Museums, Museum Stores, and a Robot

The feeling of cabin fever grows here in Chiberia. Checking in at WeatherSpark, it looks like our last day above freezing was two weeks ago…it was a balmy 37 degrees. Practically shorts weather. Fortunately(?) long Chicago winters are normal and we have a host of indoor options to keep us from going stir crazy.

Chicago is rich in museums. You've probably heard of the large and prestigious ones like The Field Museum, The Museum of Science and Industry, The Art Institute of Chicago, or the MCA. You could spend a whole day in any one of those. But we also have a host of lesser known, more specialized museums...boutique museums, you might say. Here's a few of my favorites:

The Pritzker Military Museum and Library: This museum features a deep and thorough reading library and a great place for interesting discussions, lectures and other events. Learn more about the military and soldiers and the concept of the "Citizen Soldier."

The Surgical Museum: See a recreation of a period pharmacy. Learn about surgical advances and see some truly terrifying historical tools of the trade (the tonsilectomy "scissors" are...vivid)

National Museum of Mexican Art: From historic artifacts to modern sculpture and painting, and fine to commercial art, and everything in between, this one is a colorful gem. 

Plus so many more covering a huge array of topics and missions. The one thing they all have in common...the Museum Store. 

We love museum stores...not just for the souvenirs, but also the decorative objects they sell. It should not surprise you that Gold Leaf is found in many museums across the country – our Charley Harper birds, for instance, can be found in his town of Cincinnati – and we keep an eye out to see what we might be seeing in the future.

Kristin Goldman in the trade publication Museums and More recently had an article about trends in museum stores. Among the three trends she called out were Retro / Back-to-Basic playthings. Toys that are classics or modern twists on retro toys of a parent's or grandparent's day. We call that Nostalgic Notions and we just introduced a line of them this year. 

Our Nostalgic Notions collectibles harken back to a time of non-digital fun. They are interactive...but old-school interactive. This collection moves through either wind-ups or have flywheel motion. From drumming robots to bouncing grasshoppers, all of them are wonderful mechanisms in motion. They ask to be played with, but do be careful the construction of them means there may be sharp points. They're not recommended for children but are ideal for appreciative adults.

2015 Custom Designs

Our 2015 Gold Leaf Design Group catalog hit mail boxes last week. Every year we add many new high-style and unique artifacts to our collections and present new ways to think about our perennial favorites. We also devote a portion of the catalog to our custom creations for the Hospitality/Commercial industries. We pride ourselves on being creative, efficient, and dedicated to producing only high quality works here in our Chicago facility, and our customers (big and small) appreciate our attention to detail.

As you might imagine...when the possibilities are so open, trying to communicate them can be challenging. This year, we have made several changes to how we present our custom capabilities to clarify and make planning easier for you. 

Let's get Reorganized

In keeping with our tradition, we like to start with a splash. Our custom design gallery is up front, but the bulk of our custom portfolio is at the back of the catalog starting on page 175. It is there that you'll find examples of custom designs, our components, and a graphic layout of our streamlined ordering process.

It may sound cliché, but it’s truly as easy as 1, 2, 3. Choose the silhouette of your design elements. Determine the profile of your container. Add your finishing touches to make it unique and voila! You’ll have yourself a truly custom design that our in-house project managers can quickly quote and get you details on. We've organized our components in our catalog around these principles, reducing the need to search for items.  The process is streamlined, but the possibilities are nearly endless.

Plus, our Chicago-based facility means quicker turn around times and expert in-house production and oversight ensuring that your design vision comes to life. And, as always, your design will be constructed with the highest attention to detail and quality of materials. It’s the Gold Leaf promise.

For quotes and info on your specific projects, contact our Design Project Managers today: quotes@goldleafdesigngroup.com or 877.738.1790.

Other features

In addition to showing a selection of designs, we know that the details are important. That is why we included detail photos so you can see the texture and coloring of our components. Our exacting eye and demanding nature means the quality is unparalleled.

We have also sprinkled human silhouettes throughout the catalog, giving you a better sense of the scaling of our huge containers and large lux décor items.

You will also notice we have priced out some of our custom creations. These items are available "Off-the-Shelf." These "stock" pieces are still individually constructed especially for each project, but with the ordering process simplified, you'll find them to be quick and affordable. You can even order them directly off our website.

