Lighting Fixtures … To never leave your house …

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a lighting design lecture at the San Francisco Design Center and learnt about three incredible lighting designers. Here are they designs …

CLEAR BAND PENDANTS by John Pomp Studios. ~ Hand-blown crystal glass pendant fixture with thick clear band lens and edison bulb.

INFINITY CLUSTER by John Pomp Studios. ~ 15 pieces of hand-blown/sculpted glass crystal with iridescence.

NESTING CYLINDERS SCONCES by John Pomp Studios. ~ Two tiered hand-blown glass cylinders on blackened steel frame.

Ballad Wall Sconce by McEwen Lighting Studio

Signal Floor Lamp by McEwen Lighting Studio

Barrel Ceiling Lamp by McEwen Lighting Studio

Richelieu Chandelier by Jonathan Browning Studios

Cinq sconce by Jonathan Browning Studios

Keule 5 Light Chandelier by Jonathan Browning Studios

Now dim those lights and finish the day with a delicious glass of Carménère.

Breathing Carrara’s White Marble

On Thursday, I had the opportunity of attending a “Quarry to Counter” lecture at Walker Zanger in the San Francisco Design Center. The lecture offered a door towards the world of marble and a breathtaking lesson on the process marble goes through, from the quarries to counters and tiles.

Before this lecture, I didn’t know much about marble, other than it was a beautiful stone that people loved to have in their kitchens, bathrooms, furniture, halls and architectural details. Now I can talk a little more about it and must say, I have developed much respect and admiration for Carrara’s white marble.

The story begins in the mountains of Carrara, Italy (Tuscany)

Machines excavate at the quarries in Carrara forming blocks of stone

Magnificent working field ~ Nature giving the best of her

Blocks are inspected to define type of marble ~ veins, color and direction are studied

Blocks are sliced into slabs, then labeled, polished and ready to be used

Bianco Carrara or White Veneto ~ Most popular white marble

Bianco Gioia ~ Next in high quality

Statuary White or Orvieto ~ Deep veins and golden colors

Calacatta Grigio ~ Great for tiles

Calacatta Fabbricotti or Gold Vein ~ Memories of Chanel

Calacatta Borghini ~ Very difficult to get

Calacatta Regina ~ Very soft with green and gold tones

Arabiscato ~ pockets of white through the slab

Calacatta Belgia ~ A rare one

Paonazzo ~ with beautiful gold and dark veins

Calacatta Gold ~ The most beautiful and exquisite of all white Carrara marbles

Crema Dorado ~ From Spain and the stone that gets to live in our living room in the form of a coffee table thanks to Simon's great taste

Baby deer on New Ravenna Mosaics' “Marabel” pattern in honed Thassos and polished Calacatta Tia ~ Love ~