Thursday, June 12, 2014

Artefact design and salvage, Sonoma

I recently returned from a vacation to Northern California and while I organize my thoughts & photos I thought I'd share with you Artefact Design & Salvage. Artefact is a store that I came across in Sonoma thanks to a recommendation from my good friend, designer Michael Hampton.
Housed in a small district of warehouses near the Sonoma airport, the immense store carries all manner of re-purposed salvage and a lot of other quirky finds.
 One could spend hours browsing their stock and reading through the offered design books of local talent.
One will of course be greeted by Axel, the trusty store mascot! A playful dog, he will demand you play with him and his favorite toy bucket. Beware.....should you attempt to play with him, Axel and his bucket will follow you throughout the store no matter the length of your visit!
The goodies continue outside in the yard - I particularly loved this stone urn.
 This child's sled would be a charming planter or great for Christmas decorating.
 Looking for column capitals; How about a matching pair of enormous Corinthians?
 The closer you look the more you find; architectural fragments are everywhere!
This metal dormer is the real thing -often copied for use as mirror frames or such inside.
 Notice the unusual Egyptian column integrated into the wall above.
 I wish I could have packed these dozens of feet of huge Gothic revival trim into my suitcase!
 This ornate iron gate must have come from a grand estate.
 The design of this iron guardrail was probably one of the more inspiring finds.
I'm not sure how this enormous stone 'coin' from Philadelphia made it to the wilds of California but I imagine it would be great integrated into someone's vineyard!
If you find yourself in wine country don't forget to stop by Artefact and tell them ArchitectDesign sent you!
No compensation was received for this post: the pictures are my own.

19 comments:

David said...

I'm so glad you posted this. We've been to Napa and I was kind of at the mercy of all our wine-loving friends. Should we all go to Sonoma next time they can spend the day tasting and I can go here.

ArchitectDesign™ said...

David, Sonoma is only about 25 minutes from Napa!

Chronica Domus said...

Hello AD, so happy to read you had a great time in the Bay Area, and look forward to reading all about the rest of your adventure in subsequent postings. Sonoma is a most charming town that we often find ourselves in whenever we make the trip to the region.

ArchitectDesign™ said...

CD - Sonoma was great but I wish we had spent more time in Healdsburg!

home before dark said...

Sounds like you might have been on Axel's bucket list! Looking forward to hearing about your trip. Hope you had a delicious time.

ArchitectDesign™ said...

HBD - delicious is the right word -we ate our way through the trip! Axel's bucket list, I didn't even see that one coming, haha

Blue said...

The stone urn and the roundel are perfection. I can imagine a green terrace up in the sky based on those two or, more prosaically, a garden with a rill. Maybe I'd better shut up now ....

ArchitectDesign™ said...

Blue, sounds like you should go shopping!

A Perfect Gray said...

all the things I love!

ArchitectDesign™ said...

Gray, interiors, architecture, shopping, and dogs!

Mark D. Ruffner said...

What a treat to take this tour with you! An architectural salvage yard is going to open up soon in my town — I hope it comes up to this level!

ArchitectDesign™ said...

Mark, I've been to many and this was amongst the best!

Windlost said...

Oh, perfection. Love nothing better than architectural salvage and stuff for my estate. Haha. Wish I had an estate for some of that large heavy stuff. I need a giant fountain and some gates...and a capital!!!! Fab finds Stefan. So glad you had fun! Can't wait to hear more about your trip.

xo T.

Kerry Steele- Design du Monde said...

I could spend all day in an architectural salvage. There are so many things I would want to bring home. I hope you chose something for yourself.

ArchitectDesign™ said...

Terri, it was tons of fun but mostly relaxing. Still things to share though!

ArchitectDesign™ said...

Kerry, I didn't really buy anything the whole trip believe it or not -despite many temptations. Dragging it across the country became too great of an obstacle!

Lord Cowell said...

I love architectural salvage. There are not many businesses in NZ dedicated to it, but there are many of them in the UK, most of which have online stores. A period architectural piece can be a great statement in the garden, or, as we have tried to do, incorporated into a building project. Looks like you had a lovely day.

An Urban Cottage said...

I've seen this place before but can't imagine where it would have been. What an amazing collection! I'd love to spend some time poking around.

Row homes and Cobblestones said...

OMGosh I would of never left this place. Axel would of had a day of play! Tell me you backed up a tractor trailer and loaded it with those column capitals ;-)
LOVED this post, love architectural salvage.
Vera