Sometime in the mid 19th century, a chair became, even for those who cared, just a chair. It was called mass production. We live with it still.

Like our clothes, furniture, however expensive, is rarely exclusively ours. To personalize it, we dress it up with accessories. At the high end of interior decoration is fine art, which is original, sprinkled judiciously around a room, announcing itself as something more important than the wall color or tablecloth.

“At Home With Crafts” at Florida Craftsmen challenges that segregation of art from the everyday.

A 2,000-square-foot gallery has been transformed into a five-room dwelling that, but for the absence of a bathroom or kitchen, looks turnkey ready for occupancy. And all except a few rugs and pieces of furniture are handmade.

Looking at the sophisticated, comfortable rooms, the point seems so obvious: You can work, play, eat and sleep using handmade everything. These items aren’t cheap, but in many cases they cost no more than what you’d find at upscale furniture stores.

Nothing screams “Important!” and everything looks part of a harmonized whole even as one’s eye latches onto the individuality of each object.

Five artists took charge of the five living areas, carved out by architect Tim Clemmons, and used their own and other artists’ work. The general theme is a mix of Japanese modern and the arts and crafts movement. Colors throughout, coordinated with help from interior designer Scott Mills, are a palette of muted greens, beige and rust that yield to softer gray-blues and creams in the bedrooms.

Two foyers to accommodate the gallery entrances are designed by Lenn Neff, best known for his leaded glass sculptures. For each set of tall double doors, Neff used glass panels. In one, stained glass is set in a geometric pattern around transparent glass. In the other, he sandblasted the panels for opaqueness and mounted hand-blown antique glass squares onto them in rainbow-hued grids. It’s a stunning introduction.

Both entries welcome in different ways. A handbag and shoes sit casually nearby as if the owner had discarded them after a long day. They’re a trompe l’oeil joke, made of clay. A chair and chess table invite one to plop down; a gorgeous slab of eucalyptus serves as a catch-all ledge for keys (and a real handbag). The other foyer is narrower, one wall lined with shelves holding high-end tchotchkes by various artists and the other dominated by a mixed media work by Denis Gaston.

The foyers provide a seamless flow into the living room, designed by Dale Lappe, whose dramatic bamboo Step Tansu, a complex construction of box-shaped drawers and cabinets, could have overpowered it but doesn’t. Balancing it is a daybed (one of the few pieces from Robb & Stucky) and Richard Agan’s elegant and hilarious Good Dog House and Bad Dog House tables. More tables, chairs and art fill the room, which is topped by a soaring mobile of wrapped film by Nancy Cervenka.

Mary Klein’s garden and adjoining garden room blend nature and artistic emulations of it. A narrow, plant-lined walk leads to a fountain and wall panel sporting jewel-toned cloisonne fish by Klein. Sean McKenzie’s rustic oak bench sits solidly among jaunty, copper-roofed bird houses and ceramic mushrooms sprouting from the bromeliads. Even the switch plates are one-of-a-kind, enamel on copper. The garden room is outfitted with custom rattan chairs and table by Philip and Cindy Herbach, surrounded by more nature-themed art and a flamboyant, flower-strewn floor cloth.

Grace-Anne Alfiero, who was the curator of the exhibition, also designed the nursery and master bedroom, stocking them with delicate art leavened by McKenzie’s rich wood furniture. The beautiful crib is the star of a baby’s room brimming with whimsy without the cloying cliches we usually see in such spaces. Most of the art (mostly by the Oiseaux Sisters, Susan Andrews and Carolyn Fellman) is at eye level. But in one corner a landscape by Sarah Ellen Smith is hung low next to an old, salvaged, child-sized rocking chair, as if to say, “Here’s your corner, little one, to sit and enjoy a good book and a painting.” Some of the accessories are for show only, such as Lin Jorgensen’s clay rattles that are charming but not practical.

The master bedroom uses more of McKenzie’s handcrafted furniture - a pair of sleek inverted triangles as side tables and small boxes hung on a long wall that function as shelving. Alfiero wanted to create a “nest” in this room and uses the idea as a metaphor, with alabasterlike ceramic vessels made by Charlie Parker to suggest them. Custom-printed birds fly across sheets and pillowcases, and Alfiero quilted abstract nests onto pillows.

To avoid an overworked, themed feel, she hung another landscape and a painting by David Williams (okay, there’s a small bird in it) that is a lovely collage of Japanese images. It’s a very nice room but needs more punch from the bed, which should be the focal point. It seems bland, in need of a more dramatic bed skirt and headboard.

The dining alcove, designed by Parker, is cozy but suffers from an overabundance of ceramics. Too many platters on the walls dilute the terrific ceramic fireplace made of interlocking pieces sculpted into a tropical theme.

Even with a few weaknesses, the installation is an impressive example of art’s practical applications. It’s part of Florida Craftsmen executive director Maria Emilia’s initiative to help artists attract a larger commercial market.

For six months, a group that included an architect, developer, Realtor, arts professionals and scholars met, taping all their sessions. Some of the discussions were as basic as an architect suggesting artists learn about building codes. (A fabulous facade won’t fly unless it can pass inspection.) They also developed a business plan for artists. Everything, including a virtual tour of the exhibition, will be available on DVD.

A panel discussion is scheduled for May 19 (location to be announced) with guest speakers Wendy Rosen, publisher of American Style magazine, and Robert Bischoff, chairman of the Master Craft Program at Florida State University. The session will look at models for partnerships between artists and lifestyle professionals.

Another meaningful collaboration was in involving young people. The Home Builders Institute used trainees in their Project CRAFT program to build the temporary space at Florida Craftsmen. Anyone between 15 and 19 with an interest in learning construction crafts and skills can join, but the program tries especially hard to interest those who have had run-ins with the law. Kids participating in the Youth Arts Corps made the living room rug and some of the decorative accessories, all as good as the professionals.

No window dressing here.

Lennie Bennett can be reached at (727) 893-8293 or lennie@sptimes.com.

source : www.sptimes.com

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