Custom designed bar stools continue to delight clients

Regardless of what type of business you are in, it is always nice to receive positive comments about your product or service.  Such was the case when we received this lovely note from San Diego based interior designer, Dora French, who placed several barstools from our Hedgerow furniture collection in this beautiful home:

"As a Designer it is very important I provide both comfort and the right look to fullfill my client's desire for their own “dream home." In addition to their great look, the Hedgerow chair is incredibly comfortable. The depth of the seat is plenty to allow you to sit back and feel secure while the wooden back is very comfortable and shaped to fit the back and the arms are at just the right height for ease of use.  So many of the counter/barstools  being made in today’s environment are "Apartment Sized”. They have a smaller seat and do not allow you to sit for longer times at an island area; and many are backless, which will shorten the time you find yourself wanting to spend at an island.  In today’s Great Room Style living, the island area is the very gathering spot for families and friends.  It is crucial for a designer to make sure to provide comfort as well as create the desired "look" and the Hedgerow chair successfully allows for both.”

We look forward to working with Dora again as she uses the Hedgerow design in a current project.  It also pleases us to know that the style and fit of our Hedgerow bar chair has not gone out of fashion, providing some proof that a well-designed and comfortable piece of furniture is timeless.

To view the Hedgerow furniture collection as well as our complete collection of architectural hardware, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

Designers can visit the showroom located at:

5433 W. Washington Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA  90016

323 939 5929

Biophilia and biomorphism in interior design

We were so interested in the concept of biophilia design that we were introduced to at this years HD Expo and we shared our newfound knowledge and our new dragon egg wall sconce with a design that echoes this idea in a post here.

But the whole idea of furniture and "functional art" created in shapes inspired by nature and organic elements is an interesting one that I discovered has really been around since the mid -twentieth century  in a movement called biomorphism which  Wikipedia defines as:

Biomorphism is an art movement that began in the 20th century. It models artistic design elements on naturally occurring patterns or shapes reminiscent of nature and living organisms

Once you become aware of this artistic endeavor it can be easy to spot examples in the design of furniture, lighting, textiles and even in architecture.  For example:

This unique chair designed by Marc Newson and available through Christie's  auctions is designed to showcase the beauty of the wood and actually looks very comfortable.

Biomorphism can be easily translated into fiber and textile art as seen in this organically shaped, woven wall hanging  crafted of natural materials such as pine needles by artist Patti Chamberlin.

Biomorphism finds its place in architecture with the innovative design of the Selfridge's Department Store in Birmingham, UK, designed by Future Systems in which straight edges normally used in architecture have been replaced with more biomorphic rounded edges.  Also appreciate the juxtaposition of old meets new with this modern building sitting right next door to an old church.

Many of our own bespoke furniture and custom hardware designs reflect elements of biomorphism as well.  Martin has long been inspired by the shapes and movements found in nature, particularly in plants, birds, insects and other creatures and this is evident in the designs he creates.  For example, the rectangular dining room table from our Hedgerow collection with table legs and apron featuring the naturally occuring marks and shapes of a tree.

If you are interested in discussing a custom design for your hospitality design project or would like to view our entire collection of architectural hardware, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

Designers can visit the showroom located at:

5433 W. Washington Blvd.

Los Angeles, Ca  90016

323 939 5929

Trends blossom at High Point Market

The semi-annual Market at High Point North Carolina just closed, much to the delight of the aching feet of over 75000 designers and other professionals who attend. Fortunately for those of us who are not able to attend this spectacle, there are plenty of "style spotters" who share the new trends that we can expect to see in the near future. Along with plenty of mixed metals, Pantone's color of the year and the resurgence of brass accents, one other trend that stood out was the use of  nature inspired accents on furniture.  Tree branches wound their way across the front of a buffet, wood grain took center stage on case goods and botanical and garden motifs were visible in all forms from textiles to hand-painted designs to the metal floral sculptures of Tommy Mitchell.  Here is just a sampling of what was debuted at the Spring Market:

The beauty of nature is nothing new at Martin Pierce Hardware.  In fact, some of our most popular hardware designs were inspired by our natural surroundings and we have discussed that often on this blog.  One of our very first collections is the Hedgerow collection, inspired by the shrubs and greenery in our small hometown in England.  This unique design is available on both hardware and custom furniture pieces.  Here you can see the Hedgerow chair being used in the Four Seasons Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and it fits in so nicely with the beautiful and mountainous surroundings.

Included in this custom furniture line are beds, dressers, dining chairs and other case goods.  You can view our entire custom furniture collection by visiting our furniture site.

