The Sinotique Blog

Bridgehampton Antiques & Design Midsummer Extravaganza July 15th 2011

2011-07-01T11:17:00.009-04:00

Looking forward to participating in another Bridgehampton Antiques and Design show in July. contact Jan Lee for special preview information, or complimentary tickets. jan@sinotique.com

CLICK TO ENLARGE THIS TEXT

Contact Sinotique for special preview invitation.

information: jan@sinotique.com

show info: bridgeantiqfair@yahoo.com

July 15-17th 2011

August 26th - 28th 2011

My new work

2011-05-21T21:12:00.006-04:00

I made this video to highlight my work of the past year and a half.

Hope you enjoy it.

Next stop for the ancestral shrine exhibit - Queens New York

2011-05-15T13:15:00.005-04:00

The current show at Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY- African Art opens May 19th 2011

The main gallery space at Queensborough Community College - is the next stop for the ancestral shrine exhibit currently at Sinotique - 70 John St. Brooklyn. 917-710-7503 for more info.

Current Exhibit at 70John art and design showroom - Rare antique ancestral shrines from China

2011-03-23T19:26:00.007-04:00

In recognition of the Chinese holiday "Ching Ming" or the sweeping of the graves, my rare collection of 18th and 19th century Chinese ancestral shrines are on display at 70 John art and design showroom, 70 john Street , Brooklyn, NY 11201 - for info call 917-710-7503, by appt.

recently completed kitchen for a tribeca loft

2011-03-05T16:59:00.006-05:00

This loft was in the final stages of renovation when my client called me in to fabricate the kitchen. The sheet rock had not yet been sanded and the plumbing was just about completed when I was called in to take measurements. The counter top, Ceasarstone, was fabricated in Brooklyn. I made all the cabinets in my workshop in DUMBO, with the exception of two cabinets made by my friend Robert Shapiro.

By sourcing local cabinet makers and counter top fabricators the owner of this loft not only saved money, he was able to get everything he needed in a short amount of time.

Ai wei wei's astounding installation - remarkable. It could only have been produced in China

2010-10-14T09:50:00.001-04:00

The Meditation Chair - New Work at 70 John showroom

2010-09-26T23:45:00.003-04:00

Designed and made by Jan Lee
African bubinga, American Walnut
70 mortise and tenon joints

Open Showroom Weekend - DUMBO Art Under The Bridge Festival - Sept 25 - 26th 2010

2010-09-24T21:18:00.003-04:00

Dear designers, friends, and fans of 70john Design Showroom,

Our Showroom will be open to the public this weekend to coincide with the famous DUMBO Art Under The Bridge Festival. click here: DUMBO ART FESTIVAL

Ours hours will be from 11am till 6pm September 25th and the 26th.

70John is a design showroom featuring Furniture, Lighting , Art and accessories. Located in the DUMBO art district this new showroom brings together Jan Lee and glass designer Kanik Chung.
70 John Street, Between Bridge and Jay Street, Brooklyn , NY 11201 718-246-9252
Cheers,
Jan and Kanik

Sinotique at the Bridgehampton Antiques and Design Fair Aug 2010

2010-09-07T00:41:00.004-04:00

The Bridgehampton Antiques and Design Fair 2010

2010-08-20T01:31:00.002-04:00

New pieces for a Battery Park Penthouse in "The Visionaire"

2010-08-08T01:53:00.007-04:00

"I bought an apartment in the City's first LEED "Platinum" residential building, and wanted to furnish it in the same spirit as the building: showing that "green" and good design are not mutually exclusive. I found Jan through 1stdibs.com, and was immediately interested in his use of recycled Chinese sleeping mats. Not only is the material recycled, but bamboo is a very sustainable wood, and thus a major theme of both the building and the apartment. After visiting 70John, I realized that Jan combined this unique recycled material with a high degree of craftsmanship and ambitious design. I first bought a console table, already made, from the floor at 70John. When it became clear that we needed a custom round table and semi-circular sideboards, together with some occassional tables, I decided to commission these from Jan, again using the bamboo mats are a major element. He worked closely with my architect, David McAlpin, on the design. Since the apartment has glass walls overlooking the harbor, I decided to incorporate glass pieces into both the furniture and decoration. Jan's collaborator, Kanik Chung, was able to implement in a ceiling fixture my idea of recreating the spirit of watching, from underwater looking up, the pattern or rain drops on the surface of a pond. He did other pieces suggesting movement, capturing the dynamism of air pubbles frozen in clear glass. It was a seamless and, ultimately very successful, collaboration." - Fred Rich, The Visionaire

New Photos from Sinotique - the workshop at 70 John

2010-08-08T00:45:00.010-04:00

Some new photos from Sinotique at 70John

July 2010 Bridgehampton Mid Summer Extravaganza - Antiques and Design at the Community House

2010-08-03T16:42:00.016-04:00

T.J. Antorino
Marilyn Cooperman
Sarah Latham Kearns
The Emporium, Ltd.
Port and Starboard, Michael Leslie

