Working for Scale
You've Never Seen Marble Like This
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Scagliola, the venerable art of engraving intricate designs on slate or marble, is alive and well. Scagliola comes from the mineral selenite, a variety of gypsum that in its natural state appears in the form of thin plates or scales (thus the name scagliola, from the Italian word scaglia or scale).
After the mineral is cooked and ground to a fine powder, it is mixed with pigments of colored earth and glues to form a thick paste. The colored paste is applied into designs carved in slabs of marble or slate.
For elaborate decorative motifs, subtle gradations of color are added in diluted scagliola applied by hand with a fine paintbrush. Lastly, the slab is polished with polishing stones, wax, and lacquer.
Scagliola’s complex twists and veins go deep into the stone, providing a durable surface which is far more permanent than faux surfaces that are painted to resemble marble.
In the late 19th and the early 20th centuries, scagliola was also very popular in the United States. Artificial marble furnishings at that time were created chiefly by itinerant plasterers, men who kept the details of their fabrication process a secret. After the 1920s, however, techniques of fabrication were forgotten. Scagliola virtually disappeared from American architecture.
Today, the use of artificial marble has again revived. This resurgent interest is the result of four factors: a new appreciation of marble-like finishes, a dissatisfaction with the limitations that real marble places on design, the unavailability of traditional colors and types of marble, and the rising costs of quarrying.
Scagliola is inherently beautiful and can duplicate the appearance of any type of marble, and it can be molded into any shape. Decorative, three-dimensional motifs impossible to produce in marble can be fabricated in scagliola. Because the artificial stone is less expensive than its marble original, it is a particularly attractive option for interior design and decoration.
The premier practitioners of the art are the Bianchi family of Florence. Among their clients are the likes of the Agnellis, Prince Michael of Kent and ZaZa Gabor. But you too can have your own little piece of Bianchi scagliola—prices start below $500. Make an appointment to drop by the workshop or showroom if you’re planning to be in Florence, or view their catalogue online.
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Closet World Agrees to Penalties
False advertising and exceeding contract amounts alleged
Thursday, October 19, 2006
A Southern California closet firm and three related companies will be allowed to stay in business, but under close watch by the Contractors State License Board. Closet World Inc. has agreed to a “stipulated settlement and disciplinary order” after the CSLB investigated dozens of consumer complaints.
Violations alleged by the CSLB included false advertising, exceeding agreed-to contract amounts, employing non-registered sales persons and requiring excessive down payments from consumers.
In the settlement, which will take effect on November 13, the Whittier–based company has agreed to a stayed revocation of its license and being placed on probation for two years. Three other companies, Home Closets, Inc. Closets By Design and Closet Dimensions, Inc., dba Closet World, have agreed to the same terms. The inactive licenses of four individuals, O’Hannes Elias Jivalgian, Alexsan Jivalagian, Darren Berger and Willie Arias were placed on a one-year stayed suspension and put on probation for two years with terms and conditions.
The settlement includes 22 safety provisions for consumers and guidelines for the companies as the terms and conditions of this probation. “We look at this as a win-win situation,” said CSLB Registrar Steve Sands. “Consumers have protections in place and these established California companies get to stay in business. We’ll keep a close watch and make sure they follow through with the service that consumers deserve.”
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A Royal Flush
When The Standard Loo Just Won’t Do
Sunday, October 15, 2006
TOTO’s new Double Cyclone flushing system is definitely fit for a king. The company’s engineers redesigned the standard flush, getting rid of those hard-to-clean pinholes under the rim. A Double Cyclone flush begins with a high-speed stream of water from a nozzle tucked at the back of the bowl. This scours the rim while another nozzle fires a second high-speed water jet to provide a second rim scour. Finally, a siphon jet whisks away any remaining debris.
A redesigned rim makes it all possible. Traditional hollow rims overhang the bowl and release water through those pesky pinholes. It can be hard to clean trapped waste or bacteria from up under the rim. With TOTO’s new concave rim design, water from the primary and secondary nozzles fires around the concave rim removing debris and bacteria with each flush for a virtually self-cleaning toilet.
The Double Cyclone flushing system is available in the new 1.6 gpf toilets in TOTO’s Guinevere and Soiree collections.
TOTO products are available in San Luis Obispo at Pacific Coast Kitchen & Bath.
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Get the Lead Out
Planters With an English Accent
Monday, October 09, 2006
No English garden is complete without lead planters. The iconic English gardener Gertrude Jekyll wrote, “There can scarcely be a doubt that the happiest material for our garden sculpture and ornament is lead.???
The classic lead planter features raised panels and oftentimes classical motifs. The material lends itself to the addition of monograms and other personalization. Planters come in all shapes and sizes, but the edged square is probably most identified with gracious English country homes and gardens.
Owning a lead planter means carrying on a long and rich tradition. The first architectural use of leadwork in England traces back to the Romans. By the Middle Ages, church roofs and spires were frequently clad in lead. But it wasn’t until the late 1600s that golden age of English leadwork began, when elaborate ornamentation began to appear on architectural lead and the material became popular for statues, urns and other garden features.
Today, lead fountains, planters and statuary punctuate many of England’s finest gardens. Here in the U.S., homeowners are just beginning to appreciate the classic look, rich heritage and easy-care longevity of lead. In fact, lead has been known to last hundreds of years — the surface of rain-washed lead forms a protective layer of carbonates which prevents deterioration.
For those who want the look of lead without the weight, faux lead planters fill the bill. The lightest are made from fiberglass. Another, more natural-looking option is a clay mixture which, because of its naturally retained salts, ages naturally. Both alternatives are lightweight, durable and water and UV resistant.
A premier regional source for real English lead is Proler Garden Antiques in Los Angeles, 310 459 0477.
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