Samuel Aguiar of Shiny Hammer Brings Us A Unique Style of Industrial Furnishings.

Shiny Hammer products are handmade in France by the french industrial designer Samuel Aguiar. The primary purpose of Shiny Hammer is the creation of furniture for the home that blurs the border between use and art. The brand's aim comes from the desire to create unconventional and timeless objects.



As a couturier or an architect would do, each creation becomes a representation of a lifestyle, an environment or a culture.



Each piece is signed with an emblazed emblem (above) and developed, produced and crafted one by one.


PLEE CHAIR





This chair is the result of a manufacturing process developed by Shiny Hammer called C.I.M. which is aimed at using a bending process which is rough yet sophisticated. The end result is unpredictable, although controlled. As a result, each chair is unique.

Materials : aluminum, steel, fiberglass and foam.
Finishes : Brushed or polished aluminum
Dimensions : H 79 x W 43 x seat H 45 cm


TILE LIGHT



This fixture is the perfect fusion of two domains : crafts and computing. It is composed of 570 aluminum parts that are laser-cut and assembled one by one by hand. The lighting is composed of three light bulbs that project light towards the floor and through all the facets.

Materials : aluminum, inox steel
Finish : brushed aluminum
Dimensions : D 81 x H 59 cm. Cables' length to choose.


SHONE LIGHT




Limited edition of 10 copies. Inspired by the world of aeronautics, Shone is a timeless fixture suspended by metal wires. Like a piece of jewelry, its faceted body contains a light source set within the structure. When lit, it projects an ambient light towards the ceiling, reflecting both on the ceiling and on the various surfaces around Shone.

Materials : aluminum and fiberglass
Finishes : Brushed or polished aluminum
Dimensions : D 120 x H 80 cm. Cables' length to choose.


DALLAS




Limited edition of 10 copies. Both functional and decorative, Dallas is a safe, an eccentric sculpture on a scale of 1. This piece combines several quality materials such as aluminum and leather.

Materials : aluminum, leather, wood, fiberglass, and steel
Finishes : brushed aluminum, black leather
Dimensions : L 171 x W 47 x H 137 cm

Ask for prices and ordering info at : info@shinyhammer.fr


Shiny Hammer of France creates mass-produced, limited editions and unique pieces on request.

Creative License. Comparing Michael Kalish's Works With The Original Art That Inspired Him.

above: a composite of Banksy's Flower Thrower with the license plate version by Michael Kalish

There are actually several artists out who have found creative ways to "up-cycle" license plates from automobiles. One of the most respected and well-known, is artist Michael Kalish.

His impressive repertoire of work contains imagery of American culture - from flags and automobiles to portraits of entertainers such as Johnny Cash. But in the pieces I am sharing with you in this post, he's taken modern, pop and urban art by well-known artists and recreated them in his style using metal license plates.



At first glance, these works of artists Banksy, Warhol, Tom Wesselman, Murakami, Keith Haring, Shephard Fairey and Roy Lichtenstein look like the original pieces until you get closer and see that they've been crafted from metal license plates.

I'm going to share with you both Michael Kalish's creations along with the original pieces that inspired him.

Roy Lichtenstein's Girl With hair Ribbon by Michael Kalish:

detail:

The original by Roy Lichtenstein:


Andy Warhol's Marilyn by Michael Kalish:

detail:

The original by Andy Warhol:


Tom Wesselman's Beautiful Bedroom Kate by Michael Kalish:

detail:

The original by Tom Wesselman:


Banksy's Flower Thrower by Michael Kalish:

detail:

The original by Banksy:


Shepard Fairey's Obama by Michael Kalish:

The original Obama art by Shepard Fairey:


Takashi Murakami's Louis Vuitton Pattern by Michael Kalish:

detail:

The original by Takashi Murakami:


Dog, Baby and other Keith Haring icons by Michael Kalish:

dog close-up:

The original by Keith Haring:


About the Artist:


Michael Kalish is an internationally acclaimed artist and sculptor who has a natural ability to transform ordinary objects into extraordinary works of art.

The subjects of Kalish’s work reference a broad sampling of American culture, from the all-American pastime of baseball and the morning cup of Java to portraits of popular, political and cultural icons.

His signature medium, the license plate, embraces his ideal of Americana with his own contemporary sophistication, curiosity and distinctive style. Many of his unique sculptures have found permanent parking spots in a number of Hollywood homes.

Over the past 15 years, Kalish has garnered national and international press exposure as well as solo shows and representation in galleries around the world. He has been the feature of stories in publications from the NY Times and People to Art in America and USA Today, as well as TV appearances on CBS Sunday Morning and CNN’s “To the Top.” realize marks an entrance into a new medium of work for Kalish, publicly installed monuments.

Michael Kalish

Forging Some Fun Sterling Silver Baby Gifts. Welcome! by RICHARD and 5.5 Designers

Bienvenue! A collection of whimsical and modern Silverware for Baby by Parisian silversmiths, RICHARD in collaboration with 5.5 Designers.



To celebrate its centenary, the RICHARD Goldsmith Workshop invited the collective 5.5 Designers to shake up its codes and tradition and reinterpret its expertise in a collection of unusual baby and birth gifts. With curiosity, passion and humor, RICHARD goldsmiths has imagined "Welcome!", a collection that is the antithesis of mass-manufactured products and yet has the undeniable stamp of fine Arts and Crafts.


above: silversmith at Richard forging the collection

Born with a silver spoon in your mouth, or rather a service spoons in their hands. This collection of "birth spoons" was born of the encounter between real expertise and a desire to bring up to date that forgotten tradition of family ties at the time of arrival of the a child.



Spoons were originally made of wood, they were then mostly made of tin. But in wealthy families, it was tradition that the sponsor offers his godson or goddaughter a sterling silver spoon at the time of his or her baptism. This object was thus a symbol ensuring prosperity for the child. The sponsor also offered a cup, a metaphor for money, with the first name and date of birth. These beliefs were widespread and many of us still have our baby cup, rattle and cutlery in a drawer.


above: the egg cup under construction

Today, the act of giving birth or baby gifts is still practiced, but the spoon, the object of life par excellence seems to have gone by the wayside. It is by diverting the archetype of the spoon, using it as raw material, that RICHARD and 5.5 have designed a collection that revisits the classic gifts of birth.

Below are all the pieces in the collection followed by images of the crafting of these items.

The curved spoon functions as both a napkin holder, a place to store the bib or as a teething ring:



By cutting and welding the spoon surfaces to a cup, they become a generous handle and the ears of happy little character.



Planted in a dish, the elegant egg cup has a place for blotters:




The addition of multiple sterling silver rings and handle detailing turns this spoon into a lovely rattle:




This beautiful spoon is equipped with a guard and detailing on the handle:




Welding two spoon surfaces together makes this double as a feeding tool and a place to hold snacks:



All these variations on the iconic baby gifts are versions that make you want to be senile or make older children wish they were still young.

RICHARD:


Since its founding in 1910, the Richard Goldsmith workshop covered forged sterling silver using traditional methods of French goldsmiths. A recognized expert in restoration of antique pieces, Richard Goldsmith Workshop also produces custom-made parts, prototypes and limited series.
www.orfevrerie-richard.com



above: 5.5 designers, Paris 2011