Zen Retreat in Miniature

a Zen Retreat

You know how each Daily Show with Jon Stewart ends with the your moment of Zen segment? Well, here's my version. Green, organic and serene are all adjectives I'm hoping come to your mind as I take another opportunity to feature those gorgeous African stools I recently purchased. Namaste!

Details: Nothing new here...ReacJapan, Dolls House Emporium, Kaleidoscope House, TheShadeStore.com, PRDminiatures, Minimodernas, and cb2. The crochet blanket was gift from a friend.

Looking for that Gnarly Wood (Part 2)

Recently, I professed to you all my love for the beauty of gnarly woods.  Now I'd like to share a few other reasons, I think live edge pieces work so well in modern design. 1) It's organic. This makes it a nice counterpoint to balance the cooler, modern surfaces like nickel, concrete and marble that so commonly define our living spaces. 2) It's sculptural. Wood definitely has form and texture and sometimes you've just gotta showcase it. 3)  It's massive scale.  Of course, not all live edge pieces are massive in scale but many of them are.  Such large scale furniture is common on the west coast but it's a newer concept for those of us east of the Mississippi.  Obviously, a massive scale works well in urban lofts.  I contend, however, that a carefully chosen piece could also work nicely in the room of a more conventional home.  This is especially the case since open floor plans are so common.

(Image Sources: 1, 3-www.liveedge.com; 2-www.prdminiatures.com)

I think the designers at West Elm might agree with me.  They are carrying in their current inventory a Raw Edge Collection that includes 2 styles of consoles, a coffee table and a side table ranging in price from $249.00 to $499.00 US dollars.  And they also have a brand new piece call a Live Edge Mirror. These options make the furniture scale and the price point for live edge furniture accessible to us all, eh?

(Image Source: westelm.com)

Fnally, the obvious solution to my dilemma (how do I get some gnarly wood into my design life?)---go 1:12!  Which, in some ways, I already have.  Paris of PRDMiniatures custom designed these lovely tables (as well as the calf-hair love seat) for me. 

(Image Source: Paris Renfroe)

But now I'm ready to go all out with something more like these designs. 

The inaugural pieces of  the Micro Collection (sold out) at the Etsy
store, OneFortyThree (Image source: onefortythree.com)

Live edge bench (sold) from PRDMiniatures (Image Source: Paris Renfroe)

So Paris and Logan this is my open letter to request that each of you, please make more.  Because I'm really lovin' that gnarly wood!

Looking for that Gnarly Wood (Part 1)

On a recent trip to San Francisco, while leisurely strolling in and out of shops on Valencia Street, I came upon the most unique studio of eyeglass frames.  My beau was on the hunt for some funky new glasses so we went in.  I proceeded through the space where I discover slabs and slabs of beautiful, beautiful wood!  

I so wish my photo did these slabs justice.  Sadly, it does not.

Then it struck me that I'd scene this style before...my mind registers Paris Renfroe and OneFortyThree.com.  I loved the tiny replicas that I discovered while doing the regular cruising of my favorite blogs.  Yet it wasn't until, I saw this wood 1:1 live and in-person that I soooo got it!  So back to this studio in San Francisco, Anthony Marschak, the founder of Original Timber was so very informative.  He identified species of wood or told me from where the slab was salvaged. In a delusional moment, I began to envision a custom piece in my home, when I was inturrupted by the reality of impossible shipping cost to the east coast and such.


I was so taken by the beauty of the furniture I saw and the use of this design style by miniature craftsmen I admire yet, I didn't even know what to call it.  After doing a bit of research, here's what I learned.  Furniture or accessories that incorporate the natural edge of wood, its burrs or knots or any other imperfections marks of character for that matter are known as Live Edge.  This style was first made famous by George Nakashima in a series he created for Knoll in 1946.  I think the use of this style as a design element has gradually gained in popularity as we as a society have attempted to become more ecologically responsible.  By using salvaged or gnarly woods from trees that have been responsible cut down due to thinning, we are preserving forests of perfectly healthy trees.  This in turn keeps we, the people and our planet perfectly health (but I digress so please forgive me).


The imperfections character can make the slabs delicate for woodworking and provide challenges to the carpenter to completing the necessary form for functional objects such as tables or benches.  But in the following photographs, I have found beautiful solutions demonstrating how craftsmen have done just that.

"Living Again" Bench designed by the late Michael Alexander
(Image Source: michaelalexanderdesigns.com)

A coffee table designed by Jeffery Greene (image source: jefferygreen.com)

A dining/conference table from Original Timber
(Image Source: www.originaltimber.com)

I realize that live edge design is not new but I do believe it has been experiencing a steady emergence in design since the turn of the century. Don't forget to check out Part 2 where I'll indulge my appreciation of this aesthetic just a bit more.