Favorite Design Element: Framed Intaglios

Image via Quatrefoil Design

From the first time I saw a framed intaglio, I thought is was the perfect combination of sculpture and art.

An intaglio is a figure or design carved into stone or a hard material. "Intaglios, cameos, and medals were popular among collectors in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Skilled engravers copied such artefacts from the classical world, reproductions were made in paste and glass, and collectors bought them not only for display, but to study classical Greece and Rome. Additionally new medals and intaglios were as popular with collectors, who bought them to commemorate, and to show an affinity with the contemporary events and personalities depicted in them: battles, parliamentary acts, political campaigns, and philosophers, statesmen, soldiers, sailors, poets, writers."(from the UCL Bentham Project)

Framed intaglios are incredibly versatile, and can be used in just about every room of the house (a friend of mine even has some in her bathroom, and they are gorgeous in there). They look just as good hung in small groups as they do in large groups, but I am always a fan of a large, dramatic group!

In this streamlined design, designer Jim Hawes of Caldwell-Beebe uses large scale frames with a single intaglio to great effect (there are two frames over the chest). Love that lamp - it costs a small fortune, but it is truly like a little sculpture.

Betty Burgess makes a big statement with these framed intaglios mounted on lilac colored silk. The sheer number of the framed intaglios makes this room exceptional!

A lovely display of framed intaglios above twin beds at the Mrs. Howard store. (a quick snapshot with my iphone).

I am not sure where this photo comes from - (edit: a readers tells me it is the Shabby Slips store in Austin) - it was the framed intaglios above the beds that caught my eye.

A stunning arrangement of framed intaglios arranged around a Louis Phillipe mirror. I think that intaglios work so well to expand a scene - this room would not be as beautiful with just a mirror on the wall. It is the arrangement of the intaglios, with the cases and the mirror, that makes this vignette work. Design by Womack Interiors.

This room, also by Womack Interiors, was my favorite room from a recent showhouse in Atlanta - mainly because of the framed intaglios on the wall.

In my own dining room, I used two sets of four framed intaglios (for a total of eight) to widen the scene. Adding the framed intaglios to my dining room really elevated the space to a new level; everyone who comes to my house comments on them.

This living room, from a real estate listing, caught my eye because of the framed intaglios mounted on the horizontal over the sofa.

My neighbor hung four sets of framed intaglios above her bed.

I love everything about this room, but it was the arrangement of framed intaglios that made the biggest impression on me. Design by Amy Morris.

A room by Suzanne Kasler has a series of six framed single intaglios mounted on an aqua color silk (a color repeated in the pillows).

Another Suzanne Kasler vignette - she was one of the very first to use intaglios as a decorative accessory. The edges of these intaglios are painted black for maximum contrast.

Although no photography was allowed at a recent showhouse in Atlanta, I snuck a picture of the beautiful wall of intaglios in the room designed by Suzanne Kasler. What a dramatic statement!

Here is a clearer picture from Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles, where a glimpse of the framed intaglios can be seen.

Last year, I did a post on intaglios, and I still receive emails from readers asking where I found my intaglios. This inspired the creation of 'Quatrefoil Design' (click here to visit the store), an online store that a friend and I recently started. I have always dreamed of having a store, so this little virtual store has been a labor of love. It has been so much fun to see the store start to come alive! Please stop by and see the beautiful framed intaglios that we have designed for the store.

We are working with the most talented framer in the Southeast, and have created 22 designs available in two sizes: small (11"x14" - outer dimension 12 3/4" x 16") and large (16"x20" - outer dimension 17 5/8" x 21 5/8"). A top Atlanta designer, Judy Long of Tillman Long Interiors, was consulted to create suggested groupings for sets of 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 16, or 20. I have found that they all work together quite well, and there is no right or wrong configuration, but sometimes it helps to have suggestions!

The designs can either be ordered in a hand rubbed gold frame with cream matt, or a hand rubbed silver frame with medium gray inner matt, and light gray outer matt. This silvery tone goes beautifully with the grays that are being seen more and more in interior design, and has a cool tone to it; the gold is a richer warmer option.

There are several single intaglio designs which work well with each other, or can mix with the other designs. If they are going to be used individually or in a small set, the matt can be sized smaller to frame the intaglio more closely. Although it is hard to see in this picture, the face of the intaglio on the left is facing center, and the face of the intaglio on the right is also facing center. Little details like this make all the difference!

