We wanted to create a new vase that could hold more flowers and be a bigger statement on a table. Introducing the Tall Hardwood Vase, designed to be elegant alone or in a group, they will brighten any corner in the house. Now available in cork, walnut, and cherry hardwood. Vases come with glass vials for fresh flowers.
Proudly handmade in the USA. Photography by Melanie Riccardi.
Walnut Tall Vase, $115
Cork Tall Vase, $98
Cherry Tall Vase, $115
Melanie Abrantes Designs was selected to participate in CRAFTS Tokyo's exhibition held at So-Cal Link Gallery in Tokyo, Japan this past June.
My work was shown alongside 6 other designers including Joshu+Vela, Nipomo, and Henley Hard Goods.
Crafts Tokyo did such an amazing job curating the show, the displays were gorgeous and I'm so proud to have been apart of such a beautiful exhibition.
Thanks to everyone from Crafts Tokyo, especially Masato, Asami, and Roko for all their hard work planning and putting together such an amazing show!
We couldn't be happier that is this the first week of summer! I am excited for sun filled lazy weekends, to lounge and drink and mingle with friends. We teamed up with Ashley from Craft and Cocktails to make an exclusive summer drink for our rooftop shoot.
Ashley created a delicious grapefruit and vanilla thyme fizz cocktail that went perfectly with our Mediterranean inspired Summer Soiree rooftop party. The shoot was inspired by the rooftop culture inherent to city dwelling. When we're tight for space the rooftop is the communal gathering spot that is beautiful and has endless options for hosting a summer gathering! Find Ashley's Recipe below and let us know what you think of our shoot in the comments below!
Grapefruit Vanilla Thyme Fizz
Create vanilla thyme syrup. Add first 4 ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a glass with ice. Top with soda water + stir to incorporate. Garnish with grapefruit and thyme.
Vanilla Thyme Syrup
Combine sugar and water into a pot over medium high. Once sugar dissolves, add thyme and vanilla. Once it begins to simmer, take off the heat and let steep until cool. Once cool remove from heat and double strain into a jar or sealed container. Store for 3 weeks in the fridge.
Melanie Riccardi did an amazing job as the photographer, and the shoot was styled by Genevieve Bandrowski. See the full Summer 2016 lookbook here.
With summer around the corner, everyone is thinking of adding fresh and delicious herbs to their summer recipes! Herb gardens are a city-dwellers dream, and perfect garden for small kitchens and patios. It's so much fun to be able to trim your own herb's and add them to any dish you're cooking. Making it that much more special! All you need is a pot, some soil, herb (of your choice) and an abundance of sunshine!
WHAT YOU NEED:
We used our Medium Modern Cork Planter for our DIY, find it here in the shop!
Start by choosing your planter, it's best to use one with great drainage. Our Cork Planters are perfect since they are naturally porous and are able to absorb the water.
First add soil to the bottom of the pot using a trowel or your hands. We chose organic potting soil from our local hardware store.
Decide what kind of herb you want to use. We picked lemon thyme for it's versatility for cooking! Some other great herbs are basil, rosemary, lavender, oregano, parsley or sage. Remove your plant from its container and loosen the roots of the plant so it can have room to grow.
Place your plant inside of your planter.
Pour more soil around your plant to fill in any gaps, filling the planter with soil to the rim.
Gently push down the soil around the plant, packing it in so the plant is secure.
Tah-dah. you're done! Make sure to place your new herb garden in a well lit place. They love tons of sunshine! Now you can easily snip a couple of pieces off of your plant when you're making your favorite cocktail or dish. Enjoy!
Please feel free to share what your plant DIY looks like through Instagram @melanieabrantesdesigns | #melanieabrantesdesigns or in the comments below!
Early this month I was invited to be apart of Join Design's West Coast Showcase in Los Angeles. They curated a group of amazing designers from Seattle, Portland, Oakland, and LA to come together to show their work. I was honored to be apart of it and went down to LA for the opening! You can see all the images on Join Design's blog here.
Designers Eric Trine, Faris, Fruitsuper, Iacoli & McAllister, Ladies & Gentlemen Studio, Mathew Philip Williams, Melanie Abrantes, and Pigeon Toe.
