Jean Chaput battles the Red Baron

"Mobile" as a term applied to kinetic sculpture was suggested in 1931 by French artist, Marcel Duchamp to describe the mechanized creations of Alexander Calder. Mobile art suggests something to be enjoyed with the eye. 

Art can be enjoyed as a toy as well. 

Jean Chaput battles the Red Baron

Here Jean Chaput, French WWI ace, battles the Red Baron. Une touche du doigt, a touch of the finger sets these aviators to rocking back and forth in the skies above France. 





Note.



The Red Baron is Manfred von Richthofen, Germany’s best known war ace. 

Jean Chaput was a Parisian. With the beginning of World War I, he took to the skies flying a Nieuport. He was wounded and hospitalized on multiple occasions. By April of 1918, he had sixteen kills, including one over German Ace Lt. Erich Thomas. By now he was flying a SPAD. He was shot down and killed May 6th, 1918. Chaput was 24 years old.

The Dining Room at the KC Designers' Symphony Showhouse

The second in a series of articles on the 45th Annual KC Symphony Designers' Showhouse. Like them on Facebook and watch as the designers get ready.

45th KC Symphony Designers' Showhouse

The challenge for designers Kathy Carter, Missy Dean, and Alex Young is to create a dining setting appropriate to the 45th KC Symphony Designers' Showhouse.

This year's showhouse is again located in the Country Club District of Kansas City, Missouri. This home, built in 1921, was designed by the architectural firm of Hoit, Price and Barnes. The Jacobean design is one, which originated in the early 1600's. It is known for its ornate elements and  extravagant silhouettes. This home's outstanding exterior features include the symmetrical construction of porches, the well-intentioned griffins perched on the porches, three front facing gables, and the widow's walk at the top of the third floor. The construction material is native Kansas limestone.

Griffin

Designers at Traditions Furniture in Downtown Overland Park - Kathy, Missy, and Alex have chosen Stickley's Traditional Collection for the dining room.  This allows them to select near-period pieces and from styles that range from Queen Anne to Chippendale.

before dining room

The front door of the home leads to the foyer and a staircase that ascends to the second floor sleeping quarters. To the right of the foyer is the living area. To the left is the dining room. The exposure is southern, providing lighting throughout the day. One of the unique features of the home is the Jacobean style leaded glass windows throughout the home.

Landing area, windows and chandelier

Stickley's Traditional Collection offers several choices of breakfronts, tables and chairs. Graceful in design, the traditional breakfront or china, has intricate door mullions that match the pattern of the leaded glass of the home. The pediment top is optional. Choice of wood is mahogany and black cherry.

Stickley traditional china

A room should be balanced. And then, the addition of pieces should serve a function. Kathy, Missy and Alex suggest the addition of a sideboard an round table, the one piece as a server and the other as a gathering point, to leave a book, a phone, or just a place to rest. The Monroe sideboard can act as a server, if needed. It is also a focal point for a mirror or work of art. The small round table with brass lions feet is the perfect addition for a small space.

Monroe sideboard

Small round table

The table and chairs are without doubt the most important features of the room. The table is where we gather with family and friends to break bread and savor the life's better moments. The clipped corner dining table in solid mahogany extends to ten feet with four self-storing leaves. The Chippendale style chairs are comfortable and beautiful.

This year's designers' showhouse promises to be a great one with beautifully designed rooms from top to bottom. And don't miss the landscaped lawn and gardens. Join us and the Kansas City Symphony Alliance, and all the great designers this April and support a worthy cause, the Kansas City Symphony.

45th Annual Kansas City Designers' Showhouse

"In the Spring a young man's thoughts lightly turn to thoughts of love." Alfred Tennyson

In Spring, a young man's thoughts may turn to love, but the Kansas City area designers turn their thoughts to the 45th annual showhouse. This is one of the longest-running fund raising events in Kansas City. It benefits a worthy cause, the Kansas City Symphony in its 42-week long season at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

45th Annual KC Designers' Showhouse

This year's showhouse is at 1246 W. 59th Street in the Country Club District of Kansas City, Missouri. The home was built in 1921 by the architectural firm of Hoit, Price and Barnes. Its design is Jacobean, which originated in the early 1600's, known for its ornate elements, extravagant silhouettes and dramatic style. The construction material is native Kansas limestone.

The front of the house has several interesting architectural features. There are the twin porches that frame the door. Perched atop each porch rests a stone gargoyle that protects the house from evil spirits. At the top of the house on the third floor is the widow's walk, a feature more customary to coastal areas where wives would watch to see if their husbands returned from the sea.

The history of the house is long and illustrative. It was originally designed for Fred Hoose, his wife Alice and their two children. Fred eventually left Kansas City for an acting career in Los Angeles. As a character actor, Hoose played the marshal in Lone Star Law Men (1941), judge in Riding the Sunset Trail (1941), and a beleaguered rancher in Where the Trails End (1942).

Read more history of the home, by Beverly Shaw, Symphony Alliance historian.

It is now February and ones sees the remnants of winter's snow. By April the 26th when the showhouse opens to the public, the rooms will be done, the trees and the grass will have turned green. The landscaping, done by By the Blade, will be a symphony of color.

In addition to the front view of the house there are the dramatic side and rear views. The home has been designed for the contours of the land. It nestles within the side of the hill and is surrounded by ancient trees.

Traditions Furniture is proud to again work on the Designers' Showhouse. This year we will be doing the dining room. The style is traditional 18th century Chippendale by Stickley. The designers this year are Kathy Carter, Missy Dean, and Alex Young.

