Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Today Gold Leaf's stylish firewood holder was featured on Elle Decor's website! Click here to see the post.


Friday, November 23, 2012

Technical Difficulties

We are expeeriencing some technically difficulties with our website.  We are sorry for any inconvenience.  You may be having problems registering or logging in.  Our service provider and technical team are working to resolve these issues.  Thank you for your patience.  If you have immediate questions, please call our office during normal business hours.  Thanks.

Friday, November 2, 2012

It's A Gold Leaf Halloween!



We at Gold Leaf never miss an opportunity

Friday, October 12, 2012

Chicago Marathon 2012

We did it!

 

Darren with an incredible finish time of 3 hours and 49 minutes and Jose with a respectable time of 3 hours and 43 minutes.  

Ambition, dedication, and running for a purpose are only a few words that describe this year's journey toward the marathon. The marathon is doing almost the impossible, possible. During the training, the mind is trained to think beyond its physical capabilities and achieving with endurance. This concept is parallel to our designs.

Here at Gold Leaf, we create the possibility of uniqueness and appreciation to the beauties of the world.We challenge our network of family, friends, colleagues, and customers to get out and do the impossible.

 

Come along for a ride with Gold Leaf and see for yourself how creativity comes naturally!

Friday, September 21, 2012

Doing Good!

Jose and I will be running the Chicago Marathon again this year.  This will be our fourth year, and we are both running to raise money for charity.  If you have followed our blog in the past, you may recall that health and fitness play an important role in our organization.  In addition to Jose and me, we have other runners on staff.  Many are dedicated to their sports, yoga and fitness routines.  Numerous people bike to work, and we support each other in eating and living healthy!  Now we are expanding that commitment to make a difference to those around us.

We Appreciate Your support

Please consider supporting us as we work to enhance our community.
I am participating in "Run for AIDS Chicago"  This is a grass roots fundraising effort.  100% of all donations go directly to AIDS education, counseling, testing and outreach.  Their mission is to empower everyone living with or at risk of HIV/AIDS to live open, healthy and productive lives.

To learn more about the services we are supporting, or to make a donation, please follow the link below: http://runforaids.kintera.org/faf/r.asp?t=4&i=1014938&u=1014938-361526320

Jose is running in support of the Chicago Area Runners Road Scholars.  The Road Scholars use running to teach at risk youth important lessons in commitment, dedication and discipline. To make a donation to the Road Scholars, please follow the link below:


We appreciate your support and encouragement!
Thanks Very Much,
Darren

Friday, August 10, 2012

Gold Leaf Blog

My last day at Gold Leaf, and after eating deep dish pizza and more cupcakes than I care to count, I must focus and finish up my last quote, and one last blog post. For those of you reading the blog, this will be one of the last posts for a while. The blog has sort of been tasked to me this summer and I am leaving to go back to school (as this was a summer internship). I hope that someone takes over the blog, but I do fear a little for the post consistency. This fear though probably does not warrant staying here and not finishing up school - it is my last semester after all and then I will have earned my masters in architecture! This is something that I am really excited about too. While working here is different than working on building design, it has made me think a lot about architecture and the final product - and how so many people go into creating the feel of a space.

Just remember though, Gold Leaf does have a Facebook, and readers, this is probably a sound way to pester them to share their many stories.

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Memories of the cape, with a twist...

I will always associate outdoor showers with Cape Cod. There is nothing like coming back from the beach and hopping into one made from wood that has weathered over time. In HouseLogic's  Outdoor Shower Ideas they feature several takes on this, and they include ours, which is simple design decorated with Wall Play 'Seed' in blue and lime. Follow the link and find us under slide 8, the title Form Follows Fungi, a suiting play on the famous quote by Sullivan, "form ever follows function". Our Wall Play is a form that allows for multiple functions, and in this scenario, it serves as a beautiful solution as to how to hang towels, bathrobes and loofahs.



Monday, August 6, 2012

Summer with our Imperial Wood Lanterns

Look for us in the summer addition of Chicago, Home + Garden. Our Imperial Wood Lanterns are a perfect decoration for the summer, but we think that these pieces can transition into any fall scheme rather nicely.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

At Gold Leaf we love cupcakes

Keiana Gooden, our Inventory Operations Specialist,  makes amazing cupcakes, that is a fact here at Gold Leaf that we love, but our waist lines may resent. With a passion for baking she is always looking to try a new recipe. She does not eat the cupcakes herself, so we become the ever-so-willing taste testers.

This morning I sit here having a stare-down with my cupcake which I hope to save until after lunch. Molly, who has more restraint than me, is currently making sure everyone who passes by tries a cupcake (this is a hard task).

Today's Flavor, Cookies n' Cream:














And here are some past ones:




















And because cupcakes are more than just delicious, but aesthetically pleasing, these arrangements were inspired by their small stature and whimsical qualities.



Tuesday, July 10, 2012

We are in Atlanta Soon!

Darren, Allan and Michael are in Atlanta for the AmericasMart trade show this coming week. We have some amazing products to share! If you are in town you should stop by!!

Visit us in High Design, booth # 2W - 1 - 115, July 13th through the 17th.

Monday, July 2, 2012

"Spring in the Desert"














According to Flowers& our Manzanita is a perfect contrast for spring flowers. The texture adds depth to the arrangement. Something to keep in mind when conceptualizing your next custom floral arrangement!

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Full Page Image in 'Extraordinique' AmericasMart Magazine


















The current edition of AmericasMart Magazine features one of our favorite designs, a sandblasted grape wood branch with our wire cube sculptures intertwined around it.  All secured in a raw aluminum bowl with reindeer moss at the base. Look for us in Atlanta to see more of our products and some of our exciting new ideas! Visit us in High Design, booth # 2W - 1 - 115, July 13th through the 17th.

