The Pagoda Finial – JVT for Helser Brothers
Something very exciting is on the horizon for those of you who love drapery hardware and are looking for something new and fresh to offer your clients. I’ve been working with Helser Brothers for two years to develop a new collection of drapery hardware and it’s finally almost ready to launch.
I’ve just finished all of the renderings for the catalog which will feature only hand drawn illustrations of the images in use instead of the usual photography. Of course the hardware itself will be photographed and shown in great detail so you can see exactly how it will look in your project.
The process of designing a full line of hardware has been so much fun, mostly because I am working with such a great group of people at Helser. For those of you who don’t know Helser Brothers is a family owned company run by two wacky brothers who love what they do and it is evident in their work, their exemplary customer service and the quality of everyone else who works with them. I’ve been working closely with their team to develop a classically inspired, modern and fresh collection that has something for everyone.
It starts off with a my rough design sketches like the one above for the Pagoda finial ( you know how I love the Chinoiserie!)
Those sketches then go to the CAD draftsman and he and the brothers Helser work it into a design that will fit all of their existing hardware elements such as poles and brackets, etc. From there they commission 3D molds of each piece to see how they look in reality and then the permanent casting molds are made. These molds will be filled with Zinc to ensure the sharpest and smoothest possible finish for each piece manufacturer. It’s been a long but very educational process.
I will be debuting each design here over the next couple of weeks so be sure to stop by and see what’s next!
Here’s some green for you. Take a look at those gorgeous tab posts holding up the bed drape. I wonder where you can get those?
Coming very soon; The Jackie Von Tobel Collection for Helser Brothers Inc.
We’re just putting on the finishing touches on the catalogue and the entire collection will be ready soon. I can’t wait to show it all to you!
In the meantime here’s hoping you are enjoying the luck of the Irish……..
Show seasons is upon us! Last week was the Atlanta Gift Show and this weekend I’m getting ready to drive down to Anaheim, CA for the Craft & Hobby Association Show.
I have spent the last couple of days printing and assembling promo packets for potential clients. My poor printer gets a good workout doing these. I am putting the new studio to good use – if you look closely above you can see a teeny tiny part of it. I am just waiting to hang my window treatments before I take “official” pictures of it for the blog.
I can’t wait to see what great creative goodies and inspiration I can find at the show. They have a great seminar program so I will be in school quite a bit of the time but my agent, Jan, at Painted Planet Licensing Group, will be showing my portfolio of artwork to manufacturers at their booth ( # 1743 ). Stop by if you’re at the show.
Wishing You All an Inspiring Weekend!
Last year I graduated to a wide format monitor for my office and I instantly fell in love! So since I have just finished my new Studio ( I promise to post pictures soon!) I have more room at my desk. So, what could be better than one fabulous large monitor to work on? Two monitors of course…..
The Hubby and I went to Frey’s yesterday and I picked up a new friend for my monitor. Now I have twins. They are not identical though. The new one is smarter and brighter than the old one. ( I know you are not supposed to have favorites among your children but I can’t help myself)
Now I can put all of my tools and files one one monitor and work in Photoshop on the other without having to constantly rearrange my open files. Hallelujah! It is so fantastic I can’t even tell you. The Hubby accused me of building an evil lair from which I can dominate the world. I do feel a bit like Doctor Evil with all of my gadgetry surrounding me now.
Adding to the family doesn’t come without compromise though. I now have an unbelievable huge gaggle of cords, plugs, hubs, connections and drives. No matter how hard I try I cannot make them look good on my desk. It bothers me like you can’t believe. After all I like to make things look pretty and gross metal hardware and yucky black wires don’t fit that mold.
The cords on the floor are an even bigger problem (please don’t look at my dust – I need to sweep)
But just like with my real kids if I just look at the all of their good attributes and how adorable they are I can put up with the bad.
Stay tuned for a tour of the new Studio.
