Glen Milner a réalisé pour le Daily Telegraph une vidéo sur la naissance d’un livre. Filmant l’imprimerie de Smith-Settle à Leeds, la vidéo arrive à retranscrire la magie de la réalisation d’un livre avec des méthodes traditionnelles. Un rendu à découvrir dans la suite.
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Hand cut, organic, human-grade dog treats baked in NYC’s West Village
Keeping Cool Hunting mascots Otis and Logan well rewarded in recent weeks has been NYC’s very own Bocce’s Bakery. Driven by wellness and sustainability, the small batch dog treatery uses only “human-grade” ingredients—antibiotic-free beef, hormone-free white meat chicken, wheat free flour—for their all-natural dog biscuits. What started as a humble project for a beloved pet has evolved into a professional business, although the hands on, oven baked cooking process has yet to change.
Otis and Logan devour the treats in seconds, delightfully licking the hard wood floors for every last savory taste. Hit flavors included chicken cordon bleu, beef bourguinon, fish and chips and PB’n’J, which is made with a short and simple list of just three organic ingredients—oat flour, blueberries, peanut butter. These few items, along with all others used by Bocce’s Bakery are locally sourced from upstate NY and the tri-state area whenever seasonably possible.
Bocce’s Bakery biscuits are offered in seven distinct flavors, each with heaps of healthy ingredients your four-legged friends will love. Available through Bocce’s Bakery online and a long list of loyal stockists for $9.50 a bag.
photos by Josh Rubin
The publisher’s secret shop in NYC
by Perrin Drumm
In 1985, Luke Ives Pontifall was your average high school overachiever—the kind of guy whose regular classes weren’t enough to keep him busy, so he sought more stimulating after-school activities. Born out of tedium Thornwillow Press is a small publisher that produces finely crafted, handmade, limited-edition books. What began in Pontifall’s parents’ proverbial basement now thrives in Newburgh, NY, a town just across the Hudson from Beacon, home of the Dia.
Down the street from George Washington’s Revolutionary War headquarters in Newburgh, a host of master craftsmen and engravers create custom monograms, ciphers, calling cards, bookplates, logos and coats of arms. Letterpress printers work on 24 antique and modern printing presses—the oldest press dating back to the 1800s—and the bindery still uses historic binding equipment.
Thornwillow is classic every sense of the word, from their approach to the collections they print. Their latest release is “Andrew Jackson: The Hero”, a selection of documents compiled by Wendell Garret, whom you might have seen appraising furniture on “Antiques Roadshow”. Thornwillow publishes plenty of presidential paraphernalia, like Barack Obama’s inaugural address, as well as poetry by James Merrill and short fiction by John Updike. They’ve also produced a $2,495 edition of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and a $13,000 alphabet of William Wegman’s dogs.
New Yorkers don’t have to travel out to Newburgh to browse their titles—they have a location tucked away at the St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan. The Thornwillow outpost blends in with the other reading rooms, and many regulars have been known to pass by several times on their way to get the famous Bloody Marys at the King Cole bar before discovering the offerings within. The Library Gallery at the St. Regis is a cozy 20′ x 20′ room open 24 hours a day. A librarian is available Tuesday – Saturdays and by appointment, but you can drop in any time, night or day, and browse luxe volumes like Fabrice Herrault’s $1,450 “New York City Portfolio” or the $685 copy of “Cinderella”, until you find something you like. Also for sale is a selection of box stationery, books, letter and paper desk accessories and one-of-a-kind antiques in the Cabinet of Curiosities.
The Library Gallery at the St. Regis
2 East 55th Street
New York, NY 10022
Laser-cut leather goods from Vancouver combine precise details with a vintage feel
On a recent trip to Vancouver, British Columbia we were pleased to discover Alex Fairbairn’s line of finely made leather goods, Wülf Work at the new shop Much & Little. The Swedish hardware on buckles and fasteners complemented the fine leatherwork, all of which is crafted under the company’s philosophy of sustainablity and innovation.
