A Little Inspiration from California’s Missions

There is significance and relevance to observation of the past. With our Folksy Spanish Revival Monterey styled by ADG Lighting presentation (click to download) we can poke fun at the past, make reference with the design and details of the present, and create the antiques of the future. The following images are from our travels up the California coast.

Exploring the California missions from San Diego through Northern California, we admire and emulate details of these historic buildings. Inspirations come from stone, ironwork, passages, ceilings, walls and floors. Wrought iron gates to keep out the unwanted are the embellishments today that enhance our estates and properties.

Ignore the compact fluorescent bulbs, and admire the beauty and simplicity of this historic light. Covet the the raw elegance of this stone fountain carved by the Native Americans during the California Mission period.

Simple lanterns from hooks and forged iron straps are electrified now. The early days of lantern making was done with candles. Rustic handmade characteristics are part of the movement during the American Folk Art period. For some inspiration, check out our Client Marci Carsey’s Store Just Folk. We find that practical solutions to creative and artistic elements are most inspiring.

Buttresses and stone walls are the sportive details of buildings.  The old wood decorations, floors, beams and headers are part of the established structures. However, when fences were mended and horse carts no longer functioned, the wood was tossed aside. Today we take the gesture of upcycled elements and repurpose them.

Below is a modern minimalist side table by Gerald Olesker of ADG Eco Lighting. Old redwood siding completes the top as if it were a strewn away shutter. The forged method of the base is an ode to the past, made with care in his California metal fabrication shop.

Here is an iron chandelier (prior to installation) as it sits at the client’s entry. Much more ornamental than functional in the fabricated iron pendant, it will brighten the room with its 18 candles. Six clusters of three candles make up the strapped iron arms.

What is the difference between American Folk Art and ornaments of the same time period? It is a question that we address with a fun and light attitude. Crafts, handmade objects that are not European in method, were based on the abilities of the craftsman and the experience of the apprentices in the shop. Emulating these details can be as simple as how we at ADG manufacture a light fixture.

Back in the day, making lanterns, brass and tin were easy and were considered malleable pieces while iron needed to be hot forged. Simplicity and price were all part of the past, and still are addressed in today’s metal fabrication techniques at ADG Eco Lighting.

A lathe turned center spindle with forged irons scrolls and leafy husks manipulated by hand in brass are part of the make up of this chandelier and decorative pendant fixture. The team at Architectural Detail Group, Inc. designed this for a coastal beach home with a shake roof, metal clad windows and wood turned columns set against stone walls.

As we exit the missions’ painted windows and doorways, we extend a wanted memory of the light fixtures, the doors, the beams, the rails and the movement in and out of spaces that were designed for function and embellished with a crafted timelessness.

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For more information about the designs and manufacturing of Architectural Detail Group and ADG Lighting, please email EcoCA@adgmail.com  or call 818-640-0758.

For all PR and social media inquiries for ADG, please contact Endrea Kosven, Executive Director of EDK & Company at Endrea@EDKandCompany.com or call (818) 259-0339.

Government work, private projects, commercial properties and hotel properties are part of the exclusive packaging by Architectural Detail Group’s team.

Forge techniques emulate nature and details and ornament are part of the exaggerated and fun techniques of the hot forge.

all photos by Gerald Olesker (c) all rights reserved 11-2013