LIGHT FANTASTIC
Sought after by designers, handmade lamps by Georgia’s Charlie West Pottery work with any style.
The company: Charlie West Pottery started in Homer, Ga., in 1997. The company moved to Cleveland, Ga., in 2007 and shifted from folk pottery to handmade lamps around 2007. It offers about 20 lamp shapes and 30-plus glazes.
The owners & artists: Charlie and Honey West. Charlie, who is from Blairsville, started in pottery right out of high school, working for Sims Pottery in Gillsville. He turns the lamps, starting with a lump of clay, on a wheel, and Honey glazes them.
What's popular: The large Flask Lamp in Cloudy Sky Glaze has been a favorite.
Fun (or unusual) requests: Lamps in team colors for a couple of football coaches. Also rooster lamps.
Where to look & buy: Charliewestlamps.com. To purchase lamps (about $750 each and often sold as a pair) in Atlanta, visit Dearing Antiques, 670 Miami Circle. Also Mathews Furniture + Design, 1240 W. Paces Ferry Road.
OLD MEETS NEW
In his New Orleans studio, Alex Geriner creates handmade furniture that has a history and tells a story.
The owner: A Louisiana native, Geriner graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi. After college, he moved to New Orleans and worked in public relations and advertising, as well as interior design. Though Geriner had been building furniture on the side, he left his day job to start his company.
The company: Doorman Designs started in 2013. The company produces handmade furniture using a variety of reclaimed woods, architectural salvage, and materials found throughout the Gulf Coast and the South.
The name: The first piece of furniture Geriner built was a bed for himself made from an old door salvaged from a home flooded in Hurricane Katrina. Friends and Etsy customers liked the door headboards. Soon he became known as "the doorman." The company name followed.
Best-seller: The Josephine canopy bed with brass accents. The elegant metal bed was designed for the Henry Howard hotel in New Orleans' Garden District. King or queen size ($2,350 to $2,550).
Other hits: The Earhart barstools ($315 to $385). The industrial modern barstools, with reclaimed wood seats, are made from the materials of New Orleans houses that flooded in Hurricane Katrina. Also the Onzaga Coffee Table ($1,275), made from an angled brass base with a walnut tray top.
Claim to fame: Runner-up in Garden & Gun magazine 2016 "Made in the South Awards."
Where to buy: doormandesigns.com
DESIGNS IN COPPER
A lifelong tinkerer, Cathy Vaughn taught herself the basics of coppersmithing two decades ago. And ever since, the award-winning Virginia artist has been pushing the boundaries of what she can do with industrial-grade copper and everyday materials.
The artist: Originally from Great Falls, S.C., Vaughn graduated from the University of South Carolina and spent 25 years as a graphic designer before becoming a full-time artist.
The company: Tracery 157, a copper studio based in Richmond, Va., opened in 2012. It produces hand-wrought copper candelabra; copper napkin rings with organic verdigris; custom gates; garden sculptures; vertical planter boxes; and fine art abstractions using locally harvested leaves.
The name: Many of Vaughn's designs are inspired by architectural stained glass tracery. When starting her business, she came up with a list of 157 reasons to make the jump to full-time artist.
What's popular: Copper napkin rings ($65 for a set of four and $79 for a set of six). Also the candelabra, ranging from single candle stands ($39) to an intricately intertwined eight-light candelabrum ($325).
Fun (or unusual) request: Design, build and install an entry arbor for a private garden in Wyomissing, Pa.
Big break: Selected to do two large-scale installations as part of the recent "Wild Art" exhibition at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond.
Where to buy: Tracery157.com
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