Amongst the new products released at the Stirling Autumn Garden Festival was a beautiful French Provincial inspired wrought iron outdoor dining setting. When creating new pieces the brief is that not only should the item stand the test of time – as everything we make must, but
Creating a focal point in a garden is easy when you use pots or structures which add height and a contrasting texture to the garden. This large bell pot is fantastic as a pond or a large planter. Set at the end of a large archway the eye focuses on the pot at the end.
What do you do when you need a formal entrance to a property with Australian Colonial architecture but it needs to work with French Provincial interior decorating … go wrought iron of course. The wrought iron entrance gate to this NSW property was made keeping in mind both styles and the owner couldn’t be happier.
The Brief: The house on this property was built in 1898 but it has been renovated with a French Provincial interior. The house is
Dyson the shop dog, helps with the construction work
The blacksmithing workshop has slowly been coming together over the last six months. One of the major pieces of equipment is a Massey power hammer which makes working with heavy iron much easier, especially stock that’s 1″ thick solid bar – a necessity for some projects like large gates or tables which need to carry a bit of weight. It really speeds up production on the smaller size stock as well, anything bigger than 10mm gets put through the hammer if possible.
We estimate the power hammer must be about 80 years old but she thumps along without missing a beat.
It’s a warm Sunday afternoon and I’ve spent some of it browsing through images of homes and gardens. I’ve noticed the pictures that catch my eye the most are those with a combination of natural materials like stone, wood and wrought iron.
It’s always a nice feeling to know that we’ve been able to fulfil someone’s dream. A hand forged wrought iron gate made to match an antique New Orlean’s wrought iron baluster was the final piece one customer needed to complete his ‘French Quarter’ courtyard.