Feeney Gives Stairs Pizzazz

Feeney Inc. has been around since 1948 when it was established as a post-war maritime rigging company making industrial wire rope. The Ralston family bought it in 1979 and the company now makes cable and rail systems.

But they recently announced some great new alternatives to wire rope cables. Feeney now features resin and laser cut infill panels to use with their rail systems!

The acrylic panels come with many different materials such as handmade paper and natural grasses sandwiched between two sheets, to offer a variety of looks and textures for different styles and applications.

And the laser cut designs come in an array of colors. (That Kona coffee bean design would be a cute detail in a café!)

Happy designing!

Samsung's New Finishes

This month Samsung is unveiling two new finish colors! In their press release, they say:

"Samsung changed the look of the kitchen when it introduced Black Stainless Steel, offering consumers a new stainless with cool tones and a sleek, modern look that quickly became the design trend of the modern kitchen. This year Samsung introduces the new neutral for 2019 – Tuscan Stainless. Inspired by warm, earthy tones, it combines a variety of natural hues for a warm grayish-bronze hue that blends seamlessly with any kitchen environment. Tuscan Stainless will be available across refrigerator, dishwasher, cooking and microwave oven models starting in May. A new Family Hub Refrigerator model in this new color will be available in August.

When it comes to laundry, no longer is the laundry room just a utility space, but a room where designers and homeowners carefully consider color, décor and functionality. Keeping with the warmer tones utilized by designers today, the new washers and dryers will be available in a stunning new champagne finish that turns the mundane laundry room into a space as beautiful and functional as the kitchen."

Happy designing!

Tillys: Bespoke Drapery Hardware

This line of sleek, modern drapery hardware is made by Tillys of England and includes some pieces that are more like sculpture! Started in 1800 by Mr. G. Tilly, the company was originally a Naval Outfitters in Portsmouth Harbour.  Mr. Tilly's tailoring skills led him to branch out into civilian clothing including hats and gloves. It wasn't until the 1970s that Tillys branched out into the interior design industry, creating soft goods and window treatments.

Today, they continue their bespoke interior design business by making a gorgeous line of both traditional and modern drapery hardware. I was particularly impressed with their Modern Wood line with its dovetail detailing as well as the Barre Couture line. Both would make a wonderful addition to any contemporary space.

Happy designing!

Get An Instant Vintage Look With Pressed Tin Ceilings

One of the most overlooked areas in a home is the ceiling plane. Since it's not in our immediate view, the ceiling takes a backseat to wall color, wall decor, and of course any furnishings and rugs we may put into a room. But turning that overlooked plane into a focal point can do wonders to liven up a space. There are many options for a ceiling finish including paint, wallpaper, plaster, and relief details. Depending on the material and how it is applied, it can enhance a space concept, making it more modern or rustic or fun...or even vintage!

And a material that says vintage like no other is pressed tin.

Introduced in the late 1800s, embossed tin plates imitated carved and molded plasterwork from the finest European and American homes but at a reduced cost since they were machine made. They were a popular feature in many commercial and residential buildings of the period because the Industrial Revolution and the proliferation of the railroad helped to disseminate this product all over the country.

Below are some photos of actual pressed tin ceilings during this period. First we see a view of the saloon at the Columbian Hotel in Trinidad, Colorada, sometime in the late 1800s.

And here are two views of private homes with pressed tin ceilings: a sitting room and a music room...

Of course pressed metal ceilings fell out of favor with the coming Arts and Crafts and Streamline Moderne (Deco) movements but they have made a resurgence in recent years in both commercial and residential applications. Thy can be ordered in a variety of metal colors and are paintable.

Restaurants like to use the material to reference a sense of a by-gone era. Below we can see a photo of a pressed tin ceiling in the Greenwich Village restaurant Tavern on Jane. The vintage-style milk glass schoolhouse pendants look wonderful against the tin.

And here is a fun view of a seating area in the restaurant and bar Kettner Exchange in San Diego featuring large-format copper colored tiles.

Pressed tin ceilings look particularly good in kitchens. They truly lend themselves to an old-time, antique sense of Americana. White cabinetry with beadboard panels, vintage light fixtures, and wood floors recall a time long gone.

Pressed metal ceilings can be used in any room. In fact, I am currently specifying the material in a rustic but luxurious master bathroom design for a client.

For applications in places like a master bathroom or even as a kitchen backsplash, PVC tiles that are engineered to look like pressed metal are a great option since they are easy to clean or wipe and won't rust.

There are also versions that can be used in dropped ceilings for commercial projects with T-bars already installed.

Happy designing!

Know Your Chairs: The Tolix

One of the most classic modern chairs to come not from a designer per se, but a manufacturer is the Tolix chair, created by Xavier Pauchard in 1934. The son of a roofer and zinc worker, Pauchard introduced to France in the 1920s a way of galvanizing steel that involved dipping the material in molten zinc. This imbued a protective layer onto the steel which made it highly durable and resistant to rust and wear and tear from the elements. He expanded his sheet metal business to include household goods, and then in 1927 he trademarked the name Tolix and added a line of chairs and stools.

Xavier Pauchard

Because the metal was so hearty and able to withstand sun, rain, and temperatures, Tolix chairs and stools became the natural choice for French cafés and bistros. They were also stackable, allowing cafés and bistros to store the chairs much easier. The lightness made them easy to move as well.

The original A chair is the classic.

Xavier Pauchard also designed an accompanying chair with a wider back, called the AC chair (now called the Marais A chair).

And in 1956, Xavier's son Jean designed an arm chair version called the A56.

Although you can still see Tolix chairs in use at Parisian cafés as well as restaurants here in the States, we now see them in interior residentail applications. Their industrial look is a great foil for use next to chairs from other periods or made out of different materials. Remember Design Mantra #1: "Contrast brings interest." Look at the images below to see the many inspiring ways this classic chair can be paired and utilized.

Vintage Tolix chairs with some wear (and a wee bit of rust) are highly prized and can be found at auction. But Tolix still manufactures their chairs in a variety of styles and shapes...and in either plain galvanized steel of in a wonderful array of colors.
http://www.tolix.fr/
Here in the States, their major distributor is Design Within Reach.
http://www.dwr.com/

Happy designing!