Ani Ancient Stone
Dan Sanchez Antique carpets
Dallas Boesendahl
John Ryder
Dallas Boesendahl
Dallas Boesendahl
Trifles, ME.
Faustina Pace
Vincente Wolfe, V Home
Dan Sanchez
Dallas Boesendahl
Vincente Wolfe, V Home

Michelle Fox American Antiques

Sinotique at The July Bridgehampton antiques and design show extravaganza 2010

2010-08-03T16:37:00.004-04:00

The July Bridgehampton antiques and design show extravaganza 2010

2010-08-03T16:37:00.002-04:00

Kanik Chung's tablescape elements - photographing the line list

2010-08-03T16:21:00.007-04:00

Former Sinotique intern Ryan Black assisting in photography of Kanik Chung's tablescape elements.
see them at www.sinotique.1stdibs.com

My new bench for indoor or outdoor use

2010-08-03T16:17:00.002-04:00

A beautifully proportioned bench made from antique teak wood I obtained in Thailand.
the wood was originally used as a "thrashing platform" in the harvesting of rice.
The curve of the seat is intentionally angled downwards to provide added comfort.
Jan
see it listed at www.sinotique.1stdibs.com

Ryan Black - Sinotique intern - "X it" Magazine coverage

2010-05-25T14:49:00.004-04:00

Custom made walnut side tables and lamp

2010-05-18T16:43:00.001-04:00

recently made table for penthouse in Battery Park City

2010-05-04T16:39:00.005-04:00

the simplicity of this table made it especially challenging. The architect required me to make a walnut trim detail around the perimeter that was sharply angled under the table top. This required a lot of solid walnut that had to be milled from 3" thick stock. with the help of a friend who had a "CNC" machine I was able to accomplish the milling of the trim. The bamboo inlay was done in a radial patter with an octagon in the middle.

Connecticut Cottages and Gardens - My Chinatown article (click this link< --)

2010-05-03T17:52:00.004-04:00

rare wood at Sinotique showroom - 70 john Street Brooklyn

2010-03-07T18:20:00.003-05:00

New items at Sinotique - 70 John st.

2010-03-06T23:42:00.004-05:00

A collection of African antiques including a rare 18th century cast bronze ankle bracelet currency, a carved and repaired thinly crafted bowl, and a leather and woven material Fulani hat from Mali, with a Chinese ancestral temple figure pair from Northern China.

70John Art and Design Showroom - current show - David Naito - New Works

2010-03-06T23:15:00.004-05:00

David Naito - New Works
March 4 - March 15 2010
An exhibit of new work inspired by a collection of antique oil cans decorated with traditional Venetian cane techniques.
Open to the public by appointment - interior designers, stylists, and architects are eligible for car service transport from Manhattan to 70John gratis, please inquire at info@70john.com
70John
70 John St. Between Bridge and Jay St. Brooklyn, NY 11201
718-246-9252

Audrey Lee artist reception at 70JOHN art and design showrom

2010-02-17T12:38:00.004-05:00

UPDATE: May 2010
"Children Playing" and "Green Cross" were recently purchased by restauranteur Michael O'Keefe of the Water Club and River Cafe.

The Litchfield County Antiques Show, Conneticut

2009-10-13T13:01:00.003-04:00

The Litchfield County Antiques show, Connecticut.
By Jan Lee
(As seen in October 09 Issue of Conneticut Cottages and Gardens)

Despite a torrential downpour, the Litchfield County Antiques show opened without a hitch. The show had a strong representation of fine American, European and Asian antiques.

Eve Stone, amidst her renowned 18th and 19th century copperware collection, had some items of particular interest to me as a dog owner, three antique dog collars. Large European dogs, such as mastiffs were highly valued as sport hunters and farmstead or estate guardians. Mastiffs accompanied the games keeper as he did his daily rounds.

Eve’s dog collars were inscribed with both the dog’s and the owner’s names, much in the way they are today. However, these were complete with a working lock and key ensuring the security of the collar as well as the animal’s identity should the dog ever get lost. The obvious difference between these immaculate antique examples and today’s collars is the workmanship. Each collar represents many hours of specialized craftsmanship, work we don’t associate with something as utilitarian as a dog collar today.

As testimony of their importance as guardians, companions, and status symbols, these collars tell us a great deal about man’s relationship to dogs in 19th century Europe. Leeds Castle museum, in Kent , England houses the largest dog collar exhibit in Europe , with a collection spanning five centuries!

Each of Eve’s collars is unique, one was solid, hand -formed brass, another was leather with metal accents, and yet another a combination of several materials. All represented diverse craft disciplines, and each a work of art.

Guarding over a beautifully edited collection of rare Chinese jades and archaic bronzes in the Asiantiques booth from Winter Park, Florida stood a pair of Q’ing dynasty wood-carved “Fu dogs” of the mythical kind.
“Fu” means good fortune in Chinese, and these guardians have been instilled with bringing good fortune to the owner’s home whilst keeping negative energy and bad spirits away for hundreds of years.
This pair still wears traces of their original gilt and color, and according to the Lorins, owners of Asiantiques, the fine-carving detail hints at a possible imperial workshop “pedigree”.

