I was following Tugboat Printshop and their traditionally hand-crafted, fine art limited edition woodcut prints long before I realized they were even from Pittsburgh. Each unique piece Valerie Lueth creates is an original, authentic work of art created start-to-finish by hand. Tugboat’s drawings are made on 3/4-inch birch woodblocks, then carved in low relief using knives and chisels before being printed directly from the hand-carved blocks. I really appreciate how detailed each piece is and the incredible amount of work put into every woodcut print.
A few months ago I had the chance to hold one of Margaret Spacapan’s perfectly shaped half-dome bowls, she had to talk me into it because I can be a klutz and they looked so delicate. I marveled at how it felt in my hands and kept thinking about how a human had created this thing. All of Spacapan‘s sculptures and forms with function are completely without flaw and attract me like a crow to something shiny. But for the time being I’ll just have to settle for the hope of someday owning one of her bowls.
Reiko Yamamoto is a modern ceramicist combining her skill in creating versatile, functional pottery with her experiences growing up in Japan. Eating meals meant a collection of handmade pottery rather than a matching set – a completely foreign concept – and Reiko has brought that approach to her Pittsburgh studio by creating pieces of various sizes, colors, shapes, and patterns that all work together harmoniously. The jewelry she creates has the same organic feel and presence, with a weight that feels substantial but not heavy.
If you’re a lover of bold, graphic prints then Savannah Hayes has got your number. The Pittsburgh-based textile designer refined her urban aesthetic through years of living and studying in various cities – San Francisco, London, New York City, and Los Angeles – and working with big shots Kelly Wearstler, Martha Stewart, and Kravet Fabrics. In October 2015 Savannah struck out on her own and has since expanded her eponymous line to include products for the living room, dining room, bedroom, baby, and tech. But if you have an idea of your own, she also sells fabric by the yard. I own one of her blankets, a heavy knit that’s ready to be brought back into rotation for autumn any day now!
Our Pittsburgh Maker Profile series has been on extended hiatus for awhile now. This area is so rife with creativity that I feel I’ve been doing it a disservice, simply highlighting one maker a month really isn’t enough. So this September I’ll be highlighting a few dozen instead! You’ll know it’s a Pittsburgh creator by the little seal above that will mark each post.
I first became aware of the flora-meets-fauna art of Ashley Cecil last spring when she created a line of scarves that sold at the Carnegie Museum of Art. She paints from live observation at renowned institutions, and marrying realism with abstract modern backgrounds is her signature style. Those two things alone garner loads of interest for me, but what makes it all work so well together is Ashley’s innate understanding of color and the way she knows when to keep it reigned it or go all out. She’s also working to save birdlife with an innovative window film that helps birds see the surface rather than fly into it injuring, or even worse killing, themselves.
In my home owning experiences the last room to get any love is usually the guest room, which makes it all the more gratifying once it’s been done! I partnered with estate sale marketplace, Everything But the House, to pull mine together and have been bidding on pieces for the past two months to make it happen.
I won’t even bother showing you before shots of the space because there isn’t much to share. I jokingly referred to it as the Renaissance Room because it was filled with a mishmash of old furniture from my childhood, my father, and my step-grandmother and not at all my taste. The vibe I was hoping to pull off in the revamped room would be a mix of fresh and modern with touches of Americana – considerably different from the rest of my home, but an aesthetic that I’ve been increasingly drawn towards.
What I did love about the guest room pre-makeover were the stories associated with each piece of furniture, from the cherrywood dressers my grandparents bought me when I was 10 years old to the secretary desk my dad used to build his model cars on as a kid and refinished when my parents were newlyweds. Nowadays I think we’re all too quick to discard the old for the new, and I love the idea of EBTH bringing estate sales right to my laptop. I spent a few weeks browsing and bidding on items, then a few more waiting for them to arrive in the mail.
One of the first pieces I picked up, and definitely the most modern, was this clear acrylic side table for $46. (EBTH is very clear about what you’re bidding on, down to details on scratches.) When it showed up on my doorstep I was beyond happy with both the heft of the piece as well as the inch wide thickness of the acrylic. I really like how it adds a good sized bedside surface without adding much visually – it practically disappears!
I spent just over $500 on the entire room and pulled pieces that weren’t being used elsewhere in the house in to bring everything together. This brushed gold lamp is one of my favorites and wasn’t getting the attention it deserved, so into the guest room in went. A few cuttings from my Wandering Jew plant in a vase and a tobacco scented candle lend a few visual elements to the top, while a trio of coffee table books and an old metal box I’ve had for several years add some heft underneath the table. (Plus, the cuttings grow roots in just a few short days – a sweet little gift to send guests on their way with.)
The bed was the ultimate score in the room. EBTH gives you the option of shipping or picking up items you purchase, and this mid-century teak-finished bed was a short 35 minute drive away. I BOUGHT IT FOR ONE DOLLAR. Larger pieces obviously cost more to ship, so I was the lone bidder and you can bet I’ll be telling my children and grandchildren about this deal. The matching headboard and footboard have vertical and horizontal veneer patterns with squared molding and the side rails slid right in, making this bed the easiest to assemble I’ve ever encountered.
I made it up with a set of super soft white microfiber sheets and a down alternative duvet that I already had, then layered a classic Pendleton blanket on top with a pinstriped throw pillow for a little pattern.
I’ve long wanted to learn how to play acoustic guitar, and have plenty of friends and visitors with more than their fair share of talent, so I snapped up this Fender FA-100 for $71. It’s a pretty basic model but I’m hoping it invites cozy musical stirrings, and it just looks so good sitting in that corner even when not in use.
The guitar is propped up on another EBTH find, a brown leather folding tripod stool with embossed floral and filigree patterns that I got for $30. The legs slide into a pocket in each corner of the triangular seat and the legs fold flat for storage when not in use. A sweet little spot to sit while strumming, no?
The master bedroom and guest room are just about the same size, so I had a good amount of space to play around with. One of the first things I did was replace the tension rods holding the curtains up with the same brass rods that are in the master and dining room – while this room feels so different, I love this one bit of cohesiveness with the rest of the house.
One of my decorating rules of thumb is to have some greenery in every room, in this case a sturdy rubber plant that will thrive in the sun exposure this space receives and not require a ton of maintenance to keep alive.
The bench used to sit at the bottom of the staircase at my mom’s house and will make a great place for guests to put their bags, sit to put on their shoes, etc.
The bed may have been my best find but this offset lithograph is my favorite! It’s titled Mrs. James Montgomery Jr., leading me to call this the Mrs. Room post-makeover. The original painting is by Thomas Sully and depicts a pretty dark haired woman wearing a strand of coral beads, but I was able to pick this framed piece up for only $24 through EBTH.
The blanket ladder used to live in the master bedroom and now offers different weights of blankets to make guests perfectly comfortable while sleeping.
The only piece of furniture that I kept in the room from before is this secretary desk, I’d love to replace the hardware on it but because of some attached plates it needs to be just right. (The search continues!) Guests can sit here – that chair used to be in a living room corner – while getting ready for the day.
I love layering mirrors, and this little nook offered up the perfect opportunity. The large mirror is something I picked up from a neighbor on trash day for free! A snake plant and a few more coffee table books stacked up for bedtime browsing finishes things off.
This sweet little mobile is something I picked up on super sale a few months back with plans to hang it in the master. It was still sitting on my dresser while I was pulling this room together and I knew where its true home was.
For awhile now I’ve had this thing for American flags, or I should say for them aesthetically (because for their meaning, always, of course). This vintage 48-star canvas version has been so obviously loved that I had to have it. In my mind it was living in the garage workshop of a WWII veteran and I wanted to continue to give it the same kind of care and respect. I was able to get it with a bid of $68 on EBTH and am happy to hang it front and center over the bed.
This room gets the most amazing light! The white cotton curtains diffuse it just enough.
My last EBTH find was a southwestern wool rug (or saddle blanket) for $60. I’m not afraid to layer floor rugs on top of wall to wall, and the horizontal bands of black, brown, grey, lavender, and red against a natural off-white background pull in several of the colors used elsewhere in the room.
So that’s that – three years to the day I first set foot in my home and I’ve finished putting my stamp on it. Who’s going to be my first guest in the new room?!
This post sponsored by Everything But the House. All words and opinions are my own, as always. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep Design Crush creating fresh content!
Taking the day off to celebrate the fact that I’m employed thanks to you, as well as sit around a swimming pool eating delicious food and enjoying the unofficial last day of summer. Back at it tomorrow to fight the good fight!
Hot Beverage Weather is comin’ to getcha, maybe you need a new mug? These type-centric ones from Playtype are great – choose from four collections that let you choose from a selection of attitudes, glyphs, music genres, and the alphabet. They’d also make great pencil cups, etc.
