Oak Park Home & Hardware |
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Mission Lamp, Craftsman Style Lighting, Arts & Crafts Hardware, Mission and Bungalow Style Rugs and Accessories. |
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Posted by Joseph
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Wednesday, July 07, 2010
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Well we survived the intense heat of the morning and afternoon sun! All in all, the sidewalk sale was "not too bad" considering the spending adjustment of the general public. This year, we displayed our many mailbox options, house numbers, house number plaques, exterior lighting, wildflower seed gardens, and of course...tiles. As always, the tiles were the biggest hit. People seem to be instantly attracted to the colorful tiles. This year, we also had our new line of Aspen Bay Candles for sale and we sold quite a few of them. We had one of them lit and the scent just pulled people into our area.
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Posted by Joseph
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Friday, April 16, 2010
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Surely you have seen this before? A front entry light fixture deliberately installed upside down! There are many examples of these right in my own neighborhood. But I have also seen examples of this back East and out West. Perhaps the homeowner thought the light fixture was designed for this orientation. Perhaps the fixture wasn't tightened down properly and it rotated itself 180 degrees? The most likely reason is that the homeowner purchased the fixture (or it was given to them) and the fixture just would not physically fit in its location right side up. So it gets installed upside down.
I really hate seeing this. It drives me crazy. Its like wearing your earrings upside down...wearing your shirt backwards...or installing rain gutters vertically. Its just silly. Exterior light fixtures are designed and engineered for weather and are rated for either damp or wet locations. Aesthetically, light fixtures are designed for upward or downward orientation. Many are designed to be mounted center on the electrical box. The bottom line is that front entry lighting is a very important aesthetic and functional tool that should be a "comfortable compositional element". If it is too high, too low, too small, too large, or a misfit for the architecture, then it will always appear odd.
If you are considering a front entry light fixture, consider first printing out a picture of it and then enlarging it to exact size on a copier. Cut it out and hold it up to the installation location. This can be very helpful in determining if the fixture fits appropriately or not. We will frequently email a full size line drawing to our customers and they will print it out and hold it up to the intended installation location. This process is invaluable.
Does your home need a low cost lift?
Is your front entry tired looking?
Are you considering selling?
  Example: Upsidedown Light Fixture Example: Misfit Light Fixture
Example: Tired House Number Marker (old wood background and falling apart)
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Posted by Joseph
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Wednesday, March 31, 2010
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The Tudor Revival architectural style had developed in America between 1890 and 1930. On occasion, I refer to the style as "The Other Craftsman Style". That is just me of course. I would be a bit partial to the style because I own and live in a Tudor style home. My home, built in 1933, is a very modest English Tudor without the characteristic high pitched roof. Some Tudors have a bit more Gothic characteristics, some a bit more Craftsman influence. Mine would be the later. I love the beautiful woodwork, English style leaded glass windows, high coved ceilings, and the cottage feel of the exterior. Yes...the rooms are small and often "dark". But I sort of like that in this climate. The informal cottage style gardens also work well with this style and lends itself to much creativity.
So why would the creator and owner of a predominantly Craftsman style business own a Tudor style home? Mostly by chance I would say. I was attracted to the "charm" and it was prevalent. Mine still has its original tile roof (please last another 80 years...please). Like most all of my customers, from "house closing" to present, it has been a LOT of major sweat equity. And I'm afraid it is not over!
Many of the homes' right here in Oak Park, River Forest, and Chicagoland in general are Tudor Revival style homes. Some are small and modest (like mine). Many are quite grand and can be considered Tudor Manor(s). When I lived on the East coast, Tudor style was also vast, particularly in the New York/Westchester area, as well as Greenwich, CT.
Many people may not realize that we offer quite a bit of lighting, hardware, and furnishings well suited to the Tudor Revival style. I have been able to incorporate much of it into my own home.
Tudor Revival Lighting:
For the more Gothic look, we have the Vintage Black Iron series, and Iron Abbey lighting by The Mica Lamp Company. Many Tudors also cross over into the Storybook architectural style (especially in CA), and the Storybook series is perfect for this. We also have ceiling fans specifically for the Tudor style.
