Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Contemporary Table Base Design


Most people know Potter Art Metal Studios for the old world metalwork and lighting... that's what we are famous for! ...  but here's a little bit of secret info:  We do contemporary just as well!

I absolutely love it when a client walks into our showroom asking for something fabulously sleek!

The other day just a client like that waltzed in with a life size template and a photograph of a gorgeous black walnut piece he's using for a table top; he wanted a neat metal base to complement the wood; which automatically sparked the imagery of George Nakashima's work.  And the really cool part of the story?  My new best friend actually knew and worked with George!

The generous size, plus the beautiful shape and details of the slab got me super excited and my brain was flooded with ideas.  After creating a few quick drawings, I decided that I liked the idea of the traditional butterfly joints, which Geroge Nakashima was known for.  So, instead of using wood, we would create the sleek shapes from smooth steel, with nice sharp edges, and then plug the butterfly joints right in, which would allow for a sharp space between the pieces of metal.  Maybe I'll even drop that top horizontal piece into the bottom one just a little bit... (just thought of it while writing this.)  Anyhow, I have a nice rubbed patina in mind for the overall finish, and a smooth black patina for the joints.  Love it!

I sent the designs over for approval... I do hope he picks my favorite!

written by: Izabela Wojcik


Thursday, July 14, 2011

Wow! Building Big Drive Gates...

Can you do big gates?  A client asked me the other day.
Of course we can!
This made me think of the European style slider gates we did across the street from the The Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas.

European style slider gate design by Potter Art Metal Studios
I opened the file on my computer and went down memory lane...

See the little spears on top of the gates?  Now look at what
I'm holding... not so little after all...

The giant wrought iron gates and fence were custom designed and hand forged with nothing but love.  I love the metal columns too... most of the time you'll see stone ones, but wrought iron is so unusual.  All of the spears, rosettes, acanthus leaves, double hammered banding, and other details, like the flames of the urns, were cast in brass and polished.  We are super proud of them. 
Can we build large gates? Check!
So today I'm designing a brand new, beautiful, grand gate for the client...


written by: Izabela Wojcik