Hardware, bugs and more at Martin Pierce Hardware

Throughout the years we have shared with you Martin's interest, actually fascination, with insects.  So much so that for several months last year we hosted two beetles we fondly named Natasha and Boris. This interest not only includes the study of their habits but extends further to the study of their habitats, behavior and skeletal structure.  Therefore, many of our vacations and weekend excursions are planned for the very purpose of scouting for and studying many of these creatures. All of this research and study enables Martin to apply amazing detail to not only custom hardware pieces but also to the bronze sculptures and paintings he has been working on. While photographs and more information on these pieces will be available soon, rest assured that the wait will be worth it.

Here are a few examples of some of the custom hardware pieces, in actuality miniature sculptures, that we offer in our collections.  The same labor intensive casting process is used in our smaller hardware pieces as is used in our larger sculptures and custom projects.  Please make note of the exquisite detail in each and every piece.

Wasps feature prominently in some of Martin's new work.  However, our Animal collection of architectural hardware includes a bronze wasp drawer pull that is available in both an open wing and closed wing design.  The beautiful detailing on the wings adds dimension and texture and would be a wonderful addition to the decorative design of a retail boutique, spa or residential project.

Many items from our various collections, including the wasp pull, are artfully displayed at Folger & Burt's showroom in San Francisco.

To view our entire collection of custom hardware or to discuss your own hospitality design project, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

HD Expo 2015

It is that time of year again--time to begin preparing for our annual trek to the HD Expo in Las Vegas Nevada.  It is very early in the process but we wanted to tease you with a few items we hope to exhibit in our booth at the Expo:

• Last year we debuted our new Morphic cylindrical pull with the addition of a powder coated color accent added.  We continue to work with this collection by adding LED lighting and if all goes well, the debut will certainly be exciting.

• We also hope to share at least a prototype of our hinge collection
• While they will probably not make an appearance at the Expo, Martin is in the process of designing some very unique wall sconces and candle holders.  All we can say is that "Game of Thrones" fans will be very excited.

We will continue to keep you posted on the progress of all of these projects as we look forward to this year's HD Expo.

To view our entire collection of architectural hardware or to discuss your upcoming hospitality or residential projects, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

Brass continues to be a popular interior design trend for 2015

Brass is back and in a big way.  In fact, this warm metal has been making an appearance in both residential and hospitality projects for a couple of years now.  This is not the gaudy brass of the seventies but a softer version that is beautiful in both matte and shiny finishes. And it is being seen throughout the interior design industry in furniture, lamps, hardware and accessories.  Here is just a glimpse of what is out there. You can make a bold statement in the bedroom with this new bed from Taylor Burke Home featuring a brass frame and upholstered insert.

Highly polished or left in its natural state and allowed to patina over time, brass fixtures offer a welcome option from chrome, stainless, nickel and bronze finishes that have been popular for so long.

While we do appreciate the look that brass offers, we do not work with brass.  It is a soft and porous metal that will tarnish and flake off over time and certainly not give you a lifetime product. We do, however, offer a high polished bronze finish (shown below) that provides a high shine and warm golden tone similar to brass but with the added benefit of being a strong metal that will not flake or peel off, tarnish etc.

Contact us to discuss your architectural hardware needs or view our entire collection of custom hardware at www.martinpierce.com.

A year in review for Martin Pierce

As the year draws to an end we thought it might be fun and interesting to take a quick look back at some of the new products we introduced in 2014. We began the year in a colorful way with the introduction of our Morphic entry door pull with a new hot patina color added that we debuted at the 2014 HD Expo.  This new option makes further customization of this piece possible for all of your hospitality and commercial clients.

Sculpture was the word of the year for Martin.  From the very interesting custom door hardware designed for a private wine cellar and modeled after the client's artwork to our very personal bust of our beloved pup, Iris, Martin created several new pieces for our clients as well as for our personal use.

We gifted a dear friend with this sculpture of her three-legged dog Dale.  Needless to say, she was delighted.

The beauty of the wood's grain is apparent on the completed bust of our Iris.

The artwork that inspired the design of our client's wine cellar doors

and the completed hardware with the unique feature of being double-sided.

