12 Nov Details: Things We Love

Leon Gaspard: The Call of Distant Places by Forrest Fenn and Carleen Milburn

Renowned art dealer Forrest Fenn, along with co-author Carleen Milburn, have released Leon Gaspard: The Call of Distant Places, an encyclopedic tome on the artist. Fenn who once lived in Gaspard’s hometown of Taos, New Mexico, bought the artist’s estate containing photographs, diaries and more than a thousand hours of recorded interviews with the artist. Now you can be privy to the artist’s life in this beautiful oversize book with illustrations as large as 20 inches wide — large enough to study his brushstrokes. This page-turner also offers places to swipe a smart phone and see a video of Gaspard riding his horse. Another features him telling a story about hunting bears in Russia in his youth. Leon Gaspard: The Call of Distant Places is more than a book, it’s a window into the fascinating and entertaining life of Gaspard. 

$125 | 75 vintage photos; 168 color plates  | leongaspardbook.com

Mesquite Bowl with Turquoise Inlay by Treestump Woodcrafts 

“Life is too short not to surround yourself with beauty.” Such is the philosophy of Treestump Woodcrafts which, for more than 25 years, has been handcrafting wooden bowls and kitchen utensils and furniture by turning sustainable domestic hardwoods into functional creations of beauty. By using the natural flaws in the wood — most often mesquite, cherry and black walnut — to inlay turquoise, malachite, river rock and other stones, Treestump Woodcrafts is able to utilize interesting pieces of wood that otherwise would never realize their full potential. Never have we seen a salad bowl and utensils so unique and so beautiful. 

$72 | Mesquite Tulip Salad Utensils | 11 x 3.5 inches | $300 – $1,200 | Mesquite Salad Bowl (Sizes vary) | 520.398.9123  | treestump.co

Bicycle Chain Chandeliers by Carolina Fontoura Alzaga

Carolina Fontoura Alzaga is a multidisciplinary artist gaining international fame for her ability and strong imagination to transform old bicycles rescued from junkyards and dumpsters into chandeliers and lamps. From her studio in downtown Los Angeles, Fontura creates luxurious, cascading and seemingly traditional chandeliers that demonstrate her commitment to the principles of sustainability. Drawing on inspiration from Victorian and modern chandeliers, as well as from bike culture, she cleans the bicycle chains by hand and reimagines them into gracefully draped chandeliers. In her Connect Series, Fontura seeks to find beauty in the discarded and challenges the necessity for new.

$14,000 | 60 x 48 inches | 213.570.9819 | facaro.com

Boulder Style Tulikivi Fireplace by WarmStone Fireplaces and Designs

Who doesn’t love to sit in front of a fireplace on a cold winter’s night, seduced by the flames of a wood-burning fire? We love this Tulikivi one-of-a-kind soapstone fireplace from WarmStone, not only because of its beauty in design but also because of the internal channeling that warms the stone which, in turn, heats the surroundings. Newly patented Whirlbox technology assures low emissions. WarmStone customizes the Tulikivi fireplace with mantelpieces, benches and, in this one, a surprise oven on the back. Available in smooth or rough-face stone, WarmStone makes it easy to fulfill your decorating needs.

 $60,000 installed  | 82 x 59 x 90 inches | 406.333.4383 | warmstone.com

Western Wingback Chair by Buffalo Collection 

The Buffalo Collection crafts its furnishings with the finest American buffalo leather, including this Western Wingback and Footstool. A comfortable addition to the den or living room with its quilted raked back and seat, this handsome set will be a family heirloom. The pair is upholstered in adobe buffalo leather with braid and nail-head trim, but can be customized in any of Buffalo Collection’s upholstery leathers. Available in black, mocha, saddle or sand buffalo, Buffalo Collection will gladly create something special just for you. Alternative trim or artistic embellishment, anyone?

