Copper Numbers

What is it about copper house numbers that add so much to a home? It’s not like they are flashy or obvious. Maybe that’s the whole point. I just love their understated elegance, especially when they are hand hammered.  It’s the whole handmade thing. I like thinking about the craftsman working on a piece, cutting it out, hammering it carefully. I imagine it’s a meditative flow like feeling as he’s working, adding the final finishing touches, rubbing the pieces to a dark rich sheen.  It’s really copper art when you think about it…

 

Decorative Throw Pillows – How To Get The Handmade Look For Less

Are you frustrated trying to find quality decorative pillows for your home? With so much merchandise being mass manufactured, where can you go to find beautifully crafted and unique throw pillows? Yes, you could pay designer prices, often inflated for name brands. You could also turn to one of a kind pieces, with even heftier price tags. Worse than that would be buying a cheap pillow that not only looked it, but was filled with a poly insert rather than a down/feather blend. You want style, comfort, great quality, and a fair price to boot. Is that too much to ask?

The embroidered pillows created by Ford Craftsman Studios could be the answer you’re looking for. Talk about the best of both worlds – David Ford has married machine embroidery to fine Belgian Linen, and the results are impressive.

By modifying his embroidery equipment to handle full floss thread thickness, plus using heavy weight imported linen, he is able to achieve a truly hand embroidered look to his collection of pillows and table linens for the discriminating home owner. The colors are rich and glowing, the linen is the highest quality, and there are many patterns to choose from. Don’t see your style? Need a unique color combination? No problem. Custom orders are welcome too. What are you waiting for – take a look!

 

Craftsman Style Light Fixtures – What I’ve Learned About Lighting

It’s very easy to underestimate the impact that lighting will have on Craftsman Style Homes. Using Arts and Crafts lighting fixtures in the right way will add tremendous “mood” and impart a bit of drama to your home that your visitor can’t quite put their finger on. Yes, period Arts and Crafts lighting is very expensive and out of reach for many people, but you don’t have to let that stop you. Take your time, spend a bit here, save a little there, be creative, and you will be surprised what you can accomplish.
What I did in my home was a mix… since it was new construction, I allowed for the usual pot lights recessed in the ceilings and put all of them on dimmers. In the kitchen over the island, I chose pendants with very simple clear shades. But to me where it really counted was what I call the “art glass”. Here I combined reproduction craftsman light fixtures with mid range antiques I collected over time. A huge reproduction Tiffany dragonfly lamp reigns over the piano, reminding me of a memorable trip to New York City with a dear friend. I’ve added a couple of Heintz Art Metal pieces to the great room and a table lamp with a reverse painted shade I picked up an an antiques show. That’s where the bigger money went. To those pieces I introduced quality reproduction craftsman light fixtures to the mix, and I even made a stained glass lantern for over the stairway when there wasn’t enough in the lighting budget for the one I’d wanted.

In my constant search for the unique and undiscovered, I’ve recently found an artist who makes incredible blown glass shades. He even forges the chains and bases used in on his pieces. I only wish I’d found him earlier. His scale is generous and prices reasonable for the exquisite quality he produces. I’d use his pendants over a dining room table, and one or two of his cathedral lamps on a fireplace mantel. Hand crafted artisan lighting is really a great way to add quality to your home, giving the richness of an antique at the fraction of the cost.

Remember to balance overhead lighting with pendants, table lamps, candlesticks and votives to create flattering light from many angles in the room. Mixing lighting fixtures by using various shapes and styles within the movement adds impact to any room.

My favorite way to enjoy the mood in my home at night, especially when entertaining, is to turn off all the overhead lighting, and just keep the art glass pieces illuminated. Oh yeah…there’s that drama again.

 

My Teco Pottery Arrived!

I’ve been waiting for my shipment of the new Teco Art Pottery Collection for ages. It’s selling so fast that the manufacturer can’t keep up. I wanted to carry Teco Pottery on my CraftsmanTouch site – but needed to see the product first. I have a couple of pieces of original Teco, but it has become so expensive, that’s it’s priced most folks – me included – out of the market. Now there is this new collection in 6 forms and lots of great colors, molded from the original pieces. I’m actually opening the first box containing the 4 Butress Vase as I write this post. Hope it lives up to expectations, here goes… (drum roll please)

Wow! I must say that it’s really nice. The soft green glaze is hand done and has that soft satin finish that’s not completely matte – it gives the piece life. This will mix beautifully with other pottery pieces in my collection. It’s a bit of a problem when I want to own everything carried on the website, but I couldn’t have it any other way. How do you represent products that you wouldn’t love to have in your own home? I feel great about offering these vases to my clients. Now I see what all the fuss is about!