And Martin continues to work on the Jay sculpture

We traveled quite a bit during the year seeking both design inspiration as well as much needed breaks from a very full schedule and were happy to share interesting details of these trips with you; in particular our dream trip to Barcelona Spain to view Antoni Gaudi's architectural masterpieces.

We are excited to begin a new year so stay tuned for new and exciting projects and products.

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

Pantone announces 2015 Color of the year

Those involved in the interior design and fashion world eagerly await an announcement by color experts, Pantone, of the color of the year.  This year they caught everyone who was expecting some shade of blue off guard by selecting Marsala as the 2015 Pantone Color of the Year.

According to the executive director of Pantone Color Institute, Leatrice Eiseman, "Marsala is a subtly seductive shade, one that draws us in to its embracing warmth...nurturing and fulfilling."

While this color is as rich and delicious as the wine it is named after, it is also a versatile shade that will be right at home in any room in your home from the kitchen to the bath to the bedroom or will warm up the lobby and guest rooms of a boutique hotel.  It is easily paired with most colors and will complement all types of wood and metal used in the space.  Hospitality and residential designers alike will find many uses for this new color.

In the kitchen

A crisp and clean contemporary kitchen with Marsala walls, small appliances or fabric provide the perfect backdrop for stainless steel hardware.

In the bath

Whether it is in a beautiful spa bath at home or a luxury hotel retreat, the beauty of bronze or high polished brass fixtures, hardware and bath accessories make a striking combination when paired with richly hued Marsala linens and paint in a more traditional setting.

On the exterior

Add a punch to the entry by painting the door with this new color and using oil rubbed bronze hardware for a warm greeting to guest or clients.

How will you use this latest color trend in your upcoming projects?

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

Our final homage to Antoni Gaudi's architecture

As we continue to share highlights of our recent vacation to Spain we saved the best for last.  Although, quite honestly,  each of Gaudi’s works stands on its own; each is a harmonious tribute to nature. Sagrada Familia

I think the reason that La Sagrada Familia has become the focal point of Gaudi’s achievements is, in part, due to its continued evolution.  Gaudi began work on it in 1883 and continued to work until his death in 1926 when it was less than a quarter complete. Work has continued over the decades, funded by private donations.  The basilica is scheduled to be completed by 2026 which will be the centennial of Gaudi’s death.  On a side note, it is deemed a basilica, meaning significant church, as Barcelona already has a cathedral and apparently you can only have one per city!

Look closely at the exterior of the Sagrada Familia and you will find that it consists of layer upon layer of images and symbolism.

Once inside the visual delight continues.  Pillars inspired by sinew and bones are an amazing feat of both engineering and aesthetic design.

It is fun to compare the design of the pillars to the sinewy movement and design of our Epic entry door handles from our Ergo Collection of architectural hardware.

And light and color are never forgotten by the maestro!

The location and grand scale of this iconic building has certainly secured its position in history and is worth a visit since photographs do not do it justice.

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

Ada compliant contemporary hardware designs

Many of today's designers and architects are seeking door and cabinet hardware for hotels, spas, nightclubs and commercial buildings that are not only attractive but that also comply with strict ADA building codes.  In other words, hardware that is easy to grasp and operate for those who may have some physical limitations. This might be necessary in brand new construction or in a retrofit situation.  This is difficult enough without adding the additional requirement of good looks.

As the population continues to age and, in this very competitive market, it is important that buildings be designed to allow easy access to all who wish to enter.  After all, a businessman does not want to deter someone who might have difficulty gaining entrance and/or navigating the building from entering and conducting their business.  More importantly, consumers need to be able to gain access to their home, their doctor's offices or retail shops.

We are pleased that our Ergo collection of custom hardware meets these demanding standards.  The lever design of our entry and passageway pieces are easy to operate and create a stunning look that will please any lover of contemporary design. Several of our collections, including Morphic, can, upon request, also be adapted to meet ADA standards. This might include lever style handles in place of knobs and pulls that do not require a strong grasp in order to easily operate them.

