Fantastic Chicago Talent

Interior designer David Hopkins has a problem...a most glorious one. He has an excess of ideas and an abundance of energy. How do we know? We looked at some of his work.

David wrote to us after registering on our website and shared photos of an apartment he sublets here in Chicago. The photos used our Beehive Wall Play in a beautiful installation, so we wrote him back to get the scoop on his work.

As it turns out, David rents 6 apartments. He sublets all 6 of them and uses them as personal, ever-changing canvases in which to explore and create. He keeps a collection of materials in his "hoarder's storage room" in the basement and swaps out pieces as needed or when inspiration strikes. He keeps himself in a 40-foot closet that is barely large enough to fit a twin bed. David finds it a cozy place to sleep and we're sure he doesn't spend much time in it..too much to do...too much to create.

His (sub)tenants love their high-fashion apartments. His management company does as well. They call him a "one-of-a-kind tenant" and look forward to charging a bit more in rent for the spaces once David has moved on. Of course if they read the New York Times article on David and his plans for the kitchen, we fear they going to be disappointed.

See David's awesome Wall Play™ installation below and check out more photos of this and his other apartments at Homepolish.

David Hopkins works for Interior Elements

Getting Excited for Spring Shows

2015 is right around the corner. We are planning and finalizing our show displays and receiving the first of the the show catalogs like AmericasMart Atlanta where we were featured in their Worlds of Wonder picks. We are looking forward to showing you our new collections.

In Other Exciting News

Las Vegas market has a brand new section and in it...we have a brand new permanent showroom in Las Vegas! Help us inaugrate it by making it our most visited space ever. Come to Building C,  Showroom #502 and you can see how we have decked it out January 18–22. 

Where else to find us

We are all over the country in the spring. Check out our Trade show schedule on when and where to find us in Atlanta, Las Vegas, High Point and New York. And check back now and then as we might add a show or two. We might be near YOU.

Love for Wall Play

As we are designers/manufacturers/wholesalers...we are a step removed from the final customer of our products. We hear from store owners and interior designers that *their* customers love this or that, but we often do not get to hear directly from people who have the day-to-day experience with them. Of course that makes the times we *do* hear from people all the more special.

Sara wrote us about our gold 'Seed' Wall Play™. Her family's home had been featured in Austin Texas arts and culture magazine Tribeza. She took that opportunity to let us know what she thought of our modular little sculptures...

I randomly came across the wall play products and knew they were perfect for our space. We didn't want a painting but we wanted something with texture. The seeds are perfect and they were so easy to install. We walk by them every day and smile. I just love them.

Thank you for making such a cool product. I do boring technical work all day and I'm always so impressed with other peoples' creativity.

Keep creating!
Sara

Check out the article in the October issue of Tribeza. It starts on page 56. Their home is new construction but looks lived in...it offers high design but is child friendly. A great example of playful sophistication...something we can get behind 100%.

Gold Leaf in the News

This was a busy month for us here at Gold Leaf! We were featured in 4 magazines this month, and we're excited to share. Not to brag, but we're pretty proud of it.  

We're pleased to be in Hospitality Design Magazine with our ceramic Athena vases. The calming blue and geometric pattern makes this a beautiful accent piece. 

Home Accents Today featured our Organic Glass bowl in this issue. Each piece is carefully handmade, giving each a unique shape and variety in color. With flowers or candles inside, or even as a sculptural piece, this glass is perfect in any space. 

Look for us in Interior Design magazine this month too! Our seed Wall Play was used with customized versions of our enamel bowls to create a sophisticated retreat in the Jewel Suite. 

Social media brought us a new project as well! While browsing through pinterest (one of my favorite pastimes) we're always looking for interesting uses of our products. 

This amazing house in Krakow, Poland used our Ball Chain as a staircase accent piece. 

Look for our 4th feature in an upcoming blog post! 

Running for a Good Cause

Gold Leaf's (co-)Big Kahuna will be running the Chicago Marathon again this year. It is his tenth Chicago Marathon!  As many of you already know, he runs to support a local AIDS services organization.  For the third year running (ha!) he is raising money for Test Positive Aware Network (TPAN).  Our fundraising is very grassroots - this is not a large organized charity, Darren is the only person running the marathon for this organization, every penny raised goes directly to the services that TPAN provides.

Here's Darren: 

Over the 3 years that I have been volunteering with TPAN, I continue to be inspired by the difference they make in our community.  We have been working closely with local officials to bring education and counseling to the west side of Chicago.  This is the area where Gold Leaf is located, and it is a very underserved, underfunded area.

Please consider supporting us as we work to enhance our community. 100% of all donations go directly to AIDS education, counseling, testing and outreach. TPAN's mission is to empower everyone living with or at risk of HIV/AIDS to live open, healthy and productive lives.

To make a donation and support Darren's run, please visit his Marathon Page.

Charley Harper

Gold Leaf Design Group has always been heavily influenced by nature, and one of our favorite forms of inspiration can be found in the art of Charley Harper. His passion for the environment comes shining through in his artistic celebration of fish, fowl, insects and the niches they cohabit with humans in this modern world. In celebration of the life of Charley Harper, we’re currently highlighting our Charley Harper collection. For a limited time, every 6 birds you buy will get you an additional bird free. Buy 6 birds, get 7. Buy 12, get 14. And we do mean any Charley Harper bird. Mix and match to your heart’s content: any style, any material. See our whole collection.

Using graphic shapes and bold colors, Harper simplified complex elements, creating an utterly captivating style. Explaining how he arrives at his images, Harper said: “When I look at a wildlife or nature subject, I don’t see the feathers in the wings, I just count the wings. I see exciting shapes, color combinations, patterns, textures, fascinating behavior and endless possibilities for making interesting pictures. I regard the picture as an ecosystem in which all the elements are interrelated, interdependent, perfectly balanced... and herein lies the lure of painting; in a world of chaos, the picture is one small rectangle in which the artist can create an ordered universe.” Learn more at this awesome video!

Look who else likes our Handmade Paper

Hospitality Design included our paper in the August issue in their "Prints and Patterns" Trends section. And then, while at NYNow, our papers caught the eye of Rug News and Design's writer Marjorie Hill who was Walking the Market.

As mentioned last time, we have six beautiful and versatile styles of paper rolls as well as five unique wall art pieces that are already framed and ready for hanging. Take a look at our site.

And...spoilers....we're looking to expand our offerings in the new year.
We can hardly wait to show you.

What to do with our paper?

Our paper always attracts a lot of attention at trade shows. People love the color, the detail, the texture, and more. Something we've heard (or overheard at times) is..

"It is so lovely...but what could I do with it?"

Rug News and Design mentioned a few options... Room Screen, Wallpaper, a backdrop for a shop display. All great ideas. We've been liking the three-dimensional aspect of displaying the paper in soft rolls. It drapes well with the grain. As you can see.

We love seeing what our customers do with our pieces. Recently we received a photo from ID Design in Cincinnati. Carol Grubb, one of the owners, had a home in Cincinnati's Homearama showcase. She used our Solar paper as a wall-mounted "headboard". We love it.