In between some of the larger projects we have scheduled, we’ve been working on a series of accent pieces for the Southern show house we plan on opening in Beaufort, SC, later in the year. This week’s projects included an ornate cast zinc mantle and a floating table with a tin top.
The mantle was cast from an antique carved hardwood mantle in zinc with a dark patina and minimal polishing.
Sometimes we make things that are so absolutely amazing, we just can’t seem to part with them… and this piece is one of them.
The photography below shows the diversity of a piece like this.
This 3 foot by 6 foot zinc desktop is by far one of my favorite designs so far! It’s decorative beaded edge is a beautiful contrast against the simple base.
But even better yet? We sat the desk atop one of our finds from the antiquing in Brimfield, MA we had recently blogged about. These legs were once the bottom to an old drafting table.
Yes, a drafting table…
I love working around such pretty things. :]
The Hamptons are infamous for beautiful vacation homes by the beach. Many people dream of owning one of these properties… And others dream of designing one. Personally, I’m not quite sure which would be better - Maybe if I could design my own? Recently we were given the opportunity to add our own personal touch to one. Unfortunately the home wasn’t ours, but now this residence in the South Hamptons has a little piece of CLP Design… actually, a few pretty big pieces. And we’re not even finished yet.
First we got to build and install one of our slip-cast, zinc bar-tops.
This 12′ x 4′ L shaped bar top incorporates a drink rail and has a rich patina with a beaded edge detail. When I own my own home in the Hamptons, you can bet I’ll have one of these. The antiqued feel of the bar adds to the historical value of the piece. Isn’t that what’s most special about these bars? They ARE beautiful, but also an amazing piece of history and a reminder of simpler days.
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Just got some beautiful installation photos from a customized Lautrec style range hood with a light weathered bronze finish we did earlier in the year. The floral frieze was built up with layers of stamped metal similar to the way a wood hood would be built — just a whole lot heavier. This hood was finished in a very light tone and a satin finish to set off the dark cherry cabinets and granite counters. Speaking of which, I’m a little bit in love with these cabinets, especially the island corbels. Will have to find out who made them and post that information in an update.
Last month, Chris and Randi took a three-day road trip with Jay Lowe up to the Brimfield Antique Show, the largest outdoor antiques market in the country. We’d heard about this near-legendary show before—Jay has been going there every year since he was a child—but hadn’t checked it out. Held three times a year (May/July/September) in the small Berkshires town of Brimfield, MA, the Show extends for more than half a mile with vendors set up as much as 500 feet deep on either side of Route 20.
Our visit was mainly motivated by curiosity about the market for some of the metal furniture that we’ve been interested in — we knew there must be people doing something similar in style to the ultra-heavy zinc and cast-iron tables we’ve been developing, and we wanted to see what was out there, who was looking for it, and what else they were buying. There was some nice metalwork there - some of the most interesting was a series of beautiful steel and wood tables from Cleveland Art with a workbench aesthetic that were way underpriced. (Very similar to what we’re doing, just needed a little more polish.) Also saw some interesting metal mantle frames and mirror frames.
But the big story of the event was the shopping spree. Somehow we ended up with a truck and a van full of antiques like these:
About a dozen sewing machine bases from Singer and a number of forgotten brands. Massive cast iron legs that once held up who knows what kind of industrial equipment. Some wonderfully rusted specialized machines, like foot-pedal lathes and staplers. Hydraulic tables and mechanically adjustable drafting boards. In short, everything a steampunk could dream of for their home. And that’s not even beginning to catalog the purely decorative pieces - cast iron buffalo heads, fence pilasters and column bases, and mantle decorations.
We’re building an entire line of furniture from these pieces. Here’s an interesting piece designed as a dining room table that combines industrial brute strength with the elegance of zinc:
Close-up of details:
Like some red-eyed Antiquinator, we’ll be back. Next time, though, we’ll have enough furniture to sell to cover our shopping spree.
More information about the Brimfield Antique Show (site only works in Internet Explorer).
Earlier in the year, we worked on a zinc bar for the Potenza, a rustic southern Italian themed restaurant and bar in downtown Washington, DC. Early this morning, we stopped back in to inspect how the surface was holding and look at a few areas which will need touch-up. Of course I took the time to snap some pictures!
The Potenza is located in the Woodward Building at 15th and H St, NW. The latest venture from Stir Food Group, who also run the acclaimed Zola Restaurant a few blocks away, the Potenza serves breads, pastas, wine, and desserts in a comfortable setting. From the restaurant’s web site:
Prepare yourself for a place steeped in tradition, comfort and warmth. Located in the historic Woodward Building, architectural details are preserved, incorporated into a space that houses an active open kitchen. It’s a feeling of old world detail that you might expect to find in Foggia, Italy.
The combination of old world charm and exquisite dining draws you into the surroundings and energy of the inviting room, the unique food and the matchless service.
We just got photos back from a couple more early slip-cast countertop projects. Time for Show and Tell!
This first job was very simple, a straightforward seven foot long slab of cast zinc to be used as the front bar in a basement den. This was the very first slip-cast counter we sold, and it looks beautiful! The homeowners had actually already ordered a top bar from their granite manufacturer, which they cancelled after seeing our samples and hearing the story of the process — hows that for a great client satisfaction story?
While our bar was fairly simple, we think that it integrated perfectly into the surroundings. We didn’t do the installation, so these photos were the first we actually saw of the completed room. The barrel stave stools and pendant lighting from Napa Style really help bring everything together, too. Beautiful use of metal as an accent material.
I spent a few minutes this afternoon leaning over the shoulder of our always busy CAD guy, Nathaniel (who actually does much more than just the CAD work on our designs) to take a look at some new stuff we’ve had our hands on recently. That’s another thing that took me just a few days to figure out… We seem to get our hands into EVERYTHING!
This is a rough concept sketch of a seating area in an outdoor courtyard. The zinc benches have integrated trays for growing wheatgrass in the armrests and the planters and table are built as modular components which can be stacked and arranged in a number of configurations.
Another week, another order of zinc planters complete and ready to ship. These rounded pots are slightly more expensive than the cube-shaped planters we’ve done before, but as accent pieces for a rooftop garden or a grand entrance, they’re well worth it. We’re gearing up for a major order of 135 zinc planters which will go to none other than Sasha Fierce herself… Beyoncé!
In other news, we’ve had so much success working with Jay and Connie Lowe on their own house that we’ve managed to convince them to work with us on designing new home decór accents. Nobody has a better eye in picking out antiques to repurpose than Jay, and Connie has such a beautiful finishing touch with a paintbrush that it seemed like a shame not to promote their talents. We’ve posted plenty of photos of their amazing house here and here, but if you can stand to see more… just look at these tables we worked on: Read the rest of this entry »
Here’s a project we finished last week. Jay and Connie Lowe, probably our favorite clients ever, had been talking about remodeling their sitting room addition for some time. Originally intended to be a year-long project, their plans had to be hastened after they agreed to host a fundraiser for the Pennsylvania Academy of Music. Like most of their work, this remodel started with a couple of found antiques—in this case, an 8 foot wide gold-leafed fireplace mantle which they cut to fit their existing fireplace, a pair of massive wood corbels which were used as the base for the bar, and a large display case which Connie added mirrors to and antiqued with similar gold leafing.
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