emtek hardware inspiration

one of the best things about my dual roles of interior designer and social media personality, is the opportunity to be introduced to cool products and go behind the scenes of some of my favorite manufacturers.

so when my friend and colleague, tamar mashigian pr, asked me if i wanted a behind the scenes tour of the emtek assa abloy assembly plant just outside of LA, i said YES! there is something so inspiring about seeing product in its natural environment, and seeing everything all together at once never fails to open my eyes to new possibilities- and with two client kitchen renovations and a bath refresh on the horizon, hardware has been on my mind a lot lately.

this spread was laid out JUST FOR ME! i was like a kid in a candy store with so many cool options. good hardware can be just the finishing touch a project needs so this was almost overwhelming. almost. ;-)

 turns out, i was already a bit familiar with the brand, and didn't even know it- spec'd the egg knobs in my favorite flat black and the cylindrical pulls in nickel (in above photo) both on jobs within the last few years!

 i was able to see some fantastic "new to me" things as well, like these sexy faceted pulls. i'll be using these on a project soon i hope! they feel just a marvelous as they look, btw, a detail of no small importance when selecting hardware.

 look at the craftsmanship on these sandcast pulls- the metal is cast overseas, but the LA facility is responsible for quality control and all assembly, and also employs over 400 people here in the southland- yay for keeping jobs local!  again, this hardware has a marvelous heft to it, a sign of being well made.  nothing worse than a flimsy piece of metal to spoil the illusion of a well designed home.

 specifying door hardware can be tricky, but i was thrilled to learn that since all the knobsets are assembled locally, that if i want brass rosettes with my flat black knobs, emtek can make that happen! the options are pretty limitless.

 emtek is known for their chic crystal options in both modern and traditional shapes.

 and i probably took a hundred pictures of them in various stages of assembly cuz they were so damn pretty.

my trusty iphone also captured things like this traditional cast lever, something that i might not have considered before, but after seeing and touching in person is now definitely on my radar!

 these flat black knobs are so modern and chic, i am considering them for a classic black and white bath project (as well as maybe for own classic black and white kitchen!)  they are also available in a bigger version as a door knob that is so. damn. sexy. 

i even left with a door prize (pun intended). this glittery number i *may* have slipped into my pocket actually matches the original 1920's knobs throughout my home, so i'll be using him as a fun paperweight. ;-)

thanks for the inspiring factory tour emtek! and if you'd like to explore more and get inspired by this gorgeous hardware like i did, or find retailers in your area who carry emtek, please visit their website!

zhoujie zhang at gallery all.

whoa.  just received an invite to the inaugural show at gallery all here in downtown LA, and my jaw hit the floor viewing these works by zhoujie zhang. this is some serious sh*t. i love art/furniture that looks like it's gonna eat you. ;-)

on the case (cased glass that is)

i recently ran across this picture of a painting i painted way back in 2001. it was the first painting i ever sold, so i was proud to create it and then let it go. i also got a little misty when i saw my former collection of white cased glass, i used to accessorize the photo.

 ...which i later sold to one of my favorite interior design peeps, the talented molly luetkemeyer, and while i got a little misty seeing it in my painting photo,  i don't regret passing it on one bit, because doesn't it look great in molly's project?

 but it did get me thinking it's time to start another collection, or at least get some sources together for a future client project. maybe like this chic set of vintage italian empoli glass pieces from vmglasshouse.

or this set of vintage holmegaard gulvases from j. lohmann gallery.

 there are lots of great new cased glass pieces being created by artisans like joe cariati

 and though i was inspired by white cased glass, i'm absolutely crazy for these black and red pieces from niche modern.

so yeah, probably time to get on the case(d) again.  ;-) 

luxe minimalism at calvin klein home

a few weeks back, my friend, sara boyd, director of PR at calvin klein home invited me to meet calvin klein home's talented creative director, amy mellen, and celebrate the launch of calvin klein home's store within a store at HD buttercup.  much luxe minimalism was on display- and a lil bit was sent home in our gift bags too... thanks for the pretty pillow CK home!

while there, i instragrammed this big, gorgeous (and heavy) golden bowl and y'all seemed seemed to dig it too, judging by the number of likes, so when i got home i immediately hopped on the computer to see what amy has been up to with the new calvin klein home collections and boy, did i like what i found:

golden tumblers, GET ON TO MY BAR CART!

golden pitchers too!

and i would cut a bitch for 8 place settings of this gorgeous golden flatware (since i never have dinner parties, i could make do with one place setting i guess, but that's kind of lonely and sad, don't you think?)

lest you think i was bitten by the gold bug, all sorts of other chic items caught my eye on the site, like this chic cocktail pitcher.  truth be told, i probably like this because it looks eerily similar to my own 1960's vintage italian cocktail pitcher but mine doesn't have the groovy stir stick, so i'll gladly take this one too.

and honestly, gold lust aside, i think my favorite item on the site was CK home's signature fragrance candles, poured into minimal marble containers in black, gray or white. so, so, chic.

now hop on over to calvin klein home and tell me what is your favorite!

