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Posts Tagged ‘architecture’

Lounging before a fireplace on a chilly night is a simply a rapturous experience.  The roaring heat drives the chilly air out of the room while one drinks in divine light.  Though fireplaces are meant to be practical, they should be beautiful as well.  This rings true in the South, where winters are rather short, as well as in the North throughout their extensive blustery winters.  Modern fireplaces display captivating mantel shelves and surrounds and strive to achieve artistic designs as a source of heat.  Wooden mantel shelves and surrounds have been the conventional choice for hundreds of years and have continued to gain preeminence among homeowners.  As a result, cabinet manufacturers and millworks companies now specialize in crafting unique surrounds and shelves for their customers.  Every comstomer’s design and size requirement can be achieved through this resource.  In the past, cabinet builders and millworks companies were incapable of constructing hand carved mantels.  It was also futile for homeowners to locate a competent craftsman to mold such a unique piece.  If found the cost would have been exorbitant.  Engineers have designed machinery that can carve wood (as well as other mediums).  The majority of modern production procedures lie in CNC (Computer Numeric Controlled) technology – more simply a router robot that mills wood following computer generated three-dimensional drawings.  As complex as these mechanisms are, hand carved samples can never be flawlessly reproduced. The small nuances and imperfections of a skilled artisan are impossible in today’s detached mass-production based assembly. Master craftsmen have the skill to chisel undercuts and small details and shapes not possible with the steel tooling utilized in CNC machines. The inconsistency between the two methods – CNC and hand carving – are visible even to the casual bystander.  The good news is that there are seasoned artisans out of country that continue to engage their amazing expertise and make their pieces of art available to the US market at acceptable prices. Although these are not custom made for each and every requirement, they are manufactured to fit the majority of fireplaces. In the circumstance that a fireplace needs additional height, hand carved mantel extensions can be included to increase the height of the mantel surround.  This is no problem for a mantel shelf since it lies above the fireplace.  Mantel shelves will accommodate almost all openings and can be adopted further with carved corbels and other carved moulding.  So if you are looking for a authentic hand-carved mantel surrounds or mantel shelves, they can still be found for an resonable price through distributors here in the US.

Forged Iron Balusters
Wrought Iron balusters have recently been gaining popularity architects and designers around the world.  Despite the fact that we are just now witnessing the migration of iron balusters indoors, Italy was well known for its allocation of wrought iron inside their dwellings throughout the 16th century.  At the moment we are seeing a new appeal for the stately and noble influence brought with iron balusters.  These pieces can be fashioned in many designs, textures, and finishes, and can also be installed in alternating patterns to express a design unique to your residence.
Innovative designs for wrought iron balusters emerge continually.  Some of the more common models include scrolls (or swirls), baskets, waves/bows, twists, spoons, knuckles (nodes) and belly balusters.
Scroll balusters contain a wide symmetrical swirl profile: one placed in the center or two evenly arranged on the wrought iron.  These can bring an exceptionally classy look and a large assortment of scrolls are offered.
Balusters with baskets are very elegant as well; portraying a spherical bird cage that has been wound into a spiral.  Iron balusters with baskets will normally sport one or two of these baskets per baluster. 
Next we have the “wave” or  bowed iron baluster which are aptly named: a baluster shaped in a zigzag pattern.
The twisted baluster has the semblance of a straight iron bar in which one or two sections or the entire piece has been wound into a tight spiral.  Twists can be utilized by themselves on a piece or accompanying other designs (e.g. basket and a twist or scroll with a twist).
Another design is the spoon with knuckles or nodes.  These are composed of an elongated taper similar to a spoon positioned on both sides of a knuckle or node. 
Lastly are the belly balusters.  Without any other way of illustrating, these simply remind one of the shape of a pregnant mother or of a very fat man.  “The bulge” protrudes away from the railing so belly balusters are used on balconies only.  These balusters are also manufactured with many embellishments including the basket, scroll, and twist designs.
Iron balusters are produced in a wide variety of finishes.  The most frequent is flat or glossy black.  Other finishes have also been produced to suggest age.  Rubbed copper, rubbed brass or silver are fairly common.  These finishes have a base coat – copper, brass, etc – with a glaze  rubbed over the base and then incompletly removed.  The glaze gets “hung” in the cracks and crevices of the baluster for the old fashioned appearance.
Textures may be classified as an element of the finish but I wanted to keep them separate because the textures I describe are embedded in the iron baluster before applying the finish.  Of course, wrought iron balusters can be obtained that have no texture but are smooth. The hammered texture, on the other hand, has the appearance of a baluster fresh out of the local blacksmith’s workshop.  If you are seeking a rustic feel for your staircase, the hammered texture may be the ideal choice.  Some engineers have fabricated a pebbled texture often referred to as “veining” or a veined texture.  Wrought iron balusters with the pebbled texture look like a eroded and pitted piece of iron that has been resurfaced.
One of the more unique options available to iron balusters is the application of alternating patterns.  Restricted only by the imagination, one can make their own original series of alternating balusters.  The run is repeated each tread (normally three balusters per tread).  Examples of such a series would be a single twist, double twist, single twist or a single basket, double twist, single basket.
Many builders incorporate iron balusters with wooden stair parts.  Iron balusters make a very nice match with wooden newels, handrails, and treads.
As iron balusters make their way back into modern architecture, it is essential to be knowledgeable about all the alternatives offered when utilizing them on your stairway.  The variety in designs, textures, and finishes as well as alternating patterns and wooden accents offer a extensive array of selections to give a truly distinctive stairway for the homeowner.  Hopefully this article will bring simplicity to the alternatives available to you.