Go check it out

So go check out our catalog. You'll find not only great inspiration and options for custom designs, but our curated collections of unique artifacts.

Our 2015 Catalog

Our highly anticipated 2015 catalog has arrived and shipped. By now, we hope you've received yours in the mail. We are so very proud to offer you our newly curated collections of high style and unique artifacts, as well as perennial favorites.

In this digital age of NOW NOW, we still find the experience of a book to be very satisfying and natural. Which is why I found Ikea's Apple parody so funny. Mentally replace every instance of IKEA with GOLD LEAF and the soothing nordic accent with a slightly nasal Chicagoan twang and it's almost as though it's about our catalog.

THEMES

Like last year, we have organized our pieces into stylistic themes. Also like last year, however, there's a lot of cross over. After all, what is "Modern Farmhouse" but an appreciation of the "Rough" part of "Rough Luxe" So be sure to browse our entire book to create your own collection.

Let your Walls Play: Texture, color, space filling, art, focal – Vertical surfaces are a given because of the construction of our homes. Vertical art forms have become an important part of who we are as a society. Includes our very popular patent pending Wall Play™ line.

Modern Nomad: Natural materials and textures, earthy colors, graphic natural forms, origin stories, craftsmanship, sustainability – Modern nomad is a fusion of contemporary avant-garde free spirit and the keen savviness of the well-traveled.

Color Brite: Clear colors, transparency, pixelated and geometric forms, crystals, fractures, light, technology, colorful minimalism – Funky and fun, yet bold, serious, modern and hyper-connected.

Bohemian Chic: Indie, hippie, geometry, sophisticated vintage, free-spirited, DIY culture, romantic, sparks of metallics, unexpected combinations – Best known for a clothing fashion trend from the 1960’s, our bohemian chic is updated, stylish and elegant but avant-garde.

Glam Loft: Shiny metallics, bling, upscale, sexy, entertaining, pampered style, shapely, high gloss – It is exactly what you think it is. Pairings of mixed materials in a simplified, upscale setting delivers a punch.

Modern Farmhouse: Comfort, coming home, family, nature, simplicity, rustic chic, upcycling, shape-shifting wood, metal, stonecycling, glass, iron, textiles – The farm is no longer a farm as we remember or imagined.

Modern Social: Playful and sculptural luxuries, desk, home office, gifts that inspire, leisure, entertainment, amusement – We can communicate socially through objects.

Modern Earth: Line, form, texture, color, pattern, repetition – Designed by Nature,
our world is filled with so many wonderful things that bring us close
to our very existence.

Rough Luxe: Industrially chic, scientific artifacts, macabre, darkly elemental, patinated, weathered metals and textures – A charred piece of wood, the remains of a turtle shell or a deer skull may not seem like luxury objects; but, their unique unexpected ‘wow’ qualities attract the explorer in all of us.

AND MORE

We also show off our custom design capabilities for the hospitality / interior design industry, give some DIY tips, and show off a few unexpected combinations. It is a 228 page book of beauty and inspiration. Get yours today.

Big in Japan

As many of you know, Darren runs. For fun. It's true! He's been in multiple marathons where he runs not just for the challenge, but also raising money for worthy institutions like Test Positive Awareness Network. For the more indolent amongst us (like me) it seems a bit crazy...especially when I see him in our neighborhood on the weekends running past to stay in fighting form...but I'm sure it contributes to his boundless energy.

Darren is now going international! He and Allan are currently on their way to Tokyo, Japan for the 2015 Tokyo Marathon. The Tokyo Marathon started in 2007 and is an international marathon with 36,000 runners through the heart of Tokyo. Last year there were well over a million onlookers cheering on the runners. This video gives a sense of the event. It is thrilling.

Allan will also be participating! Not in the full marathon, but the day before in the International Friendship Run. This is a fun-run event with some cultural sight seeing and Japanese hospitality. Just the thing for someone who wants to get caught up in the sights and sounds of Tokyo with thousands of other like-minded individuals. Hopefully we'll get some great photos from him.

We're very proud of Darren and he's very excited to be participating. If you'd like to track his marathon time, you can start on Saturday at 6:10pm central. You can track his bib number (E81253) at the marathon website (you might not need the E). We'll get some photos of the race up when we can!

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%.