Gold Leaf in Flowers &

Our products sure have the design world buzzing lately. We have 15 original pieces featured in the January 2011 issue of Flowers & as "Style Trends of 2011."

Turn to pages 48-51 for our four-page spread!

 

Pick up a copy today!

We're Featured in today's New York Times

Our Wire Nest Lamps are featured in today's issue of the New York Times! Go to the Home section, page three.

For an online version of the article, please click here.

Annual Holiday Party

It's hard to believe that the year is almost over.

Although we love creating new ideas and pushing the envelope, every so often it is nice to fall back on tradition. On Friday, we headed out after work for our annual holiday party. As we have done for the past 4 years, we celebrated at Diversey River Bowl. And it truly was a celebration. It is a great time for staff and spouses to let loose, have a cocktail (or 2 or 3...), bowl a few games, exchange gifts, receive a "Goldie" and enjoy each other's company. We look forward to this event all year. None of us are bowlers, some don't even like bowling. But that doesn't matter. The opportunity to all be together for a raucous good time, is what the night is about. We have one of the hardest working teams that I have ever seen. It is such a pleasure to spend time outside of work, and our bowling party is the perfect setting!

Thanks for an amazing year, filled with huge ups and huge downs. Here's to 2011!

Gold Leaf in Elle Decor

Gold Leaf's Resin Durian Fruit were featured in the November issue of Elle Decor!

Find it on page 214!

Gold Leaf in Boutique Design

Some of our original arrangements and containers were featured in an article about Seattle's Pioneer Square Marriott Courtyard in the November-December issue of Boutique Design.

Gold Leaf in Interior Design magazine

Gold Leaf products were recently featured in the October 31st issue of Interior Design magazine.

If you look on page 172, you will find our Wire Nest lamps in matte iron wire.

If you look on page 218, you will find our Wire Crystal sculptures in clear coated raw wire with brass holds.

Pick up a copy today!

Are you RUNNING out of ideas...

...because Gold Leaf Design Group never does. Gold Leaf is always exercising our creative side and last week a couple Gold Leafers exercised their brawn for the annual Chicago Marathon. A congratulations are due to Darren and Jose for running and finishing the marathon yet again. Pictured to the right is Darren on mile 23 closing in on the race, and Jose's picture... well we couldn't show you Jose's picture because after the first mile Jose had nearly ripped off all his clothing competing against his own personal record and the 80 degree heat.

Fall is here, soon Halloween and then the winter. If you need new ideas for the holidays who are you going to run to? Give Gold Leaf Design Group a call at the office (877.738.1790) and see what we can do for you. We are always creating and thinking of new ways of designing and arranging for our customers.

Happy Fall!
Todd

Music in the Park

The seasons are changing quickly and Fall will soon be upon us, so the folks at Gold Leaf decided to indulge in some good Chicago fun by having their annual company outing at Millennium Park on August 26th.

Chicago provides free concerts all summer long and this night's performance featured Latin Jazz. It was a beautiful night on the lakefront. Todd and I took some photos that really capture the great atmosphere of this event.

Fun in Atlanta

Our fearless leader utilizing our new Rattan Vine Slices in Atlanta. You gotta make those long trade show hours fun!

Come see us in Atlanta this weekend!

Darren, Allan and Jose are at our booth in Atlanta at AmericasMart this weekend! We have great products to show that are in stock and available now, as well as items we are receiving this fall!

Our location is 2 West Wing, Booth #1-115. Come visit us if you're in town!

Happy Fourth of July!

On July 4th, 1776 a remarkable event occurred. On this epoch day a nation of diversity, freedom and full of dreams was formed. It is a day to commemorate all our beliefs as a nation. These same values still hold with us today. So on Sunday, get out there and celebrate our great country. Be proud of the red, white, and blue. Enjoy the beautiful scenes of fireworks, barbecues, and celebration; but never forget the ones that have struggled and fought for the United States. Happy Fourth of July from Gold Leaf Design Group!

I am Gold Leaf: Michelle

Employee Profile:

Michelle Barrios

Operations Manager

What neighborhood do you live in?

Actually a northern suburb, Deerfield

Why do you love Chicago?
I’m a Midwest girl from Michigan and what better way to get the beautiful big city activities and Lake Michigan together?

What is your favorite Gold Leaf product?
Hard question, after 13 years I have learned that my favorites change frequently… This week I love the one of a kind “Cement Leaves”.

Biking the Drive

Darren, Allan and I participated in Chicago's Bike the Drive event on Sunday. It was the first time any of us participated in the event, which is in its ninth year.

The weather was perfect. We started at 6am and the whole 30-mile round trip, from Bryn Mawr to 57th Street and back, took about 2 hours and 45 minutes. The time just flew by. We definitely want to do it again next year.

We're biking the drive this weekend!

Darren, Allan and myself are officially registered for the 2010 Bike the Drive this weekend. We're very excited about this. The weather is supposed to be perfect and it's supposed to be a great experience. The only downside is that the event starts at the nightmarish hour of 5:30am, a time of day which I didn't know still existed. The plus-side of that, however, is that we will be able to watch the sunrise over Lake Michigan, something that I've really not done in my 3 and a half years of living in Chicago. And I'm surprised I haven't heard about any of my friends doing the event. Come on, people!!

International Food Day!

What do Sudan, Poland, Thailand, Puerto Rico, Mississippi, Mexico, Italy and Japan have in common? Today at Gold Leaf Design Group headquarters we held an International Food Day and demolished several plates of some of our favorite foods from around the globe. We had traditional African dishes, Polish pierogies, Thai curry, greens from Mississippi, French desserts and many more items that are too numerous to mention. We also learned that Jose has the best flan in the city.


