Sneak Peak of Melanie Abrantes Designs Winter Collection '15

Melanie Abrantes’ Winter Collection introduces new products and a new material- leather- to the designer’s line of home goods focused on showcasing the natural beauty and unique qualities of hand-turned cork and wood. Available for purchase in the shop August 24th, 2015. 

Shop the collection here.

Photos by Melanie Riccardi | Styling by Genevieve Bandrowski | Copy by Kat McEachern 

WHAT UNITES THIS COLLECTION?

This collection is cohisive in its classic shapes and natural materials. When designing for this season I wanted each piece to be a strong stand-alone object. Each one being an heirloom that someone would cherish and bring out during their most beloved gatherings.

WHY CORK ,WOOD AND LEATHER?

I am drawn to materials that are natural and beautiful in their raw state. I feel that cork, wood, and leather are both elegant and understated. I wanted to elevate each one by finding unique ways for them to interact within the collection.

FORM VS FUNCTION?

Utility is something I strive for when I’m creating a product. When designing home décor, the beauty of the object is just as important to me as its functionality. For instance, the new hardwood Cake Platter can be used to display cakes and charcuterie or as a cutting board, providing versatility for its owner.

STORY BEHIND THE PHOTS

I wanted the customer to imagine themselves in this beautiful setting, creating cherished memories dining with ones they love. I envisioned my own family gatherings during the holiday season, where we tell stories, laugh and have a shared experience around the table.

How to care for your cork and wood products!

I finish all my pieces with a natural finish which is a mixture of 100% food-grade mineral oil and beeswax. Now I can share this finish with you! I even added natural oil infused variations to your choosing! I wanted to make a wood butter that was easy to use and could last your in your home for at least 6 months. I infused natural essence oils with the finish to give it that long lasting scent when you use it. Finishing your products will keep them looking new longer and condition the material so its less likely to crack or change color. 

Just take a cotton cloth and dab the corner into the butter. Rub a heavy amount of the mixture onto the piece in a circular motion, making sure it is really absorbs into the wood or cork. 

Once you have covered your the piece completely, let it sit for 30 mins to an hour. You could even do it overnight if you wanted to work on something else and come back to it the following morning. When it is done soaking, buff off any excess butter and your left with a beautiful sheen.

Now your spoons, wooden bowls, cork bowls and cake stands (anything you want to polish!) are nourished and gleaming! Wasn't that easy?? You can purchase your own in my shop! 

Melanie Abrantes Designs wood butter is made with 100% white bee’s wax and only food grade mineral oil. They are infused with lavender +orange oil, grapefruit or rosemary. Use it on all untreated wood and cork surfaces that come in contact with food and beverage, or even on tools and other surfaces if you’d prefer to use a natural alternative to varnishes and chemicals.

Wood butter is hand-canned in glass jars, and comes with simple instructions for use. 1 4oz jar or 2 oz container. The 4oz jar should last a home for at least 6 months.

Photos by Melanie Riccardi

OPEN STUDIOS!

I have been in my studio now for a little over a year and felt it was time to finally open it to the public! My studio will be open on Saturday July 25th from 10am to 5pm! Enjoy a fun Saturday mingling and seeing my woodworking space and office. I will also be teaching my very first spoon carving workshop in the space as well as doing a short lathing demo on cork! Come check it out if you're free! 

RSVP HERE if you would like to come! 

I will have a TON of products on SALE for this event! There will be one-offs, samples, cork planters, vases, cake stands, and bowls! Some will be more than 75% OFF! Dont forget to RSVP!

I will be doing a very short lathing demo at 1pm! I will show you what tools I use, my technique on cutting cork and how I finish my pieces. Come see me in action! Dont forget to RSVP!

 

Melanie Abrantes Designs Studio

Saturday July 25th 10am-5pm

155 FIlbert St. Ste 102

Oakland, CA 94607 

West Coast Craft Summer 2015 Recap + Refinery 29!

A couple weeks ago I did the fun fair, West Coast Craft. It was a really great event and I was even scheduled for a Spoon Carving Class during the show! I was really happy with how we styled and designe our booth! We were able to get a lot of traffic and sunlight! I was so excited to debut some smaller fun products, as well as my hanging planters. I was honored to also be featured on Refinery 29's most stylish at the fair. Thank you to everyone that stopped by to see me and my goods, I love seeing peoples reactions to my work in person! Below are some fun images I captured of the event, if you're event wanting more information, please follow along on my Instagram. It is a more immediate fix on my cork and wood obsessions ;) 

New Modern Cork Planter Shapes! *It will be in the shop soon!

Spoon Carving Class: Coffee Scoops!

