Baha Mar Resort features bespoke Martin Pierce Hardware

Two minds are greater than one is often the case, as it was with our collaboration with Mike Hong of MHA on the hardware pieces for the new Baha Mar Resort in what is being called the Riviera of the Carribbean, the Bahamas. Mike is the design director for Baha Mar.  Sea themes provided the inspiration to adaptations made to our Morphic collection but he added the scrolled mollusk ends and a unique color that took the piece to a new level. The entire piece was cast in stainless steel, using a high percentage of recycled metal, and we added the stunning custom blue interior that reflects the resorts marine blue brand color.

This is the press release that was sent out:

PRESS RELEASE FOR SERPENTINE CUSTOM HANDLE FOR BAHA MAR PROJECT

The Serpentine Blue handles were designed by Martin Pierce in collaboration with Mike Hong of MHA

and will be one of several handle styles made by Martin Pierce that will be showcased this year at the

opening of the Baha Mar luxury resort.

Mike Hong, the design director for Baha Mar added a fittingly marine spin to Pierce’s Morphic design by

incorporating mollusk ends and by highlighting the interior with the resorts marine blue brand color.

The handles are cast in stainless steel and will be one of the highlights to the common areas of this

luxury resort.

For more details please contact:

Anne Pierce

and this is the custom hardware that can be found throughout the resort:

The pink coloration added a bit of fun and also tied in with the pink color that is being used on other surfaces throughout the resort:

To view our entire collection of custom 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

Art inspired by nature come together in a beautiful rug

You are probably familiar wit the old riddle "What came first, the chicken or the egg?" Well, a few days ago I shared a photo I had taken with my iPhone of two sphinx moths mating under the light on my front porch.  I referenced the amazing pattern displayed on their wings and how it provided inspiration throughout the years for many forms of art including Native American rugs and pottery. Lo and behold, I recently ran across this photo of a beautiful home in Aspen designed by Tracery Interiors and was amazed by the resemblance in the rug pattern to the open wings of the moths.  So which came first...the moth or the rug?

To view the entire collection of architectural hardware, including our moth pull in our Animal collection, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

Designers can stop by our showroom located at:

5433 W Washington Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA  90016

323 939 5929

HD Expo 2015 update

As we count down the days and weeks before we pack up and make our way north to Las Vegas we have been teasing you with a few hints at items we will be debuting at this year's HD Expo.  One such item is the illuminated Morphic door pull that is definitely worth seeing.

The open work design of the Morphic collection is a natural fit for the addition of a lighting feature which adds an element of surprise to the more obvious benefits of easy to locate entry hardware and statement making design.

You can view this new addition to the Morphic collection along with all the details that went into this design by stopping by our booth #2277 at the 2015 HD Expo.  And remember that the first ten visitors to our booth will receive one of our exquisite orchid cabinet knobs as our way of saying "Nice to meet you."

To view the entire Morphic and other collections please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.  Designers can visit our showroom located at:

5433 W. Washington Blvd.

Los Angeles, Ca  90016

all photos by Doug Hill

Hardware design inspiration from an iPhone photo?

Has anyone else noticed the huge billboards on Vine Ave in Hollywood advertising iPhone? According to this article, they are part of a worldwide campaign from Apple.  So I thought I would add one of my own iPhone photos. We have two ceramic sconces outside our front door that always attract all manner of insects and occasionally we get a rather beautiful image to shoot.

We spotted these two mating moths late Sunday morning and snapped this photo.  They are white striped Hawk or sphinx moths.  We originally spotted them around midnight on Saturday but they were still entwined in the throes of passion on Sunday morning when I decided to take this photo.   You can see from this shot how much native American art has been inspired by the amazing geometric markings on the body and wings of these beautiful moths. Having metamorphosed from pupae to moth they come up from the ground, feed on sweet nectar and look for a mate.

We have been thinking about a new door pull series that will use geometric patterns derived from flowers, and now moths, that will be influenced on some level by this new image.  As you may be aware, we have a very stylized moth in our drawer pull series and we are now thinking about a flock of them together as a geometric door pull. At the moment, however, this idea is in its own pupae stage.

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

Designers can stop by our showroom located at:

5433 W Washington Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA  90016

MOTH SITES:

http://www.desertusa.com/insects/sphinx-moths.html

Spring Equinox has arrived!

