Busty Girl

This modern metal form spoke to us from the corner of a shop recently.  It was just hanging out, no real purpose, not a real dress form but pretty cool.  So we picked her up and brought her home.  We gave her a make over,  painted her in pretty semi-gloss black, created a lighting system for her and she is gorgeous!  The cloth covered red cord is like her red shoes, an accessory, kinda sexy.  The retro like Edison bulb is centered at her heart and glows.  This light is whimsical and makes you smile. You may just want to hug her.  She will fit nicely in a bedroom or in the corner of the living room. Funky or what? $195.00 on puffindesign.ca


If you are around Creston B.C this can be viewed and purchased at Creative Fix 139-10th Ave N. 250-402-6071.  

 

Coat Rack

Archetypes are an interesting phenomena. Psychologists believe that there are certain universal characteristics that all human beings share....such as fear of the dark, snakes etc. It is believed that these "archetypes" have become part of our DNA and are not as a result of environment or upbringing....this is what makes these "feelings" universal.   The interesting thing is that not all archetypes are negative. Some, called "fractals" are the reasons that we as humans tend to feel better about certain shapes and configurations. The branching tree is one such fractal. It is a universal "feel good" shape.

While exploring this concept, I found a vintage "Conoco" oil can with incredible patina at a local antique store. I thought that it would make a wonderful base for a fractal coat rack. Enlisting the skills of iron artist Andrew Bibby, I asked him if he would design and build a hand forged tree using the oil can base. The results as you can see are quite spectacular.

From a technical point of view, Andrew designed the coat rack to easily disassemble without tools. For stability, the oil can can be filled with sand providing weight. So... this coat rack not only looks great, but it works well...form and function.

Unique, universally appealing, and a very functional coat rack. How does it get better?    

Retro Powder Room Sink

A garage sale find, this free standing bathroom vanity started out life over a half century ago as a phonograph. The elegant stand includes fancy fret work and inlay. We replaced the original speaker fabric with a visually stunning peacock motif which adds serious pizzazz to an otherwise neutral palette. The beautiful proportions and sensuous flowing lines makes this a "one of a kind" base for the custom designed, slim concrete top and vessel sink. The  vanity top is hand crafted in sand and mushroom colours with a subtle vein meandering across the center. A polished ammolite fossil adds a bit of wonder and whimsy, reinforcing the organic tone of the piece. The vessel sink... also sand and mushroom coloured, has a unique rough edge. The sink's top edge was designed and crafted to add a tactile dimension - but is just smooth enough to be easy to clean. The overall compact size allows this piece to fit into even the smallest powder room. As with all our work, this elegant vanity sink is unique and sure to become a focal point wherever it is displayed.  $1400

Unusual Occasional

This chair has 'something' about it.... I think it's the back, so unusual.  This unusual occasional chair has had a complete transformation.  I found it in a junk shop and it was sad, sad yet very solid.  Not so cute with a very old, ugly, yellow seat and worn wood.  I gave it some tender loving care, uncovered the nastiest stuffing I have come across yet and brought it down to bare wood.  It's happy now with all new webbing, stuffing, fabric and a fresh coat of off white chalk paint. I can't decide if it's totally finished or if I want to wax it, I am really loving it as it is right now, a clean look.  I am digging this black and white fabric, it adds a little funk to a solid accent chair and allows it to slip into nearly any color scheme.  Claim it for your own... $200

I really need to start taking 'before' pictures, this one has been reborn!

A Chair with French Flair

This chair speaks of French flair.  The graceful legs, the generous seat, the curves of the woven back, it has class.  I love taking an old chair that has good 'bones'  but is worn and bit down in the heel and giving it new life.  This chair was painted in blue chalk paint and then finished with a dark wax to create a look of elegance that can still fit everyday use.  The seat is a durable material, well cushioned and the piping around the edge really finishes it off.  A wonderful accent piece to a room.
If you're around Creston, B.C this chair can be purchased at Creative Fix.  If you'd like it shipped to you that's no problem at all! 
$169

Hangin' out.

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This hanging light combines all the things we love at Puffin Design, 

're-purposed', 'reused', and 'retro'.  The 're-purposed' pipe fittings create a functional bracket to hang a 'reused' fire nozzle that has new life in this fantastic light and 'retro' edison bulb and cloth covered electrical wire complete the piece.  The bronze wire cage looks like it was made exactly for this light.  We have hung this from the wall but it can hang from nearly anything,  it wraps around and stays put.  

This could be hangin' out in your life... $225

   

Italian Rustic

Wabi sabi rustic Italian????

The Asian philosophy of wabi sabi is that there is perfection in imperfection. This concept explains why we often find beauty in weathered and rusty items. While going through a book on old Italian villas I ran across a sink that was re-purposed from an ancient livestock watering trough. The original limestone trough was crudely carved... followed by centuries of weathering and use resulting in a spectacular piece. The only problem being that although the aesthetic was there, the sink would be almost useless to use from a hygiene perspective. 

Based on the rustic Italian trough, my thoughts were to create a sink from concrete that has the aesthetic of a centuries old sink but is totally functional by modern standards. To complete the effect, I had Chris Balde from Kris Craft Industries do his magic on a matching base. The finishing touch was supplied by Marilin Grahn who came up with some working vintage faucets.

 The result really has to be experienced to be believed. It is fascinating to observe customers experiencing this sink for the first time.  It has been universally "love at first sight".