desert wildflowers

Wildflowers offer inspiration for custom hardware designs

We have always been intrigued by the beauty and the variety of California wildflowers and other indigenous plants, as evidenced by many of the designs in our Flora custom hardware collection. Daisy drawer pull by Martin Pierce Custom Hardware

Like many areas of the country, southern California has a wildflower season that begins sometime in the early spring.  The first blooms and the duration of the wildflower viewing season are determined by the weather, specifically the amount of rainfall the area receives during the year.  The drought continues to be in effect, even with the recent rains we have enjoyed, but we are looking forward to some cooler days and more precipitation to enhance the blooming season.  This photo, taken in May 2014 shows just how beautiful the hillsides are when the poppies take over in all their citrus colored glory!

Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve courtesy of desertusa.com

The succulents that grow in the desert also flower and require very little water in order to survive the soaring temperatures and arid conditions.  We are equally intrigued by these hardy plants and often take photos of the various species we discover on our hikes and visits to local botanical gardens.

Cacti and succulents photo by Martin Pierce Custom Hardware

Flowers are a great source of inspiration for your hospitality design projects, as evidenced by this gorgeous orchid pull designed for our client in Hawaii.

The height of elegance, Martin Pierce's silver plated orchid stem pull.  Notice all the grooved areas. Martin Pierce Hardware

If you get a chance, a trip to the local desert to see these wildflowers in bloom is definitely in order.

To view our Flora designs or our entire collection of architectural hardware, please visit us at www.martinpierce.com

Southern California rains bring desert wildflowers to life

It is no secret that, along with other west coast states, California has been suffering from a serious drought for quite some time and the unusually warm winter certainly did not help matters.  But we woke up this morning to the sound of rain on the roof and wet sidewalks-- with the promise of more to come this weekend! While this rain was so necessary for all the obvious reasons, it will also result in some pretty amazing changes in the local mountains and deserts and provide much inspiration for artists such as ourselves.  Residents and visitors alike look forward to the transformation of the desert from dull brown hills and plains to a rainbow of wildflowers in full bloom.  You can follow this transformation and plan a day trip via the information provided by DesertUSA.com.

Our state flower, the California poppy, covers the hills in spectacular shades of orange, yellow and red.

photo courtesy of desertusa.com

It is hard to imagine how this flower can survive in the unforgiving desert terrain! via desertusa.com

Yellow blooms merge with purple that merge with blue and red to create a carpet of color in the early spring months.  It will not be long before these desert areas are brown and arid once again but, for a brief moment, this harsh landscape becomes a candy coated dream.

photo via desertusa.com

 

If your home or hospitality project would benefit from the beauty of custom floral knobs, pulls and levers, or if you would like to view our entire collection of architectural hardware, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com