Fine workmanship prevails in a set of 19th century Nantucket nesting baskets from Roberto Freitas American Antiques. As Roberto pointed out these were not so much functional as they were decorative statements of superb craftsmanship and family bonds. The set of eight baskets fit neatly into one another. As we opened up the set and put them side by side their precision and restraint left me awestruck. I’m always attracted to handmade objects that celebrate the material, in this case rattan cane and wood. The method of construction involved wooden molds to ensure uniformity and symmetry.

It is a study in discipline and austerity. Mr. Freitas pointed out that it came from a family in Nantucket who had treasured the set as a family heirloom and kept it intact. Extremely rare to find a complete set, which, along with its patina contributes to its five-figure price.

Austerity and fine workmanship continued as I found Jeff of Jeff R. Bridgeman American Antiques, who told me about his early 19th century “country” Windsor settee. Jeff explained that this settee, was found pretty much as we see it today, in the basement of a library in Dover, New Hampshire and that it had “probably been there since the building was built” , which Jeff guesses was in the 18th century.

We agreed that the piece has all the lines of a more formal Windsor settee, but like many country versions, possessed more evidence of the maker’s hand and was more pared down than its city “cousin”. Its seat was made from a single board, gently shaped by hand, as were the forty finely-turned spindles, each perfectly matched to the next in a rhythmic pattern providing both strength and lightness to the piece.

Like so many of Jeff’s pieces it could reside as comfortably in a stark Manhattan loft as it would in a period home. The simplicity of so many of his pieces, from his rare early American flags to his furniture, transcend the obvious placement and challenge us to reinterpret American folk art in today’s environments.

My love of the rustic surface drew me to a Gustavian cabinet in the booth of Dawn Hill of New Preston, CT. Jane Fredrikson who was manning the booth for Dawn Hill owner Paulette Peden gave me a crash course in authentic Swedish antique furniture as we discussed this simple cabinet.

I asked what distinguished this Swedish piece from anywhere else in Europe? Jane pointed to the French influence of the Gustavian period, when French craftsmen in Sweden removed much of the extraneous decoration found in traditional French furniture thus simplifying the lines.

Much of the furniture, though not all, was painted because they didn’t have the expensive woods found in France. This piece was probably for a dining room in a country estate, but Jane was sure to point out it didn’t come from a grand manor house. “The French would have so many more embellishments”, she said and this is what makes this piece Swedish. It’s also why Swedish furniture has enjoyed much popularity, as today’s interiors have embraced simplicity with less emphasis on creating period museum vignettes.
In fact, all of these pieces are as viable today as when they were created due to their workmanship and simple lines. The Litchfield County Antiques show was an eye opener for me. I have, throughout my career, focused on ethnographic and ancient material, however these finds were just as exciting. The folk art quality common them was greatly appealing to me.

Tramp Art

2009-10-13T12:37:00.008-04:00

Tramp Art
By Jan Lee
As Seen In July/August 09 Issue of Conneticut Cottages and Gardens

Owning a business that is as varied as mine, part antiques dealer, part gallery owner, part wood worker leads me to meet some of the most interesting people and often times even more interesting objects. Over a decade ago I hired a local woodworker to refinish an antique Chinese demilune table. A few weeks after I dropped it off I came back to the man’s shop located on an upper floor of a Jay Street Brooklyn industrial building. The table was stunning, perfectly refinished with a satin glow while retaining its worn and battered surfaces. I knew this man was a master of his trade from just this simple project. I learned from subsequent repair and refinishing projects we collaborated on that my new found friend and later woodworking mentor was originally from St. Petersburg, Russia. He had a classical woodworking apprenticeship starting at age 14.

I eventually hired him and for nearly a decade we traded skills, he taught me about wood working and I taught him the ins and outs of the complex and often trying antiques market and custom furniture design business which I grew to eventually be represented in two New York Showrooms.
One day I started to see numerous notched boxes piling up in the workshop, which I now owned completely, and I learned that someone named Cliff was dropping them off for repair. Each had a little nick here and a scratch there, an entire chunk was missing on some. They were about the size of a tissue box covered in small triangular notches with a stepped design like that of a ziggurat topped with a finial. Most of the boxes had cloudy layers of oxidized varnish making the color a uniform dull brown.
As the weeks went by I saw the boxes, one by one, receive entirely new strips of notched mahogany carefully inlaid where there was previously a gap. With the precision of a surgeon the “teeth” were fitted to look as though they were always there, next a matching stain was applied. I used to hang out with my Russian friend amidst the sawdust and wood chips in the workshop and chat about what we thought was the history of these curious and “primitive” folk art pieces that were no longer limited to just boxes; there were picture frames, and even clocks and sculpture.
We surmised these were Polish, Russian, Pennsylvania Dutch, perhaps South American. We wondered what they were worth.
All of our questions were answered by Cliff Wallach, the owner of what turned out to be one of the world’s largest and best collections of “tramp” art. Cliff, at the time, lived in D.U.M.B.O. ( down under the Manhattan Bridge overpass), Brooklyn which is where my workshop and showroom is located, only a few blocks away. Cliff was humble and through a distinct New York native accent he explained to me that “I have a ton of this stuff in my showroom”. Little did I know at the time, he had already published a book on the subject, appeared on T.V., in print, and lectured on what is often overlooked in the antiques market, this subject of “tramp art”. We traded stories about what antiques shows we liked , which ones we didn’t like, and which ones we’re scheduled for in the coming year. I learned about tramp art through osmosis and casual conversation with Cliff and our master repair man as each piece was lovingly restored with as much care as its original maker put into it.

