This Just In: Reclaimed White Oak Beams from Western PA Ham Curing Shed

This Just In: Reclaimed, Hand Cut White Oak Beams sourced by The Hudson Company from a Western Pennsylvania ham curing shed.

The above pictures show off a beautiful batch of recently recovered Reclaimed Oak Beams, sourced by The Hudson Company from a Western Pennsylvania ham curing shed. These White Oak 4" x 6" and 3" x 9" beams are imbued with a rich, historic aged patina - and feature some of the nicest colors and textures we have ever seen in reclaimed wooden beams. You will notice in the above detail photos, that the ends of the 3" x 9"s were hand cut with an axe (no chainsaw marks!).

Whoever is lucky enough to snag these beams will have no problem utilizing them into their next design project as accent rafters, mantles, shelves or furniture.

Email info@thehudsonco.com to learn more about these specific White Oak Beams or to get a quote for the whole batch. Or, click here to learn more about The Hudson Company's line of Reclaimed Wood Beams and Joists.
 

 

Product In Focus: Reclaimed White Oak Flooring

Private residence featuring Reclaimed White Oak [New Face] Flooring, Central Park West, NYC.

Private residence featuring Reclaimed White Oak [New Face] Flooring, Central Park West, NYC.

Reclaimed White Oak [Bare Finish, Herringbone] at Rag & Bone Boutique, Bloomingdales, NYC.

Rec. White Oak [NF, Bare Finish, Prime]

Rec. White Oak [NF, Barley Finish, Prime]

As you can see above, The Hudson Company's family of Reclaimed White Oak floors are available in several finishes, color tones, plank widths, and with a variety of other spec. options. Closely associated with strength, endurance, style, and quality, Oak has been en vogue for as long as wood has been used in architecture, design, furniture making, and woodcraft. At The Hudson Company, one of our greatest passions is helping architects, designers, and builders incorporate these timeless Oak wood floors into innovative installations that meet the practical and aesthetic needs of their 21st century clients and customers.

Sourcing Reclaimed White Oak Flooring: 

Typically, our Reclaimed White Oak floors are sourced from the structural members of historic American barns or decommissioned warehouses and industrial buildings. Reclaimed Oak floors offer designers a wide spectrum of inherent and desirable aesthetic qualities, including: knots, sap wood, cathedral grain, and 'tiger striping.' Additionally, many of our Reclaimed White Oak floor planks and timbers include unique traces of historical milling, including: saw kerfs, ferrous stains, nail holes, checking, and scarring.

Flooring Specifications: 

For our Reclaimed White Oak [New Face, Barley Finish, Prime Grade] Flooring: 3/4" x 4-6" x 2-12'. Tongue & Groove. End Matched. New Face. Solid or Engineered. Shown pre-finished in Barley. Also available unfinished

For our Reclaimed White Oak [New Face, Bare Finish, Prime Grade] Flooring: Specifications: 3/4" x 4 or 6" x 2-10'. Tongue & Groove. End Matched. Micro-Beveled. New Face. Solid or Engineered. Shown pre-finished in Bare. Also available unfinished.

*Do you need Reclaimed White Oak Flooring milled to meet custom specs or with a custom finish? Contact us today to speak with a member of The Hudson Company Team to discuss how we can help find a custom solution for your design project needs.

Inspired By: California Craftswoman Aleksandra Zee

Photo by Trinette Reed for Huck Magazine.

This week, we are featuring the inspiring work of Oakland based artist and woodworker Aleksandra Zee. Zee's stunning, reclaimed wood mosaics first came to our attention via her impressive Instagram feed, which led us to her growing portfolio of large and small-scale wooden wall hangings.

Trained in the fine arts, Ms. Zee is deeply inspired by the desert landscapes of the American Southwest and by Native American handicrafts and textiles. She has described her work as, 'recreating Navajo blankets out of wood.'

Speaking to Huck Magazine in 2014, Ms. Zee described her passion for working with reclaimed wood materials:

"I believe in working with a material that inspires you. For me, reclaimed wood has a history and I want to add to that history and give it a new life: rustic, worn, warm, and reminiscent. I love that transformation process. First I choose the lumber I am going to use. Then I separate it into colour palettes. Then I lay out a rough pattern, play around with it a bit, and when it’s perfect I nail it down. After the pattern is created I seal the piece and go to town with a sander."

We are excited to see where Ms. Zee's inspiration and passion for reclaimed materials take her in 2016.  

You can learn about Aleksandra Zee and her work at her site. Unless otherwise noted, all photos are from aleksandrazee.com.

Aleksandra Zee for the Buchanan Hotel, San Francisco. Photo by Laure Joliet.

Hudson Company Reclaimed Heart Pine Floors on Architizer.com

Hudson Company Reclaimed Heart Pine [Chalk Finish] featured on Architizer.com

We were thrilled last week, when The Hudson Company's Reclaimed Heart Pine [Chalk Finish] floors were featured on Architizer.com as one of their featured 'Products of the Day.'

