RePurpose ReUse and Green Stuff - Iron Fencing

We've all admired gorgeous old iron fencing here and there.  And these days old iron fence panels or pieces can easily be found in salvage and antique shops.

I've seen all kinds of things made from them, but what I needed was exterior porch and stair railing with an affordable wow factor.

I can't say it was easy finding the right stuff.  I found antique iron designs that would work well, but there never seemed to be enough for my project.  Finding a fabricator able and willing to take on such a task wasn't easy either.

I met with many fence and railing companies but their ideas and mine didn't exactly match up.





Finally, a local salvage shop, Black Dog Salvage in Roanoke VA, had what I was looking for! They also gave me a name and fabricator that they thought could handle the job, Glenn Raulfs, Glenn's Custom Metals.

I did not hesitate in purchasing the old iron.  I had lost out on great pieces at this salvage store before, not this time!

Glenn picked up the old fencing and took it straight to his shop.





The next step was the design process.  We worked together holding up pieces of the heavy stuff and sorted out how to best put it all together -where to cut, how high, code issues...


Then came the measuring and measuring and measuring.  Double curved steps, custom made and not exactly the same, was a bit of a challenge.



Curving new iron top and bottom railings and top cap and getting the slope had to be done in the shop.  To do that, Glenn built two curved wood stair sections, to scale, in his shop. However, he did not fabricate the total iron stair system in the shop, that would have been too heavy and cumbersome to move.

Once he had the new curved upper and lower iron rails and cap he did more measuring and added vertical support balusters.  The antique ornamental balusters were all individually cut from the old fence panels.  They were cut at an angle on the top to go under the sloping curving top rails.  Each antique baluster of the stair railings is attached to a new vertical support that had been welded in place.

The iron posts on the porch and landing were next. The railings were attached to the vertical posts.  Railing was not attached to the brick house siding, but to another vertical post.  Bottom vertical supports, under the bottom rail were added for further stability at the longer section on the landing.

Once the posts had been set and screwed and mortar cured, the cut to size antique iron fence panels were placed inside the new top and bottom rails and soldered in place.  Sounds easy.  It was a lot of work and careful skilled craftsmanship.

  After this, the stair railings with all parts and pieces could be installed.  But not before more measuring and placement of the four posts, two each at the bottom of the two stairs.  Measuring curves and slopes for fabrication takes a serious craftsman.  Then there is the placement of the posts. The new curved top and bottom railing systems had to connect at two ends with little room for error.  At the upper and lower rails on one side of each stair, more iron pieces had to be installed for the transition from porch to landing to stair steps.


After the bottom stair posts were set, screwed and mortar cured and all transition pieces were fabricated and welded in place,  the new curved top and bottom stair railing systems were installed and welded in place.







A side note is that the existing light fixtures had to be raised due to the height of the porch  top rail and cap.  These lights were important in choosing the fencing for the railing system as the iron detail needed to compliment each other.  The stairs look amazing, if I may say so!  They are structurally sound and secure.

The very best part is that the railing system looks like it has always been there.

Re-Purpose Re-Use and Green Stuff: For The Love Of Vintage Lamps

Reuse those old lamps.  They are a dime a dozen at flea markets, junk shops, and consignment stores as well as antique shops, yard sales, and online.  You can find one to fit just about any design or decorating project in any price range.

This lamp pair recently emerged from my closet making a debut in the master bedroom (an eBay find a couple of years back).  A new drum shade lifted them from their previous era and a large hand painted finial (from another vintage lamp) complemented and balanced the proportions of new shade and old lamp.  This lamp is tall, perfect for a cozy late night book reading session.


The detail is exquisite and the metal base adds texture and dimension to the bedside tables.

It was the casual carved look of this ceramic lamp pair that caught  my eye (in a Spencer, WV Antique Store) for a den project.  The den needed a lift without a major expense.  These lamps took on a very different persona once the old huge shades they came with were removed and traded for others from a previous consignment store buy.  An ivory elephant finial was a perfect topper.  One already had new wiring and the wiring on the other was in great shape.  

