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  • Bar-view-1
    The Pool Room Bar is wrapped with a curved wall of ¼” solid copper in the back as well as the bar front. The granite countertops are a solid 2” thick, and the flamed surface leaves a pleasant, natural texture.
  • 21
    The Alaska Yellow Cedar and Bluestone wall at the end of the bar leads into the shower and sauna rooms. The massive Bubinga bar top slab weighs over 450 lbs.
  • 2-15---3051-84th-Ave-SE-1
    Drawers are hand dovetailed, full extension and provide generous storage for spirits, stemware and dishes. All drawers are banded in solid Ebony trim.
  • Scan10009
    Thomas Eck and Dusko Andreic discuss the bar mock up. Nearly all major components of the Coval House evolved through a series of full scale mockups, a time consuming process that would resolve design options, structural needs and aesthetic preferences. Frequently the mock up process would reveal a new idea, and the process would start all over.
  • Scan10008
    A 1¼” solid copper door-jamb is machined on a shaper. The Pool Room Bar contains over 2000 pounds of solid copper trim.

Pool Room Bar

Thomas Eck cuts parts for the bar cabinets. The 60-foot radius curves of the bar required an ingenious jig, developed on site by the craftsmen, to cut parts with absolute precision.
David Eck helps Tom Eck glue and clamp Bubinga facing on the cabinets. Each step in the construction process would require dozens of clamps to assure perfect joints.
The poolroom bar is by far the most complex cabinet system in the Coval home. The four primary curves are non-concentric and each has its own distinctive radius. The construction of the bar required top-notch skill typically found only with fine boat builders. The bar was crafted by Thomas Eck, a Master Craftsman formerly with Delta Yachts and currently working with Shultz Miller Homes. Tom was assisted by Dusko Andreic, a talented craftsman with an aeronautical engineering background in Serbia, later becoming a tennis pro making his way to the United States.

Tom and Dusko hand formed each curved drawer in a vacuum press, a high-risk process that allows for no error. Each drawer is hand dovetailed, veneered in vertical grain Bubinga, and banded with solid Ebony. The solid copper handles were fabricated on site, curved in a custom mold using a five-ton hydraulic press.

The back wall and bar face are surfaced with 2000 pounds of solid copper. The bevel edge motif was accomplished with a machine planer, finely crafted by Lindmark Machine of Seattle. The patina on the copper results from the handprints of the craftsmen who installed it, still evident after 13 years. Flamed granite countertops were hand shaped by sculptor Richard Hestekind.

The bar top is a 14 foot long solid slab of Bubinga, 3½” thick with the “live” edge of sapwood remaining. As luck would have it, this particular Bubinga tree was naturally curved, so the hardwood slab fit the curved bar perfectly.

The bar is fitted with Gaggenau cooktops, a Dacor vent, Sub-zero refrigerator and freezer drawers, a Miele dishwasher and a Sharp Microwave. Copper sinks and Arts and Crafts lighting by Mica Lamps complete the warm ambiance reflected in the curved copper wall. Shoji screen under-counter lighting casts a beautiful and functional light across the bar countertop.

 

Controls for the waterfall, swim jets, and poolroom doors are conveniently mounted at the end of the bar. Variable speed controls for the waterfall and swim jets are also discreetly hidden in the bar cabinets.