Century Studios Preservation Award

The Donaldson Mansion on Mount Curve Avenue in South Minneapolis is a historic home that was built in 1906 by the founder of Donaldson's Department stores. The home featured details and special appointments by a variety of noteworthy design firms. Tiffany Studios provided some of the fixtures and a stained glass bay window in the living room.

Unfortunately, a former owner had dismantled and sold many of the unique features of the home (Barbra Streisand purchased the impressive stained glass Tiffany Studios dining room chandelier at auction. It has since been resold). The current owner of the home spent over a decade restoring the home using many local artisans, including Century Studios.

These restoration efforts and attention to period detail have been rewarded with a Preservation Award. Along with the home's owner, Century Studios has been named in the award as one of the firms employed to restore the former glory of the home. The home will also be featured in the upcoming book Preserving Our Grand Homes: Minnesota's Own. To learn more about the book and see a short video about the restored home, go HERE.

Lamp of the Week: 22" Laburnum

With just under 2000 individual pieces of glass, the 22" Laburnum shade is one of our most complex reproduction shades we offer. The naturalistic look of the shade is accentuated by irregular lower border. The rich golden yellow tones of this shade are enhanced by a delicate blue background glass. Shown on the popular Twisted Vine base, this lamp was commissioned in the mid 1990's by a client in St. Louis, MO.

The Laburnum blooms in the spring and is commonly known as the "Golden Chain Tree". Laburnum wood is used for cabinetmaking and inlay work, as well as for musical instruments.

20" Daffodil

The 20" Daffodil cone has long been a favorite lamp pattern. With its inverted flowers, the design has a unique look amongst Tiffany lamp patterns. Commissioned by a client in California, this 20" Daffodil lamp was created with bold jewel tones and a variety of types of glasses. The shade is shown on the elegant Library Base.

In the photo to the left, the foiled pieces of glass are being transferred onto the waxed lamp form by Irwin. Once the pieces were in place, the shade was ready for soldering and finishing.

Lamp of the Week: 28" Trumpet Vine

The 28" Trumpet Vine is one of the many large reproduction Tiffany cone-shaped designs offered by Century Studios. The glass used to create this shade has an explosion of color and variety. Ring mottled, streaky, fracture and rippled glass make the shade exciting to view from every angle. The glass used for the background of the shade is made from three different fracture/streamer glasses created at our studio, and the color shifts from deep purple to several lighter blue/purple mixes. The shade also has a decorative beaded border, which is commonly found on the 28" cone shades. This shade was commissioned in 2012 by a Midwest client.

15th Annual Arts & Crafts Show

The 15th Annual Arts & Crafts Show and Sale is just around the corner. Century Studios will be exhibiting at the show which runs September 20 & 21 in the Progress Center on the grounds of the Minnesota State Fair. Look for our booth at the show!