Some folk craft is rustic and “naive.” Other pieces, like the wooden box above, displays a more refined aim and ability. Bold stripes create a striking effect and the original finish is curdled in a way that only the passage of time can deliver. We have a large collection of vintage boxes in-store and have […]
Like the Magi bearing gifts, use this English Gothic Revival box to store some of the things you treasure. Made of English quarter-sawn oak during the British Arts & Crafts period, this cassone—or “casket” or trunk—bears a hand-carved 16th Century aesthetic. It is part of the most recent English shipment now in-store at LEO Design. […]
Perhaps it’s a bit too late to store your outgoing Christmas cards here—but this would be a beautiful place to keep the cards you’ve received! This English Arts & Crafts letter rack, made of oak and decorated with hand-tooled brass panels, depicts a fire-breathing, winged dragon and a spray of stylized flowers and foliage. A […]
Well, my trunks are packed and my last-minute buying trip to England is coming to an end. I’ve found a lot of nice, Handsome Gifts on this trip including the English Arts & Crafts carved oak trunk, shown above. Throughout the worldwide Art Nouveau Movement, designers and craftsmen often revived earlier cultural themes or design […]
Amongst the nicest photo frames I’ve ever had, this English Arts & Crafts beauty is crafted of a heavy piece of hand-hammered copper mounted to a thick piece of quarter-sawn oak. A pair of willowy repoussé tulips frame the central photo. Truly a terrific piece of Arts & Crafts decorative objets—it surely won’t be in-store […]
A sense of gratitude can contribute to a life of happiness. I have many things to be grateful for—amongst them, my shop, my staff, and my customers. Thank you all! Service to others can be fulfilling and rejuvenating. On Thanksgiving, service may take the form of feeding friends and loved ones—or, perhaps, strangers or the […]
From Arts & Crafts England, a little musical jewel box and a hand-hammered brass tray. The music box, made in the 1920’s or 30’s, is crafted in the form of a planked trunk. It plays Irving Berlin’s popular tune, “Always”, which he wrote and gave as a wedding gift to his bride, Ellin McKay—along with […]
The English Arts & Crafts Movement—like its counterparts in other parts of the world—drew inspiration from the culture, mythology and aesthetics of the past. Gothic strap work, medieval characters, ancient heraldry all became sources for design inspiration for turn-of-the-century craftsmen. In the example above—a handsome pair of oak barley twist candlesticks with hammered pewter bases—the […]
The frames above are another part of our extensive collection of photo frames. Made in Europe, the frames are first constructed in wood, coated with gesso, then incised with various decorative elements if applicable to that design. Next, the frames are water gilded with 24 karat gold leaf—paper thin sheets of pure gold. Finally, certain […]
And, if yesterday marked four months ’till Christmas, today marks four months ’till Boxing Day—the day when (traditionally) English servants and tradesmen would get the day off—and maybe a present—from their employers. Speaking of boxes, the one pictured above—made of quarter-sawn oak in the early Twentieth Century—is very handsome, indeed. The oak strapping and brass […]
Bretagne—or “Brittany” as it’s called in English—is a little spit of land that juts off of France’s Northwest coast, into the English Channel, due south of England. It has a history of being invaded, occupied, and influenced by the various tribes and empires that came along: the Celts, the Romans, the Britons, and the Gauls. […]
On this day in 1778, British explorer Captain James Cook sailed past the Hawaiian island of Oahu with his ships the HMS Resolution and HMS Discovery, making him the first European to lay eyes on Hawaii. Two days later he landed—this time on the island of Kauai—at Waimea. Cook made an impressive entrance, with his […]
Crafted of turned English oak, these candlesticks will add a bit of casual—but handsome—elegance to your holiday table. Come into the shop to see our wide range of candlesticks or visit our "Candlestick Department" in our on-line store.
A flock of little, red Holiday owls has landed at LEO Design, here to remind us: “Only one month ’till Christmas Eve!” Another reminder, this time from our ornithologist friends: a group of owls is called “a parliament.” Click on the photo, above, to learn more about these Peruvian, hand-made ornaments.
In the Hawaiian Islands, one finds an exotic and precious hardwood called Koa. In the time of the Ali’i (the Chief), Koa was plentiful—large trunks were hollowed-out for canoes, others were planed into surfboards, and smaller pieces were hand-fashioned into bowls, ukuleles, furniture, even flooring. Today the wood is protected; one must have a permit […]
I’m just back from the UK where I spent ten days hunting treasures for the shop. It was exhausting, yet fruitful; nevertheless, I’m glad to be back. I’m also glad to report that all merchandise has arrived—no worse for wear—and is cleaned-up, priced, and sitting on the shop floor. Awaiting your visit! The piece above, […]
Another favorite of mine is antique boxes—and I hunt for them on my trips. The oak box above, from a British collector, was made in the late Victorian era—1880’s or 1890’s. It has a light Gothic Revival feeling, modeled after a trunk, with studded strapwork and decorative brass mountings. See it in the shop, along […]
We welcome September and its birth flower, the Morning Glory. With its cordate (heart-shaped) leaves and climbing vines, the Morning Glory comes in many colors—usually blues and purples but sometimes in reds or oranges (like those which decorate the hand-painted English Arts & Crafts frame, above).
The attractive carved design element known as the “Barley Twist” enjoyed a revival in the late 19th and early 20th centuries (as shown in the wooden candlesticks, above). But the use of this design element is thousands of years old. They were originally called “Solomonic Columns” and are believed to have been used in the […]
