Thursday, February 24, 2011

From Sticks to Stones

I use nature as a source for contemporary design accessories in many ways.  I have blogged extensively about incorporating wood and only a little bit about using stones. Meandering through the artists showing at the ACC Fine American Craft event in Baltimore this week I came upon these elegant stone hooks.





They are so simple in design and their natural tactile quality begs to be touched. They come from Sea Stones which also has cabinet hardware and other sea stone accessories available. I can visualize an entire bathroom designed around this starting point.

Recently there have been some great soft stone options available including rugs, stools and pillows. While none of these are as affordable as harvesting your own sea stones they certainly are beautiful designs. The following are from VivaTerra.





On a smaller scale VivaTerra also has stone place mats. I love the place mats but am especially drawn to the sea glass dishes as well.






At more affordable level you can find some stone accessories at Amazon.



Pebble Floor Mat - Slate 

And one last option for this post is a round stone rug found a Chiasso.

I love many of these design but am still partial to a stroll on the beach or river collecting my own and building with them.



©2011 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

2 comments:

  1. I have an extensive collection of river rock as well as many stone accents in our home, made from collected river rock on our property. I have two large planters in front of the home that are made from wood that I would like to cover with rock. Do you have suggestions for how I should apply the rock. I'm pretty crafty, enjoy DIY, and would like to attempt this.
    I love your rock lamp and would like to try it myself. Have you ever used the wet rock product, that makes rocks look wet and shiny? If so, would your recommend it for an indoor project like this? I'm not sure if estetically it would look right...however I love it outside, we have a river rock "wainscoat" on the outside of our home as well as our chimney and the wet look is the first thing people notice about our outdoor decor.
    Any ideas or suggestions appreciated!
    Thank you,
    Tarynn
    Also, I love your branch projects and just made my own ladder inspired by yours! I also made a 20' x10' branch chandelier/art installment that was so easy I'm embarrassed! The hardest part was hanging it from my vaulted ceiling!
    Thanks for the great site and awesome tutorials!
    TM

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    1. I recently made a copper penny ball for outside and I used Liquid Nails to glue the pennies to the ball. It has been outside all season and weathered well. I'd give that a try for gluing rocks to the planters.
      I have never used the product to make rocks look wet. Would be nice in some applications, too shiny in others.
      Love to see photos of your projects.

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