Archive for the ‘Artisans and Manufacturers’ Category

Chicago’s New Metal Crafts

Thursday, January 21st, 2010
A beautiful antique French iron lantern

A beautiful antique French iron lantern

Lighting is an integral part of what I do as designer.  It has the power to be one of the most important elements of a design because it can control the mood of a room.  Bright light promotes activity, while dim light promotes relaxation and conversation.  Lighting also is important because it is a great way to continue the look of a space.  

Finding lighting fixtures that are appropriate to a space can be difficult.  A lighting source like New Metal Crafts takes a lot of the work out of the process.  New Metal Crafts is a Chicago resource I have used for years.  On our recent Chicago visit, I was finally able to go to their showroom and was blown away by the depth of their collection.  They have executed many custom pieces for me in the past, and any time I have an antique fixture that needs repair or rewiring, they are the only place I will send it.  Their work is always first rate, and their knowledge second to none.  Lighting is often overlooked as a design element, but after a trip to New Metal Crafts, you will realize how important it can be.  Following are some photos of the showroom and warehouse.

 

New Metal Crafts

New Metal Crafts

A fabulous pair of Italian lanterns waiting on the perfect home

A fabulous pair of Italian lanterns waiting on the perfect home

An endless array of smoke bell lanterns

An endless array of smoke bell lanterns

Detail of one of many "walls of sconces"

Detail of one of many "walls of sconces"

More crystal than Versailles

More crystal than Versailles

Antique railroad lanterns awaiting conversion

Antique railroad lanterns awaiting conversion

Walls of bronze sconces

Walls of bronze sconces

Beautiful mica shades on iron sconces

Beautiful mica shades on iron sconces

The third floor attic, a treasure trove of antique parts

The third floor attic, a treasure trove of antique parts

More treasures in the attic

More treasures in the attic

 

Kindel – Hot Off the Dock!

Thursday, January 21st, 2010

Picture 1

A favorite resource for custom products is Kindel Furniture Company. Their story is as interesting as their products.  Started in St. Louis over 100 years ago, and still owned by part of the original founders, Kindel is considered one of the last great American furniture companies. Now located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, they have a distinct ability to adapt to market trends while staying true to their values of quality and craftsmanship. They are delightful, friendly people, and their showroom is always one of my highlights at the High Point furniture market.

Kindel holds the license agreement to reproduce items from the world famous Winterthur Museum, as well as the license agreement to reproduce items from our founding president’s home, Mount Vernon. Recently, they have become famous for their work at the Greenbrier Hotel assisting in the restoration of the public and guest rooms. In order to do justice to the restoration of the Greenbrier, they have begun reproducing many pieces designed by the great Dorothy Draper, who set the standard for design in what the Greenbrier is today. A classic American decorator, her work was fresh and innovative at the time, and it still is today.

Kindel sends me regular examples of items they are preparing for shipment. It is interesting to see what they are doing and how other designers manipulate their products to become one of a kind items.

The trellis writing table is a great example of how Kindel can manipulate a product and change its look. This table was originally done in mahogany, but the white laquer makes it look totally fresh.

The two drawer console and curio is a fabulous Dorothy Draper piece. This can be done in any of their multitude of finishes, but imagine how “traditional” it would look in mahogany, how contemporary it would look in black, how Asian it would look in red.  This is a great versatile piece with endless possibilities.

The Custom Mark round tables are fun and playful. Definitely not a design one would initially think of Kindel as producing.

The Townsend Tea Table is a classic Kindel piece, and harkens back to their roots as reproducing 18th century American antiques.

Faux Finish Expertise

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

 

painted kitchen floor

Photo shows a painted kitchen floor

 

We work with several different types of painters in the interior design business.  Different jobs require different levels of expertise.  A painter who is experienced at wall and trim paint, getting a silky smooth finish on woodwork, and walls free of drywall seams and nail pops is a wonderful thing, but he is probably not the person you want to do a decorative finish.  My experience is that an expert in that area is very important.  Faux finishing is a talent that requires years of experience to master.  A professional finisher will know where to start with the finish, how long it will take him to complete an area, and where a safe place to stop finishing will be.  You see, you can’t just stop for lunch anywhere along the way.  Stopping points have to be calculated in advance or your stopping points will be visible in the finished product. 

