Pamela Holmes on a roll.....

Hello again,

If you haven't yet taken note of Pamela Holmes creations nows the time. Pamela's "Handbuilt" occasional tables are still popular even with this recovering economy. That's because they are handmade, one of a kind, and priced right particularly for those who want unique items for their home or garden and support individuals and artists that create them right here in america.

If you buy art or furniture as an investment all I can say is this would be a good one. Pamela is a dedicated artist that works extremely hard to create unique tables. She has always had the drive and physical stamina to create work and to be inventive, creative, and self motivated. This is rarity in this day where instant results override quality art. So check out these "Handbuilt" tables and purchase one today either from www.holmeswilson.com or at etsy which is http://www.etsy.com/shop/tables

Back to our Roots

This "Root Table" combines the organic shape of a found redwood root with a recycled steel base and seductive concrete top. The sculptural and contrasting materials create a 32" diameter pedestal table that is a stylish and contemporary design.
For more info about our various products go to www.holmeswilson.com

Hand Built Table/Seat

Pamela Holmes is an innovator, creator, and artist with a creative drive unsurpassed by many an artist. These tables originally were designed and published in the Western Interior Magazine. They are hand made by Pamela and have a raw organic feeling and look that is absent in many of the sterile tables and seats created in factories and sweatshops around the world. They can be customized to the sizes and heights you desire and also work well outdoors. Outdoors lichen and moss may actually contribute to the organic look and patina of these tables but indoors will create a unique statement in its own right. The concrete is hand formed therefore each one has its own unique characteristics and textures.

For more information and ordering go to http://www.holmeswilson.com/hand_built_table.html

Wood Fired Bread Oven in progress

I thought I would share my current project/job with those that are interested.

The master builder of bread ovens is Alan Scott. He perfected and built many ovens for both homes and commercial use. I'm continuing in the legacy of Alan by learning from his experiences and am currently building a 36" x 48" interior oven. The beauty of these ovens is in how efficient they are and in how wonderful the bread, pizza, or numerous other foods that can be cooked in an oven like this over a several hour period.

If you've ever had bread or pizza baked in one of these ovens, which you probably have if you discern between average and exceptional, then you know what I'm talking about.

If you really analyze the fuel and carbon footprint of an oven like this you will realize that any cooking device that uses natural gas, propane, or electricity uses a certain amount of energy to create a product and also has a certain carbon print. These ovens stay hot for hours and over a period of several hours one can bake bread, pizza, casseroles, pies, and so on as the oven loses heat so the usage to the very end of the heat cycle is quite high especially if one is organized and can take advantage of this effective cooking machine.

I plan to create a book that is a guide to building your own oven. I'm not saying it's an easy task but with a certain amount of skill one should be able to build their own oven and save a lot of money doing so. Keep an eye out for the book updates as the project progresses!

Eco Table for a greener product

The Eco Table is a table for the future. Design must change and evolve to accommodate the environment and our always shrinking supply of resources. We've come up with an end table using remnants of oldgrowth redwood collected over several years. The sources range from salvaged skins that I had custom milled to beer tank wood from the Fallstaff Brewery. You may even find some wine or water tank material in there.

The finish is a non-toxic oil product from AFM so off gassing is at a minimal.

Now available in 11" x 11" sizes with heights of 16", 18", 20', 22', or 24" available.

To purchase one go to etsy

Green Concrete?

Who ever heard of such a thing. Well I've discussed in an earlier post how some of our additives have made our products greener. Here's another aspect of our work that has reduced our carbon print. All of our three dimensional pieces are hollow. What appears to be a coffee table that if solid would use hundreds of pounds of concrete is hollow inside. Our glass fiber reinforced concrete is extremely strong and has enabled us to create hollow tables and seats that have walls that are approximately 3/4" thick! The result is a table that looks solid, sculptural, heavy, and aesthetically pleasing yet reduces the amount of concrete used by 90%. This creates less of a carbon footprint and a much greener product plus the added benefit of being 90% lighter and less expensive to ship.

Our goal is to be as green as possible without sacrificing the integrity of the work or design quality.

Archival Pigment Print

Here's the story of our Archival Pigment Print. This print is called "Echium". The Echium is a genus of 60 species of flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae. The particular species we're using in the original concrete table is called Echium pininana and like many of these towering cultivars produces a dramatic flowering spear over 12" tall. We started our plants from seed obtained from this fantastic seed company called J. L. Hudson, Seedsman. These plants will self seed after established to produce through natural selection even hardier plants.

The original concrete top was made by casting the leaves directly into the top. The detail was astounding and we decided to create with the help of a professional photographer with a very specialized camera a copy of the table top. The photo is then printed with a printer that produces Archival Pigment Prints on durable canvas and can be purchase either as is or pre-stretched on heavy duty stretcher bars.

To purchase this limited edition of 5 prints you can either go to our web site holmeswilson.com or etsy. The print sells for $500.00 plain or $750.00 stretched.

Holmes Wilson Wax

IT'S HERE!
You can now purchase Holmes Wilson Wax on line. Our wax is solvent free and nontoxic. This is the same products we've been making and using for years on our concrete tables. Use our wax to maintain the look and stain resistance of your Holmes Wilson Tables.
To use our wax simply use a clean rag, rub some on the rag from the can then in circular motions spread a thin layer with a little pressure onto the concrete. Wait 15 minutes then buff with a clean rag.
Purchase today at tables.etsy.com or holmeswilson.com

A Greener Concrete

Our goal for our table business is to produce a greener product. What is truly green ? What is totally green? It's a challenge for any business but it's necessary and urgent especially when climate change is inevitable particularly if we don't change our habits and attitude toward the possibilities.

One of the materials we use in our tables extensively is concrete. Concrete you say, how's that close to being green? Well the best way for us to produce concrete in a greener way is to eliminate a certain percentage of cement in our products and in particular in our actual concrete mix.

One way we've managed to reduce the carbon footprint of our concrete products is through the addition of a material called pozzolan. The first pozzolans were used by the Romans to make cement from burned limestone and Santorum earth from volcanic eruptions. These ancient concrete mixes were extremely durable and many architectural elements still survive today.

Today Pozzolan is a "green" construction material made from industrial by-products that help contribute to the sustainability of cement and concrete. Pozzolans use in concrete replaces an equal amount of cement resulting in energy conservation and emission reduction from cement manufacturing.

To sum things up, our concrete products are 50% greener than if we were just using a standard concrete mix and we are constantly striving to improve those percentages and create greener, sound, durable, and aesthetic products for our customers.

Future Products of Holmes Wilson Tables

Pamela and I have been creating our one of a kind tables for over 14 years now and collaborating for 30 years.
We constantly strive to improve our products. Not only are we focused in on the integrity of them but also the green aspects.

We're currently in the process of developing a green concrete product. We're developing a new concrete product that will be 100% green. This new product will include Magnesium which was used prior to the development of cement in the same way. It is the ninth most abundant element on the planet. As we research and develop it I will keep you up to speed as to when these products will be available.

Another product we plan to start selling is our own wax sealer. In the past we have recommended any clear paste wax to maintain our tables but we've always used our own wax recipe for the final sealer. Most wax products contain toxic solvents that off-gas and can be highly irritating particularly when used indoors. Our wax will contain no petroleum distillates and will be totally non toxic. This wax will be available direct from us at www.holmeswilson.com

Track this blog for updates about these new products!