Cliff explained the intriguing history the “tramp” artist. “Like the art form it is steeped in intrigue & romance” he said. Contrary to the often repeated fable of the itinerant tramp whittling a cigar box into a charming keepsake in exchange for a few nights rest in the farmer’s barn during harvest season, Cliff paints an entirely different and more plausible if less dramatic account of the origins of this art form.
He derived his account from over two decades of scholarship and literally thousands of examples that have come through his hands. He points to numerous examples that include such motifs as hearts, a symbol of love. Starting from this iconic symbol he builds upon the notion of love being a central theme in much tramp art. Although the craftsmen had no formal training and probably no formal education they were making objects that reflected what their heart felt, for their fiancé, their family, their friends, or even their own parents who may have been far away. The tramp art craftsman was a man who worked primarily in one place, not at all the traveling hobo antiques dealers make him out to be. He was a family man who could have worked in any number of industries, but at home he sat quietly and with a simple pocket knife and relaxed by making art using materials that were cheap (discarded cigar boxes available all over the world) and glue. As Cliff points out “over 40 ethnic groups practiced the art form in this country from the Lebanese man who made a frame for his daughters wedding in 1908 to the tramp art box with the Ten Commandments on its top in Hebrew”.
In the decade that my workshop made repairs for Cliff I saw countless picture frames, boxes, figures, and at one time a museum quality five foot tall frame with its own easel entirely covered in chip carving complete with eagles and the stars and stripes. It was head and shoulders above us and truly magnificent. It was a “once in a lifetime” piece as Cliff puts it.
What struck me about many tramp art pieces is the modernity of them. Even though many of the examples I see are over 75 to 100 years old, they possess an almost pop art quality that transcends their humble origins. Being a collector of African and Chinese folk art, I see the common language of the folk artist in tramp art. What is initially dismissed as “primitive” and created by the “tramp”, upon further examination is often a milestone in modern design once isolated. As mid century artists like Roy Lichtenstein and Chuck Close held a microscope to their oversized images sharing with us the individual “pixels” that made up the image, the tramp art craftsmen used the notches and stepped configuration to build up the three dimensional form while celebrating the process, the texture and the technique in a naïve and subconscious way.
My Russian friend eventually moved on to greener pastures, seeking lower overhead in the Midwest. My relationship with Cliff Wallach remained even though he moved his home and showroom from DUMBO, Brooklyn to Greenwich Connecticut. We see each other at antiques shows and we marvel at his latest pieces. Cliff has transformed, through editing and scholarship, a once humble and overlooked folk art genre into a “must have” for some of the most sophisticated collections from the Hamptons to Geneve.

Cecelia Bauer, Jeweler

2009-10-13T11:04:00.009-04:00

An Ancient Technique Lives On – Master Goldsmith Cecilia Bauer
By Jan Lee, As seen in Conneticut Cottages and Gardens October 2009 Issue

A coal fire is coaxed to white hot by an apprentice pumping a bellows. At the other end of the crucible the master goldsmith, with a blow pipe in his mouth, directs a stream of oxygen from his lungs into the flame and, with surgical precision, focuses the heat onto his work. In a flash a row of spherical grains of pure gold, one tenth the size of a pin head, are fused to a gold band. In total his masterpiece will comprise of some 20,000 grains all fused in exactly the same way. Only with experience can the master goldsmith judge the precise moment at which the grains will be permanently bonded, a subtle color change tells him when its about to happen. He moves his flame, the bond is made, success. Just as quickly his entire masterpiece can be melted into a mass, grains and all, if he so much as blinks. The place is East Anatolia , the year is 900 B.C.
Amazingly not that much has changed in the making of this extraordinary art form in the twenty first century. As master goldsmith Cecilia Bauer explains “ we do pretty much the same thing as they did then with copper plates, hide glue and the placement of the granules one at a time onto the substrate with fine sable brushes. For example the Etruscan pieces, no one has done better before or since. The pieces they were making were for the Gods. It was jewelry for a higher purpose.”

