpentry (most of which would be shop work) with respect to interest, expertise, and impact on existing workflow/timeline, as well as 2) to determine whether or not it is the most pragmatic use of existing team resources. (Source: Geo field notes)

And here’s a blog post excerpt related to the same changes.

Making micro adjustments up until the last moment. But it’s almost time to fabricate the coffee bar built-ins, so it’s the last chance for fine tuning!

[…] The opportunity and challenge with custom carpentry/cabinetry is to tailor the design precisely to the larger aesthetic context and the specific needs. Integration, cohesion, and function in perfect harmony…

My quick field sketch… [below] alters the right niche from 2 to 3 shelves, and the left niche gets enclosed with a cabinet door similar to the one beneath the bar sink. And under the countertop, I am reconfiguring the spacing to accommodate a small bar fridge instead of microwave…

(Source: Coffee Bar Cabinetry Tweaks)

Here’s a fun mashup of the sketch and the final results that I included in an earlier post about tracing and retracing along the iterative journey from conception to completion.

By the time we actually began constructing the built-ins, these understated elements had undergone more changes – mostly subtle, but changes nonetheless – than I can calculate a couple of years later. The cabinets above were an ongoing part of the evolving design program, little-by-little ensuring a seamless, timeless, and practical integration.

Dimensioning the three bays of the counter involved accommodating the small refrigerator, so I sourced it early to eliminate the risk of depending solely on measurements quoted in manufacturer specs. however, inconvenient it might’ve been to have the small appliance in an already tight workspace, I want yo make 100% that it would fit properly.

Dimensioning the counter bays also involved balance and symmetry. And a sink cabinet that fell directly under the sink and cabinet above. So the middle section, to accompany three drawers, was left with the balance.

The countertop was actually decided relatively late in the process. I looked at samples in Plattsburgh and Burlington and wasn’t really finding what I wanted. Natural stone, elegant but understated, light and bright. And then I was introduced to Patric Scheller, the owner of Black Diamond Tile and Granite (bdtilegranite.com) in Lake Placid.

When I described to Patric what I had in mind, he asked if I would consider remainders, partial slabs leftover from previous jobs. You bet! I explained that one of the guiding principles for the icehouse rehabilitation was adaptive reuse. I’d tried to upcycle and recycle, repurpose and reuse, everything from the original historic structure to as many ingredients as possible.

He sent me photographs of a locally quarried marble slab and a quartzite slab. Sometimes the universe rhymes! And when it does, I know enough to yield control and ride the wave.

Peter took it from there, fabricating doors, drawers, and face frame in the hustle-bustle of Rosslyn’s carriage barn. Not an ideal shop as it was also being used as a warehouse for all of the construction tools and materials as well as storage for all groundskeeping equipment, bikes, lawn games, etc. And many of us, myself included, were overlapping, concurrently working in the same workshop space.

But Peter never grumble. In fact, his disposition is almost invariably upbeat. Despite the frustration he experienced several times when errors were caught too late for convenience, Peter took it upon himself to keep the team’s morale high while mentoring anyone interested in learning from his decades of experience. 

Last summer when we pulled as many members of the team together as possible for a reunion lunch and tour of finished icehouse, Peter and I were able to chuckle good-naturedly at a couple of missteps and at my perennial push to pick up the pace. Any ghosts of grievance still lingering were overshadowed by Peter’s monumental accomplishment and my enduring gratitude.

The photo just above shows Peter in the final hours of completing the coffee bar, and this final photo shows a far happier Peter a little over a year later, celebrating, looking back, and laughing. Always laughing.

Thank you, Peter!