Much of our lighting by Arroyo Craftsman is also specific to the Tudor Revival style. The Berkeley series for example works well in any Tudor style home. The Saint George series and Valencia series are also great choices for the Tudor style home. We have had churches order some of them.
Tudor Revival Door Hardware:
Tudor Revival Door Chime Package:
Tudor Revival Doorbells:
Tudor Style Vase:
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Posted by Joseph
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Monday, March 22, 2010
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Roughly 10 years ago, I was traveling and had a stopover in Denver, CO. I had some time to spare and as I was walking through the airport, I noticed some seed packets in one of the airport convenience stores. Nestled in with all of the snow globes, CO branded coffee cups, etc. was a rack of Colorado Wildflower Seeds. I purchased a packet, brought them home, and scattered the seeds within a newly designated sunny garden spot in the backyard. Throughout the Summer months and well into early autumn, I had a beautiful (and full) garden of unique wildflowers that had attracted many butterflies, and helped feed birds with their seeds.
The wildflowers have reseeded themselves (the garden) continuously for the past 10 years. It has been pretty amazing actually. In some respects, they have spread way beyond the intended area but we all love them.
Recently, I located the creators of the Wildflowers and have added most of the Wildflower Seed Garden Packets to our offerings. At $14.95, they are well worth the longevity.
Check them out here: Wildflower Seed Gardens
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Posted by Joseph
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Wednesday, February 10, 2010
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This is a great time of year to spend time giving the kitchen a bit of a makeover. If you are not able to execute a full scale kitchen remodel because of associated costs, then consider a "Light Remodel"! A Light Remodel can be anything from a simple cabinet reface, appliance purchase, paint, and/or new lighting, to a simple cabinet refresh and some paint.
If you have wood cabinets that have a tired stain finish, you can give the cabinets new life with a great product called Restor-A-Finish by Howard Products. We used to sell the entire line when we had a brick and mortar store and it flew out the door. People would regularly come back and give rave reviews of the product. It is available in a wide variety of colors as well as neutral. It isn't really a stain per say. It does however, penetrate the clear coat finish and smooths out scratches, water stains and evens out sun bleached stains. It really is pretty amazing stuff. I have used it myself on furniture. My sister and friends have also used it on their cabinets and interior wood trim and wow...what a difference it made. For an even greater change, consider painting your cabinets. You can also change out some of the doors with glass insert doors.
The next step in sprucing up those kitchen cabinets is to change out the door hardware. If you currently have a single hole pull, then it is very easy to change out the pulls. If you always wanted hand pulls rather than the single pull, then you can use the existing hole and drill a new hole for the hand pull. Remember, hand pulls can be mounted vertically as well as horizontally. Lets say that you want to change out your existing polished brass pulls with oil rubbed bronze pulls but your hinges are also polished brass. You can order new hinges in the bronze finish or you can simply spray paint them! My sister did. She kept the existing pulls and just painted them with a satin nickel paint.
Oak Park Home & Hardware offers some inexpensive cabinet knob designs such as the ones below. The simple square pyramid head knob is just $4.50. The mortise and tenon handles are offered in 3 finishes and start at $10.16. The octagon cast bronze knobs are just $6.15.
Another great way to bring new life into a kitchen is with new lighting. A single ceiling light can make a big statement and quite possibly bring more light into the room. Consider a ceiling light fixture with 4 sockets. 4 sockets at 60 watts each will give you a total of 240 watts of light. Many of the fixtures we offer are available in a variety of glass and finish options. A nice white glass is great for a kitchen light. Here's just a few great lights for a kitchen ceiling (remember...any glass, any finish):
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Oak Park Home & Hardware specializes in lighting products in the spirit of Arts & Crafts, Mission, Prairie, Bungalow, English Tudor, Tudor Manor, and Spanish Revival styles.
We have developed unique relationships with many of our Craftsmen, and suppliers of products allowing customization for our customers. All at very competitive pricing!
© 2010 Oak Park Home & Hardware, Inc.
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