She adds “ it’s extremely meditative, four or five hours can go by when I am doing granulation work and I don’t even realize it.” Cecilia in fact loves this painstaking technique known as “granulation

Cecilia Bauer began her career as a master goldsmith in New York City in the mid seventies. A graduate of Pratt Institute, she was trained as a stone sculptor. Her love of “all things classical” has remained within her design sensibility to this day.
“It all started when a girlfriend of mine showed me a piece she had made in a class, it was enamel cloisonné, and I said to myself ‘I want to do that!’” Once she began to learn about the process of ancient goldsmithing techniques she became “obsessed immediately”, to the point where she devoted herself fulltime and apprenticed with Robert M. Kulicke and Jean Reist Stark of the Kulicke-Stark Academy. Cecilia taught for a few years at Kulicke-Stark and began taking on commission work, culminating in the opening of C.Bauer Studio in 1991 where she teaches fine jewelry making from beginner to advanced. Gold granulation is a specialty of Cecilia’s.
Cecilia credits her mentor and teacher Robert M. Kulicke, a renaissance man of the mid twentieth century, for single-handedly changing American attitudes towards jewelry as art. Mr. Kulicke who passed away only recently, was a self taught goldsmith, inventor of the metal art frame used by the Museum of Modern Art, and art historian. “Forty Years ago people didn’t consider jewelry in the same way we do today, they didn’t regard it as art. Bob (Kulicke) changed that by referencing classical designs in his pieces and celebrated jewelry as an art form.” I feel that Cecilia has continued to bring awareness to classical jewelry styles and techniques in this country with her school and her modern take on classical styles. Her portfolio is replete with pre-Columbian, Mughal period India, Victorian and Roman era references.
In Connecticut Isabel Dunay, of Dunay Joaillier by appointment
203.552.5229 includes in her custom made selections this beautiful pair of diamond stud earrings with granulation. Striking in their simplicity, their classical lines allow the beauty of the diamonds to shine through. “We currently have two more orders for these ” Isabel points out, speaking on the renewed popularity of gold granulation as of late. Isabel is an appointment only showroom located in Greenwich.
Gloria Karp of Glorious, an appointment only showroom located in the Westchester area Phone: 646-778-1266 E-Mail: gloriousity@optonline.net, shares with us a circa 1870 European made Etruscan revival bracelet in gold granulation with authentic Roman classical era coins “it has a matching brooch with a similar coin” said Gloria, pointing out that she personally loves granulation and she currently has a few pieces in her collection.
There will always be a client who appreciates the craftsmanship, the history, and the design of a classical jewelry piece. For the time being we can rest assured that at least one master goldsmith is passing along the traditions and techniques that have endured through thousands of years and across numerous cultures.

Cecilia Bauer can be reached for commissions or classes at
C.Bauer studio
135 West 29th Street
NYC NY 10001 , 212-643-8913.

Whimsical Flower Vases on Etsy

2009-10-03T21:14:00.005-04:00

Glass artist Kanik Chung introduces these charming flower vases available now at www.kanikchung.etsy.com

Grand Opening of 70John Sept. 25th 6:00-9:00 pm

2009-09-22T18:40:00.004-04:00

Photo: Tim Lee

Come join us in opening our new Showroom 70John located at # 70 John Street, DUMBO Brooklyn Between Bridge and Jay St. , five minutes drive from the Manhattan Bridge.
Ten minute walk from the F train at York Street Station.
On September 25th 2009 70John will host a grand opening to announce its presence in the DUMBO arts district of downtown Brooklyn, NY.

Glass designer Kanik Chung and furniture maker Jan lee have collaborated to create a space to showcase their work and the work of other artists, craftsmen and designers in their stable.

Glass designer Kanik Chung, whose most recent commission includes lighting for renown industrial designer Eva Zeisel, shares among other items, his “tablescape” of opaque white glass vessels which draw on shapes derived from Chinese ceramics to milk bottles to cartoon imagery, while furniture maker Jan Lee highlights handmade antique bamboo veneer on his table surfaces and sculpture. Jan’s recent commissions include a dining table for the Walentas estate in Bridgehampton.

This veteran design duo brings their combined two decades of to-the-trade experience and resources to the public with their new venture.

Items can be custom ordered as both have studios in the building and work closely with their clients throughout the design and fabrication process.

For additional information please contact us at info@70john.com

Being With Flowers

2009-09-09T15:43:00.001-04:00

Anthony Ward: Floral Sculptor:

Anthony: “I did my first workshop which I call Being With Flowers: Floral Art As Spiritual Practice at The Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY. That was in 2000. I was instantly addicted to teaching because of how much I learned. People who come to the workshops have a wide range of experience with Flowers. The important thing that connects us all is that we Love Flowers. Because of that we realize we are kindred spirits.”

Being With Flowers is not simply a "how to" workshop. It's an exploration of our deep relationship to - and passion for flowers and the natural world. It is open to anyone moved by the beauty of flowers and floral arrangements, but also we explore why flowers and floral arrangements continually capture and stir our imaginations. Please visit www.eomega.org to see my upcoming workshops

Ryan: What do you hope to capture within your work?
Anthony: “I’m not really trying to capture anything, the flowers are capturing me and I just hope to honor the flowers with nature and to give the flowers a new home. I also work with what’s available during the season and within the current environment I inhabit”

Much of Anthony's work is done on the East and West Coasts of the US, although he is happy to share his work wherever possible. He has a Studio in New York City and San Francisco.