Corbels have been found all through the globe and their origins can be dated as far back as the late BC centuries. Originally made of stone or wood and employed on the outside of a building, a corbel is any brace that protrudes from a wall and provides support to balconies, roofs, shelving, or any superincumbent weight. The term “corbel” is originated from the Latin corvus, meaning a raven, which refers to its break-like appearance.

The first application of this bracket was observed during the earliest Chinese structural design in the conception of a dougong, an extremely elaborate formation of interlocking wooden supports set together without glue or fasteners, and soon developed into an architectural system that coupled pillars and columns to the framework of the roof. Today, they are still considered as an important component in traditional asian architecture.

Corbel’s roots can also be traced to ancient Greece and Rome. For instance, the acanthus leaf that adorned corbels throughout the medieval and renaissance eras, and is still familiar among modern corbels, was initially observed in the 5th century BC. Archaic Greek civilization was the most primitive to use this motif which was later revised by the Romans so that the tips of the leaves curled. This foliaceous pattern continued in popularity in the Byzantine, Romanesque and Gothic architecture and is even now prefered in the present.

Corbels started gaining popularity during Europe’s architectural progress of the medieval era. Though the Romanesque stone corbels were normally crafted with a simplistic appearance, expertly detailed pieces started surfacing with additions such as heads of humans, animals or imaginary beasts, angels, and other motifs. These intricate corbels started appearing in the same monasteries, churches, and cathedrals that are revered even today.

During the prior century the art of creating corbels has truly been perfected. Corbels are now being applied where never imagined: within the contemporary home. Modern architecture now allows designers to fashion corbels from an assortment of materials which includes anything from marble and faux stone to concrete and polyurethane. Because wood is such an accommodating medium, capable of being carved by hand or digitally drawn on computer and created through a CNC machine, it has expanded in recognition amongst architects. At present, corbel designs can be found to satisfy any style. The traditional acanthus leaf corbel and grape cluster corbels are now accompanied by a variety of shell corbels, oak leaf corbels, wave corbels, fluted corbels, and many more. Corbels now have many uses in the everyday home and, whether accenting a fireplace mantel or embellishing a doorway entrance, are sure to express a sophisticated elegance and compelling artistic air with them.

In addition to enhancing your home with fine furnishings and exquisite accessories, there are many places that you can add architectural style with wood corbels. Corbels were originally used in stately buildings to support ledges and balconies. Today, corbels are being used in quite a few interior areas of the home.

