Have you ever become involved in some other imagined world, some fantastical environment full of lore and stories and strange flora and fauna? Does it not sometimes miff you to set this book or podcast or show aside and return to mundanity? Is there a way to enter other worlds in your own home, to…
Recently I (Ryder) went on a lovely lichen walk with botanist and Lichen Society president Shelly Benson in the beautiful Jenner Headlands (a place you can stop if you ever wish to visit us!) While I’ve always known mosses and lichens to be incredible living paints and brushes, a botanists eye aided me in seeing…
For almost 30 years Holmes Wilson Tables has changed and evolved, and this year and beyond is no different. The changes now, however, are more dramatic than they have ever been. First off, our primary focus is now on truly one of a kind works, full of color, texture, and general pizazz. Everything you see…
For some time we have been experimenting with palm bark in side and coffee tables. We have been delighted by the results — highly textured, sculptural pieces that demand your attention, both visual and physical. We have always taken pride in our work as objects that people want to touch, and these are no exception….
There is a form of therapy known as Sandtray, where a person shapes and curates a small sandbox in order to plumb the non-verbal depths of the mind — or simply to play with curious objects. It is a deeply calming and ancient activity. Sand lends itself to shaping and curation due to to it’s…
The rocky coast of Salt Point is our favorite place in the world, a constant font of inspiration. The constant madness of the ocean has eroded the rocks into variegated, alien shape. Every time we go there, we see different creatures and patterns and tables and stories in the rocks. This place obviously inspired…
Pamela has always been a bit proud that she flunked her concrete class at Pasadena City college but still managed to make a long-lived concrete business. Theoretical slumps, tensile and compression load calculations: concrete can be quite mathematical and difficult. Important for an engineer building a house, of course, but you only need so many equations for…
We’ve experimented with more than a hundred different plants and other organic materials, everything from dandelion weeds to giant rhubarb leaves to bark and lichen. Unfortunately, many of these experiments don’t succeed as well as we would like. This is because it takes a specific thickness and texture to really make a good impression in…
As Sonoma County residents, the North Bay firestorms of October were terrifying and horrifying. So many lost everything. We would like to offer up to five people who lost homes and especially loved ones a free 12″ Pliny or 12″ Square side table of a style of your choosing. We can do impressions of names…
As much as we love leaves and natural elements, it’s fun to experiment with new looks, too. Dots and lines, simple concepts but with lots of possibilities, are a new muse. Irregular lines can reminisce of marble or height maps or erosion. Dots less easily map on to the natural world, but when unevenly patterned, they…
Most creativity is accidental, if not all of it. The artist often sits before their canvas with a plan, only to discover things come out much differently than they expected. Musicians can find themselves bored with their playing until they make a mistake, hit the wrong note, and suddenly everything is fresh, and they can find…
When people hear “concrete furniture,” they often think it’s going to be extremely heavy, ugly stuff only fit to sit in parks and bus stops. But most people are now realizing modern concrete furniture can be just as elegant, nearly as light, and far more durable than other furniture materials. But do you know every…
