Ronni Jolles: Our New Artist Debut

While we’re on a roll here to make everything in our Fairfax showroom different from all the rest, customers will now see the gorgeous paper-collage artwork of Ronni Jolles http://www.ronnijolles.com/ from Great Falls, VA hanging on the walls through April 1.

Artist Ronni Jolles

Artist Ronni Jolles

Ronni came to our VIP customer reception on Tuesday to demonstrate her technique (because, do you know anyone else doing artwork with paper?), and she’s just a delight, as is her work, which we felt was a great pairing with our handmade furniture.

The way we came together was purely by chance, but it also seems like there was some karma involved.

Silhouette of TreesbrLayered paper and pastelbr38 x 20

"Silhouette of Trees", Layered paper and pastel, 38" x 20"

Our marketing coordinator, Julianne Yurek, first went searching online for a good local artist to feature in the new showroom. “We were thinking about making our own artwork,” she says, laughing, “but that, of course, is never a good idea.”

So, Julianne started surfing, entering “northern Virginia artist” as a search term. After going through more than 30 artists’ Web sites, she found Ronni, who lives in Great Falls, VA. “There’s this beautiful texture that’s created through the piling and the layering of paper,” Julianne says. And the earthy, textural element that results is a wonderful match to the textures and tones of the furniture.

Blues and Greys of Winter, Layered paper and pastel, 20 x 30

"Blues and Greys of Winter", Layered paper and pastel, 20" x 30"

When Julianne called Ronni, it turned out that Ronni had known and admired Hardwood Artisans for years, which is such an incredible compliment. “I’ve always thought the furniture was absolutely amazing,” Ronni says.  “It’s so beautiful, it’s almost like an art piece. It’s one of these stores where I’d just like to buy everything from them.”

The feeling is mutual, Ronni. We’re even more impressed after watching this video http://www.ronnijolles.com/about.asp on her Web site, which documents her painstaking (and self-taught) process of creating each piece.

Cherry Blossoms, Layered paper and pastel, 28 x 22

"Cherry Blossoms", Layered paper and pastel, 28" x 22"

Midtown, Paper, fabric and pastel, 36 x 12

"Midtown", Paper, fabric and pastel, 36" x 12"

New Orleans Jazz, Layered paper and pastel, 25 x 21

"New Orleans Jazz", Layered paper and pastel, 25" x 21"

Ronni, an art teacher of 18 years who has been creating her paper collages for 10 of them, will move her work out of the showroom in April to exhibit in the prestigious Smithsonian Craft Show http://www.smithsoniancraftshow.org/indexmain.asp, of which Hardwood Artisans is a corporate sponsor, at the National Building Museum, where she has been accepted for the first time. In addition, she’ll be the only local exhibitor in the “paper” category.

Ronni Jolles at work

Ronni Jolles at work

We’re proud to say we knew you when, Ronni!

Artisanal Accessories in Fairfax

For more than 30 years, Hardwood Artisans has sold, well, hardwood furniture made by artisans. Hence the name, right? Well, we decided to throw some more new artisans into the mix with our new Fairfax showroom, as part of our endeavor to make it different from the way we’ve always displayed our furniture in the past.

We’re now offering more accessories made in the same loving manner as our furniture, and they can be purchased only in Fairfax. Come take a look.

They include:

Gorgeous traditional shaker boxes made by Brent Roarke in New Brunswick, Canada

Nesting boxes

Nesting boxes

A cabinetmaker by trade, Brent Roarke has been making these boxes for 13 years, while continually coming out with new sizes and styles. Roarke, who works from a restored century-old barn, says the boxes are based on traditional sizes, but some of the newer products, such as a divided carrier, jewelry box, and bureau tray, are adapted to today’s uses.

Jewelry box

Jewelry box

He explains their popularity: “It’s a very tactile thing. It’s pleasing to the eye, but when you pick it up, it’s smooth to the touch, and they have an interesting shape.”

Swing-handle boxes

Swing-handle boxes

Handblown glassware by Simon Pearce

Pearce grew up in Ireland, working with his brother out of their father’s potter’s shed. As he came into his own as a potter, he traveled to work as an apprentice in New Zealand, where his passion extended to glassmaking as he started collecting old glass. “Each glass is made by one person, hand finished,” Pearce says in a video on his Web site. “That’s what really got me into glass.”

Nantucket lamp

Nantucket lamp

Pearce opened his first glass workshop in Ireland in the ’60s. “Like any skilled craftsperson, the way you learn is by doing,” Pearce says, “and that’s how I learned over two years, by blowing glass all day, every day.”