I LOVE Portugal, the weather, the people and all of the beautiful architecture! There is a sense of nostalgia for me as well because It reminds me of my grandparents and the summers I used to spend here. Lisbon even reminds me a little of my current city San Francisco. They even have their own "golden gate bridge"! Im not going to lie, it might have had a little to do with why I moved to CA in the first place! ;)
After coming to Lisbon for years, its been exciting to see it change and evolve. The foodie community is booming, as is tourism! I was only in Lisbon for a couple of days this past trip, but was able to do quite a lot. I've been receiving more and more requests to share the spots I love, so I put together a round up of some of my favorites here on the blog.
This is the most popular square in Lisbon, its pretty touristy but a great place to start. You will be in the heart of downtown! You can get to all the major neighborhoods from this point and houses my favorite museum MUDE, the design and fashion museum. Which has a lovely permanent collection of modern contemporary design and a couple of great seasonal shows throughout the year.
This is one of my favorite new spots in the city, a cafeteria style market that gives you a little taste of everything. Definitely check out Santini it is a city staple, and has the best gelato I've ever tasted. The back wall of the market is full of restaurants owned by famous chefs in the area, and always has delicious food.
I think I might have gone into this store 6 different times, I loved it so much! Everything in the store is made in Portugal and is curated so well. They have small gift items that would be perfect to bring back home with you, as well as gorgeous home goods. There are a couple locations in the city, but I went to the one in Chiado. It is right above Baixa, a small neighborhood on top of the hill that has excellent shopping and restaurants. Other recommendations: Burel Factory, Vista Alegre and Cantinho do Avillez.
Fiera Da Ladra literally translates to the thieves market. You can find anything and everything, old and new! I have been coming to this flea market since I was in high school. I love to shop for affordable vintage goods, so this place is the ultimate flea market for me. Fiera De Ladra is not for the faint of heart, expect to have to do a bit of hunting. Check it out every Tuesday and Saturday from 6am-5pm.
Jardim Botanico Tropical is in Belem, this area is enriched with so much culture. Built in 1906 this garden has some of the rarest plants in the world. With over 400 species, it is a great place for a relaxing afternoon. If you have the time you can easily spend a whole day in Belem, it's a beautiful neighborhood that you shouldn't miss!
I debuted these pieces in early February at the NY Now Gift show at The Javits Center in NYC. I designed a line of new canisters, cork and wood pendant lights and more. I am so excited to share them with you here. Please let me know what you think of the new products in the comments!
Shop the full line here.
This beautiful Cork Coffee Canister with Walnut Spoon is hand-turned in Oakland, CA. Each canister is carefully made with sustainably farmed cork and finished with natural linseed oil and beeswax. You are able to remove the scoop from the handle and use it to measure the your coffee beans. Perfect for your favorite coffee, tea or even dry goods! With its minimal design and gorgeous curves, it will look beautiful in any home.
These beautiful Walnut + Cork Pendants are hand-turned in Oakland, CA. They are carefully made with hand-selected hardwood from a local lumber yard and finished with a natural linseed oil and beeswax. Perfect for hanging bedside or over a desk. With their minimal design and gorgeous curves, either one will look beautiful in any home.
These beautiful Walnut + Cork Canisters are hand-turned in Oakland, CA. They are carefully made with hand-selected hardwood from a local lumber yard and uses sustainably farmed cork. Each piece is finished with natural linseed oil and beeswax. Perfect for your favorite dry goods! With its minimal design and gorgeous curves, it will look beautiful in any home.
I was delighted to be in the Better Homes and Gardens February Magazine. It is my first real magazine feature and I was so happy to be apart of their creative entrepreneur issue! They interviewed me and several other designers about how they started their business and what it means to them to do something they love. Check out the full article below. Enjoy!
Story by: Diana Dickinson / Photography by: Melanie Riccardi
If I had to pick a single experience, it would have to be when I was doing a design workshop in France. I met so many people that were young and successful makers. I realized no one was stopping me from doing what I wanted except for myself. So I decided when I got back I would sign myself up for a product show, and things kept going from there! As for a success, I think I knew by the reaction that people were having to my products. They were interested in the material, the process, and how I ended up where I did. I knew then that I was on to something special.
When I first started, I think I romanticized what it would be like as a business owner. Social media really makes the whole process look so effortless and beautiful. Now that I'm in the middle of things, I can safely say running this business is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, and it is definitely not always happy and pretty. That said, the process has been one of the most rewarding of my life as well.
