The mantle was cast from an antique carved hardwood mantle in zinc with a dark patina and minimal polishing.

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The article outlines the before and after of the product… going from an empty upstairs space with white walls and minimal room to a beautiful Crafstman style study. Our contribution? A low wall finished in hand-painted black, gold and red tin.

In addition to the tin-finished wall, we also contributed a range hood in the kitchen which was not part of the article.

“Ups and Downs; High Life Below Ground” was the title of the article, and the complete version will be available to view online at www.designnewjersey.com.

For more on this project, see Jan Schmidt’s website at Dragonfly Interiors or the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts’s before/after photos of the house.

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. :]

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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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).

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The fact that the floors are clean in my shop means that I can produce some of the most stunning art for your home safely and accurately, so in essence I view the guy sweeping the floors and keeping it neat as my equal in this process… the great folks that have dedicated their time and energy into this company deserve more credit than I can give…

A few of the people who keep us running from day-to-day.

• Administration: Randi, Kim
• Promotion: Holly, Than
• Production: Josh, Joel, Tim
• Warehouse: Keith, Randy, Dino

… and so many more!

Bios of a few are at http://christopherleeplummer.com/company/people.html.

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.

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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.

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