Hartland hurricanes

Hartland hurricanes

He moved to the United States in the late ’70s, settling in Quechee, VT, on a bucolic river the company produces its own electricity through hydro-energy. The facility is now a tourist destination, with a highly rated restaurant on the premises. As creative director Liz Ross describes the Pearce glassware and pottery, “It’s affordable luxury, to be used every day, and passed on to future generations.”

Corinth bowls

Corinth bowls

Bedding produced by the Rockville-based Blissliving Home

When Blissliving Home Founder Mei Xu was traveling the country, promoting her lines from the Chesapeake Bay Candle company, she noticed that the hotel beds she slept in had inferior linens.

The Audrey bedding set – bronzed leaves printed on cotton

The Audrey bedding set – bronzed leaves printed on cotton

That’s why she set out to create her own bedding, made from high-quality cotton from the Orient. In addition, spokeswoman Stephanie Tait says, “she’s always had this thing about how there’s a disconnect between home décor and fashion.”

Lucca Glacier bedding – lush dupioni silk with flange detailing

Lucca Glacier bedding – lush dupioni silk with flange detailing

The bold colors and patterns on the Blissliving duvet and comforter sets are inspired by nature, travel and fashion. “I get inspired anywhere and anytime,” Mei says in her style profile. “It can be a visit to the museum, a book I am reading, a fashion magazine, or a movie. Another major source of inspiration for my designs is my travels around the globe. I love to travel – I would not be happy without it – and I am fascinated with the different cultures of the world.”

The Ashley Gray duvet set – bold, graphic chrysanthemums printed on cotton

The Ashley Gray duvet set – bold, graphic chrysanthemums printed on cotton

We at Hardwood Artisans, of course, are steeped in the craft tradition, so when we are looking for accessories to sell with our handmade wood products, we want purveyors who are like-minded. In the Fairfax showroom here, you will be able to see that we’ve found them.

Our Fairfax Flagship is Open!

Now open in Fairfax, Virginia!

Drive into the new Pender Village shopping center in Fairfax, and there it is, right next to the new Harris Teeter grocery store. We say this because our building permits were linked, and they were worried that little ol’ us wouldn’t be able to finish our work in time, and that we might be a drag on big ol’ them. Well tut tut, Harris Teeter, we were a month ahead of you, and our shelves are stocked with much prettier things:

The Simply Beautiful dining table and Middleburg chairs bask in the window’s sunlight. “We invested a lot of time and energy into this front display,” says Mark Gatterdam, one of the owners. “When the light’s coming in, the drama is really cool.”

The Simply Beautiful dining table and Middleburg chairs bask in the window’s sunlight. “We invested a lot of time and energy into this front display,” says Mark Gatterdam, one of the owners. “When the light’s coming in, the drama is really cool.”

The Parlor sofa, Parlor armchair and Bungalow rocking chair share the sunshine on our raised window display.

The Parlor sofa, Parlor armchair and Bungalow rocking chair share the sunshine on our raised window display.

Also in the window, the Craftsman chest and Nantucket bench form a quiet vignette with classic Shaker boxes.

Also in the window, the Craftsman chest and Nantucket bench form a quiet vignette with classic Shaker boxes.

We closed our Chantilly showroom to make way for the much bigger one (4,300 square feet) in closer-in Fairfax because 50 percent of our clientele comes from the Reston/Herndon/Fairfax area. “It made sense to move in for them,” Mark says.

Eleven months ago, Marketing Director Alison Heath sent a memo to our sales staff, outlining our vision for what the store should be: “It will go farther than we ever have in attempting to communicate our core messages – that we’re local, that we’re craftsmen, and that we’re quality. The idea is to bring the shop into the showroom.”

To inspire everyone, Alison created a “concept board” with assorted images meant to evoke the feeling we were after. (The living room in the central picture belongs to our general manager, Greg Gloor.)

The concept board

The concept board

Read on to see how that vision was realized.

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Fairfax showroom opening January 2nd

We are excited to announce the opening of our new Hardwood Artisans showroom in Fairfax, Virginia on January 2nd! It is located in the Pender Village at 3905A Fair Ridge Drive in Fairfax. It is going to be filled with simply beautiful furniture, knowledgeable staff and a custom design center for all your hardwood furniture needs. We have been hard at work coming up with attractive design plans for the space. There isn’t any furniture in yet, but here’s what it looks like so far, followed by some pictures of the center and our new neighbor!

In other news, our wonderful Chantilly showroom that has served us well for many years will be closing December 13th. Between December 14th and January 2nd, please visit our other showrooms in Rockville, Alexandria and Woodbridge.