Product Spotlight: Molly M Designs

If you have been in the shop lately or follow us on Facebook or Instagram, you've probably seen the work of Molly M Designs. 

photo source

Molly McGrath is a designer based in the Mission district of San Francisco. She is professionally trained as an architect, and after using a laser cutter to make architectural models, she recognized the machine’s unique potential to make jewelry and other designed objects.

In the shop we offer several of her items, including the Bulcao print (above). Made with cream and copper paper interlaid with dutch voile fabric, her print has a whimsical quality between color and shine.

We carry others from this line, including the Copacabana print.

We also offer Molly M's intricate felt coasters. These coasters are made with 100% merino wool felt and leather. The coasters are decorative tabletop objects - they will protect your table from the scratch of a wine glass or coffee mug, but not from a sweaty glass.

We have plenty of her items in stock! Come take a look at her work up close in the shop or visit her site and let us know if there is anything you would like us to special order for you.

[Photos by Molly M Designs]

Product Spotlight: Lee Industries

While we have a wide selection of designer home furishings sources, Lee Industries is our go-to furniture line at Joan Hawkins Art & Interiors. Lee Industries is a leader in high quality, eco-friendly style. We are proud to carry their pieces in our shop as well as custom order them for our clients. 

One of the things we value is their commitment to sustainability. A leader in eco-friendly manufacturing, Lee is a founding member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council and has continually made a stand to make the world a better place. 

Here's just a few of our favorite pieces...

7733-11 Apartment Sofa (Currently in stock in linen at the shop!)

9196-00 Leather Ottoman

40-30 Upholstered Bed

1343-01 Chair

1423-01 Chair

1717-01 Pink and Blue Linen Chair

1829-01 Geese Print Chair

1945-01 Chair

5656 Sofa

5964-01 Chair

7203-11 Settee

With Lee Industries, there are distinctively classic and modern designs with meticulously scaled proportions to keep comfort in mind. Not to mention, each item is quality crafted in North Carolina by master furniture makers.  If you're ready to take the next step in finding furniture for your space, come in and let us work with you to find the Lee Industries piece that's right for your space.

Product Spotlight: Togu'na Malawi Furniture

Full of texture and depth, Togu'na's chairs made in Malawi are perfect accents for the home.

These contemporary furniture pieces are available in a set or on their own, and come in a variety of different finishes including natural, black stain or white enamel. Each piece is handwoven in Malawi from sturdy cane. How does every chair get it's signature shape? Using a metal bicycle rim!

Want to kick it up a notch? There are many enamel colors to choose from, including bright lime.

Upon arrival at their workshop each item is washed, levelled and trimmed of excess fibre before having a finish applied. 

We are excited to feature this line in the shop and hope you love it as much as we do!

Product Spotlight: Wonki Ware

In December, our collection of Wonki Ware pottery arrived with plates and bowls in colorful shades from aubergine to Irish green. We love this line of tableware for many different reasons, but most importantly for their fair trade production process and the individuality of each handmade piece.

South African artist Di Marshall creates Wonki Ware pottery in a small town called George and currently employs 40 people of disadvantaged backgrounds, but it didn’t start out that way.

In 1999, Marshall was living on a farm far outside of town and longed to be closer to her children when they went into the city for school each day. She opened up a small studio and slowly began to attract the attention of the local community. Before long her space was a place for potters and creative types to meet.

Not long after, a man named Artwel started coming by each morning looking for work. Not having much money to pay him, Marshall taught him about clay and developed patterns that were relatively easy and simple to reproduce but at the same captured a sensitivity in pattern and design.

Adding a third person to their team, Wonki Ware spread throughout the country and beyond.  Today the company is one of the biggest success stories in South Africa.

Wonki Ware’s process is completely done by hand – from clay mixing, rolling, shaping, sun drying, firing, decorating, waxing, to glazing. The pottery only touches a machine once it is ready for firing. In fact, it is said over 18 sets of hands will touch each piece before it is finished, making each piece special and unique. Each piece is durable, high-quality and also microwave/dishwasher safe.

1. Sun drying is just one of the many steps to making a piece of Wonki Ware pottery. 

2. Two women shape various pieces before they are sun dried and fired. These women are given fair wages and live nearby the studio.

3. No two pieces are exactly alike and neither is the process for each product in the collection.

Product Spotlight: Waylande Gregory Studios

What if your great uncle was a famous artist who changed the landscape of ceramics in the 20th century and his work was collecting dust in a basement? For Bryan Downey, that was exactly the case. Thanks to his curiosity, his great-grand uncle Waylande Gregory, a leading modernist of the 20th century, lives on with Waylande Gregory Studios.

Known internationally for influencing the direction of figurative art, Gregory was most famous for his groundbreaking sculptures at the 1939 New York World’s Fair (at that time, the largest sculpture ever created). But Gregory’s technical advancements went beyond the art world, including creating a patent allowing the fusion of glass to clay that NASA was even able to adapt to put a man on the moon.

During his career, he was commissioned to create pieces for some of the world’s leading retailers, such as Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, and Tiffany & Co.. His works have been displayed in the Smithsonian, Whitney Museum of American Art, and the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.

But the story doesn't stop there. The ceramicist passed away in 1971 and his work was donated by his wife, who gave specific instructions that if his work were ever to be used, it be used for good. It wasn’t until Downey and fashion entrepreneur Mickey Rosmarin found the treasure trove of his work in the basement of the Gregory Estates Philanthropic Foundation that Waylande Gregory Studios was formed to reissue his work.

Today, Waylande Gregory Studios creates decorative porcelains and ceramics incorporating designs from the library of the late artist. Trained artisans in Peru produce each piece, hand crafted from high-fired porcelain and stoneware with rich matte glazes, 22-carat gold and platinum.

Waylande Gregory’s bold designs and powerful use of color created timeless pieces that look as fresh today as they did nearly 70 years ago. 

We are excited to carry Waylande Gregory Studios at Joan Hawkins Art & Interiors. Items above can be found in stock in the shop!