Pairing Beauty with Beauty

Turning 50 can be a challenge but when tempered with a beautiful birthday present the experience can become a happy one.

Back in 2009 a close friend was facing this significant birthday so being  both a designer  of furniture and hardware, Martin Pierce decided to make a significant jewelry box.

As a furniture designer, Martin designed the Ascot series, a collection of  pieces using the Japanning technique to add gold and silver leaf to create Aspen trees  and vine leaves on his buffets and armoires. As its name suggests, Japanese artists and furniture makers developed Japanning to add richness and depth to their work using the reflective luminescence of gold. While the technique also became established in 18th century English furniture making, Martin only became aware of the technique while in  Los Angeles in 1996 making his furniture pieces.

For the 3-tiered jewelry box, Martin used solid cherry with silver and gold leaf. To add texture to the rim of the top Martin used a chip carving technique which he then gold leafed. Each side of the box has a silver leafed tree that is glazed with pigment to create highlights and shadows and to add a  more three-dimensional appearance. In the center of the top and on each lower tier a small butterfly from Martin’s cabinet pull collection is used as a pull.

Small Butterfly from the Insect Flying Creatures Collection of Pulls

Fine furniture making requires a knowledge of wood varieties and of ways of using these to advantage. In the Ascot collection plain sliced walnut and book matched English oak both with limited figuring were used as backdrop to silver Aspen trees and gold leafed autumnal vine leaves.

Open and closed wing moths from the collection of Flying Creature Cabinet Pulls

Carpathian elm burl and walnut burl are heavily figured veneers whose intense patterns require little adornment. In the piece below 1/32” layers of veneer were applied to a pre-shaped curved box made from medium density particle board (MDF). While not a fan of MDF it is a perfect substratum for veneers as it is stable and not prone to shrinking or expansion when there are changes in humidity. To achieve a tight bond the veneer was applied under pressure in a vacuum press with a  polyurethane-based adhesive glue.

Large Butterfly Cabinet Pull

How to Create Oil Rubbed Patinas for Bronze Door Handles

Our bronze door handles are offered in a variety of hot and cold patinas but the most popular c are our light and dark antique patinas. I hope to explain how we create these 2 patinas step by step using our daisy cabinet pull to demonstrate the process.

Plant Cabinet Knobs and Pulls

Over time bronze will develop its unique patina and its surface color can range from brown to black to blue or green as it reacts to the chemical properties in the local atmosphere and as the surface of the bronze begins to oxidize. With our antique finishes we try to emulate the brown and black surface tones to create a controlled aged appearance.  To do so we use a product made by Birchwood Technologies called   M20 Antique Black. Their solution, unlike pigmented stains, does not sit on the surface of the metal but rather through chemical conversion it creates a 3 to 4 micron thick patina.  However, before this process happens the bronze handle must be cleaned.

Surface Preparation

Our castings are first placed in a sealed and pressurized chamber and glass beads made from fine silica are air- sprayed into the chamber to remove  small casting burrs or rough particles.

We then remove even smaller burrs or scratches with a buffing wheel and disks, progressing as needed, from medium grit to fine grit disks. The disks we use are made by Standard Abrasives and made from a tough resin reinforced nylon fiber with aluminum oxide which acts as an abrasive element. Since the nylon web is un-woven it is more flexible and so will follow the contours of the bronze.

To remove fiber particles, dust or other surface impurities we clean the piece with an air pressure hose.

Patina by Conversion Coating

Using M20 we make our own solution using 1 part M20 and 1 part distilled water mixed in a non-reactive dipping vessel.  The piece is immersed for 30 to 60 seconds and then neutralized by immersion into another vessel of distilled water.  If,upon inspection, we see that certain areas have not reacted to the solution and are still bright we re-clean those areas and dip again.

Highlighting

As you can see from the # 3 above the chemical conversion creates a fairly uniform patina which is somewhat drab. To create greater contrast we gently and strategically burnish by hand areas with a fine nylon abrasive pad and thereby re-expose the golden tones of the bronze casting.

Sealing

To seal the bronze we use a soft cloth to apply 2 coats of oil and once dry, finish with hard wax. There are many  products to choose from but we have found Sculpt Nouveau’s  metal oil and black wax easy to work with see useful links below.

Usefullinks:

http://www.standardabrasives.com/

http://www.sculptnouveau.com/

https://www.birchwoodtechnologies.com/

Before, during and after- our drought tolerant garden update.