Find us this month in 'Canadian House and Home'


Look for our jars - which according to Canadian House and Home are "entertaining essentials"!! And of course we must agree with them!


Monday, June 25, 2012

Look for Darren quoted in 'Home Accents Today'

We are happy to see Darren DeMatoff quoted in the article Vendors optimistic after upbeat start to 2012 from the Sunday April 22, 2012 issue. The article is a series of brief interviews with vendors about their "expectations for market, 2012 predictions and how they are preparing to regrow their businesses". Look for the full article in 'Home Accents Today' or check out the exert below. Darren is photographed in front of our Wall Play 'Seed' in gold leaf and one of  our Wood Disc Art pieces.


Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Everyday Things…


We look for beauty everywhere we go and try to find ways to capture its essence. We cannot help but be enlivened by our environment; creativity really does come naturally™. Here are a few things that inspire us!
 
When looking at our Wall Play designs, does it not remind you of making a wish with a dandelion? 

























How can you not be in awe of mosaics? With our Eclipse Bowl and a Venice Glass Mosaic.














The shear beauty of repetition of a single line. With Cy Twombly's untitled piece from 1973 and our Quill Table Sculpture. 














A play on light and shadow at the cemetery in Igualada and our Stainless Steel Polyhedrons.













We believe in the details at Gold Leaf – the human scale of design. And we look to the simplest of places to find our inspiration and create unforgettable pieces that can then define the spatial character of a place.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

New Ideas: Stainless Steel Ball Sway in Blue Resin


In our catalog we show our Stainless Steel Ball Sway placed in a pond, among tall grass. It is beautiful and scenic, but the question begs to be asked “how can we achieve this aesthetic indoors?”. The Ball Sway seems at home placed in this pond, and now with the custom blue resin in a planter there is the illusion of them floating in water.

The final product for all our arrangements is a result of a process; a series of pieces that makes up the whole. For this arrangement featured, it was a sort of experiment. Our designers achieved the illusion of floating spears through collaboration with our in house fiber glass manufacturers. Once the Stainless Steel Ball Sway was arranged and secured in the planter, our fiber glass manufacturers went to work creating a custom blue color resin for this design.




Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Jose Graduates from UIC!!


Working here since 2006, Jose started when there were only four people working here at Gold Leaf. Coming in on his summer breaks during high school, he continued to work part time through college. He was able to see the company change and grow, while being a fundamental part of these changes.

Since graduating high school, Jose has known he wanted to work in the business field. Starting out his college career in accounting, he eventually switched to a major in finance and economics. Jose is now full time with Gold Leaf as the Financial Coordinator.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of this job according to Jose is “being able to explore the creative side of business”, and seeing the process from preliminary design to shipping. He is interested in the systematic process of Gold Leaf and helping it continue to evolve. 

Look for Jose’s favorite items in our catalog: Wall Play ‘Seed’ in gold leaf and the Stainless Steel ‘Ball Sway’.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Earth Day is this Sunday!

This Sunday, being Earth Day, Gold Leaf would like to remind everyone that the simplicity and beauty of nature is crucial to our lives. Not only is this a united effort toward the greater good but a supporting tool for our planet. Please support this day and contribute in the simplest form by recycling, unplugging appliances, planting trees, and embracing nature.

Happy Earth Day to all from Gold Leaf Design Group!


Wednesday, March 21, 2012

2012 Catalog Outtake

A lot went into the making of our 2012 catalog. There is cleaning/arranging products and transforming spaces. Here is something a little different. Sorting through Ginkgo biloba leaves for a shoot. See the completed design and photograph "Glorious Ginkgo" on page 99. Here, our designers get hands on inspiration from nature to bring you nature inspired products and displays.



Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Stainless Steel Spheres

For 5 years our Stainless Steel Spheres have been sitting outside in sun, snow and rain... and this is Chicago. So sometimes we get all that at the same time. A slight patina may occur, but after 5 winters in the yard there is still no sign of rust. The brushed stainless steel is textured just enough to hide some of the elements nature leaves behind.

Our Stainless Steel Spheres instantly modernize your garden. At 26", 23" and 19" diameters these are hard to miss. Light weight, easy to move and even floats! The possibilty to design is limitless. For something more subtle, look into our 1.5", 2.5" and 3.5" diamater spheres. Tablescapes to Landscapes, bright sunny days in the yard to intimate candlelit dinners, elevate and modernize your space with a little help from Gold Leaf Design Group.







Monday, March 5, 2012

Local Designer Profile:

Local designer, great customer and swell guy John Rent from Into The Woods sent us some of his creations he has done with Gold Leaf Design Group's products. John travels far and wide to display his floral creations and he looks to Gold Leaf to keep his displays exciting and unpredictable. He also makes us jealous because of the tropical weather he often works in and the tan he sports as a bi-product of his hard work.



To liven space for an event, John used our Stainless Steel Spheres inside of this fountain. Functional and practical, these Spheres will not rust. They are good indoors, in the garden and now, in a fountain. Simple, small products in mass can pack a creative punch and reclaim space with site specific displays of art.


Above we see our Bleached Mulberry Round Disc. A versatile product that was used originally as wall art. John removed the the hinge hanging hardware on the back to liven up his tablescapes. Use to bring attention to floral arrangements or start getting creative and screw in things like our Koi and Gold Seed Wall Play.

Our Raw Resin Dragon Fruit made a great accent of texture on this table display. Design with every season in mind with Gold Leaf Design Group. Whether you need seasonal products, holiday displays and custom accents, Gold Leaf Design Group can help materialize the designer in you.