inspire

Here is the beginning of my 'French Inspiration' series.... chalk paint, images and wax...

You may have seen the chair before and here's a cute little 
side table, perfect for a cup of tea....

Love the image of the bee!

Nice lines, this piece $99

                    

A side table with drawers... mix of blue and antique white paint and dark wax.... $149

          

       

Chalk painted terracotta pots (a hole in the bottom)... 

french images... yesssssss.... 

$29 each

              another bee image....

francais!

More to come in this series... contact me if you're interested in seeing (and touching) in person at the studio. 250-402-9257.

Studio hours vary at this time, appointment necessary.

And finally...a sneak peak as to what's next... this is the latest fabric to enter the studio... now I must go play, see you soon!

French.... ah yes!

I have been inspired by everything French the last few weeks.... dreaming of sidewalk cafe's.... 

                

sneak peeks of architecture....

Montmartre at night..... sigh.... 

Fabric....

no, sorry not a Puffin, but I like it!

Graphics....

Color....

the work is coming.... soon.... apres...

And this is just because I LOVE French Bulldogs!

Explorer's Light

 Like something you might see in a jungle setting of a 1940's archaeological dig, there is more to this tripod light than meets the eye.

Starting out life as a weatherproof airport runway light, we sandblasted the aluminium housing for a soft, textured look then drilled and tapped the side bosses to accept the funky "Drama Faces" knobs that hold the light onto the custom built cradle.  These rare "comedy / tragedy" knobs are the ubiquitous icons of the "drama" industry. 

Completely rewired with a retro look, cloth covered cord and an all new electrical fixture, this is a new light in a vintage package.  The light and cradle are attached to a vintage surveyor's tripod.  While cleaning the base up, we carefully preserved the patina of age and wear.  To keep the legs from splaying out, we wove a vintage leather strap through the tripod's adjustable legs.  The leather strap was made supple by repeated hand rubbing with classic saddle soap.  

The end result is without a doubt one of the funkiest lights that Puffin Design has ever crafted.  As with all of our offerings this tripod light is 'one of a kind'.  $699

                                                           

Grandpa's Carpenter's Chest Coffee Table

Imagine receiving a very old carpenter's chest from good friends as a gift.  To make this chest even more special, it was hand built by the grandfather and used for his entire career.  With decades of nicks, scratches and paint drips... every one representing a story of a job well done, this trunk has a very special meaning... in essence, it contains a lifetime of memories. This history added a whole new dimension to repurposing this chest into a designer coffee table.  To start, we removed the damaged bottom, flipped the trunk over and added hidden castors.  We carefully repurposed wood from the discarded top and lined the new false bottom with the wonderfully aged and worn wood.  We had many surprises while working on this trunk like finding that all of the nails are hand forged.  Once the wood work on the chest was completed, we carefully hand rubbed on a neutral wood finish leaving as much of the original patina as possible. With such a wonderful base, the top required a very special design.  We used a very thin cast designer concrete which is less than 3/4's of an inch thick.  Utilizing an organic green base tone and adding dark veins and highlights, hand picked polished rocks, as well as some 'mother of pearl' chips; the top compliments the base while adding a unique contemporary flair.  The end result is visually remarkable.  This functional coffee table rolls easily, can hold things like a comforter inside, and has a durable stain resistant top.  Guaranteed to be the center of attention in any room.  Hopefully Grandpa would approve of his heirloom. 
 $899.00

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