There's just something about custom woodwork. People who build furniture love their materials, and woodworkers in general really appreciate the beauty of wood. After all, it was a living thing before it became a table. My husband incorporates woodworking into most of our house projects, and I've sanded my share of picture frames. But none of that can compare to the beautiful work that Ben Cruzat does. I've photographed his work a few times over the years and earlier this year I got to photograph the retail displays he created for Sub Pop Records' newest location on 7th Avenue.
That day in January was a little stormy on my way in to the city, but once I got there the sun came out and created some beautiful light in the space. Nearly the whole shop has floor to ceiling windows for walls, and the light bounces around the room constantly. The holiday tree lights were still up on 7th Avenue which made for some nice background bokeh.
I've always been a fan of industrial design and the displays he created for the variety of merchandise available at Sub Pop are really versatile. They reminded me of an oversized industrial armoire, both beautiful and functional.
The drawers are whisper quiet and I love the blond tone of the plywood pieces themselves which bounces nicely off the concrete floor.
This was also a dream photography project because I've been a fan of Sub Pop records since they began way back in the grunge days, having moved to Seattle in the 90's. It's amazing to think of the evolution of produced music just in my lifetime! From vinyl records to compact discs, then digital streaming. I bought one of Sub Pop's logo patches and sewed it onto the back pocket of a pair of black jeans that I wore until they fell apart. I should have taken the patch off and kept it, but I'm afraid it probably ended up in someone's Goodwill cart. Maybe they treasured it as much as I did.
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