The timing of Architizer's feature on Reclaimed Heart Pine [Chalk Finish] seems especially apropos as we approach the first anniversary of the opening of New York's new Whitney Museum of American Art - a large-scale installation in which The Hudson Company provided over 60,000 square feet of wide plank, Heart Pine floors. To meet the custom design needs for the new Whitney project, The Hudson Company collaborated with the architectural teams at The Renzo Piano Design Workshop and Cooper Robertson Architects throughout 2013 and 2014. At the time of the Museum's opening, Jerry Saltz of New York Magazine described the Whitney's interiors and floors as, 'open, simple, Shaker-like; the wide-plank pine floors are perfect.' 

But whether installed on a massive scale (a la the new Whitney Museum) or used in a more intimate, residential application, there is just something special about these particular Reclaimed Wood flooring.

About Reclaimed Heart Pine [Chalk Finish]

Part of what make's our Reclaimed Heart Pine so special is its unique origin story. 

For the past two centuries, Longleaf Heart Pine was a predominant standing timber across a large span of the eastern seaboard. Its prevalence and unique properties made it the most widely utilized timber in American construction. 

Today, our Reclaimed Heart Pine flooring are sourced from abandoned or de-commissioned factories and warehouses located around the Hudson River Valley, some of which were constructed during the Industrial Revolution. You can learn more about The Hudson Company's reclamation process in our three part series 'Crafting The Whitney Floors.'

Product Specs:

Hudson Company Reclaimed Heart Pine [Chalk Finish] floors are available at dimensions of 3/4" x 4-8" x 2-12'. Tongue & Groove. End Matched. Shown pre-finished in Chalk. Floors are also available unfinished.

Click here to learn more or quote Reclaimed Heart Pine for your next project.

Inspired By: Lighting Designer Tom Rossau

This week, we are 'Inspired By' the rising Danish craftsman and designer Tom Rossau, whose imaginative, sculptural lights are impossible not to marvel at. With their bending, twisting, and inter-weaving handmade forms, Rossau's signature Pendant Lights are, understandably, showing up in more and more thoughtfully designed spaces (and on more and more envious design blogs). 

The man behind these distinctively intricate lights is Copenhagen-based Tom Rossau, a 40-something maker who is self-admittedly obsessed with light and shadow. Since 2004, Rossau has been crafting his intricate lights from malleable wood veneers such as birch. The combination of natural materials bent into delightful and surprising forms is what sets a Rossau light apart. Below you can see photos of Tom at work in his Copenhagen studio.

As a Scandinavian, Rossau has an intimate knowledge of the dramatic changes in light throughout the calendar year, and the corresponding effects these changes have on interior spaces and people's moods. With this context in mind, it's no wonder why Rossau's lamps are celebrated for both their artistic forms as well as their practical function. The experimentality and diversity in Tom's work is clearly a result of the designer's deep reserves of creative energy and curiosity, "I will never be finished making lamps." 

We certainly hope that's true.

Read more about Tom's stroy here. See the whole line of Tom Rossau lights here.

The Hudson Company Family of Select Harvest Walnut Floors

The Broome Street Hotel, New York., featuring The Hudson Company Select Harvest Walnut [Clear Finish] floors.

The Broome Street Hotel, New York.

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Unlike our range of Reclaimed products, Hudson Company Select Harvest wood floors are custom milled to meet your design specifications from new wood, and are available either unfinished or pre-finished.

Within our wide inventory of Select Harvest flooring, there is no species more diverse or attractive than Hudson Company Walnut. Select Harvest Walnut is currently available in nine custom finishes, including (from left to right above) Lunar, Barley, Herringbone, Roebling, Charred, and Cacao - each with their own distinct aesthetic qualities and installation profiles (click the links to learn more). 

From the purple-brown tones of Charred Walnut, to the timeless elegance of Herringbone Walnut, to the warm, broad swirling grain patterns of the Lunar and Roebling finishes, the entire family of Select Harvest Walnut floors is character-rich and versatile enough to succeed in a wide range of design applications. 

To learn more about our unique family of Select Harvest Walnut flooring, or how we can help you reach your goals for your next design project, please write to us at info@thehudsonco.com and a member of The Hudson Company Team will be in touch within one business day. 

The Ming: Bryan Nash Gill + The Hudson Company

Artist Bryan Nash Gill working on 'The Ming' at The Hudson Company's Brooklyn Showroom, April 2013.

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‘The best art is simple, direct, and resonates without explanation. It is connected, simply, to the way things are.’ Curator and friend of the artist, Steven Holmes

Simple. Direct. Resonant. If there was ever an artist and craftsman whose work was powerful through its simplicity - it was prolific sculptor, painter, and printmaker Bryan Nash Gill (1961 - 2013).

For three days in April 2013, The Hudson Company was proud to collaborate with and host Bryan in our Brooklyn showroom, where he created the extraordinary ‘Ming’ duo-tone woodcut print. At sixteen feet in length, the ‘Ming’ became not only Bryan’s largest ever woodcut print, but also the last print he would make before his unexpected death in May of that year.

This unique collaboration was born after The Hudson Company acquired a hardwood beam originating from a temple from the Ming Dynasty of China (14th - 17th centuries). As long time admirers of Bryan’s work, we wondered what stories he might be able to draw out of such a venerable artifact; what history the grain and knots of the ancient beam could reveal?