Best of all, the price is wholesale, but available to everyone. For the small size (outer dimension 12 3/4" x 16") : $225 each. Volume discounts are available too: $195 each for 4-9 sets; $175 each for 10-19 sets; and $165 each for 20+ sets; for the large size (outer dimension 17 5/8" x 21 5/8") $285 each for 1-3 sets; $260 each for 4-9 sets; $240 each for 10-19 sets; and $230 each for 20+ sets. Quatrefoil Design offers a courtesy discount to the trade and special stocking store price (email quatrefoildesign@gmail.com for more information). I have seen framed intaglios around town that are not nearly as well done, priced at $495 each -Quatrefoil Design framed intaglios are exceptionally beautiful, the framed are all custom crafted, sanded, and hand-rubbed in gold or silver; and less than half the price! Please visit the Quatrefoil Design store for more information (click here), and the companion Quatrefoil Design blog.

Inspirational Design Talent: Amy Morris

I was first introduced to Amy Morris through the Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles bathroom design contest:

This is such an exquisite vignette, with the freestanding tub, the beautiful French style mirror behind the tub (reminds me a bit of the work of Kerry Joyce, with an Atlanta twist), the petite French chair, and the side table with my favorite flower - tulips. The bathroom has wood floors, a bathroom trend I am seeing more and more. What's not to like about this picture? Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles has a particular strength at identifying and promoting the best new emerging talent in the Southeast design scene; based on this picture, I decided to check out the designer's web site. Be prepared for some beautiful never before seen images!

Designer Amy Morris clearly she has an incredible eye and a great talent for creating beautiful spaces. This is the image that greeted me at the front page of Amy's website, and it was a wonderful introduction to Amy's work - overall neutral, with texture and interest. I love the lines of the bookshelf, the mixture of seagrass baskets with parchment books, glass paperweights, and architectural fragments. The amazing photography of Emily Followill makes the vignette even more beautiful (all images by Emily Followill, used with permission from the designer).

Another vignette from the front page of Amy's site, with a combination of some of my favorite elements: the symmetry of two lamps, flowing silk curtains, a lyre back chair (a musical shape that I love), and the 'x' motif in a beautiful desk.

Amy likes to mix it up in her designs, and often uses great abstract art with treasured family pieces and wonderful finds at local haunts like Scott's antique market.

Another space where Amy made a charming and completely unique vignette that defines the entry to the home. I love it when a home has a long wall like this in an entry - it makes for so many possibilities on the decor side of things!

Amy worked with Atlanta design star Barbara Westbrook for five years before starting her own firm in 2005. From Barbara, she gained an appreciation for traditional and French modern design, although she describes her current direction as transitional design with a clean, fresh, and eclectic style.

I absolutely love the style of this room, as seen from different angles. It is richly colored and very sophisticated; although I usually gravitate to a lighter palate, there is something about this room that makes me want to pick a room in my house and make it cozy and gray. The dash of teal in the antique chair is a perfect balance.

Another bathroom where Amy uses a full length mirror leaning against a wall, also set behind a free standing tub. I love how the color of the tub is a perfect match for the color of the fabric in the shade.

I originally thought that this was part of the same bathroom, but the floor is much darker. The same color in the fabric of the window treatment is used, which is carried through to the charming chair at the vanity.

This is a great casual dining area, with its slipcovered chairs, grass planter on the table, and glass lights hanging from ropes.

Here is a kitchen designed by Amy. There are so many interesting elements going on here - the beams on the ceiling (adding that great third dimension to the space), the layout on the far wall, with no cabinets, two windows on a wall done entirely in tile, a giant clock, the two lanterns above the island.

Based on the beams, I am guessing that the previous three pictures are part of the same house. I love the contrast of the trim color on the doors.

A powder room, which is so rarely seen in magazines and portfolios. This one is charming.

A sophisticated bathroom designed by Amy.

What a great use for a small wall in a stairway. The four ebony medallion reliefs look like giant intaglios. Does anyone know what these are called? I love the settee along the stair wall too; the pillows provide a little dash of color.

This is my favorite picture from Amy's website. I am not sure if it is the bed - one of my favorite styles, by Lewis Mittman - or the intaglios hanging above the bed - or the combination of all the elements, but it is definitely a design that speaks to me.

For more information on Amy Morris' work, please visit her website. Amy is one of the featured designers in the upcoming Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles Christmas House; she will be designing a bedroom. Based on everything I have seen on her website, it will be spectacular!

Come visit Hooked on Houses to see what everyone else is posting about this week!