The arrival of the spring equinox is just two days away and that, I am certain, is good news for many people who have endured this very long and cold winter.  So, in honor of the changing season I thought I would offer up a little bit of springtime inspiration for your enjoyment.  As you will see, the world is certainly an amazing place--regardless of the season!

You can view our entire collection of architectural hardware, often inspired by Mother Nature, by visiting our site at www.martinpierce.com.  Designers, please stop by our showroom located at:

5433 W. Washington Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA  90016

323 939 5929

How to spend a sunny weekend in southern California

 

While the rest of the country is battling one of the worst winters on record we continue to bask in unseasonably warm temperatures and sunshine here in southern California. Fortunately for us there is always something to do, both indoors and outdoors.  So grab your sunscreen and head out to one or more of these events:

• The Annenberg Space Center is hosting a very interesting photograpy exhibit that will delight and inspire anyone interested in architecture.  Who knew that expected climate changes are altering the way buildings are designed?
• The hills surrounding Los Angeles offer up some pretty amazing hiking trails that end with some impressive vistas.  A comfortable pair of shoes and a backpack filled with plenty of water is all you need to enjoy a day away from the crowds and noise of the city.

• 

• If you enjoy nature but don't feel up to a hike, a visit to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art is in order.  They are featuring a visiting exhibit of nature inspired artwork by some of American's finest 19th century artists.
• This is certainly beach weather and we have hundreds of miles of beaches from San Diego, through Los Angeles and on up the coast.  Malibu, Santa Monica, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and La Jolla are just a few that come to mind.  Find your perfect beach here. 
• Take a drive to the desert in search of blooming wildflowers or venture down to Carlsbad to tour the flower fields.  Worth the trip!

How do you spend your free time enjoying the southern California weather?

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

Designers, please stop by our showroom located at:

5433 W. Washington Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA  90016

Martin Pierce on TODL.com

 

Hospitality and residential designers, along with architects, landscape designers and others involved in the interior design industry are familiar with TODL.com (Trade Only Design Library).  This site is designed exclusively for design professionals and provides the opportunity to research thousands of products from the comfort of the home or office.

We are pleased to participate as a supplier of bespoke architectural hardware products for all todl.com members.  Our page features over 200 of our custom hardware products that represent many of our unique collections.  Included is dimension and price information. We are excited to see that our lizard entryway pull was recently featured on the todl.com  weekly online residential page.

Please contact us if you are interested in the Lizard collection or any of our other custom hardware collections.  They can be viewed on our site at www.martinpierce.com.

Designers, please visit our showroom located at:

5433 W. Washington Blvd Los Angeles CA 90016

Tel: 323 939 5929

Update on our booth at the 2015 HD Expo

The countdown begins for our 4th annual trip to Las Vegas to exhibit at the 2015 HD Expo.  We always enjoy this show and look forward to reconnecting with many of you. As we have done in the past, we are pleased to be awarding the first ten visitors to our booth a piece of custom hardware.  This year the lucky recipients will receive one of our exquisite orchid knobs so be sure and stop by early!

We will be debuting several new items.   We are excited to share our first venture into lighting with two new wall sconces; our dragon egg wall sconce and a new floral sconce. They will be cast in both bronze and steel and we are planning to use LED lights in both fixtures.  We will also be showing  a 32” cylindrical handle which will be lit with an LED light, also shown in bronze as well as steel.

As the countdown continues we will be sharing more exciting products, along with our location in the Exhibitor's Hall.

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

Designers, please stop by our showroom located at:

5433 W. Washington Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90016

Telephone: 323 939 5929

Inspiration from the Chelsea Garden Show

For one week every May the RHS Chelsea Garden Show is the place to see and be seen for garden enthusiasts.  This year the event is scheduled for May 19-23 2015.  While no longer the largest garden show in the UK, it is considered by some to still be the most prestigious.

If you follow this blog then you are already aware of the inspiration Martin finds in flowers and other foliage for his custom hardware designs.  In fact, the hardware piece that started it all, our Hedgerow collection, was fashioned after the trees and shrubs that reminded Martin of his childhood in England.

Do you see any similarities between our hardware and the "real" thing?