Passionflora Floral Art
c/o Spirit NY
530 West 27th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10001
Phone: 212.539.2671 or
email info@beingwithflowers.com

Breck Armstrong Interview @ The East Hampton Antiques Show,

2009-09-08T15:09:00.001-04:00

At the East Hampton Antiques show I met Breck Armstrong who is taking a very interesting approach towards salvaging architectural artifacts and turning them into beautiful pieces of furniture.

Ryan: When and how did you get into designing furniture?
Breck: “It all began in the 1990’s when I was involved in refurbishing houses in Chicago. I had to create new parts for homes and fix them up so they could be sold. This is where I noticed more ideas and a passion. I then started to buy furniture for my own home and fix that up as well. At the time, I was also working for the zoological society for about 8 years where I was constantly creating and fixing new and old structures for the animals.
I had a good background in art history and great ideas for fabricating furniture. These jobs lead me to start a Salvage House. I began salvaging architectural artifacts and turning them into furniture. When I began collecting the artifacts I began to notice that people weren’t just interested in buying a hunk of iron that sat on the floor, they wanted it to be made into a table or bench of sorts. From that point on, I began collecting as much as I could.

Ryan: What would you say your overall focus is?
Breck: I have a strong interest in lighting, particularly the huge film set lights from the 1930’s. Some like to call my style Industrial Modern or Urban Organic.

With a unique and ever changing collection of industrial salvage, Breck creates furniture and home accessories. Along with his salvage creations Breck also makes a line of hand finished concrete pots and planters in various sizes and styles.

For more information:
www.mossstudiosinc.com
breck@mossstudiosinc.com

August 27th to August 30th Bridgehampton Antiques and Design Fair

2009-08-16T13:28:00.001-04:00

Sinotique at the Mulford Farm Antiques Show

2009-07-09T13:12:00.003-04:00

click to enlarge this image

Sinotique, in conjunction with Kanik Chung, opens 70John - a design showroom in Brooklyn

2009-05-04T12:02:00.003-04:00

Sinotique Presents One Stone New York - benchmade jewelry

2009-04-30T11:18:00.003-04:00

I'm proud to announce that One Stone New York is now available at Sinotique.
One Stone New York specializes in rough and colored diamonds set in silver and gold, all work is locally made.
Come see !

NY Times interactive piece on the virtues of the Amersterdam style bikes

2009-04-19T01:25:00.003-04:00

A great NY Times interactive piece on the virtues of Amersterdam style bicycle. check out my previous posting on my own bike

Paper Angels - Photo Shoot At Sinotique

2009-04-07T01:35:00.002-04:00

Promotional photos were recently shot at Sinotique. Damian Wampler did a beautiful job in capturing the style and mood in turn of the century portrait photos of Chinese couples. These photos will be used for the promotional materials for Paper Angels, a play that was introduced in 1979 and again in the 1980's and this month it will be presented again at Univerity Settlement.
Please support this very important work.
I am proud to have been a small part of this.
I helped Victoria Linchong style the shots and provided the props for the photos

Set in 1915, long before Arab-Americans were being targeted as unwanted émigrés, PAPER ANGELS explores America's historic ambivalence over immigration through a group of Chinese detainees on Angel Island, the Ellis Island of the West Coast. Few people know that from 1882 to 1943, the Chinese were prohibited from immigrating to America through the Chinese Exclusion Act, giving the Chinese the dubious distinction of being the only ethnic group to have specifically been banned against coming to America.

A compelling and incisive script that not only probes racism, but also takes swipes at Confucianism and class discrimination, PAPER ANGELS was last seen on the New York City stage in 1982 at the New Federal Theatre. Dusting off this prescient gem two decades later amidst worldwide debates on immigration and after controversies surrounding detention of Muslims at Guantánamo, Direct Arts' new production of PAPER ANGELS will incorporate archival footage of Angel Island, a 2-piece traditional Chinese music ensemble, Chinese Opera, and an ensemble of 12 multi-ethnic actors including Obie Award winner Jojo Gonzalez (The Romance of Magno Rubio) as a long-time Californ' caught in the net of the Chinese Exclusion Act.

The cast includes Louis Changchien, Robert Fitzsimmons, Jojo Gonzalez, Wai Ching Ho, Kerry Huang, Ryan King, Victoria Linchong, Doan Ly and Amy Staats. On April 30th, there will be a post-show discussion Peter Kwong, author of Chinese America: The Untold Story of America's Oldest New Community.

SHOW TIMES: Wednesday through Friday at 8:00PM, Saturday at 3:00PM

Speyer Hall at University Settlement
184 Eldridge Street, bet. Rivington and Delancey
TICKETS: $18 adult, $15 student/senior
WEBSITE: www.directarts.org

Sinotique Internship Summer 2009

2009-04-06T00:30:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone!

