Heirloom Furnishings from Reclaimed Lumber

For anyone with a desire for handcrafted furniture and a passion for green living will fall in love Whit McLeod. His career began "on the other side of the bark" as a wildlife biologist and his abiding reverence for the natural world is reflected in his award-winning line of Arts and Crafts furniture. Heirloom furnishings with a twist, reclaimed lumber from oak wine barrels and Douglas Fir rescued from industrial waste are handcrafted into furniture fit for Gustav Stickley, Frank Lloyd Wright and William Morris enthusiasts everywhere.

That spirit of preservation informs his manufacturing process, from relying on vintage machinery that McLeod has retooled himself to scouring scrap yards for copper to be melted down in his foundry for tiles used in tabletops. Accordingly, every facet of his work is done in-house — unheard of in this present day and age.

From tables and chairs to flooring and sculptural metals, Whit McLeod captures the true essence of sustainability in his heirloom quality furnishings. This is a good as it gets!

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Are You Patriotic At Home?

This week has been filled with red, white and blue, the American flag, ceremonies, balls and bill signings. We thought we would wrap up our week of Americana coverage by featuring this lovely and patriotic home featured on Freshome. It's a Carl Dalhstedt creation that uses the American flag as it's inspiration for color, design and theme. For more pictures, head on over to Freshome for more coverage. Read More..

Recapturing Americana: Everything Inauguration

Are you working today? Playing hooky to watch the inauguration festivities? Or, like us, you are spending half the day watching everything presidential on Hulu and CNN! We thought we'd make your day a little easier - today's post is a compilation of fun facts and information about the inauguration.

If you want to watch the inauguration, but still get a little work done, try Hulu. They're going to stream it live, but you can watch it in a small pop up window while your work hangs out in the background.

Do you need to know - event by event - what the schedule is for today? From the morning procession to the actual swearing-in, luncheon and wrapping up with the ball this site from the Senate gives you the facts, history and current plan for today's festivities. For example, did you know the first inaugural ball was thrown in 1804 for James and Dolley Madison?

Maybe you want to mix in a little design references and home decor influences into your day? If so, Bloomacious has a great wrap up detailing the history and designs of the official White House Presidential china patterns. Our personal favorite is the subdued elegance of the John Quincy Adams administration's choice and Woodrow Wilson's dramatic black and gold setting. Oh. and for fun, Bloomacious also has a poll going on trying to determine what Michelle Obama will be wearing tonight at the ball. Head on over and vote!

If you happen to be playing hooky and relaxing in a Starbucks, some locations are streaming the inauguration coverage live from 10 until 2, so you won't have to miss a moment while you wait in line for your mocha. And, in the spirit of Barack Obama's dedication to volunteerism, Starbucks will be beginning a new campaign on January 21st called Pledge 5. For any customer that pledges five volunteer hours, Starbucks will reward them with a free tall coffee. They are hoping to inspire 1 million hours of community service.

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Recapturing Americana: Beauty is Patriotic

Everyone has patriotic, presidential fever! The beauty, makeup and fashion retailer Sephora has created their own pursuit of liberty and gorgeous skin with their in-store displays. We particularly love the creation of a "Beauty Bill of Rights"!

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Recapturing Americana: Red, White & Blue

This week we are devoting our blog posts to everything Americana in honor of inauguration week. We've been seeing a resurgence of anything authentically American, handmade, reclaimed or created with concern for our environment and our country.

Red, white and blue - not necessarily in combination - is making a strong statement in both fashion and home decor. Even at international tradeshows we are seeing more of the three hues most near and dear to Americana. At Heimtexil we saw many applications of red, white and blue.

White was clean, crisp and striking:

Saunder:Naturapura:HNL:

Blue was dusted and serene or intense in marine shades:

Gracioza:H.K. Kleinmann:

Almedida Home:Red was bold and vibrant:

Zoeppritz:Tarus Home:Cow on Parade:Zoeppritz:Linum:

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