This old floor lamp had been in the family for years.  A new silk shade (a smaller shade than would have graced it originally) provides a soft light, without a big old heavy floor lamp statement, in an otherwise dark corner.  This old three way light can amp up to 200 watts of task lighting, if you need it, or hang out quietly using only 15 watts for a little night light atmosphere.

A $5.00 brass Stiffel lamp (a Roanoke VA flea market find) perks up with a new linen shade and new wiring.  The brass of the three-way lamp has mellowed with time befitting the gentleman who uses it next to his new not old Stickely leather chair.  A three way bulb allows for good reading light.   And, low wattage use is possible when the lamp is only needed for general room lighting.

This sweet porcelain rose bud lamp found on eBay brightens up a guest bedroom.  Although the cost was similar to lamps now found at major discount stores, the quality and craftsmanship of this lamp is superb.

This low cost Asian style consignment store find is also of very good quality.  It can handle a variety of shade styles and would work in just about any room.  Here is graces an antique chest of drawers.  However,  with a different shade it has also graced an entry hall table of a modern clean lined home.

Occasionally, at least for me, it is the lamp that catches the eye, inspires, and waits hiding in the closet until I dream up a project to surround it.  My most recent vintage lamp pair purchase from "The Designer Consigner" in Christiansburg, VA fits this category.

These are now hanging out with temporary shades in a bedroom waiting for more designer touches.  I know this lamp pair can be spectacular with the right shades and the right setting.  They were originally vases, possibly French from the late 1800 French Deco and Aesthetic style.  They were made into lamps many years ago with hand painted wooden bases and perfectly fitted metal caps with a harp.  The harps on these lamps are permanent and somewhat limiting of shade height.

I love the warm tones of the bird paintings and I am challenged by the pink deco design with black handles.  The warm painting behind and the rich wood of the dresser are already bringing this lamp back to life.  Ah, but it can have more energy and current design style than this.  I can hardly wait!  These are one of those finds that will inspire a complete room redo...

...and there are more great finds still waiting in the closet.

Color and Other Design Horror Stories -

1930's Metal Furniture In A Guest Room Friends and Family Will Enjoy

What was once very cool and even, awesome, can be quite the opposite some years later.  Take for example these two metal side tables.  They spent their first years as trendy metal furnishings with a painted blond wood "look" that was quite the rage of the times.  You see them here in their second life having been used by different owners and painted light colors.

Using these today, as is, even if they were the now famous designer pieces which they are not, for bed side tables in a guest room  would qualify as a Color or Other Design Horror Story, for sure.  But that is the point, exactly.  Color and Design can take the horror out of the story.

Metal, old looking office furniture type pieces don't have a rightful place in today's spa-inspired oasis bedrooms.  However, these pieces have nice clean lines and they are sturdy enough to handle anything a guest might set up on them -including themselves.

The challenge was deciding how to alter the look and use them in a guest room.  A paint job made to look like wood didn't do much for them the first time around and probably wouldn't now.  However, textured paint in a rich deep color went a long way in altering the flat metal  antique file cabinet effect.  We used a hammered metal look spray-on paint in dark brown.




Adding a bit of whimsey and a more current style, we painted silver stripes over the top and sides.

These pieces never had a drawer.  Painting the interior dark brown blended it without calling too much attention to it, providing easy access for a book or magazine.


Since individual pieces are rarely viewed alone in a space, soft furnishings, textures, color, pattern and other design elements can be used to balance and harmonize.

 In this space, the brown stripes and legs of the table repeat the dark shape of the floor lamps.  The silver repeats the silver of the base of the lamps and balances soft warm gold colors found throughout the space.  The cool silver also bounces some light into the space and at the bedside from the windows.  The dark brown of the tables play off the leather headboard nicely and the stripes keep the pieces and the space from seeming too heavy with brown furniture.

This bedroom is over a garage with it's own private stairway and bath.  We wanted the space to maintain a sense of hidden surprise (as stairs and all are well hidden from the rest of the house) while being inviting with comfortable unexpected country elegance.  Spa-like settings provided some inspiration, however, this bedroom reflects the rambling interior architecture of the home and its country surroundings.

The tables are small and the stripes add interest to the tops, they don't require much in the way of accessories.  A simple water pitcher and/or fresh flowers reveal an interest in the comfort of the occupants.  Uncluttered surfaces leave respectful places for their things during their stay.

Items that are personal to the home owners, in a guest space, can sometimes make guests feel as though they are imposing upon personal territory.  Using a spa as inspiration for this space helped keep the focus on the guest.  Spas are for the client.  When there are extra rooms available for overnight guests -they should be for the guest.    They should be inviting and comfortable and not too fussy, assuring the stay is memorable for all the right reasons.
 

 

Design Finds One of a Kinds Trash or Treasure - Antique Lamps and Pencil Drawing

Italian Antique Lamps and a contemporary Russian Pencil 'Study' frame a Thomas O'Brien Collection Sofa in an American Colonial Style Home...Juxtapose!

Many years ago I was a guest in a private home in Loussane, Switzerland.  This was a  large modern town home with more sprays in the shower than American manufacturers have thought of to date.  But what struck me most was the juxtaposition of antiques, art, modern, and whimsy in the main living space.  Imagine museum quality historical oil paintings with Mid-Century lamps, sectional sofa, an over-sized porcelain tennis shoe, museum quality antiques, small religious paintings, and a leather love-seat in the shape of a baseball player's catcher's mitt.

The whole idea of this type of harmonious existence with such extremes in style excited me.  It made me feel alive, current yet connected to the past, serious, and at the same time ready for fun.  What a fete!  As an interior designer, I now love mixing it up and don't even blink when my clients tell me of their diverse tastes and requirements.



The common knowledge of how colors can pull things together is at work in these project photos.  The greens of the cushions, couch, and lamps are close in hue (actual color) with variance in darkness to lightness and also the intensity of the color.  So they work well together even though the greens are not an exact match. The rust color of the more traditional pattern cushion, the fringe of the brighter green cushion, and the oranges and yellows in the lamps are close to red on a color wheel which is opposite green and therefore a contrast with green.  You can often "slide" to close colors when choosing items and this will give a more complex harmony. This is not quite as simple as it sounds.  It helps to use a good color wheel or better yet have an understanding of a three dimensional color theory such as the Munsell Color System and to have a color scheme in mind.

The couch is actually similar, in light to darkness, to much of the gray in the pencil drawing and the frame itself.  This is called light to dark value and it is likeness in value that helps this clean lined couch look nice beneath the more elaborate drawing and frame.  But it is not color that relates the lamp to the drawing, it is pattern and repeated elements.  There is a busyness and luxurious fullness in pattern to both so they are alike in their forms, both within the lamp and drawing and of the lamp itself with elements in the drawing.


The couch is also a contrast in style to the drawing and lamp.  Opposites will often balance and look nice together.  The style of the end table/bookcase is the same as the couch, working the same way with the lamp and drawing.  The dark gray of these can be found in the drawing as well, again pulling color to help with the harmony.  Dark colors are very grounding and the end table/bookcase help ground everything and make all parts seem connected to the larger whole.

It is the 'unfettered' six over six colonial style windows that work with the clean lines of the sofa and couch.  Still, we see them as traditional windows fitting in style to the urn shape of the lamps and the style of drawing and frame.  The clean lines of the window, trim and mullions as well as the rectangle shapes relate to the end table/book case and the couch in shape and form.  The nubby texture of the couch is in contrast to the smooth finish of the drawing glass and the slick surface of the end table/book case but in likeness to the lamp as the holes and cutouts give the look of a pebbly texture.

As for whimsy, well, it doesn't have to shout whimsy.  Take a look at the books, Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, Ants...the small dog, an antique demitasse cup and saucer, a bright silk cushion with long fringe

It is rarely one thing that will make a space harmonious.  Sometimes there are so many elements at play that it is mind boggling.