If you are in the market for door hardware with a crisp and contemporary look and that is ADA compliant or would like to view our entire collection of custom hardware, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

Add color to your custom hardware

 

Most of us are familiar with and expect oil rubbed bronze, stainless steel, nickel and brass finish choices when it comes time to select door and cabinet hardware.  But we are here to tell you that you can add color to your hardware.

Adding a specific color will not only add interest but it can offer other positive influences. For example, hospitality designers will appreciate the ability to incorporate a client's specific brand color to a project's hardware, thereby highlighting the brand.  If the hardware selection incorporates design features such as floral motifs, animals, bugs etc., adding color will allow these patterns to really "pop".  Our lizard pull shown below is a fine example of the impact color can have on custom hardware.

A subtle introduction of color can also have a big impact.  The effect is seen in the color we added to our Morphic cylindrical entryway pulls and debuted at this year's HD Expo in Las Vegas.  The cutout design offers the perfect opportunity to add color to this sleek and contemporary collection of custom hardware.

Is there a place in your next project for some color?  If so, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com to view our entire collection of architectural hardware.

Our vacation to Spain continues

The next stop on our visit to Barcelona was to see CASA BATLLO.  This iconic Modernist masterpiece is located in the center of Barcelona on the historically prestigious street Passeig de GraciaI.   It was originally commissioned by Lluís Sala Sánchez but totally renovated by the Batllo family from 1904 -1906. It is known locally as the House of Bones, no doubt because so much of its form is inspired by the vertebra of both man and other animals. Can you see the reference to vertebra in the design of the staircase?

The house, like so much of Gaudi’s work, incorporates fantastical earthly and non-earthly themes.  For example, the ocean with its waves, sea creatures and sea shells carved on the doors, are captured in tile.

As you can see, Gaudi’s Casa Battlo makes wonderful use of colored tile, in particular the color blue.  A fine example of this is the inner shaft that was used to cool the house with louvered wooden shutters that opened to allow cool air in.

The curvaceous and fluid shape of the wooden windows and doors is reminiscent of tree roots and plant tendrils.  Be sure to take notice of the unique wainscoting design on the walls.

And the arched roof crowns of the building are, by all accounts, Gaudi’s interpretation of a dragon.

Get to know your entry door hardware up close and personal---backplates

A front door is something we all have in common.  And while the appearance of our entry door hardware varies from building to building, they all have parts in common.  Let's break it down and review the proper terminology and purpose of this very necessary hardware.

Back plate or to some, escutcheon: The plate to which a door handle, be it a lever or knob, is attached, making it possible to open the door. The back plate was often referred to in England and Europe as an escutcheon plate which tends to imply that it is more decorative.  The back plate not only is the mounting for the handle but it also covers up the "guts" of the lock in the door be it a tubular lock or mortise lock.

At Martin Pierce  our back plates are extremely decorative and very stylized.  They are designed to continue the artistic style of the handles.  With our lizard handles shown in the photo we designed a back plate to look like the bark of a tree; our Willow knob uses a circular back plate or rose in the form of overlapping willow leaves; the Hedgerow handle uses a back plate that has fretted sections at the top and bottom that are stylized tree branches.

Our entire collection of custom architectural hardware for both entry and interior doors can be seen at www.martinpierce.com.

Fine examples of modernisme mosaic

A few weeks ago we traveled to Spain with the specific goal of visiting many of Antoni Gaudi's works. Along the way we stumbled upon the works of another great name from the Modernisme period, Montaner.  We share parts of our story here. One of the more remarkable aspects of the work of these two geniuses is their use of mosaic tile.  But not just any mosaic tile...in lieu of the more expected symmetrically cut glass, they both incorporate broken tile pieces into their designs.  These irregular pieces of tile and glass give their work an organic edge that we find so interesting and appealing, especially when juxtaposed with the exposed brick and ironwork of the buildings they design.

In this photo you can clearly see the mosaic pattern in the red background.

And, while this photo does not do justice to this remarkable domed ceiling, it does give you an idea of what to expect from Montaner i.e. exposed iron supports and curvilinear shapes as seen in the various patterns.

As we have shared, Martin Pierce continues to be inspired by the work of these two gentlemen as well as the Art Nouveau and other early 20th century art and architecture movements.  Following this very inspirational vacation I am looking forward to what the future holds for our custom hardware designs and sculpture.