Daisy pull from Flora collection

Sycamore leaf pull from Flora collection of architectural hardware by Martin Pierce Hardware.

What garden shows will you be attending this year?

To view our entire collection of custom hardware please visit our site at www.martin pierce.com.

Designers please stop by our showroom at:

5433 W. Washington Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90016

Telephone: 323 939 5929

Hiking Griffith Park

It is being reported that over 120 million people watched the Super Bowl but do you ever wonder what all the other people do on Super Bowl Sunday?

While I do not know about everyone else, we decided to take advantage of the glorious weather southern California is experiencing and enjoy an afternoon hike.

We headed out to a treasured trail in Griffith Park where Iris had a great time hiking with us.  As we began our hike we noticed lots of  undergrowth which is great as it is a sign that means the trail is not apparent from the main thoroughfare trail and  that we, selfishly, get to enjoy nature without the noise of others. The trail began with a bounty of nasturtiums which have yet to flower

and continues over a dry stream and up some very  rugged boulders to the peak that left even athletic Iris panting.

We have been using this trail for some 20 plus years and it is rich in sycamore trees, wild oaks and countless varieties of birds,  blue jays, crows, ravens, mocking birds and red tailed hawks, to name but a few. It is an odd experience when you reach the crest of the rock formation as you can see just a small smattering of houses in the far distance but you are surrounded by nature and feel as if you are no longer in the city.  This is just one thing that makes Griffith Park a very special place.

Over the last 20 years I have taken all my dogs on this hike and they all have loved the experience. We occasionally share the trail with others but notably only those visiting from England so there is little risk of their frequenting this secluded spot.

To view our collection of architectural hardware, often inspired by outings such as this, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

Our four legged friends

If you follow this blog then you know it is no secret how we feel about our own four-legged friend, Iris, as well as those of our friends and clients.  She is more than a friend, she is a beloved and valued member of our family.

We found our Iris through the amazing rescue organization located here in Los Angeles, The Rescue Train.  She joined our family in 2011 and life has never been the same.  She enjoys coming to work with us everyday, walking the neighborhood and meeting her "friends" along the way.

We already know that pets are great companions that offer unconditional love, but they can also provide even more health benefits:

• Studies have shown that Alzheimer's patients experience fewer anxious moments when there is a pet in the home.
• Caring for a pet can provide exercise and fresh air for those responsible for the animal. A daily walk is certainly good for both pet and owner!
• Therapy dog programs are present in many hospitals, rehabilitation centers and nursing homes.  This is particularly valuable in Children's Hospitals where the kids are missing their own family pets and look forward to the weekly visits, offering them a sense of normalcy during a difficult time.

These photographs of Iris at play with her best friend, Hoyt, are proof that few things will make you smile as quickly as watching a couple of dogs battle it out over a squeak toy.  And when it is all over there are no hard feelings....a lesson we could all learn from our pets.

Not sure who the "winner" was but Iris was exhausted after this playdate!

We would love to see photos of your four-legged friends and hear about the lessons you have learned from them.

To view our entire collection of architectural hardware, please visit our site 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.

Happy New Year from Martin Pierce Hardware

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our clients for a wonderful year and wish you a happy and prosperous 2015.

Happy Holidays from Martin Pierce Custom Hardware

As the holidays approach we would like to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a very happy holiday season and a healthy and prosperous New Year.  We look forward to working with all of you on your exciting hospitality, residential and commercial projects in 2015. You can view our entire collection of architectural hardware at www.martinpierce.com.

The year winds down at Martin Pierce Hardware

It is difficult to believe that 2014 is winding down.  It has been quite a year for us and we expect 2015 to be just as exciting and rewarding.  As we finish up a few year-end projects we wanted to share just a couple of items with you. The jay bird Martin has been working on for several months is now cast and looking very good.  It will finally be completed within the week and, once photographed, we can share the final piece.  The big decision to be made is the angle of the wing that we will be using to attach it to the wall or mount it to a door.  There needs to be enough clearance behind the wing to allow it to be grasped as a door pull while maintaining the appearance of a bird in flight.  We also need to decide how dark to patina the bird.  We will be doing an oil rubbed finish but feel the veins and crevices in the feathers need to be darker for definition. To refresh your memory on the process of designing and casting this awesome hardware, please check out past blog posts here and here.   Stay tuned for the final reveal.