My name is Ryan Black, I grew up on the New Jersey shore and I have been attending college for the past four years in Vermont at Green Mountain College. I am Graduating this May with a Liberal Studies degree with concentrations in both Art and Environmental Studies. I enjoy all forms of art, I work with many different mediums such as metal, paint, and sound. I design and fabricate jewelry in my free time. I also create music and involve myself with as many creative outputs as I can.
I was looking for an internship that would blend both art and the environment together, and I found the perfect person to do this with, Jan Lee. As soon as I met Jan I knew this was a perfect match, because he combines his love of art with the environment by consiously selecting his wood from different locations around the world. I fell in love with Sinotique when I noticed originallity and environmental awareness within the business, two things I care so much about.
I plan to share new ideas and introduce new artists within the blog. I also plan on keeping everyone up to date with new Sinotique creations. Im sure everyone is eager for Spring, with new seasons brings new ideas and energies, so check back very soon!

in peace,
Ryan Black

Beautiful video for Yohji Yamamoto's new collection

2009-03-20T01:19:00.002-04:00

New project just installed today

2009-03-04T20:13:00.007-05:00

I installed this dining room table into a loft in SoHo today. The client was very happy. The table surface is carved 1/8" deep with randomized grooves. The ends of the table are distressed using hand carving techniques.
The legs, which appear to be massive steel structures are actually stainless steel veneer over a wood core.

latest photos by my brother East Hampton Photographer Tim Lee

2009-03-04T02:40:00.004-05:00

These are two new images from East Hampton photographer Tim Lee. Tim has a long career in the Hamptons photographing for The Hamptons Catalog and Fisher's Antiques, as well as private collections and interiors.

The Antiques at the Armory Show - January 23-25 09 Americana

2009-01-30T21:29:00.005-05:00

The armory show reflected "Americana Week". As stated in the Stella Show
Management website: "Featuring 100 select exhibits of fine and affordable American & European antiques, period furniture, Americana, folk art, garden & architectural artifacts, fine art and prints, and the list goes on..."
I spent some time with Elemental Garden's husband wife team Tracey Young and Dennis Kaylor. Tracey's clean and focused discipline is reflected in her selections at this show.
Several items stood out in the Elemental Garden booth, a pair of conical French urns, stone carved stepping stools, and a rare matched pair of stone carved life sized greyhounds.
The French garden urns, despite being concrete seemed light and delicate as they balanced on a their raised plinth. As Tracey pointed out "they are very French, you won't see this kind of form anywhere except France". We commented on the mutual grace and respect of the line evident in the urns, the step stools and the stone finials sitting prominently center stage.
I asked Tracey whether she sees any particular trend happening in today's gardens. Without hesitation she explained that all too often gardens are overrun with flowers causing an "expected" result, measured and tailored she explained they can be boring. Instead, Tracey sees gardens that celebrate texture as much more interesting. Much in the way that Chinese botanists developed a love of the orchid's leaves more than the orchid itself, Tracey has a love for the garden's many textures regardless of whether they are summer flowers or simply oceans of shimmering leaves, varied and changing as one proceeds through the garden.
Dennis explained that the pair of greyhounds in their booth were genuine pairs. According to Dennis not only are large stone figures often misrepresented as antique, they are not always matched pairs. A tip, Dennis says, is to look at the details of the animals, if there are opposing directions in the paws or tails for instance they are a matched pair, otherwise they are simply "alike", and not as valuable.
The Elemental Garden is located in Woodbury Connecticut

Michael Bruno - Founder of 1stdibs.com in the New York Times

2009-01-26T00:52:00.004-05:00

Sinotique is a proud "pioneer" dealer on www.1stdibs.com, the industry standard website for antiques in America and Europe. Michael Bruno, the website's founder has been highlighted in the NY TIMES Magazine on line T Magazine.
Before 1stdibs.com there were a smattering of poorly designed websites for the antiques trade, often slow and cumbersome and more often than not a mish mash of unvetted merchandise thrown together haphazardly.
Michael Bruno brought a sophistication to the online antiques marketplace by making it easy (finally) to search for and locate the exact piece a busy decorator needed to find in a jiffy. With only 500 dealers on the site and a waiting list of over 800 more, 1stdibs.com maintains the kind of standards that their clientele expect.
Many dealers, Sinotique included, are the same dealers you would find at the Armory Show in Manhattan, numerous shows in the Hamptons, and Connecticut. What Michael has done has brought a level of confidence to buying online by vetting out dealers who do NOT have a brick and mortar location. Decorators and the public at large know that there is much less risk in buying from someone they can visit in person.
There are items on 1stdibs.com that range in price from $250.00 to 125,000.00 and over. It's common to hear of sales from 1stdibs.com in the $5000.00 to $20,000.00 range based solely on what a client sees on the site. That would never happen before on the net prior to 1stdibs.com, at least not so in the antiques world.
Today assistants who work for Martha Stewart , Sills Huniford, and Peter Marino are combing 1stdibs.com daily with efficiency, clarity and dare we say - fun?

a teak bench for a client's shower room

2009-01-13T22:25:00.006-05:00

This bench was made for a shower room. It is made from teak that I procured while in Thailand. Thai farmers had used this particular teak in the rice field to thrash the rice plants upon to release the rice from the plant. After decades of use and exposure to the weather the teak has great character and we left the "raw" edge showing on the end of the bench to accentuate the rustic nature of the piece.
The natural oils inherent in the teak will protect the piece from constant exposure to water and moisture in the client's shower room.

