We recognize craftsmanship in the attention to the details. Craftsmanship is an attitude. Craftsmanship requires a great deal of time and patience. It is a long process to become an excellent artisan, they start by developing their skills through apprenticeship and are committed to continuous development of their craft.
Olivier bench by Flou via Architonic - weaving leather - leatehr via Saint Lucy
Creating with passion and attention to details make that the work of an artisan becomes a piece of beauty. The work of those craftsmen become more refined over the course of their career,
Le Manach Pierre Frey
I love beautiful things, I love fabrics and colors. Imagine touching a beautiful mohair velvet or a heavy linen, and than imagine a fabric woven specially for you, Pierre Frey bought a few years ago Le Manach and is weaving in France fabrics in color combinations the client or designer has in mind for a certain project. You can order 5 meter and have your unique fabric to upholster that armchair or sofa. That is the difference between a very beautiful product and an amazing creation.
hand painted wallpaper De Gournay - French artist Nathalie Lete via Domino
Years of training to learn a skill and adding to it a lot of talent and you are in contact with the right artisan, ready to have something special created for your home. They can make your dreams come true, or even better, as they are real artists they can deliver more than you imagination. Being able to put each stroke of paint with confidence on your wall or on the silk background, is a skill. Providing you with the right colors, composition, proportion is a work of art.
wood floor Urban Living - interior image Pavimenta Lemma - how parquet floors are made via Core 77
The castles and big mansions had marble floors till the 17th century, the houses had wood floors, so when the time came that wood floors would be installed also in the castles it was normal that they had to bring something more elaborated. The craftsmen wanted to build something for future, with a timeless quality. The most know is the parquet de Versailles, where each piece of wood is assembled in a sort of puzzle. They were kept together by a square peg driven into round holes. A technique which is still be applied these days.
sculpting a chair Jospeh Walsh Studio - all in the details via Urs Langenbacher - Stephane Lebrun’s Assemblage Table via Dwell
When you have a piece of furniture that is done by a real craftsman than you have a piece for life, they will even outlive you. Take a closer look, next time when you see an exquisite chair or piece of wood furniture. Recognize the wood joinery, they keep your chair of table in place. Choosing the right type of joint is one of the most important parts when crafting a piece of furniture.
upholstery ideas - hand-tie springs vis Apartment Therapy
Take a seat, and you know immediately if you armchair or sofa is comfortable or not. Ever thought of how they are made, how much knowledge is going in constructing a simple chair? And why this simple chair is so expensive? It starts with the wood construction, than the inner upholstery, if it has hand-tie springs or not. A great armchairs needs several layers to create this comfort, and a comfort that will stay in time.
It is the hidden part in the seating as well in the mattresses that will give you the comfort. The night sleep that will refresh you night after night. A lot of handwork goes in creating this comfort, this explains also the high prices you see for a good sofa or mattress.
tack on fabric via Better Homes & Garden
Same for the upholstery, the details are making the difference. Once you have a sofa or chair made by a craftsman you have this piece for a life time, the fabric can get dirty or you are, simply, in the mood for another color. You only need to find now a skilled craftsman to re-upholster your chair or sofa. Buttons, a small piping, nails; you won’t see the comfort they create but you will see the details that make the difference.
master glassmaker Simon Pearce via Dwell - Hennepin glass blowing studio via Design Milk - vintage Rezzonico chandelier Baroncelli
Another form of exquisite craftsmanship is glassblowing. If you would ask people in Murano you will know that this is a dying craft, nobody wants to learn it these days.
Seeing an object that is lovingly crafted is as seeing a piece of art, it can take your breath away. Those pieces are made with patience, passion and pride and will bring joy to life of those who have such a piece. The more I was looking for pictures and information for this blogpost the more I got inspired, you will find for sure in future more blogpost going in details of the hidden beauty of some objects as I didn’t describe all of them.
Next time you see a piece of furniture, take a closer look to the details. I know we don’t all have the money to buy such amazing pieces, but we can all enjoy and appreciate the work of those craftsmen.
Hope you enjoyed the article and will look with different eyes next time you are looking for a new chair of other piece of furniture for your home.
Have a great week.
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