Lets make this post short and sweet like Molly's Bon Bons because Memorial Day weekend is nipping at our heels and half of us will probably be by the beach with friends and family, riding bikes, barbecuing and taking in the beautiful sights and smells of Lake Michigan. Take care, enjoy yourselves and cheers to you and yours!

Customer Photos

Our Gold Seed Wall Play™ adorns the wall above a fireplace as a subtle and surprising accent for this home. If you are unfamiliar with our Wall Play™ you can head over to www.GoldLeafDesignGroup.com and register to gain access to our online 2010-11 catalog and see what else Gold Leaf Design Group is up to. If you are registered click here to see our Gold Seed Wall Play™ or check out our other 13 styles. Because of if its playful nature our customers love creating their own unique designs and sending us great images of their hard work. Designed for easy installation these little gems are not just for the inside. We have 8 styles that can go inside and out. We'd love to see what you can come up with. Feel free to send an image of Wall Play™ that you have worked with or pass a question along to Todd@goldleafdesigngroup.com.
Play on!

Customer Photos

The customer photos keep coming in. More of our Wall Play™ adorns the wall at the very modern and hip Cherokee Lofts.

If you haven't seen our catalog yet head to www.GoldLeafDesignGroup.com and register to use our site. See how we may inspire your next design!

Photography provided by:
Tara Wujcik and Sandra Sharma of BLANKSPACE DESIGN

Customer's Photos

We just couldn't believe our eyes when we saw this one. A variety of custom made Wall Play™ grouped together by the hundreds to make this pirate chic themed bar a magical and mysterious environment. A truly original and creative use for one of our favorite products. Bravo!

Bring the Art Gallery to the Garden

Even though the weather in Chicago has just started to reveal its summer self, the leaves of Hosta, Rhubarb and Burdock have been growing in full force up around the Midwest. Our seasonally available Cement Leaves are one of a kind, made with live leaves and pressed by hand into Portland cement. Each live leaf is only used once and no two are exactly alike.

Multi-functional, lay in the garden as a bird bath, bird feeder or use the smaller Cement Leaves to hang on the wall as ornamentation with a sturdy hook that comes attached to the back. Guaranteed to bring out the urban botanist in you.

We are currently harvesting leaves and mixing cement getting ready for our first shipment of the year due to arrive in our warehouse in just a couple of weeks. We couldn't be anymore excited to get these back into our hands and get them shipped to gardens around the county and even get them into our own gardens here at Gold Leaf.

Plant, grow and enjoy!

I am Gold Leaf: Molly

Employee Profile
Molly Surowitz

Hospitality Quotes

Neighborhood
Oak Park-one of the coolest urban/suburban locations in the country. We have the largest concentration of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the country, I live around the corner from the FLW Home and Studio. It is a great place to raise my two sons.

Why do you love Chicago?
I love the diversity and the relaxed neighborhood feeling. Chicago is very cosmopolitan but people are friendly here. I also enjoy the great theatre and food. And Lake Michigan is a huge plus.

What's your favorite Gold Leaf product?
I really love the custom arrangement on page 6 of our new catalog, Stainless Steel Planter with Brown Kuwa, and black polished river rocks at the base. I also like this arrangement with Harvest Kuwa in our signature bronze/black color custom container. Throw a few of our small stainless steel spheres at the bottom for added interest.

Fun in Austin

We just returned from our first time showing at the Museum Store Association Expo. The show was held at the Austin Convention Center. If you've never been to Austin, Texas, I really recommend it. It is the "live music capitol of the world." Everywhere you go, you hear bands playing. Music streams out of bars, from street corners and back alleys. We took a trip to the flagship store of Whole Foods. When we got there, there was a band playing on the outside patio. The crowd was crazy with families dancing and hanging out, at the Whole Foods. We had never seen anything like it! I could spend all of my Saturday afternoons there. Running in Austin was also inspiring! The green spaces throughout the city and downtown are tranquil and peaceful. We visited the world's largest urban bat colony, a Reggae festival, museums, amazing restaurants and shopping districts! We will definitely return.

Earth Day

Today is a day to celebrate our planet!

Its a day to step back and take a few moments to reflect on the beauty that nature provides. Gold Leaf is a proud participant of this day. However, this is not a one day event for us. This is our lifestyle! We continually remind people to participate in this movement, in order to save what is precious to us all, here on earth. The small differences in our personal lives make a huge difference in the future. These small steps can be stepping stones to our communities, businesses and government that will eventually make a huge difference in our future.

We constantly state creativity comes naturally and this creativity would never be possible without the main factor in our statement: nature. So we as a company ask you to participate in this worldwide event and make those small steps to a brighter future!

Customer's Photos

Thank you Rob for the images. If you are interested in doing something similiar at home, Rob adapted the water-tight planters for seasonal outdoor plantings by simply drilling drainage holes into the base of each planter.

Springing Forward

On your marks, get set... change your clocks!
You usually can feel it before it officially becomes Spring and here in Chicago we are starting to feel it. This is the first time seeing the ground in what feels like months. I forgot what sunshine on the skin felt like, until now!

It is time to grab your planters, get those knees dirty and start planting your garden. Or you can do what Gold Leaf does and grab a Stainless Steel Planter, fill it with water, float some wonderful blooms with our Stainless Steel Spheres and have a photo shoot.

As for your garden needs, Gethsemane Garden Center is located in the heart of Chicago's Andersonville/Edgewater neighborhood. A wonderful family owned and operated business that has highlighted their collection of Gold Leaf Design Group products just in time for spring. Check out what they did for us by clicking here.

So long for now and enjoy the simple Earthly pleasures that nature brings us. It may be inspiration for your next great idea.

Todd

What a use of our Wallplay! Keep the photos coming!