For more nature inspired architectural hardware collections, please visit www.martinpierce.com.

Designers can visit the showroom located at:

5433 W. Washington Blvd.

Los Angeles, Ca  90016

323 939 5929

Interior design trend alert: the art of chinoiserie and japanning

The art of Chinoiserie (meaning chinese-esque in french) is re-appearing as an interior design trend for 2015.

In and out of popularity since it was first introduced to western Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries, it is often found on wallcoverings, fabrics and porcelain  decorative objects.  Designs included depictions of life in the Orient, exotic birds and insects and plenty of floral motifs.  Its popularity was due, in part, to how well it complimented the then popular Rococo style of architecture and decor.  Chinoiserie represented wealth and luxury and names like Rothschild and Getty, along with royalty,  enjoyed its beauty in many of their residences.

In an attempt to imitate the beauty of Chinese lacquer, the art of japanning was later introduced. This multi-step process is time intensive but will give any item a distinctive style as you can see by the vine design japanned onto our limited edition Ascot tallboy.

You can employ this trend in large doses as the famed Elsie de Wolfe did in the 1920's in her own residence:

or you can add this historic look through the use of well-curated decorative accesssories such as vases, mirrors and lamps.

To view our entire collection of bespoke furniture and architectural hardware, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

Designers, please stop by our showroom located at:

5433 W. Washington Blvd.

Los Angeles, Ca  90016

Tel: 323 939 5929

Anatomy of a bronze door handle-part 3

Whew!  I am tired just reading about this lengthy process.  But excited about the outcome! Onward... now that we have “lost” the wax that melted out we are left with a hollow shell with the ceramic gates or funnels.  Try to envision a hollow wall around the body of the bird that we are now going to fill with molten bronze.

We will pour the molten bronze into  the shells and, once cooled, we are left with castings. The gates will have been turned to bronze and will need to be removed.  In the photo you can see the flat areas on the body and feet that are a result of the gates being removed.

These areas are ground off leaving behind a scar or rough section that will require further grinding to smooth them out.  The details such as the vein of a wing will have to be "chased" or added by hand.

In the next photo we show the top side of the casting before the piece has been assembled.

This beautiful representation of the magnificent jay hawk can be modified for use as entry door handles or hung on the wall and enjoyed as a wall sculpture.

To view our collection of architectural hardware, sculptures and custom furniture, visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

Design inspiration from Mother Nature

Mother Nature has certainly given us all a lesson with this year's extraordinary weather throughout the world.  Unprecedented snowstorms and below freezing temperatures have hit the eastern portion of the United States while unseasonably warm weather has wreaked havoc with winter sports at the Olympics in Sochi, Russia.  But, along with unusual weather patterns, she also provides us with extraordinary inspiration for color combinations, sculpture and other forms of artwork and design.

We often talk about how nature inspires Martin's designs.  For example, our popular Hedgerow  furniture and architectural hardware collections were inspired by the trees and shrubs found in our native England.  Our Ascot series of custom furniture features beautiful patterns of leaves and vines using the ancient japanning technique of inlay.  We offer many custom hardware pieces inspired by insects and other living creatures and Martin is currently working on new paintings that include one of his favorite subjects, the beetle.

If you are searching for design inspiration for a project, it might be a simple as taking a walk in the park, a hike in your local mountains or just open your own back door to come up with the perfect jumping off point for your color, hardware and textile selections.

To view our entire collection of custom furniture and hardware, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

Limited edition tallboy at home

Limited edition Ascot tallboy with japanning detail and custom interior shelves from Martin Pierce Custom Hardware

We recently wrote about how to choose between a custom or ready made piece of artwork or furniture.  We shared with you a bespoke version of our Ascot Tallboy designed for a client who wished to display and store their prized collection of 78 record albums and the vintage player.  Custom details included interior shelves and dividers cut to fit the record sleeves.

This limited edition piece is now in place and the client has graciously shared photos of it in use.

Martin Pierce Custom Hardware and furniture

The beautiful wood and japanning details really complement other pieces in the room and no one would guess that those doors hide plenty of convenient storage for easy access to the 78 LP's.  In my humble opinion, the perfect marriage between the old and the new.

If you would like to view other piece of custom furniture or our entire collection of custom architectural hardware,  please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

Custom vs. ready made or Why should I buy a custom piece of furniture?