For some inspiration of your own, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com to view our entire collection of architectural hardware.

The cool beauty of stainless steel hardware

We spend a lot of time talking about and sharing our collection of bronze hardware, and for good reason.  This warm metal is very popular because it works with almost any design style and is certain to please both your hospitality and residential clients.  While bronze is popular, stainless steel fixtures can have the same impact on projects, especially those done in a contemporary style. We offer several stainless steel collections but, of course, custom hardware can be cast in the metal of your choice.

Sleek and modern

Our Ergo collection is not only sleek and modern but ergonomically designed to fit the hand comfortably, making it a perfect choice for hospitality and commercial projects.  The unique design is also ADA compliant.

Texture and color

The architectural hardware pieces in our Morphic collection have a textural quality that is both beautiful and interesting.  A powder coated accent color is an option we debuted at the 2014 HD Expo, giving designers the ability to further customize the pieces for their clients.

Organic

A combination of modern and textural, our appropriately named Texture collection offers a little of both.  The contemporary wave pulls are suitable for both residential and commercial projects, and while the chiseled collection is not cast in stainless as are the other items we have shown, it will add a bit of rustic elegance to any door, drawer or cabinet.

Bronze, brass, stainless or your own custom combination of metals---your choice of metal finishes for hardware can add a personalized detail to your next hospitality, residential or commercial project.

You can view our entire collection of stainless steel and other custom hardware items at www.martinpierce.com.

Anatomy of a bronze door handle-part 3

Whew!  I am tired just reading about this lengthy process.  But excited about the outcome! Onward... now that we have “lost” the wax that melted out we are left with a hollow shell with the ceramic gates or funnels.  Try to envision a hollow wall around the body of the bird that we are now going to fill with molten bronze.

We will pour the molten bronze into  the shells and, once cooled, we are left with castings. The gates will have been turned to bronze and will need to be removed.  In the photo you can see the flat areas on the body and feet that are a result of the gates being removed.

These areas are ground off leaving behind a scar or rough section that will require further grinding to smooth them out.  The details such as the vein of a wing will have to be "chased" or added by hand.

In the next photo we show the top side of the casting before the piece has been assembled.

This beautiful representation of the magnificent jay hawk can be modified for use as entry door handles or hung on the wall and enjoyed as a wall sculpture.

To view our collection of architectural hardware, sculptures and custom furniture, visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

Going batty with door and drawer hardware

Halloween seems to be the perfect time to highlight some of our "spookier" pieces of custom hardware.  While not designed to be spooky but rather a detailed representation of the creatures, they are all popular "ambassadors" for All Hallow's Eve that can be enjoyed year round. Hospitality designers will enjoy the realistic or whimsical value they will add to spa, hotel and commercial projects while residential designers will please many a homeowner with the introduction of these unique door and drawer hardware items.

Bats

Unbeknownst to most of us, bats play an important role in the world-wide economy and contribute greatly to the environment.  But it is their role in literature that most of us are familiar with.  After all, don't vampires morph into bats at the light of day?  But our bat hardware is actually finely detailed miniature pieces of art that will enhance any interior project.

Lizards

Perhaps Shakespeare says it best in Macbeth "eye of newt and toe of frog...lizard's leg...". This recipe for a poisonous soup includes many of the creatures from our Animal collection, including our popular lizard and shiny frog pull.

 Creepy crawlies

We recently shared with you Martin's desire to study bugs and their habitats and, therefore, our acquisition of "pets" Boris and Natasha, a pair of Hercules Beetles.  Halloween celebrations are full of bugs, spiders and other things that crawl that often make people's skin crawl.  Wasps, beetles, moths and some slimy friends are depicted, in extraordinary detail, in our Animal collection of custom hardware.  Also included are less "scary" hardware designs such as dragonflies, butterflies, pretty birds and delightful bumble bees.

Introduce any one of these amazing custom hardware designs into your next project and enjoy their beauty for years to come.