I’ve listed a few areas of your home that are good places for decorative corbels. Since most modern corbels are made of wood, they are easily mounted using screws, nails and/or glue.  Some decorative are made of urethane foam but we will not discuss those here.

Archways

If there is an archway in your home, contemplate adding corbels to either side of the archway.  Your arch will have to have a flat for the top of the corbel to fit against.   A good way to do this is to add an arched casing which ends at the corbel top. The corbels will face each other in this particular application.  When picking your corbels, measure the width of your wall at the archway to guarantee the corbel will be equal to, or smaller than, the thickness of the wall.

Fireplace Mantel Supports

Fireplaces, at one time, were the focal point of every family room displaying grandiose mantles built with decorative columns and pilasters. Today, you can bring about that same grace with a couple of decorative corbels.  A distinction should be made between a fireplace mantel surround and a mantel shelf.  The “surround” wraps around the top and sides of the fireplace.  The mantel shelf sits atop the fireplace only.  ornamental corbels can be used in either application.  Corbels can be applied to support the mantel shelf or they can be attached to the columns or legs of the mantel surround.  Care should be taken to ensure the corbels are proportional to the size of the mantel surround or shelf.  If all the mantel components are to be stained, then it is a good idea to match the wood species of the corbel to the rest of the mantel.

Kitchen Island Overhangs

A frequent place to install ornate is the overhang of a kitchen counter or bar.  Granite counters as well as other types of counter tops need support when they overhang the counter.  A twelve inch extension is ordinary for islands and bars.  The overhang allows chairs and stools (and knees) to rest under the extension.  Corbels are a clever way to add support as well as improve your kitchen.   

There are many places decorative corbels can be used in your residence.  Stand alone wall shelves, for example, lend themselves to their use.  Range hoods have been embellished with ornamental corbels.

Born Ephraim Owen Goldberg in 1929, a young boy discovered that almost anything could be molded into beauty; be it pieces of chain link fence, wood scraps or tossed aside corrugated steel. This creativity followed Goldberg into his adult life when he changed his name to Frank Owen Gehry. Still amazing the world with the impossible and intriguing designs of buildings, sculptures, jewelry and modern home furniture, Gehry does what he loves.

Gehrys architectural designs have received harsh criticism from designers who see his work as overshadowing a buildings intended use with an overwhelming nature. Others applaud the fresh, non-traditional role that a Gehry building offers to society and welcome his methods with awards and embrace his role as Distinguished Professor of Architecture at Columbia University and the Yale School of Architecture. He continues to receive many national, regional and local A.I.A. awards, in addition to the Pritzker Prize in 1989.

Sculpture, household items, furniture and even jewelry are other areas that employ much of Gehrys time with design ideas. Often referring to creating new lines of furniture as his quick fix, Gehrys first furniture collection debuted in 1969 and was made out of cardboard. Next came the Bentwood Furniture line, naming each piece after a different hockey team, his favorite pastime. His latest line is presented by Heller and consists of modular sections perfect for moving about but very attractive and comfortable.

Some of the most popular designs by Gehry include Vitra Design Museum, Vitra premises, Weil am Rhein, Germany; Dancing House (Fred and Ginger), Prague, Czech Republic; and the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, California, USA. A few current works in progress include the New World Symphony campus, Miami Beach, Florida, Suna Kirac Cultural Center, Istanbul, Turkey and the Performing Arts Complex at the World Trade Center site in New York City.

Frank often refers to his love of sculpting and designing simple modern furniture as his ‘quick fix’ as the work does not require the months and years of intensity in architecture. But this does not diminish the quality or thought that he portrays in every design that he completes. The Gehry furniture collection by Heller proves this by the sleek, pandemic nature of the pieces. Simple in design yet complex in presence, the modular units can stand-alone or be used in dozens of different ways as groupings.

A quiet boy from the 40s proves that imagination can grow into anything obtainable with hard work and structure. Owning a piece of Frank Owen Gehry can never go wrong with the extensive reputation that this man has made for himself and his modern contemporary furniture design.