I could not live without my podcast app. I work alone, and they are the best things to listen to while working! My favorites are Jess Lively, Mortified, and The Moth.
My hands. They are what make my business.
How much time I am on the computer e-mailing instead of making!
My mentors are my sister and my dad. My family has their own business back home. They are always willing to help me work through a situation and offer their advice. I wouldn't be where I am today without them.
Making sure everything is done! As a business owner with only a small team working for me, I have to wear a lot of different hats: customer service, marketing, accounting, production, etc. Every day is a different job! There's a lot going on, so I have to stay as organized as possible to keep up. While it can be taxing, the fun part is that I am able to always do something different and stay engaged.
When you think about branding, put yourself in your customers' shoes. How will they see your product? How do you want them to see your product? As well as hard work. You need to put yourself fully into your business to see it succeed.
I am very attracted to the tangible and unique nature of both cork and wood. I'm enamored by the fact that they are both natural materials and that each piece is different.
I felt like people in this day and age are in front of the computer all day, staring at a screen. I wanted to offer a class where you would be able to socialize and learn a new skill using their hands. I try to create a fun, engaging environment, and one where you walk away feeling accomplished!
I funded my business through a second job I was working at the time. I didn't have a business plan starting out, but to be fair, I didn't realize I was creating a business exactly until I began getting orders from stores. I was just fulfilling my passion for woodworking. Once things began ramping up, I worked with a business planner to help me get the administrative side of my business in order. From there, it's been an adventure! Fortunately, I'm curious and a quick learner.
Story by: Diana Dickinson / Photography by: Melanie Riccardi
When Apartment Therapy contacted me to do a studio visit, I think I had to pinch myself from all the excitement! I have been a long time fan of Apartment Therapy's site, and always used them as a resource for designing my home. So it was very flattering that they wanted to come see where I worked and made my pieces. They came in and did an amazing job photographing my space as well, the photographer Ellie was a doll to work with. She even was able to take a couple images of the new expansion (I have a real wood shop guys!) which you might have seen glimpses of on my Instagram.
I selected a few of my favorites from the shoot. So enjoy their design surgery and images below, I think they turned out awesome. You can see the full article post here.
Images by ELLIE ARCIAGA LILLSTROM
My Style: Modern, earthy, and industrial.
Inspiration: Small Japanese spaces, industrial factories, natural light, and small cozy corners.
Favorite Element: The brick walls and the large bay window. The space used to be an old tomato factory in the early 1900s; its industrial features show so much character and are my favorite part.
Biggest Challenge: I have a wood shop in the back, so everything gets so dusty! It is always a challenge to get the space clean because the minute I start working it just gets dirty again.
What Friends Say: They love the plants that are all over my studio! They say it feels like an industrial jungle.
Biggest Embarrassment: The wood shop floors are always full of saw dust and cork.
Proudest DIY: The shelves on the wall. They surprisingly took me forever to decide on to make!
Biggest Indulgence: Plants, I love them! They bring a natural touch to such an industrial space.
Best Advice: Design with the space in mind. This is my office and workshop, so I know better than to have fancy things in here!
Dream Sources: Craigslist and Home Depot
My assistant Genevieve putting a final touch on the a piece, branding!
Mark your calendars! My good friend Emma from Emma Dime and I are putting on a holiday market this December! We curated a wonderful selection of bay area artisans and designers for the show. They are all amazing at what they do and we are so excited for you to shop their wares! Below is the vendor list and information.
Make sure to RSVP on our facebook page here. Hope to see you there! :)
The Holiday Market will showcase a curated collection of local businesses ranging from ceramics and home goods to jewelry and body products. Check out who's coming with the links below! Come shop for holiday gifts, grab some fresh flowers, and enjoy a glass of wine at The Hannah House!
VENDORS —
Melanie Abrantes Designs
Meghan Shimek
Gerhard Ceramics
Abacus Row
Western Editions
Mineral Workshop
The Greater Goods
Book/Shop
Ordinaire Wine
Tango and Foxtrot
TIME: 10am - 6pm | WHERE: 3414 Hannah Street Oakland CA 94608
hello@melanieabrantes.com | 155 Filbert St. Suite 102 Oakland, CA | Melanie Abrantes Designs, LLC © 2014.