Recycled Furnishings from Oak Barrel Company

(Piano Table, courtesy of The Oak Barrel Company)Janet Ramin - Did you ever experience the furniture blahs? It happens when you look at a lot of furniture and they all start looking alike – the same old shapes, the same types of wood, the same old ideas regurgitated in a different color. If you’re looking for something truly unique – a one-of-a-kind piece – that you know you won’t stumble over in your friend’s living room or your aunt’s home, then you should visit the American Craft Show, recently held at the Jacob Javits in NYC this past weekend.

The American Craft Show is only in its second year of existence but there are already outstanding exhibitors. We saw some very unique and attention-grabbing pieces including the following from the Oak Barrel Company.

The Oak Barrel Company’s mission is to reclaim, reuse, and recreate quality furniture. Designer Chris Deffenbaugh takes pieces that are slated for the landfill, such as oak barrels, and creates furniture and accessories from them. The Candela centerpiece below is made from a single oak stave of a retired wine barrel. In our first photo above and displayed at the American Craft Show, we have a piano table. Deffenbaugh rescued the guts of the inside of a piano and used them as the base of a coffee table, resulting in a very lyrical and distinctive piece. 

(Candela Centerpiece, courtesy of The Oak Barrel Company)

This article was reprinted by permission of the Sheffield School in New York. Check out the newly launched Jewelry Design Course offered at the Sheffield School. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any other school in the world.

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New Collectibles at the AD Home Design Show

Janet Ramin - The annual Architectural Digest Home Design Show opened to huge crowds of design fans and homeowners at New York’s Pier 94. Maybe after a year of restraint and moderation, people were looking forward to some design indulgence. The four-day extravaganza hosted over 300 vendors, design seminars from industry professionals, as well as culinary demonstrations and book signings. 

One of the standouts for us was Ercole Home from Brooklyn, New York. They combined two rich materials – stained oak wood and glass mosaics – and created a sophisticated line of cabinetry. Founder and artist Ornella Pisano takes her inspiration from her mosaic sculptures. Ercole's line includes buffets, credenzas, bar cabinets, and tables as well as mirrors and lighting. The variety of colors of the glass mosaics provides a diverse selection, and they can even customize a furniture piece with a unique mosaic design.  

Also showing off elegant lines was furniture from Japan’s Matsuoka International. Matsuoka designers choose high-end woods such as celebes ebony, sycamore, bird’s eye maple, walnut, and mahogany. At the design show, Matsuoka displayed Empire, a long sideboard made of ebony and nickel and Chrystanthemum, a cocktail cabinet made of smoked bird’s eye maple. Their furniture designs recall the glamorous and sophisticated era of the Art Deco.  

Another furniture firm, the New Traditionalists, has redesigned past period styles and given them a facelift to complement today’s contemporary homes. Below is Console No. Thirty One, an updated version of a period Sheraton style. The console is made of sustainable hardwood and nickel drawer pulls. Bed No. Ten Forty is made from bleached walnut with pony hair insert panels. All their furniture has hand-rubbed, water-based finishes and is built in New England.  

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