Teak bench for a shower room

2009-01-13T22:05:00.003-05:00

I made this bench from reclaimed teak I procured in Thailand. The wood for this bench was originally used by rice farmers in Thailand in the field. The original shape was slightly curved, and very rough, I cut it, then milled it so it was flat, and glued up the pieces to form the top and leg "slabs".
This client requested a bench that would withstand repeated exposure to water as it would reside INSIDE her shower enclosure which is large.
Teak was the natural choice as it has natural oils which repel water.

End of Season sale

2008-12-31T12:47:00.001-05:00

Sinotique is having an end of season sale - most items are 50% off list. Stop in soon.

Kanik Chung at Sinotique - Mott St.

2008-12-27T15:47:00.004-05:00

Kanik's latest work at the Sinotique Mott St. location.

Kanik Chung's tablescapes expand and contract, at times encompassing as many as two dozen pieces of his handblown glass forms. They are exquisite. I spoke to Kanik at length about his tablescapes and he told me that he envisions the pieces in relationship to each other. Negative and positive space play equally important roles in the total expression of his work. I believe the beauty and sensitivity of his work speaks for itself. Kanik's work is available through Sinotique.
Commissions accepted.

Buying Vintage is "green"

2008-11-04T01:25:00.010-05:00

The website produced by Discovery.com - www.planetgreen.discovery.com
lists as #8 on their tips on going green 'buy vintage', here's what they have to say:
"Buy vintage -
With all the slick, mod, "eco" brands jumping into the market it can be hard to keep in mind that pre-owned goods can be the most green purchase of all. Vintage and second-hand and furniture requires no additional resources to manufacture, is often locally sources (cutting down on transportation), is pre-offgassed and eases the load on the landfill. Quality vintage furniture can also have excellent resale value (sometimes selling for the same price it was bought) which certainly can't be said for most new furniture, green or otherwise."

Those of us who have been dealing in antiques have known that for years but I suppose the public should be reminded that buying local, buying vintage, and buying antiques is far more "green" than purchasing a newly produced item.
I'm also in the manufacturing business and of course there is a place for high quality long lasting furnishings as well.

The mindset that furniture can be disposable is what needs to change, like many things in our world for every disposable piece of furniture you'd consider for your kid's dorm room, or starter apartment there's probably a comparable piece in a vintage quality used version. Buying low price does NOT have to mean buying disposable.

Although IKEA goes to great lengths on their website to explain how they are using sustainable materials and what they've done to reduce VOC's and their carbon footprint, the reality remains that their products more than likely will end up in a garbage truck and not being handed down or even in a thrift store for someone else to purchase. Think for a moment of all the American families who run to IKEA or K Mart stores to purchase throw away furniture for their kid's room or dorm rooms simply because it is convenient. There are quality alternatives in thrift stores and a can of spray paint goes a long way to update much of what is found.

Protests of thrift store finds not being "cool" by the kids who have to live with the pieces are a perfect opportunity to educate the next generation about the importance of reuseing what we've already created so we don't have to produce more.

In nations all over the world poor people used their lack of resources to fashion furniture from such mundane objects as car and bicycle tires. The access to resources we've enjoyed in America have become our biggest threat. We're literally drowning in what we produce.

Saving pennies to buy a quality piece of furniture, even if it is one slipper chair to go next to the bed, or a kitchen stool that will get used ten times a day, is worth the effort and the patience it takes to acquire since its life will likely extend beyond your's. Extend that to larger pieces in your home and you start to make a difference in your own "presence" on this earth and your impact on it.

My brother, Tim Lee, who has lived as a photographer in East Hampton for the past 30 years lives this philosphy virtually daily. His beautiful home is filled with yardsale finds and antique store treasures. His keen eye has scooped up plenty solid wood funiture items and vintage candlesticks for sure, however, his cooktop (an $1100.00 value) was bought slightly used at a yard sale for a tenth of that, as was his stainless steel cabinetry, 12' dining table and even bathroom tiles (which were over runs from a new construction).

Fortunately my parents instilled in myself and my syblings that there is value in buying antiques and vintage, and as such we were surrounded by wonderful mixes of furniture from many countries and many eras. Wwen we all "grew up" we all had some of their furniture for our own homes as treasured reminders of our childhood. It's not surprising that the furniture that ended up with each of us is not made of plastic or pressboard.