The BEST idea we got from Remodelista’s tour of a farmhouse remodel masterminded by Tara Mangini and Percy Bright of Jersey Ice Cream Co is copper sheeting (normally used in roofing). They created an ingenious backsplash for the stove out of copper flashing purchased inexpensively online and nailed to the wall with copper tacks. Perfect.
It made us LUST for copper sheeting, which we imagined cladding our ugly old fridge, making into a headboard, using as extravagant wrapping paper or placemats, wrapping an ordinary chair or table to transform it… among other things. We found Quick Ship Metals, which offers essential info on copper thicknesses and grades.
We sent for a copper foil sample pack (which seems more in line with the backsplash above) so we can play with the different thickness and learn just what they mean by:
001″ Copper – Tears with fingers, cuts with scissors, often used in scrap booking or other paper-thin crafts.
.003″ Copper – Doesn’t tear with fingers, cuts with scissors, shapes by hand..005″ Copper – Cuts with scissors, shapes by hand, retains shape but with some malleability – an excellent grade for tooling because of its pliability. Indents with a light touch but it will not hold shape if pressure is applied.
.010″ Copper – Cuts with scissors, shapes by hand, makes 90º bends by hand, retains shape well.
.016″ and .020″ – Need metal snips to cut, can be bent by hand, though 90º bends by hand are difficult.
We find that playing with a material without preconceived notions usually makes them spring into our head. Who knows what ideas we will get?
Copper fan is the work of Natalia Wozniak
this reminds me of this question: how to keep up with grease in the kitchen: around the stove top or on those open shelves near the stove? I’ve had vent fans (huge) and no vent fans, but always a mess. Yes i eat meat, and yes cook with gas. How do folks in all those lovely open kitchens deal with it?
I LOVE open shelves but do not have them for exactly the reasons you state. I seriously cook and vent or no vent glass and dishware gets a film on them. It is even more difficult living in a city, where some serious dust flies in through the window. I weekly have to wipe down my old stove’s high shelf and stainless backsplash, which is just what you have to do if you’re going to cook. No big deal. But open shelves? A step too far.