With his signature passion for exploration, Bryan applied his creative process to the ‘Ming’ project with a childlike excitement. During those three days, Bryan described what drove him to continually experiment and develop his craft: ‘...it’s a process of discovery, a process of learning, a process of putting yourself on the edge and kind of having the courage to go forth and see what happens, and learn from the process.’

At the end of his three days of ‘discovery’ at The Hudson Company showroom, Bryan produced a large-scale print that is both beautiful and surprising. Far removed from its place and era and utility of origin, ‘The Ming’ shows us a new perspective on the patterns of life encapsulated in the lines and layers of wood. Like a massive fingerprint from a distant time and place, ‘The Ming,’ like all of Bryan’s woodcuts, draws viewers into the very heart of wood - past it’s surface and color and hardness - to the nucleus of it’s identity.

Steven Holmes describes the woodcuts of Bryan Nash Gill as a way to, ‘participate in historically anchored beauty,’ by understanding wood, ‘not as an object, but as a verb.’ Today, ‘The Ming’ hangs proudly in The Hudson Company showroom as a symbol of the new perspectives that can be gained from reimagining historical artifacts. It hangs as a tribute to our friend Bryan. It hangs as an example of beautiful craftsmanship and innovative vision. It hangs as a reminder of the resonance that comes from simple beauty found in the way things are.

Watch the video below to see Bryan at work on The Ming in The Hudson Company's Brooklyn Showroom, in April 2013.

'The Ming' [The Hudson Company + Artist Bryan Nash Gill] HD from The Hudson Company on Vimeo.

INSPIRED BY: MICHAEL ANASTASSIADES

This week's 'Inspired By' is coming to you on a Sunday night, just before the new week is about to begin we take one last breath of weekend freedom and prepare for the coming week. What better way to do so than with a bit of fresh inspiration?

Michael began his studio in 1994 so by 'fresh' in no way do we mean that he is new to the world of design, though this may be an introduction to his work for some of you. Born in Cyprus he currently lives and works in London.

Below we take a look at some our favorites of his hand crafted products, not that it is easy to choose by any means!

The Captain lights were designed for Flos to be a multi-purpose free-standing lamp with a rotating head for reading or directional lighting. Brass and career marble or anthracite vanish with black marble are the two color way selections available, aptly suited for a multiplicity of interior spaces. 

'AMA' was created as a tribute to the pearl diving mermaids of Japan who spent centuries free diving in search of oysters along the ocean bed. This chandelier was another design for Flos. 

This family of IC Lights, also for Flos, is a favorite lighting design, period. The thin, elegant metal tubing that suspends a perfect sphere is really quite intriguing. The series includes a table lamp, floor lamp, sconce and pendant. 

One of his newer creations, Copycat is a table lamp composed of a hand blown glass globe and a solid metal aluminum sphere. 

“A simple shelf, suspended by a strap, seems to be in perfect balance, supporting the acrobatic equilibrium between the objects at each end. Both elements hug the wall with a precision reminiscent of impeccably wrought architect drawings.”

The triangular Tube chandler can be made in custom lengths to your specifications in satin brass or black patinated stainless steel. 

Wood At Work 2015 Conference | Oct. 29 - 30 at The Bronx Zoo

The Hudson Company is proud to be a partner and sponsor of this year's Wood At Work Conference, taking place at The Bronx Zoo on October 29 and 30.

Wood at Work: Elegant Strategies for Architecture, City-Building, and Forest Conservation promises to be one of the world’s most dynamic forums (and, we believe, its first) focused on the link between sustainable wood use in an urban context, and the strategies that make sourcing this wood truly beneficial to global forest conservation efforts.

The event will bring together influential architects, foresters, policy makers, ecologists, and urban planners. Keynote speakers will include renowned architect and historian Kenneth Frampton; Eric Sanderson director of the Manhattan Project; Lars Laestadius of the World Resources Institute; and celebrated forest ecologist Robin Chazdon, as well as a lineup of urbanists, artists, craftsmen and musicians.

Wood at Work is positioned to radically impact the discourse around wood and forest policy in American cities. Situated in NYC, the global centre of innovative urban thinking, our intimate setting at the Bronx Zoo and multidisciplinary lineup of speakers, panels, and activities will accelerate the kind of solutions that cross-disciplinary collaboration strives for but all too rarely achieves.

Learn more about the exciting Wood At Work 2015 Conference and register to join us here (space is limited).

Product In Focus: Select Harvest White Oak [Barley Finish]

The Hudson Company's Select Harvest White Oak [Barley Finish], shown above as installed in New York's exclusive Spice Warehouse, celebrates the rustic nature of White Oak and is inclusive of knots, sap wood, and grain variation. The material's grain structure invites penetrating stains or can be fumed to create a warm walnut-like tonality. Our Select Harvest White Oak [Barley Finish] floors are pre-finished with a low-VOC finish.

Specifications: 3/4" x 4-8" x 3-14'. Tongue & Groove. End Matched. Micro-Beveled. New Face. Solid or Engineered. Pre-finished.

Learn more or get a quote for your next project here.