Fine Finishes

Organic Origins Stylized shapes and textures drawn from nature permeate Martin Pierce’s cast-bronze door hardware collections. Lizards cling to bark and slate backplates, windswept trees lean elegantly, and swirling leaves wrap themselves around knobs and levers in the designer’s Lizard, Hedgerow (shown), and Willow collections. Trained as a woodcarver and sculptor, Pierce infuses his bronze hardware designs with his passion for nature, three-dimensional movement, and intricate details. “Bronze allows us to obtain incredible definition and detail, and the lost-wax process allows us to obtain detail that we couldn’t in other mediums,” says co-designer Anne Pierce.

Several other hardware collections are available, as well as collections of cabinet pulls and knobs. Two finish families are available for most collections: four living finishes in oil rubbed bronze and three living finishes in hot patina bronze. One collection is cast and finished in stainless steel. 800.619.1521. www.martinpierce.com

Store and Serve From 16,000-bottle restaurant wine cellars to home wine cellars that accommodate up to a few hundred of the owner’s favorite vintages, the designers at Cuvee Storage Systems start from the concrete slab and work their way in until the client’s custom wine cellar and tasting room are ready for enjoyment.

The company takes control of the process from concept to completion, says sales director Paul Fugere. Its designers address 53 items with each client regarding personal use of the wine room. The wine cellars can be designed to allow owners the flexibility to expand their collections and reorganize when necessary using custom racks and wine cabinets constructed from a variety of wood options, including salvaged wood. Nearly any decorative interior finish can be applied to walls, including murals, sconces, stained glass, and antique materials. Cuvee’s own teams handle installation of every job. 877.663.8522. www.cuveesystems.com

Bending Metal For blacksmith David Burtt, forging metals into light fixtures, railings, door hinges, latches, and pulls is not all about reproducing historic designs—it’s about pushing beyond his medium as far as he can. “To think of different ways of filling space and to come up with shapes … from all vantage points is both challenging and pleasing,” Burtt says.

After an initial site visit to gauge the elements in the client’s room and home and get a sense of the space, Burtt’s design process begins with sketches and discussions of surface textures and finishes. Because many view hammer marks as a signature of hand-forged metalwork, Burtt sometimes incorporates them, or he will create facets to reflect light from different angles. His favorite finishing technique is to burn oil on the steel elements, which he says is somewhat like seasoning a pan—it gives the metal more warmth and depth.

Burtt works in traditional and contemporary styles, sometimes combining the two. In one project (pictured), he created 163 different balusters, none relying on flower or leaf designs. 207.865.1627. www.davidburtt.com

Crystal Dreams The Dazzling Daydream bathroom, available through a partnership between Swarovski and Kludi, provides two complete baths outfitted with an array of materials that enhance the interplay of light and water. Swarovski crystal plays a central role in the Passion and Delight bathroom models, which come completely outfitted with all the necessary fixtures and elements including a vanity, shower, bathtub, lavatory, wall and floor surfaces, and lighting systems.

The Swarovski Passion bathroom is anchored by a dark granite accent wall, but floats elsewhere with limestone floors and walls, ceramic, glass, mirrors, crystal, and chrome. The Delight bathroom (shown) aims for a light, translucent effect with pale limestone, crystal, glass, mirrors, chrome, and wood.

Both models come in three room configurations to fit a variety of spaces according to size and floor plan. www.dazzling-daydream.com

Walking on Art Drawing on the unique grains and color tones of thousands of wood species, Premium Wood Flooring & Design creates its Wooden Rug collection in nearly any design and pattern, incorporating precisely cut curls, swirls, arabesques, and flourishes right down to delicately tasseled edges.

Aided by the company’s flooring designers, clients choose the species used in their Wooden Rug’s design based on the pattern and desired color contrasts. Even the styles and finishes of the client’s home furnishings are considered to ensure compatibility between the flooring and the rest of the home. The natural tones of the woods are mostly allowed to speak for themselves, however custom colors are available. Each Wooden Rug is finished with a protective coating. 888.369.3141.www.premiumfloors.com

Jack of all Trades The owner/designers of Fishing Creek Studios are continually experimenting with new tools and technologies in design and fabrication. Consequently, they are able to expand their services for clients looking for architectural ornamentation in materials such as metal, wood, ceramic, glass, plaster, cast concrete, fiberglass, and plastic. The studio also offers many different kinds of finishes. Because the designers work in a wide range of materials and techniques, they can offer out-of-the-box ideas and solutions to client requests.

“We offer a sensibility surrounding design, a big toolbox of how-tos, and a large resource network to make anything,” says co-owner/designer Kathy Bosin. 314.241.1406. www.fishingcreek.com

Main Entrance Take a look at Montana Rustics’ custom garage doors and you might think they are classic carriage-style, swing-operating doors. But every single garage door the company produces is lift-powered and upward-opening. “And that’s exactly what clients are looking for: the authentic look that blends into their home, but also … the convenience of a door that opens with the touch of a button,” says sales and marketing director Elsa Campbell.

Clients are recommended to the company’s extensive catalog of designs for inspiration if they do not have a particular style in mind. Elements from different designs can be combined to create a door that appeals to them, but the company specializes in creating unique designs. Though metals and metal finishes such as acid washing are offered, most garage doors are constructed in wood and shipped to the jobsite unfinished.

Montana Rustics offers a selection of species, including African mahogany, hemlock, walnut, ash, cherry, wormy chestnut, reclaimed teak, cedar, redwood, and reclaimed domestic woods. 800.491.9636. www.montanarustics.com

Concrete Refinement Working with a lightweight, cement-based composite, Concreteworks Studio translates clients’ ideas into concrete surfaces and elements ranging from shower pans and wall surrounds, tile, fountains, fireplaces, countertops, sinks, and bathtubs.

The company offers three standard freestanding tubs in oval shapes, but also creates custom tubs and can even incorporate whirlpool jets. Jetted concrete tubs are made possible by the formulation and thin-shell casting process developed by founder Mark Rogero. The lightweight formulation also makes installation easier. Most of the studio’s custom tubs are designed for in-floor or in-surround installation, but shapes and features range between straight-sided, round, and slope-bottomed with arm rests.

The studio offers nearly 200 colors and three finishes, and can create custom colors as well. Rogero starts by guiding the customer through the options. “I try not to let them choose something I know they’re seduced by in the moment but that I feel they’ll grow tired of soon. We want them to choose something that will bode well for the future,” he says. 510.534.7147. www.concreteworks.com