$12,900 (as pictured, 2 pieces) | Chair: 42 x 36 x 42 inches | Footstool: 14 x 19 x 26 inches | 480.946.3903 | buffalocollection.com

Titanium and Gold Cufflinks by E. Douglas Wunder 

With geometric influences, E. Douglas Wunder creates images in miniature that go beyond the mundane and predictable. From his studio in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, he produces a unique vision in jewelry by layering metals, particularly titanium. “This gray-toned metal is ideal for jewelry design. It is light in weight, strong, hypoallergenic and non-corrosive,” he says. With many of Wunder’s designs, as in these cufflinks, he has combined gold and silver to highlight and contrast the finished piece. We love them as a gift for that special person for the holidays. Or, perhaps, St. Valentine’s Day?

$300 | Titanium, 18k gold bi-metal, and silver | .75 x .75 x .25 inches | edouglaswunder.com

Opal Neck Collar by Alison Antelman 

A 2015 Niche Award Winner, Alison Antelman garners awards regularly for her uniquely designed one-of-a-kind jewelry. A former president of the San Francisco Metal Arts Guild, she creates her work in the historic Sawtooth Building in Berkeley, California. “I make all of my own hinges, settings, hollow fold-formed pods and clasps,” she says. This natural Lightning Ridge Mine Opal Neck Collar is hand-fabricated and forged, of 18- and 22-karat yellow gold and oxidized sterling. To add the finishing touch, Antelman has added blue zircon and tourmaline, making this one stunning gift. 

$12,000 | Pendant: 1.40 x 1.25 inches | 16 inches total length | 510.704.1905 | antelman.com

American Rustic by Chase Ewald Reynolds, with photographs by Audrey Hall 

Logs, twigs, burls and bark are elemental in the American Rustic style. A new release by Gibbs-Smith Publishing, American Rustic takes an intimate look at such style in homes, cabins, architecture and decorating across America. Authored by WA&A’s Chase Ewald Reynolds, with photography by Audrey Hall, the book showcases everything from a New Mexico adobe to a New York lake house. From humble to grand, these dream retreats will carry away your imagination. The houses span a wide spectrum, and include everything from post-and-beam interiors and Thomas Molesworth chairs to museum-quality Native American art. You’ll love going on this journey; American Rustic speaks to a simpler life and a return to nature’s embrace amidst a noisy, increasingly crowded world.

$50 | 800.835.4993 | gibbs-smith.com

Roam Handbag by Carol Hearty 

“An interesting life is a choice,” says award-winning purse designer Carol Hearty. It has been said she designs with an architectural flair, but Hearty simply lives by the credo that “the best technology is still the human mind.” She was inspired to create this playful Roam Handbag after moving. Made of leather, aluminum, toys and found objects, it’s crafted with the thought that everyday should not mean ordinary. “I hope that [my creations] may be carried into daily lives as talismans of thoughtful living and poetry of everyday life,” she says. 

$375 | 14 x 10 x 2 inches | 845.661.3610 | carolhearty.com 

The Purgatory Rocker by Sublime Rockers 

Never have we seen a rocking chair such as Kevin DesPlanques’ Purgatory Rocker. Crafted using the stack lamination process, he has combined leopardwood, ebony, maple and wenge into this ergonomically correct chair. The process, he says, allows him to create shapes that best express his artistic vision. This he does without use of computer automated equipment. He calls it “hand sculpting,” making every piece one-of-a-kind and what he believes are the most comfortable chairs on earth. “Sitting is believing,” he says. For those who love the warmth of wood, this chair can be made with various wood combinations. 

$9,000 | 49 x 28 x 36 | 970.749.9463 | sublimerockers.com

Sugar Skulls Diego Bear by Pendleton Blankets 

A forever favorite of anyone who values keeping toasty warm in winter is a Pendleton blanket. Now the Oregon company has created a forever teddy bear for children and grandchildren, made from durable 82-percent pure virgin wool. Diego is a delightfully fun fellow, clothed from the tip of his ears to his toes in Sugar Skulls fabric woven in American mills. He sports a neon rainbow of colors sure to put a smile on any child’s face.

 $69.50 | 16 inches high  | 877.996.6599 | pendleton-usa.com