We have also been working  on a new piece that will be a wall mounted light or sconce.  We are at the early pattern stage right now but, as with most of what Martin has been doing these days,  it will be very organic in design and reminiscent of his open cellular Morphic collection.

We will share the progress on this piece as we move along.

You can view our entire collection of custom architectural hardware by visiting our site at www.martin pierce.com.

Quick and easy recipe for those holiday gatherings

As we all are painfully aware, these last few weeks of the year are packed with activities, both personal and professional.  If you find yourself tasked with the responsibility of hosting co-workers, clients or friends and need a recipe that is not only quick and easy but will have your guests coming back for seconds, this one just might be the answer:

Ingredients:

Lady fingers

Raspberry jam

Fresh or frozen raspberries

Good sherry!

Raspberry jello

Jello pudding (I get 1 x lemon and 1 x vanilla then layer them)

Whole milk

Whipping cream

Process:

Spread the lady fingers with jam and place in the bottom of a clear glass trifle dish.  This will make it possible for you to see the beautiful layers before serving.

Make up the jello with 1 cup of  boiling water and then add 1 cup of sherry – set in the fridge.

Make up the jello pudding and layer on top – set in the fridge.

Whip up the cream and place on top.

Throw on some fresh raspberries or whatever decorations take your fancy.

Et voila!  A true English trifle that will delight your guests.

We first shared this favored recipe with you in December of 2013 and are looking forward to enjoying it again this holiday season.   Now all that is left for you to do is set a beautiful table, provide a delicious beverage and enjoy spending time with those who are important to you, both personally and professionally. Bon appetit!

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

How does an Englishman celebrate Thanksgiving?

We thought it might be fun to publish last year's Thanksgiving post as it references one of our favorite recipe books, Fields of Greens.  This book features one of my favorite recipes which is a potato au gratin dish and that recipe can be found here.

Please enjoy this post again and know that the holiday sentiment is the same as last year--that you and your family and friends enjoy a relaxing and healthy holiday with those closest to you.

Originally published November 27, 2013:

As you can imagine, Thanksgiving in our home is celebrated a bit differently than the typical American  way of enjoying a large feast of turkey and stuffing, pies and sauces. But we do enjoy spending time in the company of neighbors, many of whom are transplants as well, and being grateful for all we have.  And, like any gathering, we enjoy a delicious meal that often includes beef or lamb but without a bird in sight!

One of our favorite dishes to make is a potato au gratin from the My Field of Greens cookbook.   The recipe and helpful tips can be found here and, while time intensive it is well worth the effort and makes for great leftovers the next day.  And from what I understand about this American holiday, it really is all about the leftovers.  I like to fry it up in a bit of olive oil, add a fried egg and some leftover prosciutto or bacon.  It brings back fond memories of my mother’s bubble and squeak, although hers usually included mashed potatoes and cabbage.  Delicious!

We at Martin Pierce Custom Hardware want to wish you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday spent with family and friends.

Room accessories to compliment your custom hardware

With any design project, big ticket items and other decisions often monopolize the conversation.  Room layouts, color schemes and furniture needs are determined early in the game.  However, as all hospitality and residential designers know, it is often the little details that really make the room. Hardware for doors and cabinets are obviously a necessity but being ordinary is not a requirement.  That same school of thought holds true for other items in any space, including the bathroom.  Products like the soap dish, towel and robe hooks and even tissue holders may seem unimportant in the overall design of the space but they can make a strong design statement, particularly when they compliment the custom door hardware.  Take, for example, the companion pieces in our Hedgerow, Morphic, Ergo and Willow collections:

The sleek design of our Morphic coat hook is like a miniature piece of modern sculpture for your walls.

Our popular Hedgerow collection of architectural hardware also features utilitarian items like this beautifully detailed towel bar cast in oil rubbed bronze.

Even the tissue holder will get noticed when it is this contemporary design from our crisp and clean stainless steel Ergo collection.

Don't overlook the opportunity to introduce beautifully detailed accessories in your next hotel, spa, commercial or residential project.