Valentine's Day

 
It's not a great start to the week. It is a grey Monday morning and three more inches of snow have fallen on top of ten. The dogs shudder at the thought of going out. But the bird feeder is empty, so the dogs and I trudge though the soft white piles of driven snow to add sunflower seeds to the feeders.

Back inside, at work on the computer looking outside the window, I am rewarded with a colorful display of hungry red and grey cardinals and black-eyed juncos flitting about the feeder. It makes me happy, as I listen to Lindsey Ray sing "You make me happy." 

[You can be happy and listen to Lindsey Ray by clicking on the link.]

This is the week of Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day arrives this Friday, the 14th. So, what makes your Valentine happy? Is it a box of chocolates, a dozen roses, and a night at the movies? That is a start. 

But caring about someone and making them happy takes more than a wallet or a purse. Caring about someone is a simple thing. It is  sharing what matters in life - a walk in the park, a touch of the hand, a message written in chalk for all the world to see, even a smile on a grey cloudy day. Lindsey Ray suggests that it "a kiss on my cheek, always letting me know I'm the birds and the bees." Not a bad idea on a grey, cold Monday, or any day.

How do the birds stay warm?

If you are like me, then you are wondering how birds stay toasty warm when it is bitter cold. And how about those Mallard ducks and Canadian geese that float on an icy pond? Mon dieu, en hiver, il fait froid.

As Michael Stern reports in Living on Earth, it is because of an adaption called rete mirabile. This adaption, in a nutshell, is a wonderfully complex web of arteries and veins that exchange heat and so keep the warm blood flowing to and from the heart. That and a little feather puffing to insulate the birds from the frigid air.

How is the New Year looking?

The New Year looks pretty good from the Voyager recliner by Stressless.

Stressless recliner at Arches National Park

Visit Arches National Park in eastern Utah and discover a landscape of vibrant colors, unique landforms and textures, unlike any other spot in the world.
(Image from National Park Service at the US government digital archives.)



Traditions' traveling reporter thought this image of Arches' Balanced Rock a suitable way to look at the new year. How is your new year shaping up? Here we are, two weeks into 2014; and it has been a week of "polar vortex" combined with snow, ice, and sleet, then days of balmy bliss. Well, it teaches us that the weather is anything but predictable.

Stressless Voyager recliner

Voyager in Cerise color

What is predictable is the comfort one experiences in the Stressless Voyager recliner. With its innovative Scandinavian design, the Voyager brings a new dimension to Stressless design.  The comfort is unrivaled, the leather cushioning - sumptuous and luxurious as you relax, while embracing and supporting your entire body.

Defining Modern at Stickley

Often, designers use the terms modern and contemporary interchangeably. 

We can agree that contemporary decorating is current with today, things modern right now. Contemporary is thought of as warm and welcoming without clutter, casual and inviting. Modern styling is similar - simple, unadulterated, and even minimalist to the point of being considered stark. Every object has its place and purpose. But Modern design technically refers to a time period, the 1920′s – 1950′s. 

Colors schemes in both modern and contemporary design are neutral - black and white with a splash of color to make a statement. Floors are normally hardwood, a carpet may soften the look.

We've chosen three collections by Stickley Furniture to show how modern and contemporary styling can be at home in three different settings.

Stickley Prairie Settle and Bow Arm Morris Recliner

In the mountains or at the farm, the Stickley Prairie Settle and Bow Arm Morris recliner in cherry is at home. A classic design since 1912, when L.& J.G. Stickley unveiled the paneled “Prairie” design. Available in both quarter-sawn oak and cherry (shown here). The focus is on the beauty of the wood.

Stickley 21st Century

Stickley's interpretation of the 21st century with this cherry setting. The Stickley 21st Century collection defines the timelessness of arts and crafts design and the essence of Modern style.

Stickley Bay Road sofa

Stickley goes to the lake with the Bay Road sofa and occasional pieces from the Coronado collection.Pretty doesn't have to be cluttered. The lake is the perfect place to relax and Stickley is the perfect setting wherever you are.

Stickley Traditional dining in the 2014 Winter Sale

Warm up with the Stickley 2014 Winter Sale - 40% off suggested retail prices.

Hepplewhite sideboard by Stickley

In the 18th century, Europe and America fell in love with the rich, satiny look of mahogany wood from Central America. Along with cherry, mahogany became the basis of a classic style that adorned homes in England and America.

Choose the classic mahogany dining table and Chippendale chairs. Thomas Chippendale (1718-1779) did not invent the style that bears his name. In 1754 he published a book of his designs, titled The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director that reflected reigning fashion in England, blends of Gothic, Asian, and French Rococo designs. The designs were used cabinet makers in Boston and Philadelphia, as well as London.

The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director

Classic Mahogany dining table and chairs by Stickley

Chippendale chairs

The equally beautiful Monroe Place table and Hepplewhite chairs are always in style. George Hepplewhite (1727? –1786) was one of the "big three" English furniture makers along with Chippendale and Thomas Sheraton. No furniture made by Hepplewhite exists but he gave his name to a light, elegant style. A Hepplewhite chair typically exhibits a shield back design. In 1788, his widow Alice, who continued his business after his death, published a book of his designs, The Cabinet Maker and Upholsterers Guide.

The Cabinet Maker and Upholsterers Guide.

Monroe Place table and Hepplewhite chairs

See all the Stickley traditional and classic dining in pdf format.