When we last updated you our backyard looked something like this--

And now, with the drip system in place

we have been able to plant many varieties of drought tolerant plants and this area now looks like this--

Before the construction--

And where we are now--

As you can see, our little ceramic birdbath remains part of the new design plans, which I am certain will make our feathered friends happy.  Some of the plants and grasses we decided to use include:

• This Golden barrel cactus – Iris beware!

• 

• Aeonium clyclops
• Agave
• Blue fescue - a hardy drought resistant grass

The next step will be to put down the decomposed granite and sand to create pathways.

We purchased all of the exotic plants from World Wide Exotics Nursery and the blue fescue grass from Armstrong Nursery in Glendale.

We will keep you posted as we complete each step of this transformation.

Have you altered your landscape as a result of the drought conditions?

To view our entire collection of architectural hardware, please vist our site at www.martinpierce.com.

Designers can visit the showroom located at:

5433 W. Washington Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA  90016

323 939 5929

A year in review for Martin Pierce

As the year draws to an end we thought it might be fun and interesting to take a quick look back at some of the new products we introduced in 2014. We began the year in a colorful way with the introduction of our Morphic entry door pull with a new hot patina color added that we debuted at the 2014 HD Expo.  This new option makes further customization of this piece possible for all of your hospitality and commercial clients.

Sculpture was the word of the year for Martin.  From the very interesting custom door hardware designed for a private wine cellar and modeled after the client's artwork to our very personal bust of our beloved pup, Iris, Martin created several new pieces for our clients as well as for our personal use.

We gifted a dear friend with this sculpture of her three-legged dog Dale.  Needless to say, she was delighted.

The beauty of the wood's grain is apparent on the completed bust of our Iris.

The artwork that inspired the design of our client's wine cellar doors

and the completed hardware with the unique feature of being double-sided.

And Martin continues to work on the Jay sculpture

We traveled quite a bit during the year seeking both design inspiration as well as much needed breaks from a very full schedule and were happy to share interesting details of these trips with you; in particular our dream trip to Barcelona Spain to view Antoni Gaudi's architectural masterpieces.

We are excited to begin a new year so stay tuned for new and exciting projects and products.

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

Add color to your custom hardware

 

Most of us are familiar with and expect oil rubbed bronze, stainless steel, nickel and brass finish choices when it comes time to select door and cabinet hardware.  But we are here to tell you that you can add color to your hardware.

Adding a specific color will not only add interest but it can offer other positive influences. For example, hospitality designers will appreciate the ability to incorporate a client's specific brand color to a project's hardware, thereby highlighting the brand.  If the hardware selection incorporates design features such as floral motifs, animals, bugs etc., adding color will allow these patterns to really "pop".  Our lizard pull shown below is a fine example of the impact color can have on custom hardware.

A subtle introduction of color can also have a big impact.  The effect is seen in the color we added to our Morphic cylindrical entryway pulls and debuted at this year's HD Expo in Las Vegas.  The cutout design offers the perfect opportunity to add color to this sleek and contemporary collection of custom hardware.

Is there a place in your next project for some color?  If so, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com to view our entire collection of architectural hardware.

Montaner treasures in Barcelona

The first few weeks of October found us experiencing the vacation of a lifetime in Spain with the first half of this remarkable trip spent in Barcelona. We traveled to Barcelona in homage to architect Antoni Gaudi who's modernist art nouveau style continues to inspire and humble Martin. However, before we even saw our first Gaudi treasure we stumbled upon the work of another key architect in Catalan Modernisme,  Domenechi Montaner (1850-1923)

His Palau de la Musica Catalana  was located near where we stayed and we found it by chance. We  were so astounded by the exterior that we signed up for the guided tour and took this video during that visit.

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The building is one of amazing color, texture and light. Decorated with natural themes often in the  form of applied ceramic and glass flowers and leaves, the style is so intense with color, movement and varied mediums that it is  almost like being inside a kaleidoscope.  I fear the impact must be overwhelming to those with subtle palettes. If one looks at the tiered ceramic layers that lead to the stained glass roof one is reminded of the Victorian décor that we recently saw at the Simpson house in Santa Barbara.

Montaner’s style, while not as unrestrained as Gaudi, certainly shares Guadi’s sense of fun and sets both of their works apart from that of their contemporaries.

The Palau was built between 1905 and 1908 but more recently the façade has been extended to include a Petite Palau in 2004. The new addition continues Montaner’s theme of nature but with the clever use of red brick which, ironically, was being built during the same period when Martin began designing his Hedgerow collection.  I say this is ironic as both make reference to tree canopies; in Martin Pierce’s case it is the canopy that forms the grip for the passageway door handle.

