The Devil is in the Details - Custom Hardware from Martin Pierce

Monday's Inspiration!  A featured guest blog post from our friends at Martin Pierce!  If you haven't had the opportunity to see Martin's work, we are inviting you to come by our Belmont showrooms for just a small preview of the fabulous design and quality that his studio produces.  Unparallelled, unique functional hardware design is their specialty!

Now for a peek into their design world....

"Do you long for items in your home that are unique and out of the ordinary?  Lucky for you, one of the simplest and most affordable ways to add custom details to your home is through the use of bespoke hardware such as knobs, levers and pulls on your doors and drawers. 

Martin is inspired by the work of  Grinling Gibbons, an 18th century English sculptor and wood carver.  His detailed work often included “surprises” like a small peapod or little mouse scattered among one of his favorite shapes, a five petaled flower.  (image of Grinling Gibbons' detailed Hampton Palace Court carving)

Martin is hard at work carving the latest addition to our collection, the heroic vine and leaf pull, and he has added details that are so important to custom work.  In this case, a shield bug, or beetle, is carved into the handle.  I find this detail so charming and unexpected.  

 

For this piece, Martin is using cherry wood which, like most fruit bearing trees, is a hard wood perfect for carving.  These photos taken during the carving process will provide you with a close-up view of the details that are present in this piece.  Keep in mind that further refinement and finishing will make the details even more prominent and beautiful.

One more photo of the carving details of this vine pull - "


What a great pull for a wine cellar, or for a Tuscan themed rustic kitchen island...

If you are interested in this design or any other pieces from Martin Pierce's varied collections, please stop by one of our Bay Area showrooms, and let us help you design something for your home with his fabulous detailed bronze work.

Thanks again to Martin Pierce for sharing their design ideas with us!