The young brand foregoes traditional machine-stamping methods and opts instead to laser-cut their leathers, which lends each product a clean, precise edge. Each item is hand-sewn and burnished to enhance the personalized aesthetic, during a process that’s closely monitored to keep production local and minimize material use. The brand fit well with the simple and solidly designed wares at the similarly focused boutique, which also carries Matteo bedding, Small Trades striped cotton shirts and whale knives by Japanese government-certified sickle-maker Tetsu Yamashita.
Besides Much & Little, Wülf Work is available in-store at the Vancouver boutique Crome Yellow.
Colorful leather goods handcrafted in Paris
Cutting, crafting and dyeing all leather goods by hand in her Paris studio, Emilie Borriglione creates brightly-hued wallets, belts and more under the name Melle Emilie b. Because the design process happens completely by hand, no two pieces are exactly alike in style or shade. I was fortunate to have discovered her booth at a weekend pop-up event in Paris and was charmed by her enthusiasm for her work; her bright personality translates literally with her use of vibrant colors.
Emilie sets her pieces apart with their minimal design, making each pouch, wallet and seamless belt in more than 26 colors—from subdued earth tones to vibrant reds and yellows—all inspired by Borriglione’s love of traveling.
The Melle Emilie b. line sells through Paris’ Créateurs de Mode. For special orders, contact the artist directly through her Facebook page. If you’re really keen on Borriglione’s design, check out fellow Paris-based brand Ursul where Borriglione has recently taken up a design position.
Epistolary-inspired nail art puts a retro-futuristic twist on the traditional manicure
London’s legendary name in nails Mike Pocock created Nail Quills for Illamasqua, an over-the-top answer to nail art. The handmade press-ons seem born from some kind of fashion editorial fusing magic powers with a darkly futuristic vibe, also nodding to a bygone era of handwritten correspondence. While it’s technically an old-time motif, the talon-like shape makes for a fierce way to trick out a manicure for Halloween or any time you need a decadent Goth touch.
Nail Quills come in a set of two—one for each thumb—and are available for £35 via waiting list through Illamasqua online. For a more monstrous take on the concept, check out Pocock’s latest, the Toxic Claw.
A new online shop celebrating the tradition of Moroccan craftsmanship
Famous for colorful souks where artisans peddle handmade goods, Morocco hasn’t been spared the effects of Westernization. To help keep the craftsmanship heritage alive, Aimee Bianca and her Moroccan husband Chafiq Ennaoui came up with Beldi, a country-specific online shop highlighting select housewares and accessories. Explaining they noticed “more and more cheap plastic stuff from China in peoples’ homes” when visiting Morocco, the pair not only expose the country’s finely crafted objects to the world, they also give online shoppers a fresh destination for items that are often difficult to source.
Spanning classic Moroccan rugs to bathwares and leather accessories, Bianca says because Ennaoui grew up in the medina of Marrakech, “almost everything we have is from people Chafiq knows personally, some of the artisans he originally knew through his grandfather or since he was a child.” Future inventory will include items from different areas around the country, tapping each region’s distinct artistry.
Similar to stores such as Kiosk, RS Too and even Opening Ceremony, part of Beldi’s appeal comes from finding artisans who would not otherwise be able to sell beyond their geographical border, bringing their skills into the limelight. But because of the way Moroccans conduct business—”everything’s done by bargaining, and can be a long process of meeting multiple times, drinking tea and finally coming to an agreement”—Bianca and Ennaoui also serve as gateway to a buying process the average tourist wouldn’t always experience.
With aspirations to one day be as all-encompassing as Lisbon’s famed A Vida Portuguesa boutique, Beldi is already starting off as a beautiful celebration of a culture with a long history of handmade goods and artisinal craftsmanship. Keep an eye out for more to come from the many regions around Morocco.
A photographer brings old-world portraiture to San Francisco
From his airy studio in the heart of San Francisco’s Mission district, photographer Michael Shindler is quietly putting a little “soul-stealing” back into the act of picture taking. Asking his subjects to sit still for a one-off tintype portrait, Shindler began Photobooth—a studio, shop and gallery space—in late August 2011 as a way of putting tangible value back into the typically digital medium.
Shindler captures a person’s image directly on a tintype or stainless ferrotype plate, then exposes them in the adjoining darkroom using a mix of chemical solutions. Because there’s no negative, the image on the plate is the only record of the moment captured with each subject. The uniqueness of the image combined with the intimacy of when it was taken elevates the simple portrait into something much more.