Hedgerow Collection from Martin Pierce Hardware

It's a bug's life at Martin Pierce Hardware

A while back we shared with you our quest to find inspiration for new projects we were working on.  You can review that post here.  Since that time we have welcomed some new family members to our home.  The purpose was to study their habits, their form and their nests but, truth be told, Martin is enjoying his new friends.

These are Hercules beetles that we have named Boris and Natasha as they joined our household when the Olympics were being hosted in Russia this winter.

Boris, the male is easy to recognize as he is the proud owner of a pair of horns of “Herculean” proportion, hence the name of the species.

Natasha is less flashy and a bit camera shy.  As there is no competition in the terrarium they have been forced to accept each other and occasionally we have witnessed something vaguely approaching amorous behavior.  Yes, we are definitely guilty as charged of imbuing these scarabs with human emotions.

What can we tell you about our 5 months with the couple?

• They like banana and mango and, most recently have developed a taste for peaches.
• They have very poor table manners.  Once they discover they like a particular fruit they quite literally immerse themselves in it and use their mouth parts, which look like hairy brushes, to suck up their food. They can remain immersed for hours.
• They are generally nocturnal and when we look at them in the daytime we spend quite a lot of time turning over mulch to find them.
• They need a very moist habitat so we spray water into the terrarium every couple of days.
• When they emerge from the soil they are dark but become lighter with exposure to UV light.
• Conversely, when they are sprayed with water they turn darker.
• As a result of all of the above we have a fair number of fruit flies that require we clean out their soil quite often.
• Last but not least, when you stroke Boris he hisses and Martin finds this “cute”.

You will recall that we gave away ten of our scarab beetle drawer pulls at the recent 2014 HD Expo.  Both Diana Kouzouian of Kouzouian's FCF. Inc., and Carlita Anderson of Josh Held Design walked away as the proud owner of their own beetle.

As a teaser I will let you know that Martin is currently working on a fantasy painting of beetles and I will share his progress as we go along.  So, how do you feel about these prehistoric creatures?

To view our entire collection of architectural hardware in beetle and other animal forms, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

Great news for hospitality designers attending HD Expo 2014

As with all of the exhibitors, we are very busy preparing for and excited about attending the HD Expo in Las Vegas again this year and sharing many of our favorite products, as well as debuting several new items.

We hope to share with you the prototype for our new LED lit entryway lever that we feel could be one of the most exciting innovations in hospitality design.  This hardware is not only beautiful but provides safety and function for all of your hotel, retirement home, spa and boutique hotel clients.

We will also be debuting our new powder coated line from our Morphic custom hardware series.  This new addition will allow you to further customize your client's spaces with a color that is either part of the overall design plan or represents and highlights their specific brand.

And, while we have been sharing the fact that we will be giving away ten of our dragonfly or scarab beetle drawer pulls, we have decided to double that and give away 20 of these unique pieces of hardware to the first twenty visitors to our booth #4659.  So be sure and stop by early, see our products, say hello and collect your custom bronze drawer pull.

You can view our entire collection of architectural hardware on our site at www.martinpierce.com.

Martin Pierce invites you to join us at the HD Expo 2014

Our invitation that recently appeared in the HD Expo newsletter:

Martin Pierce would like to invite you to come join us at HD Expo 2014.

Click here to register for free.

COME SEE OUR NEW DOOR HANDLES BOOTH 4659

This year we will be introducing our latest Morphic door handles in 316 stainless steel and bronze and will be offering you the choice of custom powder coated colors. We will also be debuting our first prototype LED handle, geared to those in the luxury hospitality market, we expect this illuminated design will become a signature statement. As a company we offer a full range of door hardware that includes trim for electronic key cards, bathroom and cabinet accessories and styles suited to all genre of boutique hotels be they contemporary, classical or transitional.

Booth: 4659 Contact: Anne Pierce, CEO Email: anne@martinpierce.com Phone: (323) 939-5929 Website: http://www.martinpierce.com

The first 20 visitors to our booth will receive a bronze cabinet pull!

