Friday, March 11, 2016

A quick stop at Earthwise Salvage and Pacific Galleries

I found myself with an hour or so to kill on Friday afternoon after leaving the NWFG Show. While there were plenty of nurseries I would have loved to visit they were all north of town. It was Friday afternoon...thus traffic dictated that I head in the direction of my friend Erin's place, were I was due for dinner. Luckily I remembered The Outlaw writing about his visit to Earthwise Salvage in Tacoma and that they had a Seattle location...

I swear the temperature dropped a good ten degrees that afternoon. What had felt like a warmish early spring day took on a stormy, chilly feeling as I got out of my car. Still I was determined to learn what this Earthwise Salvage was all about...

Even these photos appear cold, or maybe it's just my lingering memory of being extremely uncomfortable? Anyway, loved this water feature thingy...

It took me a few minutes to realize the palms were real. Their coloring was so yellow I thought they were fake.

We've got this same utility sink in our basement, thankfully ours is one piece.

That rusted metal circular stacked piece has a lot of potential.

As do these, somehow...

I never would have thought toilet tank lids could look so interesting!

However piles of shiny metal are always appealing.

Those Swiss-cheese wheels!

And this. OMG...

I'd already decided it would be too rich for my blood, but I should have asked. No harm in asking...

Nice chains!

Seeing this collection I was reminded of a planted up pickaxe I saw on Gardening Gone Wild.

Coulda shoulda woulda.

This was a no-brainer though, it became mine.

Metal Christmas tree shapes! (loved them)

Rusted bed springs, hmm...

Bought one of those (fast-forward to home)...

Since I was nearby Pacific Galleries I stopped in there too. I wandered and just soaked it all up, not bothering to dig out my camera until I walked into a second set of rooms and discovered these...

They stopped me in my tracks. I was standing there in awe...

Wanting to capture everything about them but completely unsure what I would ever do with the inspiration.

It was an amazing feeling.

I kind of felt like I owed them some money just for the strong feelings these huge fixtures stirred within. It was magical.

All material © 2009-2016 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

32 comments:

  1. oh those light fixtures. I'm in awe just with the photos: I totally understand you having one of those moments. So much possibility and magic potential there....

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    1. Do you know the trellis cages at The Getty? I think they have bougainvillea growing on them. They kind of reminded me of those.

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  2. I love places like this (both of them, although the outdoor one more). A hunk of rusty metal looks so good nestled amongst plants! Is it only because I'm from the Midwest that I know that the "rusted metal circular stacked piece" is a disc tiller (has other names too)? :)

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    1. No, I was going to call it that but didn't want to have anyone wondering what I was talking about. Also I started doubting myself because it looks modified somehow. Like it's something someone made out of plough discs.

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  3. That pattern of overlapping/interlocking circles is fantastic. I would have assumed it was too expensive, too, though. With enough of those metal Christmas trees, you could make a truly dangerous metal agave. I love the bed spring tillandsia stand!

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    1. Have you seen the metal Agaves an artist up in Washington is making? At one time I heard Cistus was going to be carrying them but never have seen them there.

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  4. Both of these places look very interesting! I can feel a field trip coming on. Thanks for finding them.

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    1. Are you serious? Thank you for finding Earthwise!

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  5. A rusted bedspring? Seriously? How on earth do you come up with these great ideas? That looks amazing with the big Tillandsia on it. Sort of reminds me of an amazing Alexander Calder wire-sculpture cow we saw in Boston.
    You saw a lot of cool salvage. Love the big chains. I've got a nice architectural salvage near me, but the prices have skyrocketed since it's become less junk and more funk.

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    1. I really loved the chains too, I saw a picture recently of them used as a boarder edging at Chanticleer...

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  6. If you saw my house you'd know how much I love those light fixtures! And I've been wanting a disc harrow for a while, too. GREAT materials.

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    1. I love that you could see the thought process at work. The florescent overheard fixtures were fine for lighting the place but building those structures to go under them took it to a whole new place!

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  7. Looks like you packed away plenty of inspiration...I've no doubt it will seep out in future projects.

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  8. So much cool stuff! I should mention, since Emily didn't specify, she has a smaller version of those lamps hanging over her dining room table (I think). And if I'm not mistaken, she made it herself (clever girl).

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    1. Thanks for the confidence in my crafting abilities, Alison, but I bought the lamp. I love it! But I want those, too. Maybe remanufactured for my hallway.

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    2. Well, you are quite a maker, Emily!

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    3. We all know there's no hiding your abilities Emily! I'm curious now though what your fixture is? For some reason I'm suspecting it's like this: http://www.thisnext.com/item/D2632C54/Note-Light-Fixture? I remember DWR used to carry something similar.

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  9. I'm dying to know what you going to do with the expanded aluminum. Trellis? Table? Hmm.

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  10. Cool stuff. I wish we had that sort of thing here. I can tell you about the tank lids, though. People break them and go looking for a replacement, as I did when we were selling Mom & Dad's house; there's an internet store that sells nothing but, actually, and they had thousands, but not the one I needed. So I had to get a special cement and some porcelain paint. It turned out you could hardly see the break. Now that was more than you ever wanted to know, right?

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  11. OMG Those page lamps are amazing! That first store is equally amazing, I would have gone ape crazy in there. Wow. New destination for me, I think. How were the prices?

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    1. No idea, and that's part of the problem. Nothing was marked, you have to ask (at the salvage place). The prices at the antique store (Pacific Galleries) were average...

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  12. You made great use of the hour you had to spare! It was probably good for your pocketbook that you didn't have more time - or a large truck.

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    1. Are you working for my husband Kris? (worried about my pocketbook)

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  13. Cathi LamoreuxMarch 13, 2016

    I love architectural salvage! I love to go to Salvage Works in Portland. Now, I will have to also visit both these places the next time I am in Seattle.

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    1. Do you spend much time at Browns? I loved to wander around there before the fire/remodel, have only been back once since.

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  14. We have two pedestals for plants or sculpture that use those floor grates as the top piece. So many interesting pieces at this place but we are pretty full up at our house. These days we look but don't buy very often.

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    1. That's both a blessing and a curse I imagine?

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  15. What a cool store! So many options!!!!

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