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This mantelpiece surround was designed and built as part of an entire suite of furnishings for a 'Great Room' in a home on the Gulf of Mexico. The property borders a bird sanctuary, and the designers could not ignore the splendor of the birds and flowers in their natural habitat adjacent to and visible from the room itself. The marquetry design installed on this mantelpiece reflects the landscape, birds and flowers in the surrounding environment, and serves as a bridge between the interior and exterior spaces.
The marquetry installation was drawn and cut from over twenty different woods to match the color, tone and grain of the trees, plants, pelicans, herons, and roseate spoonbills it illustrates. While we do not repair or replicate the marquetry designs of other artisans, we are happy to create a unique image or landscape in marquetry or parquetry as part of a special project or piece of furniture.
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The Art Nouveau Display Case is one of two designed to mirror each other, as part of a complete and original 'Great Room' in the art nouveau style. The cases house a collection of art glass and pottery, in a room filled with natural light. The 14-foot ceilings allow for a dynamic sweep of line that lends itself to the overall design statement, continued through the other furnishings and the Art Nouveau Doors, windows and bar.
The design for the doors evolved from the client's interest in the work of the Art Nouveau architect Victor Horta. The project resulted in two pairs of doors installed in opposing entrances.
The Art Nouveau doors are built of mahogany wood, with egrets sandblasted into stationary glass sidelights that expand the views to the Gulf of Mexico. The carved fanlight above the doors is designed to suggest the omnipresent solar energy of the immediate environment, while carrying on the 18th century tradition of the clamshell motif. All the tempered glass used in the doors is hurricane-proof, and held in place with multiple hand-carved stops, which artfully hold the glass in place and allow for replacement as needed.
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This door was inspired by an executed work by the Belgian Art Nouveau designer/builder Hector Guimard. His architectural door featured a round frame that challenged our imagination, and served as the foundation for this design. We incorporated stained glass sidelights from award-winning glass designer Susan Pratt-Smith, a New Hampshire native who is an active participant in our design team.
Our door is double-sided - solid sapele frame with curly maple panels on one side, and solid sapele frame with sapele panels on the other side. The Florida architect for this house had to structurally reinforce their standard tropical styrofoam and gesso wall construction to anchor and accommodate this massive, class 6 hurricane-proof door. It will probably outlast the house.
Another very unique feature of this door is the outstanding gingko leaf-inspired lockset, that I designed and had executed by another professional associate, the blacksmith and metal designer Ralph Sproul. We had searched widely for appropriate hardware to fit this door, and finally committed to design and fabricate it with Ralph's expertise. This lockset can and should stand on its own in any design competition.
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This multi-purpose media center was designed to accommodate a large television set, playstation, stereo components, and storage for DVD's, CD's, and movies. It is built of black walnut with curly maple door handles and interior drawers. The design of the cabinet door handles evolved from the work of the Art Nouveau artist Alphonse Mucha, and suggest a music clef and notes on a scale.
Much of our casework - from desks to media centers to bureaus to armoires - have a primary function as storage. We pride ourselves on the interior fittings of our cases, as much as the aesthetic design of the exterior. We understand that clutter is almost always non-aesthetic, yet most of us have collections that we seek to keep, if not display.
If you have specific storage challenges, do not despair. Our foundation is in case goods, and we will be very happy to design beautiful furnishings to accommodate your stuff.
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This Art Nouveau mantle is hand carved in butternut, with a wide range of exotic woods and veneers in the inlay and marquetry. This design was inspired by the flowing lines of Art Nouveau period furniture, and the marquetry design was derived from drawings of flowers in the clients' award-winning gardens. This imagery serves to connect the interior and exterior environments.
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This Art Nouveau style cabinet is a lady's vanity with mirror. It was designed to accommodate wash basins glazed with calla lilies, and reflects the forms of that elegant flower. The cabinet was constructed of mahoghany, with abstract flower forms, carved and applied with additional pierced work to provide for ventilation, and was finished with a marble top per customer request. It was permanently installed in a narrow alcove as part of a bedroom suite. The matching mirror has hand-carved framing.
This cabinet was designed in response to a client's prior purchase of elements with a calla lily motif. As our ongoing resource is the naturalistic elements and sinuous lines of the Art Nouveau period, we readily incorporated the beautiful Calla lily into our design motifs. In this case, the stems of the Calla lily became the handles of the drawers, in a long sweeping line that crosses several doors and drawers and makes them as one.
Functional items need not be bought from catalogs, showrooms or plumbing suppliers. We work with many professionals to supply all of our clients' needs and desires.
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