Custom Steel and Mosaic Creations

May 10, 2024 by Johannah Willsey in Collaborations, Furniture, Mosaic, Railing

The more we put our forged steel and mosaic work together, the more new ideas occur to us and our clients for ways to collaborate. It’s such an exciting and satisfying journey!

We created this first table to show off the client’s collection of glaze sample ceramic tiles handmade by her mother.

Forged table base work in progress

Handmade ceramic tiles

Test fit for ceramic tile tabletop

The tiles came in a variety of colors and thicknesses. The fun challenge was to create a pleasing pattern of color AND as smooth a surface as possible. We were impressed in the end that Johannah was able to create a relatively even surface.

This client is local and was able to visit our studios to see examples of other tables Kyle has created. This helps a lot in visualizing the final product. Together, Kyle and the client designed a base that fit their taste as well as the space the client had in mind for the table.

This next one is a collaborative piece we designed and made for ourselves!

We needed a single step from the gallery floor up to the door to the next room. Kyle forged a small railing with circular shapes for Johannah to fill in with mosaic. For the pure fun of it, she decided to go with dark pink and gold with a green flat marble at the center. Kyle also made the wooden step in hickory to coordinate with the flooring in the gallery.

We created this last table for a couple celebrating an important wedding anniversary.

Kyle and the client designed the table to fit their entryway hall. The colors in the mosaic were inspired by other nearby artwork. Our friend Christina Boy made the walnut top.

Custom table base in progress

Mosaic inlay in progress

Tables with Alicia Dietz Studios

March 01, 2024 by Johannah Willsey in Collaborations, Furniture, Local Love

We love working with artist friends and colleagues. It’s just so satisfying to put your ideas together with someone who is like-minded as a craftsperson. Plus— friends! Win win. It’s also a great way to stay connected to our community and expand the variety of work we can offer.

Alicia Dietz is an artist and woodworker Kyle collaborates with frequently, building metal bases and structures to support her wood and concrete furniture. Here are two of their recent pieces in walnut and steel.

First up is a small end table combining Alicia’s waterfall top with legs Kyle forged in his “forest” style. The video below shows his process for making them.

Waterfall walnut end table with steel legs forged to look like branches

Next up is a dining table in walnut built in a minimalist design with Kyle’s fabricated steel structure supporting the base.

If you’d like to see more of our collaborations with artist friends, you can find them under the Local Love category on our blog.

Forged Steel Furniture with Mosaic Inlay

February 09, 2024 by Johannah Willsey in Collaborations, Furniture, Mosaic

We are so enjoying the journey of our collaborations in mosaic and steel.

Our very first collaborative pieces were our mosaic coat racks. Since then we’ve made a few fireplace projects together, some trophies, sculptural garden art, a set of interior stair railing, and of course, quite a few pieces of furniture.

All of our collaborative furniture so far has featured mosaic inlay in wood. But as we continue to experiment with techniques and materials, we’ve found ways to incorporate mosaic directly with metal.

Woven steel seat bench with glass mosaic inlay stretcher

The first piece we made in this way was our Woven Bench. As you can see in the detail photos, this is an intricate yet sturdy piece of furniture. The brightly colored mosaic adds a touch of lightness and levity to it.

The next piece we made was a small console table. Kyle constructed the base in entirely traditional blacksmithing techniques. The top is cherry wood.

The shapes and colors in the apron were inspired by a trip we had recently taken to southwestern Virginia and Mammoth Cave NP. On that trip we saw the many ways water shapes rocks over millennia. The round shapes and shades of green represent rocks covered in moss and algae. Plus those greens look so great with the warm tones of the cherry top!

The bench is sold but the console is available. Reach out if you’d like price and delivery information.