Add caption

spotted at potted

abigail stone, i spotted these cool handmade "nantucket" planters by petersen pottery at my friends' mary and annette's cute atwater village garden store, potted, and i thought they'd be perfect for the modern refresh happening in your living room. can't you see them in the bay of your living room window?

design by matteo zorzenoni

hell, yes.

more via interior design magazine

yes please.

stools/tables in wood and statuary marble by stephane parmentier; available at valerie goodman gallery, NYC. via maximum minimum

you'll thank me.

be still my heart- 40 watts of golden goodness.

saw this in enlightenment magazine, and i knew if you are reading this blog, you'd love it as much as me. so tasty. from bulbright.

the urban electric co: a decade of lighting excellence. (#UECo10tour)

this past november it was my privilege to visit the beautiful city of charleston, south carolina to receive an up close and personal introduction to amazing lighting of the urban electric co, as they celebrated their tenth anniversary.  i've long been an admirer of their chic lighting, but let me tell you, after meeting the the company's enthusiastic founder and CEO dave dawson, touring the UECo factory, seeing the incredible craftsmanship that goes into every piece, and last, finally being able to see ALL of their gorgeous products gathered in one place, i have crossed the line from being a mere admirer to being a rabidly obsessed proselytizer for the brand!

seeing a product go from a sketch on a napkin to a prototype to a finished piece is an unique experience, and on our tour of the urban electric co's very groovy circa `1906 factory space we got to see how it all unfolds, from start to finish. CEO dave dawson has a passion for american excellence in craftsmanship and it shows in work of the artisans in his factory. outside of some of the glass being imported from italy, all UECo fixtures are 100% produced in the charleston factory by craftsman who have passed through the UECo's rigorous apprentice to master program. i was particularly impressed as this kind of master craftsmanship is a dying art, but urban electric is training and encouraging a new generation of true artists to move forward with american made excellence. love this commitment to the human spirit, as well the commitment to keep things local. after touring the factory, i wanted to quit being a designer, move to charleston, and become the world's best metal artisan by taking a gig there. ;-)

but since i am far too old to quit doing what i'm doing and pick up a craft, the designer in me was super inspired by the urban's custom capabilities to make just about anything you can think up. many of their designer partnerships actually started because they worked with the designer to create custom pieces and it was pretty cool to see the extensive CAD files developed from a designer's sketches, as well as see the details worked out as full size 3D mock-ups by their rapid prototyping machines. truly the best of old world craftsmanship meeting 21st century technology. my mind has been spinning with ideas for custom lighting ever since my visit, most notably, a pair of sconces for my 1930's fireplace mantel since the originals vanished to the sands of time, leaving two papered over junction boxes. i've had a fantasy of finding something new yet sort of machine age deco to replace them but have never been able to source just the right thing.  since my visit, i've been sketching concepts, now that i know someone with the capability to do the precise machining the design in my head requires. of course, dreams don't come cheap, so i may be dreaming a while (years) longer but i am super excited to know that UECo can craft whatever i can dream up. a rare thing, that, and hey- good things are worth waiting for. better to wait for quality that to buy crap in a hurry, i always say. ;-)

i opened this post by saying i've long been an admirer of the UECo's fab lighting, but up until now, it has only been an admiration from afar. outside of a few pieces i've seen installed locally, i've only been able to view majority of their line on the web, so probably the biggest treat from me was to see all (well, most) of their beautiful lights gathered in one place. some of them were surprises in scale since i've never actually read the dimensions to actually spec them, but most of all, i was delighted to see the UECo's exquisite finishes up close in and personal. finishes, perhaps even more than the actual craftsmanship of construction, determine how good a product looks in person and UECo's do not disappoint. i was sent home with a big ass gift bag with all types of goodies inside, but i think my favorite thing was the complete sample set of over 24 different finish options and 10 glass options.  having these on hand is going to make the glam urban electric company fixtures much easier to sell to my clients.

urban electric produces many different styles of amazing lighting, from this historically inspired wall-mount lantern created by UECo's design guru, michael amato, for the restoration of fenwick hall plantation...

...to more contemporary styles with an industrial edge. there is something for everyone, but all keeping with UECo's overall aesthetic vision, and all with UECo's amazing dedication to craft.

UEC's master craftsmen, creating lanterns on the factory floor.

UECo's passionate CEO, dave dawson, explaining a welding process to our group, you'll notice my attention has typically wandered to the handsome young man actually doing the welding. what can i say? i'm a designer and my eye is drawn to aesthetically pleasing things.  ;-) 

urban's craftspeople are true artists, as you can see by the test sprays in their finishing room.

i was super-inspired by the raw materials in the factory and loved seeing them go from raw stock to finished product. very, very, cool to get this insider view.

globes for their hanging fixtures. i mentally designed a floor lamp using the half-silvered one during this stop on our tour. ;-)

even the factory signage shows UECo's dedication to craft.

look at the flawless details of this lantern designed by the talented amanda nisbet. (funny side note: i posted this having no idea who the designer was until amanda commented on my instagram "hey, that's my carnegie lantern!". small world, the internets is).

i've admired this steven gambrel chandelier, but have never seen it outside of the UECo website.

so was surprised it was about twice the size i had mentally pictured it, going by photo alone (the frame it is hanging from is about 5 feet tall). i consider myself something of an expert in reading scale from a photo but this is a good reminder to always read the dimensions before you order off teh internet! (of course, if i wanted a smaller version, UECo could easily make it, since they excel at custom work).

i was beyond thrilled to bring home a sample set as UECo's finishing is unparalleled.

i want to thank the urban electric co. for the opportunity to get to know their brand, and i'll be posting a bit more about trip as not only did the UECo family pull out all the stops to introduce us to their brand and designers,  they also showed us an amazing good time while wining and dining us throughout the beautiful city of charleston. stay tuned!