Next month in July I will be going down to Los Angeles to teach another spoon carving class! This time though it will be Coffee Scoops. I am so excited to be teaching it at Twig and Twine, who actually was the first store to carry my work! She is doing an Artisan Workshop Series and I was delighted to be asked to be the featured artisan in July. You can see the details and purchase the class here on my website. It will be July 12th, 5pm-8-pm. Hope to see you there! 

Oh Canada: Merge an Artisan Collective, Tofino

As you know if you have been following along, we traveled up to Canada to teach Spoon Carving classes in Tofino and Victoria. I had the most amazing time in both cities, all of my students were so amazing and creative. The first class in Tofino was at Merge Collective, the owners Victoria and Laurie were so sweet! They just opened their shop and it is filled with amazing designers all over North America. I couldn't have been more impressed with their organization in putting the class together. Both ladies are makers as well and had the studio in the back, Victoria owns, Good Prospects a leather goods company and Laurie designs lingerie and jewelry. 

We ate sandwiches from a local butcher who uses only sustainable meats. They were delicious!

 I really enjoyed my class and had some awesome ladies who even traveled from neighboring cities a couple hours away to attend! Everyone did an amazing job and I was impressed with the level of detail of each spoon. Victoria had snacks and drinks available for everyone to have and even got sandwiches from the local butcher Picnic Charcuterie. 

A student carving her spoon

My students showing off their spoons!

Oh Canada: Tofino

My first class was at Merge Artisan Collective in Tofino, BC! It was a small sleepy surf town filled with the most amazing people! I really think I fell in love guys, both Dan and I know we will visit again in the future! We stayed at an adorable B&B in the town called the Emerald Forest. She baked us fresh bed in the morning with fruit, jam and granola. By far some of the best meals I ate there! We only had time to go to the beach once but it was still such a treat to be there, we did a hike that one of the locals suggested which turned out to be harder than we thought!

Everyone in town though were so sweet! The service and people we met made us feel right at home. Not to mention they had an unusual foodie scene for such a small town, so the food and cafes were absolutely exceptional! You must try Kuma Tofino, Tacofino, Wolf in the Fog, Sobo Restaurant and Shelter Restaurant. For japanese comfort food, Kuma has you covered, their karage chicken and green tea brownies were out of this world! Either way Tofino stole my heart <3!

Oh Canada: Fisgard Lighthouse

Right outside of Victoria by about 20 mins by car, we stopped by the Fisgard Lighthouse. It really looked like it was straight out of a movie! Its used to be an old govt bunker and fort so we roamed around the park, checking out all the points. It was a windy day but very peaceful as well. I def must visit if you're in town. 

I collected some drift wood from the beach which im hoping to make some special spoons with! I had never seen that much drift wood before and had fun picking through the piles for the most interesting pieces! Stay tuned...it will be on the shop soon enough :) 

Oh Canada: Butchart Gardens

A couple weeks ago I traveled up to Canada to teach some spoon carving classes! What I didn't expect was to see how lush and green Vancouver Island really is! The weather was a little rainy at times, but over all it was a beautiful trip! We started our trip by traveling to Victoria, BC. It was a small to medium sized city with beautiful parliament buildings built in the 1800's and gorgeous gardens. 

Butchart Gardens was absolutely beautiful. To me it seemed like the Disney Land version of Gardens. Founded in the early 1900's, these gardens are some of the oldest in Canada. Set up around a limestone quarry grounds, a wealthy wife of the cement company wanted to bring beauty to the area. She first started in the Sunken Gardens (above) and moved onto making an Italian Garden, Japanese Garden and more. It was certainly a breath taking view and we enjoyed walking around each garden taking in all of the different plants. 

Walking around the Japanese Gardens. They had small ponds, bridges and of course tons of Ginko trees!

West Coast Craft! June 13-14

First show of the season is finally here! Join Melanie Abrantes Designs at West Coast Craft this June at the Fort Mason Center in SF! I will be teaching a spoon carving class on the first day with Ogaard, an independent gallery based in Oakland, at the show from 3pm -6pm! I will also be showing with my good friend Adrian Cluartio who will be selling furniture and leather jewelry. 

I am debuting a couple of new products at the show, as well as a special collaboration with a ceramicist! Come and check it out to see what it is! It should be a fun show full of beautiful products, some really amazing independent designers and artists will be showing as well. 

So, come check it out and catch some sun on the docks. I wanna see all of your beautiful faces! 

West Coast Craft | June 13-14 | Fort Mason Center | 10am - 6pm

Cork Planters acting as fun fruit bowls!

Last Winters show with Adrian Clutario aka Adriana