Many people question the value of customizing a piece of furniture or hardware when a similar item may be available for immediate purchase.  Take a look at the latest incarnation of our limited edition Ascot Tallboy and you will clearly see the value of a custom piece. This piece was commissioned by architectural designer Jan McHugh of JBM Designs. Jan works in the Chicago and Indianapolis areas and can be reached via email at jbmdesigns@icloud.com.   This tallboy is intended for her clients who are the proud owners of an incredible art collection.  The interior of the tallboy was customized to hold their prized Victrola and store their valuable collection of "78's".  Coincidentally, this is #78 in a limited edition of 100 and it is going to be used to store 78's...clearly meant to be!

In order to properly support the Victrola and still enjoy the beautiful japanning details we adjusted the placement and allowed the pattern to wrap around the sides of the cabinet instead of across the top.  We also wanted to make the pull more of a focal point so chose to use the medium sized scarab pull from our Animal collection of custom architectural hardware.

martin pierce ascot tallboy number 78 of 100 side view

As usual, the tallboy is crafted from English brown oak and darkened chiseled walnut. You may remember that Martin likes English brown oak for the lovely golden amber hue and the "leopard spots", or dark brown markings that are part of the character of this particular wood.  These brown spots are a result of a fungus that the English brown oak tree suffers from or supports, depending on how you look at it.

The interior of the cabinet was also customized to house the sleeves of the unique record collection.

martin pierce ascot tallboy number 78 of 100 interior view customized for client record colleciton

As you can see, a ready to purchase cabinet would not have met the unique needs of this client but being able to request specific design and function details will make it possible for them to enjoy not only a beautiful piece of furniture but store and display their prized record collection.

To view other items from our custom furniture collection and our bespoke hardware collection, visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

The secrets of woodworking Part 4: custom furniture, the finished product.

In this series we have discussed the various types of wood we prefer to work with as well as the difference between solid wood and veneer.  Over the years we have created many beautiful items of custom furniture that reside in private residences as well as in upscale hotels and other commercial buildings.  In summary, here is a sampling of those bespoke items that are the finished product: Hedgerow line

Our Hedgerow collection of architectural hardware is one of our most popular and enduring designs.  Inspired by this, we created a line of furniture that includes our Hedgerow armchair seen here in a guest room of the Four Seasons Hotel in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  Other items in the collection include sofas, tables, beds and barstools, all built to your exacting specifications.

Ascot

Our Ascot line of furniture includes our limited edition Ascot Sideboard that features beautiful detailing accomplished through the use of the ancient japanning technique of inlay.  Complete beds and headboards as well as mirrors and other case goods in this sophisticated design are also available, all featuring inlay, chiseling and other design details.

Unique items like bespoke game tables, unusual coffee tables or exotic beds will add an element of customization to a residence, hotel or office space.

To discuss your own custom furniture needs or to view our entire collection of bespoke furniture and architectural hardware, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

The secrets of woodworking Part 2: veneers and burls

In our previous post we discussed the value and beauty of some of Martin's favorite solid woods-- cherry and walnut.  But the creation of custom furniture often requires the use of veneers to arrive at the desired pattern or design. As the name suggests, veneers are very thinly sliced cuts of a tree.  This cutting or milling, is a smart way to use woods, particularly when the wood is exotic or rare.  The tree or log is cut and milled depending on the individual tree's character.  For example, some are plain sliced while others are quartered.  This decision is made based on what is desirable and in demand at the time.  It is a bit like cuts of meat; some sections are more prime or choice than others.  Unlike meat, however, the beauty and preference of a cut is definitely in the eye of the beholder.

Once the tree is cut the veneer slices are called "leaves".  These leaves are sequenced and bundled together and those bundles are also sequenced.  Each bundle has anywhere from 16 to 24 leaves and we will typically use anywhere from 1 to 2 bundles to create a star burst design.

One of our favorite veneers is a thinly sliced burl wood veneer, often taken from the root of the tree.  These veneers are prized for their tightness of the burl, or swirl, and for the consistency of the color.  However, in designing our Hedgerow dining table we chose myrtle burls that were not so tight, offering more variation of color with hues ranging from dark chocolate brown to a golden honey color.  This allows us to create a more striking starburst design as you can see in this stunning photo of the tabletop.

Hedgerow tabletop starburst design crafted of burl wood veneers by Martin Pierce custom Hardware

When we began designing the Hedgerow Table we had a mental picture of how we wanted the starburst to look and the color range we were looking for so we contacted several milling companies and looked at live samples ( a sample from the actual tree) of the myrtle burl logs  that were available. We had to choose a log that gave us the “figuring” or burl clusters and color but were also wide enough to allow us to position our “pie” template and then select the best section from the bundle of leaves to create the stunning pattern.  While it is very expensive, we will typically buy an entire log so that we have some consistency in the look of our tables.  However, it will still be necessary to explain to clients that each table top is unique as it is made from individual bundles and the pie template is always positioned according to the specific properties of that bundle. Fortunately, as the leaves and bundles are sequenced, consecutive sibling bundles will be closer to each other in properties than later bundles, making it somewhat easier to select the right woods for each individual table or project.

For those of you who are interested in more detailed information about veneers and other veneer terms, you can find helpful facts at http://formwood.com/veneer-glossary.html.

To view our entire collection of custom furniture and architectural hardware, or to discuss your own bespoke project, please visit us at www.martinpierce.com.

The secrets to successful wordworking Part 1: our favorite woods

After nearly a quarter of a century of working with wood, Martin has certainly developed a few preferences in wood types.  In most instances, he prefers to work with solid wood instead of veneers and most often chooses walnut and cherry.

• Walnut:  Martin loves to work with solid walnut, the American cultivated variety that is hard and strong and  has a lovely range of tones and pretty grain as seen in our Morphic Sofa design.

  

   In the past we used Honduran mahogany but, while it is a beautiful wood to carve and has lovely rich red tones, it is endangered.  For this reason we feel that, if used it should only be used in veneer form where one tree will provide sufficient material for hundreds of furniture pieces.

• Cherry:  Cherry is a fruit wood and if you look at fine European antiques, many of them are often crafted in fruit woods.  It is a strong, hard wood, making it perfect for carving as well as for furniture.  Cherry will darken over time due to even the smallest amount of UV exposure so care needs to be taken to protect furniture from the light through the use of tinted windows, lined window treatments etc.  It's strength insures that it is not likely to fall apart even when enjoyed by someone of generous proportions. On this note, I once had a chair made of pine that I brought over from England that split under the weight of a very large dinner guest. Thankfully he had a great sense of humor.   Our Ascot lounge chair is crafted from beautiful and sturdy cherry wood.

• 

• Martins other favorite solid woods include English Yew, English Brown Oak, Brazilian Rosewood and Lignum Vita. The last 2 are very rare and England Lignum Vita was actually sold by weight.

Many of our custom furniture pieces are crafted with a combination of solid woods and veneers.  In part 2 of this woodworking series we will discuss our favorite veneers along with the process of selecting the right wood to create the perfect veneer.

To view any of our custom furniture pieces or our entire collection of bespoke architectural hardware, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com

Fun projects at Martin Pierce Hardware

We always enjoy working with designers and showrooms on their custom requests.  They often take our furniture pieces and tweak them just a bit to meet their client's needs. Currently we are working on "tweaking" five of our Hedgerow bar chairs that will ultimately reside in Hawaii--lucky bar chairs!  Through the wonderful showroom of Gaul Searson, designer Jacques St.Dizier of St. Dizier Design has also ordered two of our Seicho beds for the same project;  but we will be replacing the tamo normally used in the design with fabric.  One of the beds will be upholstered with Kalahari, an animal print by Peter Fasano, and the other bed will receive a Manual Canovas animal print appropriately named Safari.

The very talented showroom is Gaul Searson, whom we have written about before.  They are masters at coordinating furniture and fabric.  And we have worked with Jacques on several projects spanning a period of over ten years.  He is a marvelous designer to work with and truly understands how to customize  our different styles to give the client something special.

 The light colored and yellowish wood seen on the headboard and footboard of our Seicho Bed is a Japanese wood called Tamo, and is being replaced with fabric for these custom bed orders.

 One of our most popular furniture styles, the Hedgerow barstool has a swivel seat for comfort and versatility.

To discuss your custom furniture request and to view our entire collection of bespoke architectural hardware, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

Custom toy chest--part II

In our last post we shared the initial process of creating such a detailed piece as this toy chest.  You were able to see how Martin scales up his drawings on a simple piece of grid paper and how the end result compares to the original drawing.  But how does this:

become this?

This toy chest is crafted of cherry wood as it has a vibrant and lovely red character and is an excellent carving wood.  The dancing animals are carved directly into the wood with a variety of chisels, a labor intensive process to be sure.

With this drawing the design is outlined onto the wood and the correct chisel is chosen to begin the carving process. For example, a curved chisel for the back of the bear and a flat, straight chisel for the legs of the geese.  You "set" the chisel and hit the top of it with a heavy mallet that results in a clear cut into the wood where you can begin the carving process.  The “raised” animals are then carved with a variety of chisels to give them fur, muscles, and wings.   Some of the animals were covered with casein plastic so they could be gilded while others were left in natural cherry tones.  You can clearly spot the animals in the drawing in the finished product shown above.

The work involved in creating this amazing toy chest is what sparked Martin's interest in painting.  While he has not painted much lately,  he does like to create fantasy scenes involving very large beetles and wasps.  Until he begins painting more, I guess we are stuck enjoying his insect designs  in our Animal collection of custom hardware.

To view our entire collection of bespoke furniture and hardware designs, please visit us at www.martinpierce.com

also show swallow pull

Beds are trending at Martin Pierce--Part II

Here at Martin Pierce we believe that a beautifully decorated bedroom that provides a good night's rest should not be considered a luxury.  The most important piece in the bedroom is, of course, the bed and, as we mentioned in our recent post on what is trending at Martin Pierce Custom Hardware, orders for our custom bed designs are up.  In our previous post we shared our beautiful and exotic Rickshaw bed that offers a zen like quality to the bedroom in a sophisticated residence or boutique hotel. The look of our Hedgerow bed is quite different but also experiencing current popularity. This impressive bed is crafted from American grown walnut, a wood with a beautiful grain and color.  The bespoke features include a hand-carved footboard and headboard while a hand-chiseled "chip" carving detail on the posts provides additional texture to the overall organic style of this bed.

Two of these magnificent beds are finding new homes in the McNamara & Hirschman showroom located in the Arizona Design Center.  Since opening their doors in 1989, the name Mcnamara & Hirschman has become synonymous with quality and style and is the go-to spot for designers with a discriminating clientele.

If you would like further information on our custom furniture products or custom hardware, please visit us at www.martinpierce.com

Look what's trending at Martin Pierce....

While we are well-known for our beautiful custom architectural hardware that is so popular with designers, architects and homeowners alike, we also enjoy it when a designer sources one of our custom furniture pieces for their discriminating residential clients or hospitality projects.  Our furniture collection includes unique and functional items such as dining tables, chairs, armoires, buffets and beds.  Speaking of beds, based on the orders we are receiving, they appear to be a very popular item these days.   And why not?  The bed is the focal point of the bedroom and will set the mood for the entire room.    Trending today: The Rickshaw Bed

If you are looking to add an exotic and sophisticated feel to a bedroom with a touch of Asian influence, our Rickshaw bed is just the thing.  Crafted of solid walnut with hand-carved details, we allow the natural shades and grain of the wood to shine through with just an oil and lacquer finish; no stain is used.  A light and airy feel is achieved through the use of reed in the headboard and footboard.  This reed is literally woven by hand through small holes drilled in 1/2 inch intervals--very labor intensive but the final effect is stunning!

The Rickshaw bed is available in standard queen, eastern and western king and, of course, custom sizes when necessary.  You can view this bed at the lovely Gaul & Searson Showroom located in the San Francisco Design Center.  Doug Searson and Joseph Gaul have created a classic high-end showroom that caters to the design professional with a discriminating clientele.  Several Martin Pierce furniture pieces are on display in the showroom.

Limited Edition Aspen Buffet finds a new home

Thanks to ASID  interior designer Margo Montgomery Deane  (650-329-9087) of the San Francisco Bay area,#21 of our limited edition of 30 Aspen buffets has found a new home.

Ms. Deane has great appreciation for the craftsmanship and beauty of this piece and has admired it for many years.  She purchased it from Gaul Searson showrooms, long time supporters of Martin Pierce Hardware.   She was happy to be able to specify it for this special client and felt it "created a visual peace."  Her clients will be retiring and moving to the Lake Tahoe area where the Aspen buffet will happily reside.

A true work of art, the legs and frame of this buffet is crafted of solid walnut with the face and panels made from a vertical grain walnut veneer.  We purposefully lay up the walnut veneer to create a strong vertical direction allowing the piece to visually flow upward.  The natural tones of the wood are then gently lightened with a bleach solution to allow the delicate silver tones of the Aspen trees to stand out.  We apply the ancient japanning technique of inlay to create the aspen trees.  This process certainly makes these pieces edition worthy as it is a bit like buying a limited edition print except that in the case of furniture, each piece is a true original;  unlike a print where copies are created from a master.  We finish it off with our small chiseled pulls in a natural polished bronze.

If you would like to view our complete line of hardware and furniture and get the latest news on what is happening at Martin Pierce, please visit us at www.martinpierce.com.  And don't forget our new product naming contest.  You might be the lucky winner of two of our mushroom pulls.