singular sustainable timelesss: Hammer & Hand

PATINA: The true art of aging naturally…

January 31st 2012 Posted at Hammer&Hand Imports - History Upcycled here!
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When you think of aging naturally what is the first thing that comes to mind? Maybe someone like Lauren Hutton, Susan Sarandon, or Helen Mirren? Possibly a gorgeous grandmother that has a beauty all her own with shiny gray hair and soft wrinkles. Or, perhaps an all natural anti-aging skin creams and wrinkle reducer comes to mind!

When we think of aging naturally we think of the word ‘patina’. Take a look around our shop and you will see the beauty and character that comes from the history and age of all of our pieces. Hammer & Hand is all about the patina!

On metal, patina is a coating of various chemical compounds such as oxides or carbonates formed on the surface during exposure to the elements (weathering).

These antique water pots are an amazing example. They are selling fast!

This blue one was by far the favorite! You just can't recreate this!

These scales are just fantastic! This color pops and would be such a great accessory if you are looking for something fun and funky!

Just love the red writing!

Patina is also described as a tarnish that forms on the surface of bronze and similar metals (produced by oxidation or other chemical processes).

We are obsessed with these scales! We have several colors and sizes. Super fantastic!

We had no idea how fun these locks would be. Yes. They are still functioning...that is if you can figure out how to unlock them!

A sheen on wooden furniture produced by age, wear, and polishing; or any such acquired change of a surface through age and exposure is also an example of ‘patina’.

A very typical worn look on our cabinets are from the previous owners opening and closing the cabinets. They show wear marks on the latches and where the hands would open and close the drawers. This is all natural distressing!

And finally, the perfect definition of ‘patina’ that fits Hammer & Hand perfectly in every way!

Patina also refers to accumulated changes in surface texture and colour that result from normal use of an object such as a coin or a piece of furniture over time.

Close up of a gorgeous antique teak 4 panel screen. Love the patina here. Worn in all the right ways!

A very signature look from Hammer & Hand. Our antique Indian door cabinets. Talk about aging and patina! These doors are 100-200 years old!

Amazing antique doors! The blue is so rich. This is a 94" buffet made with vintage Indian doors (150-200 years old) and repurposed sheesham wood. Solid!

If you have any questions about the pieces in these photos or would like to see more photos of the pieces we just recieved from India you can follow us on Flickr or our Facebook page.

Visit our Pinterest page to see some fun ‘weathered and worn’ photos or to start following all of our boards!

Hope to see you at the shop at 415 Olive Street or on-line at our Etsy shop soon!

Thanks for checking us out!

Amy and Chris

Treasures from Jodhpur, India!

January 25th 2012 Posted at art district st louis, chicago antiques, design furniture, etsy, global accents, green furniture, hammer & hand, hammer and hand, Hammer&Hand Imports - History Upcycled here!, industrial, st louis unique furniture, sustainable furniture st louis, Trends and Design styles, upcycled, upcycled furniture
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We just received our new shipment from Jodhpur, India yesterday and WOW! This is our third container and probably our most treasured. We have come a long way since our first container. When we chose our first container we were a new retail storefront in St. Louis looking to provide for the local marketplace. By the second container, we were well on our way to a pretty solid online business and were choosing pieces that we really felt reflected what Hammer & Hand was all about. Now, thanks to Etsy, we are running a successful online business and have now moved and into a new warehouse location (pretty killer one) in downtown St Louis and enjoy a steady stream of clients from East to West coast and even as far as Australia! We never imagined it would turn out this way but know that this is the right path for Hammer & Hand!

Here is a sneak peek of our new treasures. Enjoy!

Hope you enjoyed your first look at our new amazing treasures!

Call us with any questions at 407-491-0450 or email hammerandhand@me.com

Emily Henderson knows how to mix it up!

April 9th 2011 Posted at design furniture, Eastern Religion, green furniture, hammer & hand, Hammer&Hand Imports - History Upcycled here!, history upcycled, one of a kind, Trends and Design styles
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Hammer & Hand Imports was honored to be featured in St. Louis’ At Home Magazine for their ’On the Storefront’ article in the March-May issue.

At the time they came to take photos we were switching over our blog from a wordpress.com account to a self-hosted account. We decided while this issue is out to keep both blogs running. Unfortunately, when we made the switch not all of my posts transfered over.

I noticed a post on Apartment Therapy about Emily Henderson the other day. I was like “hey, I posted a blog about her on our old blog! I should post it here!”

Emily Henderson Room

The March-May issue of At Home cover

Emily Henderson flawlessly mixes sleek and modern with old Indian artifacts!

Enjoy….

BLOG POST 8/2010 from www.hammerandhandimports.wordpress.com

Did you see the finale of Design Star the other night? Emily Henderson chose Tom (the departed designer) for her client because he was sleek and modern and different from her bohemian style. In keeping with her style added a minor bohemian touch and encorporated some global accents and aged artifacts that showed the more intimate side of Tom and his love for travel. She said ” the juxtaposition between the aged artifacts and the sleek and modern creates the perfect style!”

Notice the wall carvings in these photos above the sofa? Hammer & Hand Imports also carries wall carvings from Rajasthan, India. In fact, we will be getting an amazing assortment of them on our next shipment.

All of our carvings are one-of-a-kind, hand-carved architectural elements typically made from old door headers and upcycled into to wall carvings. They are made of teak wood and can be used indoor or outdoor.

Hammer & Hand Imports is located at 7609 South Broadway in the historical neighborhood of South Carondelet in the city of Saint Louis.

Showroom open 10-5 M-Sat and by appointment.

