22" Turtleback Chandelier

We have been working on a suite of chandelier fixtures for an East Coast client. The largest of the three is a 22" Turtleback shade. Irwin is seen soldering the band of turtleback tiles into position on the shade. We will show the completed suite of fixtures in a future posting.

20" Acorn Shade

Large geometric shades are always impressive, and perfectly combine simplicity and detail without the lushness of their floral counterparts. The 20" Acorn shade is a perfect example of how a large shade can be entrancing, yet remain simple.

We recently completed a 20" Acorn shade for a client in Louisiana. The beginning of the process employed to create a geometric shade is slightly different from a floral. When we create a geometric shade, the pieces are cut and fit row by row, beginning at the top of the shade. The challenge to cutting a geometric shade is to keep the rows lined up both horizontally and vertically on the three dimensional surface of the form.

Once the geometric portion of the shade is cut and fit on the form, the decorative band is laid out and the entire lamp is foiled by hand in preparation for the soldering. Checking to make sure that the lines remain very straight, the shade is soldered, cleaned and patinated.

In the photo at the top of this posting, the completed lamp is shown on the highly detailed Decorated Library base. Upon receiving the shade, our client wrote to tell us, "Just got the shade in...LOVE IT!"

Glass and Lamps

We often get asked how we get our sheet glass to the studio. After the sheets of glass are picked, they are shipped to Century Studios by truck in wooden crates with lots of padding. The crates of glass can be very heavy, but we have a basic system involving a two wheeler and a couple of boards to safely get the crate from the street, through the showroom, and into our work area for unpacking. Bill is shown uncrating our most recent case of 25 sheets of hand made art glass. Some of this glass is already being incorporated into shades we are working on.

We rarely get asked to create a matched pair of shades, but a local client commissioned us to make a pair of 16" Geometric Cones on Small Stick Bases to be used on matching bedside tables. The shades delighted our client who was anxious to take them home and set them up.

So Many Projects!

Before we give a recap of the various projects we have been working on, please note that:

CENTURY STUDIOS
WILL BE CLOSED
THURSDAY APRIL 7
through
WEDNESDAY APRIL 13

Spring is always a busy time of year at Century Studios, and spring 2011 is no exception! We have recently completed and begun many different projects. An out of state client commissioned a 12 Light Lily Table Lamp with Blue Lustre shades. After receiving the lamp, the client wrote, "It's a blue Favrile lover's dream, and is the crown of my collection."

For a local client, we completed a 22" Drophead Dragonfly shade mentioned in our March 9, 2011 posting. This stunning shade has a background glass that shifts from red at the top, through fiery orange tones and down to greenish glass towards the bottom. The dragonfly bodies were created in green ripple glass, while the wings were a sunny yellow with ruby red streaking.


Large shades tend to take up every surface in the work space, and this shade at one point occupied our two light tables, the cutting table and our layout table! As we finalized our color selections, the light tables began to free up and soon the lamp was cut and fit to the pattern so the foiling could begin.

22" shades always take a bit of time at every step along the way. Soldering on a large shade will occupy Irwin for more than a week, especially when there are filigrees to be positioned on the dragonfly wings.

The completed shade delighted our clients. Shown on the impressive Turtleback Base, the shade was installed in our client's dining room as a chandelier fixture.






While Irwin was soldering the Dragonfly, Bill was busy drawing window cartoons and laying out a 22" Peony Shade for the showroom. The 22" Peony is cut and fit, but is patiently sitting off to the side as we work on commission orders. We are looking forward to foiling and finishing up this large floral shade soon.

18" Turtleback Shade

We recently completed an 18" Turtleback shade which was commissioned by a client in Texas. The shade has different shape than the 18" Turtleback shades we have previously created. The finished lamp is shown on the Decorated Library base.

Tiffany Studios created turtleback shades in many different shapes and sizes. Referencing an original Tiffany Studios' shade, we were asked to closely match the shape, color, and texture of the original shade. Fortunately, the glass used in the original shade was made by the Kokomo Opalescent Glass Company, which sold glass to Tiffany Studios in the late 1800's and early 1900's.

What gives this shade its lively textural quality is the tight ripple glass which is used "smooth side out", giving the viewer a surprise when the shade is illuminated and the textural quality of the glass is revealed. We cut the turtleback tiles to be less square and more horizontal, once again taking our cue from the original example. The resulting shade has a compact, horizontal feel.

Upon receiving the completed lamp, the client wrote to say that, "The shade is awesome!".

Studio Tour

On Thursday, March 17th Century Studios hosted a local antiques group for a studio tour and talk about how we create our reproduction Tiffany Studios shades and bases. The group enjoyed a St. Patrick's Day lunch at the nearby Groveland Tap, and then flooded our studio work space with over 20 enthusiastic attendees.

Irwin gave a brief outline of the history of Tiffany Studios, and Bill showed examples of sheet glass, and how we lay out, cut, and piece our shades together. After a brief soldering demonstration, questions were answered and the tour ended with group members moving around the work space and showroom having individual questions answered.

14" Arrowhead Shade

Last week we completed a 14" Arrowhead shade for our showroom. This unusual Tiffany Studios design looks appears to be an abstract design when in fact, it is a fairly factual representation of a flowering plant (Syngonium podophyllum - see photo at left) which grows beside ponds and marshes. Nurseries and plant growers have created disease resistant house plant varieties of the Arrowhead. A popular landscaping specimen, "natural" versions of this highly decorative plant are often seen around ponds on golf courses. 

The Arrowhead plant is a favorite motif of Arts & Crafts era designers, and is often mislabeled as "Arrowroot". Arrowroot plants (Maranta arundinacea - see drawing to the right) are a completely different plant species whose tubers provide a thickening starch used in cooking.

Taking our cue from the favorite places the Arrowhead grows, we chose a color scheme that subtly emphasizes the natural habitat for the plant. The bottom border of the lamp is rendered in a ripple textured green & blue water glass, while the "plants" grow on the shoreline.

Shown on the Swamp Flower base, this 14" cone shade is a perfect compliment to any decor where a floral or geometric accent lamp is needed. The somewhat stylized shade pattern is naturalistic, but has a geometric flavor that appeals to more masculine interiors. This shade design, along with larger 20" version of the pattern, is a favorite in Arts & Crafts and Prairie Style interiors.