Shindler spent several years honing his technique, essentially the culmination of meticulous darkroom experiments, before opening Photobooth. Citing landscape photographer Carleton Watkins as inspiration for a perfectly developed print, Shindler shares an attention to photo processing with the 19th-century photographer, but he assures us it’s people that interest him most. The tintype format allows him to draw out intriguing characteristics of a face with freckles, wrinkles and irises in high contrast.
Fueled by a passion for the hands-on process of developing wet-plate collodion prints, Photobooth adds a human touch to photography, one portrait at a time. Walk-ins are encouraged, and prices span $50-80 a photo, depending on whether you choose a tintype or the stainless steel, mirror-like plate.
See more images in the gallery below.
Jill Platner’s latest bracelet design—inspired by the utility cord used to hang her last sculpture show
When hanging her sculpture show this past spring, Jill Platner became enamored with the strength, weightlessness and feel of the marine rope she carefully re-wove to elegantly suspend her work. That inspiration led to this fall’s newest item in her jewelry collection, the JP Hitch.
The classic JP Clasp has been refined and simplified without compromising its distinction. To seamlessly affix the clasp to the marine rope the cord is folded over and braided back in to itself. All of the nature-loving jewelry designer’s pieces are created to live with the wearer through everyday use and by virtue of her strong aesthetic this new line plays perfectly with her more classic pieces.
Working with the high-strength marine rope has enabled Jill to break in to bolder, brighter colors with the Hitch. And while the material is a synthetic, it feels natural to the wearer and develops a unique character by slightly fading as it wears in over time.
The Hitch comes in sizes for men and women as well as a much longer “wrap” version that, while meant to be a bracelet, can also be worn around the neck.
The JP Hitch is available for $225 (or $255 for the wrap) at the Jill Platner store at 113 Crosby St or at jillplatner.com.
Six artisans showing the creative side of elegant craftsmanship
Parts one and two of our Maison & Objet coverage looked to the fully materialized innovations in furniture and sustainable design, but one of most inspiring sections of the expo is the area dedicated to arts and craft. In this sector creativity reigns, and each artist’s distinct know-how turns raw materials into unique collectibles, sophisticated jewelry, intriguing lamps and more. Each object tells a story, many of the hands that made them.
Observing the world through ancient and forgotten optics, Dominic Stora’s kaleidoscopes, optical games and early animation devices like the phenakistoscope are as much an objet d’art as they are an entertaining toy. His range of unearthed spy devices and more can be purchased by contacting Stora at apreslapluie[at]orange[dot]fr.
Based in Brittany, French artist Pauline Bétin creates beautifully fragile glass sculptures. Imprisoned in the blocks are dreamlike images that seemingly float within the glass, half erased and half embedded within the material. Featuring landscapes or urban industrial environments, the artist works with both mediums to explore the mysteries of opacity and illumination. Bétin sells her decorative objects under the moniker La Fabrique du Verre.
Poetic stories to get kids to sleep is what the paper lampshades and other enlighten paper figures created by Papier à êtres tell. The couple behind the company is both paper craftsmen and artists and most of their creations are made out of their own homemade cotton or linen paper production.
The graceful white figures and handblown lighting sculptures borrow their soft charm from the folded paper they are made from. Inspired by fairy tails, the mini tree-hut lamps and moon-like suspension lamps featuring tiny swinging figures are known to enchant a child’s room or the Parisian Opera House.
Parisian Aude Tahon tells stories of princesses with her refined ultra-feminine floral jewlery. Handmade using the traditional Korean technique of knotting twisted silk yarns or by braiding cotton threads, the artist makes airy rings, bracelets and other creative body accessories.
A trained architect, ceramist Beatrice Bruneteau creates contrasting sandstone and porcelain housewares under the name Brune.
Inspired by rock, cliffs and tree bark, her smooth tea sets and attractive flower pots reflect her talent for pottery, while the willowy tree branches simply allow anyone to elegantly bring a bit of nature indoors.
Marseille-based Jean-Pierre Giusiano turns everyday objects into functional works of art. Kitchen utensils, bicycle pieces or gear boxes are given new life as desk lamps, coffee tables or stools.
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