314-544-4600

Soaking up tips from design*sponge…

March 21st 2011 Posted at art district st louis, design furniture, green furniture, hammer & hand, Hammer&Hand Imports - History Upcycled here!, history upcycled, rustic furniture, sustainable furniture st louis, Trends and Design styles
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Have you been on the design*sponge blog? They even have a design element in their name! I love that little * in their name. They do have amazing blog posts about home design called sneak peeks.

Sneak Peek - Di Overton of Ghost Furniture

From time to time I look to design*sponge for inspiration. Okay most of the time! For years this blog has continued to have a global following. Right here in our home town of Saint Louis there are also some pretty amazing design blogs that I follow and find much inspiration from. In fact, I am learning more about the design scene in STL and am loving it! We found out how huge the design scene in STL is a few days after we moved here in late October and were invited to attend a ‘speakeasy’ hosted by Design Speak STL.

We were lucky enough to have this fabulous group in our showroom this February!

Design Speak Speakeasy @ Hammer & Hand February 16, 2011.

Soaking up tips from design*sponge…

The other day I soaked up some great tips for incorporating rustic elements into your home. Thanks to design*sponge!

I have had several people tell me “your home must be gorgeous with all of THIS furniture in it!”. Oh contraire! It is all about mixing our pieces in with your current design to give it that extra something something! We lean towards the mid-century modern mixed with rustic and old world pieces.

When someone comes into our shop they act one of two ways. 1. They are stunned and in awe over the amazing history behind our furnishings and could stay there for hours. or 2. They just kind of sit there and look around and take a 360 glance around the room.

I actually prefer the latter. ”This isn’t really your style is it?” I ask. “I kind of like the more contemporary look” they say.

We do have some Pottery Barn-ish and Restoration Hardware-ish pieces but what is ’contemporary’ exactly?

Time to go to answers.com…

Q: What is contemporary furniture?

A: Contemporary furniture can be described by the words “current” and “modern.” In this instance, contemporary would refer to “contemporary trends in design.”

Contemporary furniture could further be classified as urban and innovative in regards to current furniture trends.

So, let’s see how this works for Hammer & Hand. We carry upcycled sustainable furniture. The design trend is sustainability and upcycling is definitely innovative! Ding Ding Ding! We ARE contemporary.

Okay, so maybe not convincing enough for those that still just don’t “feel it” or think it doesn’t really “go with their style”. In those cases I will have to go searching even further.

Enter design*sponge…

A super elegant and clean bedroom that has a modern bed adds a touch of rustic. It’s very own splash of color!

Upcycled Trunk from Hammer & Hand Imports

Another photo of this fabulous bedroom features a bench with a trunk to add to the juxtaposition of elegant rustic

Upcycled Lounge made with plow parts can be used in your bedroom to add an organic element.

I am in love with the rustic accents that soften up this stark white low tv stand and give it the perfect balance between rustic and modern!

Rustic Vintage Iron Pots from Hammer & Hand

Upcycled vintage table leg candle stands from Hammer & Hand Imports

Vintage Beetlenut Box from Hammer & Hand Imports would make a great accent piece…a fine pen holder too!

This photo is a great example of how addding a rustic cabinet can pull together an eclectic array of modern staples and accents.

Vintage cabinet from Hammer & Hand Imports – SOLD

Read the full article from design*sponge

Thanks for stopping by! Do you have a favorite desgin blog? Please share with me!

Amy

Steampunk…the Victorian perspective!

December 28th 2010 Posted at Trends and Design styles
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I’ve been on Etsy quite a bit lately and have recently discovered “Steampunk”. I’ve really taken a liking to this artistic movement. From moving micro gears to dirigible art, the Steampunk movement has that hand-made quality we really appreciate and share at Hammer & Hand Imports.

Steampunk lamp - bedside lamp from a vegetable steamer with a strong long life energy efficient xenon bulb that gives a warm light color tone, a reflector, a small handle to help with opening and closing, a flexible arm and a heavy base with a touch dimmer knob!

The Steampunk movement has its roots in Victorian Era Great Britain when England was at the height of its colonial influence. That can still be felt in the style of Indian antiques at Hammer & Hand. We have a number of pieces from the late 19th century that remind me of Steampunk.

This 19th century Indian window shutter from Rajasthan, India has been upcycled into a truly unique mirror! It is made of very thick, solid, teak wood with original antique iron hinges and latch and a high quality new mirror. $595.00

Late 19th century teakwood actor's trunk with intact make-up tray and original handles. This one-of-a-kind, hand-made trunk from Jodhpur, India measures 18"W x 12"D x 6.75"T $150.00

The Steampunk movement also uses some sort of “upcycling ” in most of the pieces. Of couse, we love that! Check out our Etsy store!

posted by Chris Plaisted

Our new Indian line – History “upcycled”!

July 28th 2010 Posted at Hammer&Hand Imports - History Upcycled here!
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Upcycled Indian line on it’s way…

We are so excited about our new Indian line….amazing “upcycled” metal side-tables, buffets, and shelving…culture for your home that is sustainable and will last lifetimes!

Enter the Buddha to see our photos…

July 27th 2010 Posted at Hammer&Hand Imports - History Upcycled here!
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Thanks @ www.errolcolon.net for a fabulous photoshoot to perfect our image! You are a truly amazing photographer and friend!

Why history upcycled?

Hammer & Hand Imports believes that the real beauty in our furniture lies in the stories that each piece tells.

That is why we seek out extraordinary hand-made, one-of-a-kind furniture and home accents from Bali, India, Thailand, and China.

We are committed to using sustainable and re-purposed materials which are transformed into timeless furniture and handicrafts that will last lifetimes.

In other words...history upcycled!
H&H SOLD HERE
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singular sustainable timelesss

Why history upcycled?

H&H SOLD HERE

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