To view all of these product and our entire collection of architectural hardware, visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

Our homage to Gaudi continues with a visit to Colonia Guell

As we continue our discovery of Catalan Modernisme in Barcelona we began our homage to Gaudi in earnest when we visited his work at  Colonia Guell. Not to be confused with Parc Guell, the “colony” was an unusual venture into social engineering and urban planning; again funded by Gaudi’s benefactor and friend Eusebi Güell.  Colonia Guell  is in many ways the blue collar polar opposite to the planned community that was to be Parc Guell, the latter being in the new sector of Barcelona and targeted for the very affluent.

The Colony is located outside of Barcelona and reached by train and, unlike much of Gaudi’s work,  it is not unduly cluttered with tourists like ourselves.  Quite the contrary, for  on arriving at the Colony we found ourselves in a ghost town.  When we arrived at the station we were 2 of only 4 passengers who had come to the colony.  Therefore, together we 4  followed the blue track that took us past the eerily quiet factory,  through a street of quiet houses and on to the Crypt and Church which are the Gaudi highlights of this small ghost town.  The detailing on the exterior of the crypt reminds me of a reptile and so similar to our own set of Iguana door pulls.  See if you agree:

The colony was begun in 1890 at what would have been the peak of the industrial revolution that began in England. Guell was an industrialist; therefore, at the Colony his first building was not surprisingly the cotton textile mill and supporting buildings. The worker houses and the manager’s house together with a school house followed on the heels of the factory.  Finally, the church which was both the spiritual and visual center of the town. The Colony showcases Gaudi’s work and also the architecture of Joan Rubió, a disciple of Gaudi and whose CaL’Espinal is an interesting modernist house so named for the factory manager Mr. Espinal who lived there.

The Crypt of the church  is an unusual and somewhat bizarre architectural feat and it is where Gaudi developed a lot of his engineering techniques that were later used in his masterpiece, Sagrada Familia.

As Wikipedia so puts it

“Gaudí's design[edit]

The technique Gaudí used to design the church was to hang little bags of birdshot from strings. Gravity would pull these bags downwards, giving even weight distribution and stretching the strings to form a model structure, thus showing him the shapes and angles his pillars would need to be.

By photographing the model, then inverting the photograph, Gaudí could then see the model as it should look. A replica of his model for the crypt is in the Museum under the Sagrada Família in Barcelona.

This place was really spooky and also very sad.  You felt as if the lives of these workers were trapped inside the “majesty” of someone’s grand plan.

While the architecture was interesting we were pleased to return to Barcelona and the hustle and bustle of life.

To view other pieces in our collection of architectural hardware, visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

Iris has a new friend-Part 1

We recently shared a post about a dog sculpture we made as a birthday gift for a dear friend of ours that represented her amazing three legged dog.  At the same time we mentioned that we had been contemplating doing a bust of our beloved Iris for our own enjoyment.  Well, one thought led to another and the design process began: As with all of our custom hardware pieces, the design process begins with a drawing. Unlike her predecessor, Brie, Iris is not want to sit still and pose so Martin was able to create a video and, along with the photographs, he was able to capture her sweet nature in his detailed drawing of Iris' impressive head.

This was done on tracing paper which allowed Martin to roughly mark up the outline on each of the 4 pieces of walnut that would become the main section of her head.

The other decision we had to make was what type of wood would best suit this sculpture. We decided on walnut as we found a nice board.  We cut it up and essentially created a rough block with 4 major joints and 2 very small additional joints for the ears. The ears were made from one block of wood cut in half so basically 5 pieces of walnut. The walnut was 8/4 walnut or 2" thick.  As many of our readers know, raw wood used in furniture is bought and measured by the board foot and the thickness of wood is expressed as a fraction e.g. 6/4 being 1 ½”.  The board thickness is calculated by the width and length of board e.g. 8/4 x1’ x 8’ = 16  board feet.  If the thickness was 4/4 (i.e. 1”)  the calculation would be 4/4 x 1’ x 8’ = 8 bd ft.  Welcome back to algebra class!

We have been referring to this piece as "Iris' brother", in part because the sculpture is a tad larger than life size.  Oddly enough, Iris seems to recognize it as a dog's head as she wags her tail and sniffs it every time she walks by.

Join us for part 2 of the story of Iris' bust to see how five blocks of wood become a life-like version of our dog's head.

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