 

One faux finisher I work with regularly is Timothy Brown of Brown Studios in New York.  He makes monthly trips to Knoxville to work on my jobs, and is considering moving here in early summer.  Timothy’s work is world class.  He was trained by another of my faux painters, Daryl Garrison, who is still practicing in Nashville, Tennessee.  Timothy honed his craft under Daryl’s tutelage, and branched out to form his own company in New York.  There, he has worked for many top interior designers and their major league clients.  He has done work in the Kipps Bay Showhouse several times, worked with nationally recognized designer Eric Cohler, and his clients have included Katie Couric, Michael Douglas, and Katherine Zeta Jones.  Following are a few images of Timothy’s talents.

nursery painted floor

A painted nursery floor

tonal layerd blocks

Layered blocks

painted monogram

Painted monogram

 

horizontal stripes, playroom

Painted stripes for a playroom

Black and white stripes

Black and white stripes

Kips Bay Showhouse

Kipps Bay Showhouse

 

As you can see from the above photos, Timothy’s talent extends far beyond “walls” and includes floors, ceilings, furniture, and decorative items.  These are world class finishes by a fun and talented man.  His precision is amazing.  Who else could paint those perfect stripes with such detail?  Look for more of Timothy’s work in the future.

Deck Railing Details

Monday, December 7th, 2009
Completed Deck Railing with Decorative Screen at Bottom

Completed Deck Railing with Decorative Screen at Bottom

Rail Cap Detail
Rail Cap Detail
Plinth for Lantern on Deck Rail

Plinth for Lantern on Deck Rail

For the perfect deck railing, you should consider how the deck will be used.  Most decks are used for entertaining, and that involves drinks and food.  Sometimes there is not enough seating space for guests on a deck, so the rail is a great extra spot for guests to sit drinks and small plates. 

Make the top of the deck rail nice and wide.  We used a 2×6 with a routed bottom detail and a rounded top edge.  It is positioned on top of a 2×4 plain.  Our deck railing is made from 4×4 material, so the 2″ pieces together equal the thickness of the rest of the deck material.  It has a nice solid look; provides a place to put a drink or small plate, and feels substantial enough so that guests won’t feel like they are going to fall off.

I like the concept of porch lights looking like candle lanterns that have just been set on the railing.  To achieve this look, we added a 12×12 piece centered on top of the hand rail.  It got the same top and bottom details to make it consistent with the rest of the cap rail.  We drilled the center of it for wiring, and placed a custom lantern from McLean Lighting Works on top of that.  This is their Arts and Crafts lantern, which we felt had the same artistic design as a simple old French farmhouse lantern would have.  The base of the lantern is attached to the plinth, and the top is removable for changing bulbs.  Since the lantern was custom, we had the option of making the candles varying heights.  This is a great touch which adds a sense of real candles to the lanterns.

A few of my favorite things…

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

Televisions being exposed in a room are no longer the fashion faux pas they once were as we embrace technology in 21st century design. Leading manufacturers have created thin, classically simple electronic components that can be incorporated into most any décor. In our own home, we have hung a flat panel television over an 18th century sideboard and yet another over a 19th century settee with beautiful results.

However, if you would rather not have your television exposed, there are stylish ways to disguise it. Many companies offer this type of product. See below for a small sampling, and to get an idea of what is available, visit links to my vendors.

Picture 2Picture 3

Outdoor living spaces

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

Spring is a great time to start planning your outdoor living spaces. I can help you pull together the perfect look for your own unique setting by mixing and matching just the right elements for your home and garden.

There are more styles of outdoor fabrics and furniture than ever before. Outdoor fabrics have greatly improved even in the past couple of years. Although not completely maintenance free, they are fade and mildew resistant. Each group of products below contains a variety of furniture pieces to round out your collection with sofas, dining sets, lounge chairs, and more. Due to volume buying, I have access to great pricing structure with all my vendors and pass that savings along to my customers.

To get an idea of what is available, visit links to my vendors.

chairs