Parc Guell--the original gated community

As we begin to make the final preparations for our upcoming trip to Istanbul we are taken back to last summer's vacation destination of Barcelona Spain  where we looked forward to visiting and studying the works of Antoni Gaudi and other Catalan Modernists whom Martin has long admired.  One of our destinations while there was the Parc Guell, an area that could certainly be referred to as the original gated community!

Named after Count Eusebi Guell, what is now a public park was originally designed as a housing development inspired by the English garden city movement in which homes were planned around a community that was self-contained and included plenty of what we now refer to as greenbelts.  Visit any modern housing development and you will see this idea in play today.  Sixty lots were created with the intent of building luxury homes that took advantage of  the view and the fresh air, far from the smoky environment of the city. Count Guell chose Antoni Gaudi, a renowned architect of the time, to design the buildings and homes. Unfortunately, only two lots sold, forcing Guell to alter his plans.  He convinced Antoni Gaudi to purchase the "model home" that had been constructed and Gaudi moved in with his family and his father, where they lived until 1925, just a year before Gaudi's death.  This house is now the Gaudi House Museum and home to many of Gaudi's furniture and other designs.  If you are in the Barcelona area this historical museum is definitely worth a visit.

To view our entire collection of architectural hardware and custom wall sconces, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

Designers can visit the showroom located at:

5433 W. Washington Blvd.

Los Angeles, Ca  90016

(323) 939-5929

What was your most memorable vacation--as we revist past vacation posts

Summer is nearing the end and our vacation destinations this year have been relatively close to home so I thought it might be interesting to relive some of our past vacations, both to far away places and nearby: England

In September of 2012 we journeyed back home to England to visit friends and family.  We shared many of our adventures such as scuttling races, quaint villages and the beauty of both old and new London.  This is also where the inspiration for our popular Hedgerow collection of custom hardware began many years ago.

Spain

Fall of 2014 found us in Barcelona Spain enjoying the trip of a lifetime.  We spent days visiting and admiring the work of Antoni Gaudi .  His awe-inspiring designs are certainly inspirational and we spent many  enjoyable hours soaking up every little detail.

 Local

We have enjoyed many "local" trips to areas that include Griffith Park, Paso Robles, Santa Barbara, Idyllwild, Pt Reyes and a road trip that introduced us to the grandeur of the Grand Tetons.  The beauty of these areas never ceases to amaze us as we enjoy the wildlife, scenery and all that Mother Nature has to offer.  Many times our beloved Iris is able to join us and no one enjoys a hike quite like Iris does.

We are looking forward to more travel as we depart for Istanbul in late September.  We will be viewing plenty of examples of Moorish architecture and other sites and will be certain to share photos;  so, happily, vacation time has not ended quite yet for us.

What was your most memorable vacation?

You can view our entire collection of architectural hardware at www.martinpierce.com.

Designers can visit the showroom located at:

5433 W. Washington Blvd.

Los Angeles, a  90016

323 939 5929

A surface bolt and matching doorbell complete the Willow door hardware collection

Exterior doors are designed to allow you and your guests access to a building and make it possible to enter and exit said building.  And since every building obviously has a door, if not several,  people do not give them much thought.  During the design of the building you make decisions on door and hardware style, location and the finishes such as paint color and whether you want bronze or steel hardware.  But it is also necessary to consider security and ease of operation when it comes time to select your door hardware.

Door knobs, levers, backplates and locks are all part of a door's hardware and, like every successful team, they work together.  However, some door configurations require additional items.  For example, double doors for styles that include french doors, interior cabinet doors and dutch doors will also need a surface or Cremone bolt that is designed to keep one door in place when the adjoining door is open.  We have added a cremone bolt to our Willow collection, making it possible for you to fully coordinate the hardware in any space.  We recently paired this collection with magnificent Hedgerow Heroic Trees entry door pulls for a spectacular look.

Hospitality and residential designers alike know that attention to detail is the key to a well-designed space and the coordinating Willow door bell seen in the center of the photo above will add that all important detail to any project.

To view each of these collections, along with our entire collection of architectural hardware, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

Designers can visit the showroom located at:

5433 W. Washington Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA  90016

323 939 5929

It's a bug's life at Martin Pierce Hardware

A while back we shared with you our quest to find inspiration for new projects we were working on.  You can review that post here.  Since that time we have welcomed some new family members to our home.  The purpose was to study their habits, their form and their nests but, truth be told, Martin is enjoying his new friends.

These are Hercules beetles that we have named Boris and Natasha as they joined our household when the Olympics were being hosted in Russia this winter.

Boris, the male is easy to recognize as he is the proud owner of a pair of horns of “Herculean” proportion, hence the name of the species.

Natasha is less flashy and a bit camera shy.  As there is no competition in the terrarium they have been forced to accept each other and occasionally we have witnessed something vaguely approaching amorous behavior.  Yes, we are definitely guilty as charged of imbuing these scarabs with human emotions.

