Maison&Objet - The show for home fashion

What kind of designer would I be if I didn't go to this show. Don't answer that . . . :) Maison&Objet is far more than just a show for home fashion as the caption proclaims. It's a show about trends across many diverse industries as well. After all most of the things we like as consumers can not be boxed into a single category anyway. They are as complex and hard to define as we are. I'll be looking for all types of upcoming gems like new colors, wood finishes, textiles, etc. The list could go on and on.

Joining me will be Johnathan Sanders, Vice President, Luxury Brand Development and Public Relations for Chippenhook. A little known fact is that I am the Director of Design for Chippenhook who supports openly my endeavors with Ferrochie. We have alot in common as Johnathan is also the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of his own company By Johnathan Sanders. Together Johnathan and I will be soaking up the all new in the world of Couture for Chippenhook, By Johnathan Sanders and Ferrochie.

Fortune cookie last night! What an Omen!

But wait! There's more! Also joining me is Misty Patton, my wife, artist and business partner who is integral to the creative mindset of Ferrochie. With her help we will be coming back from Paris ready to sculpt the all new fall product line as well as the 2011 spring and summer roll outs. Stay tuned for updates!

Johnathan Sanders

Johnathan has a new line of fabrics coming out this fall but it's very hush hush so I can't say anything else. I encourage you to check out Johnathan's blog called Johnathan's Take.

Gunter Kupetz Revisited

In 2006 I took a trip to Germany with the intention of enjoying the culture, food and of course the beer for which the country is famous for. I also planned to slip in some trips to Bauhaus historical sites as well as the Bauhaus Archive in Berlin. When I got there I was surprised by an exhibition of work by German designer Gunter Kupetz.  I had never heard of him and I wasn't in a hurry so I took the time to wander around the exhibit. What I found was a fantastic body of work in metals, glass and plastic. It was a thrilling find and became a highlight of my trip. I decided that I would highlight him on my blog (kinda like I did with Charles Rohlfs) because someone else may find him interesting too. Maybe I'll make a habit of posting my favorites.

Gunter is likely most famous for Die Perlenflasche or The Pearl Bottle. He designed it in 1969 for the Mineral Springs Association as a returnable water bottle. During the 70's and 80's it was a everyday household item and since then is still in use today. It's become a part of German culture and is as recognizable there as the familiar Coca-Cola bottle is to us here in the United States. That speaks a bit to Gunter's philosophies on design.

"The aim of his work [industrial designer] is to create industrial products to serve society in both a cultural and social aspect." Gunter Kupetz-1960

Gunter produced alot of other great works as well. Unfortunately, you won't find much on the internet. At least I haven't. That's why I suggest that if you are intrigued by this that you do one of two things.

1. Ask me to write a larger bio of him complete with pics. (Good Luck)
2. Get on Amazon and buy his book! (Better Option, No I don't get a cut)

The book is fantastic and is a really comprehensive look at his entire body of work. To date I am still the only person who has written a review which is still there from 2006. I don't know if that's good or bad.

http://www.amazon.com/review/R32IEAQN4T5NAA/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm

Check it out. In the meantime I leave you with this:

The industrial designer is an advocate of the people. It is amazing that the user or consumer is only indirectly involved in the decision process governing things he requires to satisfy his needs. So, in the first place, the designer is the user's or consumers advocate. But at the same time this makes him a product of the people. Everyone has his own yardstick. Everyone makes their own decision. The particular task of the designer is to anticipate the decisions which others will make as if they were his own.

Inaugural Lecture, Berlin Polytechnic of Arts, 1973

Custom Oberon's Gateway - Part I

A dear friend of mine named George (and valued customer I might add) up in Washington state e-mailed me about doing a door knocker version of Oberon's Gateway (OG) for him. By door knocker he meant an OG that featured a striker of some kind that a person could use to strike the keys and alert the home owner that someone was home. After we exchanged a few laughs over how impractical that really is he still wanted to press forward for the sake of the art. Well I couldn't agree more! Plus he's willing to pay for it! :)

So I went out looking for an appropriate striker and came up with this to try (right). It's a antique cast iron key hole cover. There we a few other possibilities but this goes along with the key theme from the original Oberon's Gateway'. There will also of course need to be a few alterations to the original design too. I don't think it would do to simply drill a hole in the bottom and hang this striker. So I worked up this concept sketch for George to approve.

It still has the character of the original design with a little extra embellishment at the bottom. I still may simplify it more once I actually start to fabricate it. I won't know really until the piece starts to take shape. I plan to post the progress in stages over the next week.

I want to use this project as an example of my willingness to listen to my customers and try to create something together. I know George will love this even if no one else does because it was his idea and personal to him. If you have an idea let me know!

Look for Part II soon!

D Magazine Shoptalk Spotlight

Hey I got some press yesterday from D Magazine's online blog. I'm really excited about it.

http://shoptalk.dmagazine.com/2010/05/12/the-handmade-bash-reviewed-ferrochie-studio/

I met Ms. Ramsey at the Handmade Bash on May 1st and I'm really happy she chose Oberon's Gateway to talk about. Perhaps I need to send her one as a thank you!

Back in the saddle! So to speak.

Yes I know! What's the deal with the lack of posts. Well if I actually thought there was more than one person interested in what's going on with me I would have been a bit more frequent. Well I can't take my one follower for granted now can I Junior. :)

Anyway I'm getting back in the saddle. The blog saddle that is. I have been busy with Ferrochie the past few months. I had my first show on May 1st and it was a success in my mind. I didn't sell a lot but I did learn a lot and made a bunch of new friends.

This is Oberon's Gateway. It's a vintage key door chime that was one of four new items I introduced for the May 1st show called The Handmade Bash. The Handmade Bash is a show run by Etsy Dallas and organization I can proudly say I am a 2010 member of. You can check out the Etsy Dallas website by clicking this link:

http://www.etsydallas.com/

I'll be posting a couple of things next week so until then . . . http://www.ferrochie.com/