To view our entire Animal or Lizard collection as well as our other lines of architectural hardware, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

Anatomy of a bronze door handle--Part 2

Sketch is done and details as to how the sculpture will be attached to a door, how to design it so that it can be cast to allow wax and metal to properly flow through the mold and not weigh a ton, it is time to move on to the next step. (you can review the first steps here). To make the mold for the body a pliant silicon membrane over the outside of the body and the legs has to be built-up.  At this stage you are also “gating” the mold by adding square rod sections to the body of the bird. The silicon will from a membrane around these rods and when these rods are later removed what is left is a hollow or void  through which the hot wax is poured . The mold is strengthened by being housed in a rigid metal case that keeps it true to form. Once the mold is complete it is literally cut down the middle and opened up to remove the rods and the result is a hollow replica of the birds body with funnels that have been created through which wax and later bronze can flow.

The next step is to pour  molten wax into the hollow mold through the gates and slosh it around, coating the inside of the mold with liquid wax.  When the wax is dry, the mold is carefully opened and the wax body is removed with the  gates or protrusions attached.

We now have a one piece wax bird replica that is hollow inside and we need to turn it into a bronze piece that is hollow.

We cut around the birds legs and around a bit  of his stomach to create a hole in the cavity of the wax body; we are going to cast the feet, stomach and wings as separate pieces. What we are left with is 4 parts of our bird, all in wax.  Each wax piece is dipped in a clay like substance similar to the way we created the rubber mold, building up a clay slurry over each part of the bird to create a plaster like “shell” for each piece.  When dry this slurry becomes rigid and forms a casing. With the bird body we will pour the slurry inside the hollow wax body and also coat the outside of the body so that, when fired,  both the inside and outside will become a hollow ,walled shell.  These "shelled" pieces are then baked in a kiln that will make them very rigid and strong.  The heat causes the soft wax to melt out and collect at the bottom of the kiln, hence the expression "lost wax".  Actually, not really lost but rather recycled.  Even artists in ancient times recognized the value of re-using and recycling products.

All of these steps will result in a beautiful piece of functional art that can be used as a door pull to create an extraordinary entrance to a business or home, or enjoyed as wall art.  This will become evident in our final post on the sculpting and casting process for this particular piece of architectural hardware.

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

Anatomy of a bronze door handle

We introduced the beginnings of our jay sculpture with a post back in August of 2014. After working on the piece we decided to offer it as a limited edition of 25 sculpture that can be hung on the wall or fitted for use as door pulls.  As with any bespoke item, the creative process involves many steps. As we have shared many times, all sculptures and our custom door hardware pieces begin with a detailed sketch of Martin's vision for the piece or, in this instance, many photographs of his inspiration i.e. the red tailed hawk we see flying above the skies of Los Angeles.

Red tailed Hawk Martin Pierce Hardware

martin pierce redtail hawk on utility pole

As mentioned, when Martin began the jay sculpture in wood it was always his intention to use this sculpture as a pattern to make bronze door handles.   Therefore, when designing the bird there were three very important considerations:

The first consideration was a) how would you, as a home or business owner,  be able to grip a section of the bird to pull open your door and b) how would you be able to mount the bird on your door?

These considerations affected the way Martin designed the wings.  The left wing has a flatter area which can be used to attach the bird to the door and the right wing is the area that would make it possible to grip and hold to open the door. The tail of the bird could also be used as a secondary spot to attach the bird to the door if necessary.

The second consideration was the casting process. In casting you have to think about ways that the molds can be made so that  first the wax,  and then  later the bronze, can flow easily. To do this you have to plan where you are going to create “gates” or funnels or paths for the wax and bronze to evenly flow.

The third consideration is weight.  In order to avoid having the "bird" weigh a ton, so to speak, the casting of the body must be hollow.

Once all these details were ironed out it was time to begin sculpting the mold.  Details to follow on that very interesting process as well as casting, pouring etc.  So stay tuned!

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

Iris has a new friend-part 3 rough carving

The next step in this journey of the heart is the rough carving.  You can bring yourself up to date and review steps 1 and 2 by clicking here. Martin will typically draw bold lines on the surface of the wood he is carving to map out where to remove wood to create the desired shape and depth.  He gathers his carving tools together which includes a mallet and 2 scooped chisels, as well as a pencil.  You can see these tools in the photo below.