What can we tell you about our 5 months with the couple?

• They like banana and mango and, most recently have developed a taste for peaches.
• They have very poor table manners.  Once they discover they like a particular fruit they quite literally immerse themselves in it and use their mouth parts, which look like hairy brushes, to suck up their food. They can remain immersed for hours.
• They are generally nocturnal and when we look at them in the daytime we spend quite a lot of time turning over mulch to find them.
• They need a very moist habitat so we spray water into the terrarium every couple of days.
• When they emerge from the soil they are dark but become lighter with exposure to UV light.
• Conversely, when they are sprayed with water they turn darker.
• As a result of all of the above we have a fair number of fruit flies that require we clean out their soil quite often.
• Last but not least, when you stroke Boris he hisses and Martin finds this “cute”.

You will recall that we gave away ten of our scarab beetle drawer pulls at the recent 2014 HD Expo.  Both Diana Kouzouian of Kouzouian's FCF. Inc., and Carlita Anderson of Josh Held Design walked away as the proud owner of their own beetle.

As a teaser I will let you know that Martin is currently working on a fantasy painting of beetles and I will share his progress as we go along.  So, how do you feel about these prehistoric creatures?

To view our entire collection of architectural hardware in beetle and other animal forms, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

2014 HD Expo Update

While we are very busy working on some new projects that we cannot wait to share with you,  we are also very busy pulling things together for our booth at the 2014 HD Expo that is just 60 days away!

We are anticipating a wonderful experience at the Expo.  The venue is always great (Mandalay Bay Hotel & Convention Center) and as we have said, we are looking forward to meeting up with old friends from past Expos as well as make many new friends.

When you stop by our booth #4659 you will be able to see firsthand many items from our custom architectural hardware collections and new items that we are very excited to share with you.  For example, if we can get through the bureaucracy involved, we hope to debut an LED lit door handle from our Morphic collection that will serve many of your clients in the hospitality and commercial industry.  And, the first ten visitors to our booth will receive one of our custom drawer pulls.  In the past we have given away frogs, butterflies and daisies and we continue the tradition this year with one of our dragonfly or scarab beetle pulls.  These little works of art will add a touch of springtime to your desk or cabinet.  See you there!

You can view our entire collection of custom architectural hardware at www.martinpierce.com.

Join us at the 2014 HD Expo

My how time flies!  We are less than 90 days away from this year's HD Expo, held at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.  We have been excited to watch the anticipation grow as vendors post information about their new products and expectations for the event on the HD Expo facebook page. We will debuting a couple of new pieces of custom hardware including our Morphic cylindrical door handle imbedded with LED lighting.  Imagine how the addition of this lighting can enhance your hospitality projects by not only improving the appearance of the facility but also the safety of it's occupants.

And don't forget---the first ten visitors to our booth #4659 will receive one of our scarab beetle or dragonfly drawer pulls.  These miniature works of art will add beauty and luxury to your desk drawer and make you the envy of everyone in the office.

To view our entire collection of custom architectural hardware, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

An exciting year ahead for Martin Pierce Custom Hardware

A new year always offers up the opportunity to sit back and review the past but to also look forward to what the next 12 months might bring.  Just six days into the new year and we already have plenty of things on our calendar guaranteed to keep us busy providing you with the perfect custom architectural hardware pieces for your upcoming projects.  Here is a little peak into our 2014 agenda:

• Let there be light!  We will be hoping to light up our Morphic cylindrical pull with small LED lights placed inside the cylinder, and debuting this amazing piece at the 2014 HD Expo in Las Vegas.  This new advancement will be so useful in nursing homes, hotels, and residences for not only the aging or impaired; but for anyone concerned about safety or for those looking to add something new and different to their project.
• We will also be releasing a new smaller Morphic pull in bronze and debuting this piece at the HD Expo as well.
• We will be very busy at the Expo this year introducing you to all these new products, including a new Ergo inspired lever that will function for a glass door. In  most cases, lever style hardware does not work on glass doors as the latch has to pass through the door but we are in the process of developing a surface mounted latch that will enhance the beauty of your glass doors.
• Martin will be developing more of his art pieces.  His paintings are fantasy pieces that depict imaginary insects with imaginary human figures and will be offered in limited edition prints or possibly giclees.  Martin will also be moving forward with fantasy insect sculptures in bronze that will be released as limited editions.  Very exciting!
• As mentioned above, we will be exhibiting at the 2014 HD Expo during the week of May 14-16th and will provide more information as to our location in the Exhibit Hall etc. in the coming weeks.  This will be our fourth visit to this convention and we are looking forward to seeing old friends and making new friends.

That is our year in a nutshell.  What does 2014 hold for you and your business?

If you would like to view our entire collection of custom architectural hardware and other products please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.