10 tips to help you organize your trade show booth--Part 2

 

In our previous post we discussed all that is involved in being an exhibitor at a large trade show such as the 2014 HD Expo.  We have developed this checklist that may help you organize the process and actually enjoy yourselves:

1. Select the size and type of booth you will be renting.  Will it be a corner booth, how close to the entrance is it, are there complimentary exhibitors nearby etc?
2. Decide which pieces you will be debuting and which signature pieces to take
3. Design and make the plinths and mock-up doors that will display your pieces
4. Design the fabric banners that will separate and enclose your booth
5. Decide how much to spend promoting your booth at the show. This is in one of the most expensive aspects of the show as it involves upgrading your listing on the official website by adding images that can be showcased on the site; enhancing your appearance in the official Show Guide with a full page or half page advert; promoting attendance at your booth by means of a physical postcard mailing etc.
6. Arrange transportation for both you and your products.  Fortunately for us we are within driving distance so we rent a van and drive to the show 2 days before the show begins.  This allows us plenty of time to set up the booth.
7. Book accommodations – we always rent a self-contained flat so we can have our breakfast and dinner in a quiet and calm environment.
8. Rent a lead retrieval system so that you can scan and record details about people visiting your booth
9. Rent necessary chairs and tables from the show administrators
10. On arrival find out where you need to unload your van and if you are able to use the “caddie” system to get your products to your booth. This is very effective as you literally pay the staff by the trip to move your pieces on a small electronic cart. If you have larger displays then you will have to crate your goods, organize a shipping company and hope that nothing gets damaged. You also will have to pay substantially for what is known as “material handling” which is the cost of getting your crate delivered to your booth. We have been down this road before and as a result re-designed our booth to easily “break down” into easily manageable components.

We would love to hear your input on how you handle your booth as an exhibitor or what you as a participant look for from exhibitors.  And to view our entire collection of custom hardware, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com  See you in booth #4659.

Oh the joys of organizing oneself for a trade show--Part 1

When you attend a tradeshow such as the HD Expo there is always an Exhibit Hall chock full of pretty booths that proudly display the wares of the exhibitors.  The room is full of light and energy and is an exciting place to be.  But for most exhibitors, such as ourselves, there is a tremendous amount of work that goes into organizing and setting up the booth before the convention participants enter. Fortunately for us, the HD Expo is "local" (Las Vegas), allowing us to rent a van and make the relatively short 5 hour trip with our display in tow.  As we are a small custom hardware company with a somewhat high end niche product we are very “hands on” in the design, set up and time spent in the booth during the Expo.  Larger companies will often invest considerable sums of money to create very slick and elaborate booths.  By comparison, our focus is on showing key pieces and debuting new pieces; and while our booth is certainly pleasing, the emphasis is squarely on the product.

Martin Pierce is on hand, making it possible for hospitality designers and architects to meet him and personally discuss their projects to find out the feasibility of customizing our designs to meet their needs.  So you will meet both Martin and Anne Pierce in booth #4659 this year (as in prior years).

As I mentioned earlier, a tremendous amount of work and stress is involved in creating a pleasing booth.  Choosing the right combination of both signature and new pieces to squeeze into a 20'x10' booth is challenging.  It is for this reason that we attend just one show a year; so we search for a show that focuses heavily on the professional design community who are, after all, our patrons and those who specify our work to their clients.

We like to debut new pieces at the show but there is a process in deciding what pieces are ready for their debut.  There are several stages involved in launching a new piece including several prototypes necessary to get it "just right".   Add to this the marketing of the new pieces which begins with professional photographs, a digital CD (handed out at the show) along with a newly designed CD cover. And, of course, the website must be updated with these new products before the show.  Finally, we will prepare a press release that will get digitally distributed through the shows website.

Whew...I am tired just writing it all down.  In our  next post we will share a checklist that keeps us organized before, during and after the show.

If you would like to view our collection of custom architectural hardware, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.  And be sure and stop by our booth #4659 at the 2014 HD Expo next month.

1. 

2014 HD Expo Update

While we are very busy working on some new projects that we cannot wait to share with you,  we are also very busy pulling things together for our booth at the 2014 HD Expo that is just 60 days away!

We are anticipating a wonderful experience at the Expo.  The venue is always great (Mandalay Bay Hotel & Convention Center) and as we have said, we are looking forward to meeting up with old friends from past Expos as well as make many new friends.

When you stop by our booth #4659 you will be able to see firsthand many items from our custom architectural hardware collections and new items that we are very excited to share with you.  For example, if we can get through the bureaucracy involved, we hope to debut an LED lit door handle from our Morphic collection that will serve many of your clients in the hospitality and commercial industry.  And, the first ten visitors to our booth will receive one of our custom drawer pulls.  In the past we have given away frogs, butterflies and daisies and we continue the tradition this year with one of our dragonfly or scarab beetle pulls.  These little works of art will add a touch of springtime to your desk or cabinet.  See you there!

You can view our entire collection of custom architectural hardware 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.

Corrected HD Expo booth number for Martin Pierce

Ooops...my bad.  We have decided to occupy a larger booth at the upcoming HD Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada and our booth number has been changed to #4659 from the previously mentioned #4756.

We look forward to seeing all of you at the Expo where we will debut several new pieces as well as share some of our more popular collections of custom hardware.

How do you feel about free stuff?

When we say free, we mean absolutely free.  And while our hand-cast, custom hardware items hardly fall into the category of "stuff" we are offering a giveaway this May.  All you have to do is stop by our booth #4659 at the 2014 HD Expo and say hello.  The first ten visitors will receive one of the following: One of our medium sized scarab drawer pulls.  These creatures have an interesting and mystical history behind them that will add a touch of the exotic to your desk, closet or anywhere you decide to use this beautiful hardware.

For those who prefer a touch of springtime, our beautifully detailed dragonfly pull will add a piece of the garden to a writing desk or a hint of whimsy to the powder room.

First come, first served and we look forward to visiting with all of you.

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

How the study of insects can result in fantasy artwork

In order to paint, carve, sculpt or otherwise create a representation of something, research is necessary.  Imagine the difficulty of this research if your subject matter is an insect! We recently shared with you Martin's love of insects as a subject matter and his desire to pursue that more in the coming year.  This requires us to come up with ways to make the study of these creatures easier.  We have tried to grow our own-with no success-and importing them from overseas is prohibited as many are protected. We do, however, get many dead specimens from an amazing company, Bioquip, in Rancho Dominguez California.  To the entomologist, whether he be a hobbyist or professional, Bioquip is a bit like visiting Disneyland minus the crowds. One could spend hours there as the scale of their collection is simply breath taking,  The staff, not surprisingly,  have a keen concern for preservation and a deep connection with their subject and it shows both in their incredible expertise and their passion for bugs.

We have also photographed their habitat on visits to the local mountains hoping this information will lend realism to his paintings and sculptures.  And we have visited the local natural history museums for an in-depth look at the real thing.

Martin’s particular favorite beetle group (no pun intended) are those that form the stag group or lucanidae. There are many different  types of stag beetle that range in size and color but all  males have  distinctive antler like  mandibles that are used in display and in toppling other rival males.  They quite literally will turn a competing male upside down.  As you can see from the photos these beetles have an armor plated look to them and indeed proportionate to their size are literally one of the strongest creatures on this planet.  While these photos may not be for the faint of heart they do help Martin in his quest for realism in his fantasy paintings and in his sculptures.  And you must admit their coloring is beautiful.

You can view many "specimens" from our Animal, Lizard and Netzuke collections of custom architectural hardware as well as our entire collection of unique and bespoke pieces by visiting our site at www.martinpierce.com.

Countdown to HD Expo 2014

The countdown for what has become an annual trip for us, the HD Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, has begun and is on our calendar again this year.  We look forward to making this trek, seeing old friends, making new friends and, most importantly, sharing some new products with those of you who attend the expo. The 2014 HD Expo will be held on May 14-16 at the Mandalay Bay convention hall. Visiting this beautiful venue is a good enough reason to attend this conference. But, as in years past, the exhibit hall will be full of hundreds of companies sharing their newest products that they hope will make your job as hospitality designers and architects much easier.  Products range from architectural hardware and other FF&E products to items designed to fill the needs of an aging population to the latest innovations in countertop and flooring material and everything in between.

Once we are assigned a booth number we will share that information with you in the hopes that you will stop by and say hello and view our amazing selection of custom hardware that will enhance your current projects.  We plan on debuting a few new items as well like our Morphic handle enhanced with LED lighting.

In the meantime, you can view our entire collection at our site www.martinpierce.com.

Chinese New Year 2014---Year of the Horse

Another Chinese new year is upon us and 2014 is the year of the horse.  The official new year begins with the arrival of the new moon on January 31, 2014 amid celebrations that include street festivals and art fairs so check your local community to see what is being offered.

In Chinese astrology a horse year is believed to bring good luck and good fortune amid a wild ride of financial fluctuations throughout the world.  Whew!  In reality, that does not seem much different than every other year but I certainly hope the good luck and good fortune hits all of us in the interior design world.

As our products enjoy a worldwide presence we are hoping that the international "financial fluctuations" are all positive.  Here is a list of spots where our custom architectural hardware pieces are currently being enjoyed:

Candy and Candy, located in London, England, chose to have many of our cabinet pulls silver plated for one of their residential clients.  Also in England, the musical group "The Prodigy" selected our Bee passageway sets from our Netzuke collection for their studios.

HOC Architecture and Interiors out of Valencia, Spain chose several of our Willow and Hedgerow sets to decorate various suites in a spanish villa.

A residential client in Switzerland enjoys our sycamore leaf pulls in her home while artist Bruna Arpea from Milan, Italy chose various insect and animal pulls for her bathroom.  We are able to enjoy her artwork as well as we have many of her pieces proudly on display in the dining room of our home.

The W hotel in Singapore, through The Rockwell Group, chose our pieces to use in the entry and other public areas of the hotel.  And we are currently working with Anna Marie Chen of Deco Locks in Panama to set up a showroom and introduce our work to Central America.

Other projects scattered in various spots around the world are in the works and when we are able, we will be excited to share that information with you.

If you would like to view any of the products mentioned above or see our entire collection of bespoke hardware please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.  And we hope that 2014, the year of the horse, brings good fortune and financial stability to all of us.

Come and see in person how your custom hardware items are made

We are so excited to open the doors of our small showroom in Los Angeles, California to designers and homeowners alike.  We recently released this invitation to hospitality, residential and contract designers who are searching for just the right FF&E items for their upcoming projects:

COME SEE OUR RICH VARIETY OF LOCALLY MADE DOOR HANDLES Martin Pierce trade only atelier of fine custom door handles can now be viewed by local design professionals in the Los Angeles area. As our showroom is small we ask that you call to make an appointment to see our work in person.

Martin Pierce Hardware is an ASID Industry partner and we design and manufacture our custom and semi-custom door hardware here in Los Angeles using the lost wax method. The styles we offer range from contemporary to transitional to arts and crafts yet our work is original. We welcome designers to come and see our work in person at our modest showroom but ask that you call ahead tomake an appointment.

We look forward to sharing many of our unique hardware designs as well as the very interesting and environmentally friendly process of the ancient lost wax method.

To view our entire collection of architectural hardware and custom furniture, to make an appointment, or to download a catalog,  please visit us at www.martinpierce.com.

Which art form do you prefer--original or reproduction?

We certainly view our custom designed architectural hardware and furniture pieces as artwork and often refer to them as functional art.  But, fortunately for all of us,  art comes in many affordable forms.  Lisa Leonard from LML Art Group in San Diego, California shared some of her expertise to help you make the right choice for your project.

Original:  Original art is just what it says--a piece of art that is in it's original format. This would include a painting, drawing, sculpture, weaving, etc.   While prints or limited editions may be created from this item,  the original is always the first one produced.  In the event that no reproductions are made then the original becomes an often valuable one-of-a-kind item.

Limited Edition:  When an artist creates a specific number of the same piece and then destroys the mold, for example, it becomes a limited edition piece.  Each piece is numbered so that you are aware of the order in which your piece was cast or created. There are differing schools of thought on the value of the number.  With our obsession with the #1 in this society, some collectors feel that the lower the number the more valuable the piece.  Conversely, others believe that the final number in an edition is more valuable as it is the last one created.  For your enjoyment, Ms. Leonard recommends that, if you have a choice you select a number that is important to you such as an anniversary or birthdate or your own "lucky" number.  At Martin Pierce, we offer limited editions in some of our furniture and hardware collections and those can be viewed by visiting our site.

Print: Prints or off set lithographs are the most inexpensive form of reproduction. They are photo mechanically produced, usually on thin paper.  A good way to make sure you are receiving the form you are paying for, take a look at the item under a magnifying glass.... a print will show a series of dots that make up the image while the more expensive silkscreen will show a solid wash of color.

Silkscreens:  While silkscreens are also printed, it is onto heavier paper and with a time intensive process of paint screened onto paper with each color requiring a different screen until the image is complete.  Silkscreens are often offered in a limited edition, thereby increasing the cost and perhaps even the value.

Giclees:  Giclees are computer generated with ink jet printers similar to your own home printer.  However, the paper is much heavier and the ink (paint) is denser.  Giclees were originally printed as limited editions and considered quite valuable.   While they are more expensive than an off-set print, today's technology makes it possible to print them in vast quantities and they are not considered a from of original art.

The beauty and value of any piece of art lies in the eyes of the beholder but it is also good to be armed with some knowledge before making these very important purchases.

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