Carving is a reductive technique where you start with large, wide and deep gouging chisels to quickly  remove wood and then move to the smaller flat chisels.  The mallet is used to add power to the chisel.  Martin also uses the thick area of flesh on his palms to hit the chisel as you can achieve greater control in any tricky areas with this method.  The wood we chose for this sculpture, walnut, is a hard, dense wood so it takes a lot of force to  carve it.

Martin began this stage of carving by focusing on the ears.  He removed wood from underneath the ear to capture the delicacy and expressive quality of Iris’s ears.  This was tricky but he used fine veining chisels to create crevices and a small spoon gouge chisel to hollow out the ears.

In the final installment of this series we we will share with you how the defining details were created to capture the true essence of Iris' personality and debut the finished product.

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

Iris has a new friend Part 2-gluing

We last left you with the beginnings of a sculpture of our dog, Iris', head.  We shared the process of sketching an idea, deciding on a wood type and tracing the pattern onto the wood. The next step is the gluing and roughing out the actual shape of the bust.  To begin with Martin cut out the profile on 4 pieces of wood using the paper template from the originial sketch.

For this he used a bandsaw which, as any hobbyist will know, is a saw that uses a band of metal teeth to cut through the wood.  The "bands" vary with each machine and they also vary in terms of how course or fine the cut line needs to be.  For this bust we used a medium band that was 155" long, 3/4" wide and with 4 "teeth per inch.

We jointed the sections of wood with a polyurethane glue made in the Netherlands by Rectavit and sold in the United States as Structan.  We have used this glue for many years now as it is not as brittle as typical wood glue.  Since it is somewhat pliant it allows slight movement in the wood to take place.  Other glues may form a tough and brittle bond so that any movement in the wood can result in splitting or cracking.  You may be asking why wood moves.  The answer is that wood is actually a living thing and will expand with moisture and high humidity and contract with heat or very low humidity.

In this next photo you can see the rough sculpture all glued together.  Notice the paper template next to it which was used in the creation of this sculpture.

We are getting closer to sharing the final sculpture with you and we are sure you will be as delighted as we are with the beauty of the wood and the fine detail of Iris' impressive profile.  Iris still thinks it is a new friend and wags her tail when she sees it.

To view our entire collection of architectural hardware or to discuss custom pieces for your next hospitality project, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

Leaves are falling at Martin Pierce

Even in sunny southern California we can feel subtle seasonal changes, especially during the fall season.  The days get shorter and the return of the marine layer adds a slight chill to the air.  We never tire of witnessing Mother Nature's changes as fall flowers bloom and the trees begin to drop their leaves.  It provides the perfect opportunity for us to showcase our elegant and finely detailed leaf hardware that will add just a hint of nature to your residential and hospitality design projects. From sycamore to oak to a delicate pear leaf, our Flora collection offers many nature inspired cabinet and drawer pulls.

and unusual or unique leaf shapes from other collections:

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

Bigger is sometimes better with our newly sized cabinet pull

If you checked out our Latest News Section on the website then you already know that we are now offering a new edition to our Ergo collection---the 6" wide Wave pull. Those designers who are familiar with this line are already aware of the 2" and 3" pull but there has been a real need for a bigger pieces that are scaled for larger cabinet doors and drawers. I recently had the pleasure of working on a project in New York where we were being specified for many of our Ergo and Morphic pieces but the cabinet drawers simply cried out for a more robust, yet still elegant, Ergo wave. We considered a few possible sizes but decided on a 6”W x 1 1/2”D x 1”H.  Scaling a piece is not an easy task which may explain why it has taken us so long to bring out this piece but we think the wait has been worthwhile.  Designers and architects can now specify this piece that is being cast in either bronze or stainless steel, offering a good color range to suit their clients specific needs.

We have had a lot of fun photographing all the wave pieces that went into this upscale and delightful kitchen project and credit needs to be given to our wonderful photographer Doug Hill for having the imagination to arrange and photograph these pieces to show off their fluid and organic quality.

We would love to hear your comments on this new addition to our Ergo collection or, to view our entire collection of architectural hardware please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

A feast for the eyes: