behind-the-scenes
Monday, May 28, 2007
From the first time I stopped by Kipper, a furniture making haven nestled against a graveyard in Culver City, California, I was taken with the space outside the warehouse. On any given day, an assortment of antique doors, and piles of curing wood are housed, while numerous pieces of furniture are being hand-painted with organic varnish. Somehow I just knew that this would be the perfect place to shoot my new line.
I originally met Niall Bourke when I saw a table he'd made from the heart of a 500 year old naturally felled Bubinga tree from Africa. It was the most stunning table I had ever seen and I called to find out more about it. We set up an appointment for me to come see the warehouse and Niall not only patiently answered all my many questions about his furniture designs, but educated me a bit about the history of furniture along the way.
I ended up falling in love with Niall's many gorgeous handmade mirrors, especially the ones that he'd made in collaboration with some of the last remaining chinoiserie artists. Niall offered to make a mirror for my line and re-create the motifs from my new Magical Mind textile with his favorite chinoiserie artist, Chris Jenkins. Over the past few months I could barely contain my excitement. When I saw the finished frame, with the beautiful one-of-a-kind mirror, I thought I would pass out from excitement. It's for sale but I am seriously trying to figure out where to put it in my house. If you're interested in one for yourself, please keep in mind that the frame can be recreated but each chinoiserie piece is one-of-a-kind, hand drawn, and each antique mirror has a slightly different sheen. I know I'm biased, but I think it's beautiful! If you have any questions please feel free to contact me or email me here: maryjomatsumoto@adelphia.net
Although we haven't photographed the mirror by itself yet, it shows up in a few of the shots from my handbag shoot. I thought I'd share a few of the behind-the-scenes shots from the catalog I'm putting together today.
Niall isn't one to sit down for an interview, but I'm hoping to catch him on the fly soon because I think you'd really enjoy finding out more about his world.
Also coming up soon are interviews with many of the top organic cosmetic manufacturers whose products I often write about. So many people have asked me about what organic products they should be using and where to find them, that I thought I'd go straight to the source and ask my favorite organic skincare makers what they use in their day-to-day life.
Labels: Bubinga Twist Leg Table, Kipper, Magical Mind Chinoiserie Mirror, Niall Bourke
posted by Mary Jo at TrustYourStyle at
Monday, May 28, 2007
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