KNOCK ON WOOD
Atlanta wood master Michael Courts designs unique custom furniture to suit any style. And space.
The company: Mcmeubel started in 1996 in the Netherlands, where the self-taught craftsman grew up. In 2005, Courts moved to Atlanta, where he had family, and restarted his company a few years later. Meubel is Dutch for furniture.
What's popular: Custom tables and vanities ($3,500 to $8,000), plus floating cabinets ($2,500 to $5,000).
Other favorites: Floating shelving units ($1,000 to $4,000) and desks (starting at $1,500).
Big break: Meeting and designing custom work for Cara Cummins, an Atlanta architect and partner in TaC studios.
Fun (or unusual) request: Build a pyramid 8 feet high with a 6-foot-wide base for an artist on the Atlanta Beltline.
Work seen in: Several Atlanta restaurants, including Upbeet, Yeah Burger, Minora and the original El Taco.
Where to buy: Contact Courts at info@mcmeubel.com, 404-218-5939 or on Facebook: mcmeubel Michael Courts. In Atlanta, find some of his work at Made Again, 299 N. Highland Ave.
GLASS ACT
In his blown work, North Carolina artist Hayden Wilson takes a contemporary twist on traditional Italian glassblowing techniques.
The artist: Wilson, who lives and works in Asheville, grew up in nearby Yancey County, where his father is a glass artist. In 2007, he earned a degree in sculpture from the University of North Carolina in Asheville. After graduation, he began working for glass sculptor Alex Bernstein, whose father, Billy Bernstein, taught Wilson's father glass blowing in the early 1980s. Wilson then began creating his own blown pieces and working as studio manager at the North Carolina Glass Center in Asheville's River Arts District. The center hosts about 20 glass artists who teach classes and display their work in the center's gallery.
The goods: Blown glass work ranging from drinking glasses to decorative vessels and lighting. Also one-of-a-kind glass sculptures in cast and fused glass.
What's popular: Thumb-notch stemless and tipsy glasses ($36 for one) and his Murrine pieces ($475 to $1,200), including colorful bottles, vases and bowls.
Fun (or unusual) requests: Lighting commissions. Recently asked to remake lights for an antique chandelier in Asheville's City Hall.
What's new: Sculptural work that is a process of screen printing with glass powders and fused to glass panels. The work can be seen in the current exhibition, "Forging Futures," at Blue Spiral 1 in Asheville (through Aug. 25).
Where to buy: haydendakotawilson.com
SPECIAL SERVINGS
Instead of collecting the Italian pottery she loved, Alpharetta’s Lisa Rae Palmer set out to make her own.
The artist: As an art history major at San Diego State University, Palmer fell in love with Italian artwork and pottery, especially after a visit to Italy. She earned a teaching credential in art education and is in her 15th year as an elementary school art teacher in Alpharetta.
The company: Alpharetta-based Lisa Rae Designs started in 2015 when Palmer started experimenting with platters and bowls for a version of the Empty Bowls Project (emptybowls.net) at her school. Outside of school, she started experimenting with other ceramic platters and dishes with an old-world look.
What's popular: Platters ($59 to $79) and trinket bowls and dishes ($15 to $30). During the holidays, bakeware and bowls ($45 to $75) and tree ornaments ($16 to $18).
Other favorites: Large, personalized wedding platters ($99). Also rolled-handled bowls and platters ($110 to $150) and scalloped platters and bowls ($49 to $79).
Where to buy: www.LisaRaedesign.com. In area stores, including All Inspired Boutique in Johns Creek and Sis & Moon's in Alpharetta. Also at several upcoming festivals, including the Piedmont Park Arts Festival (Aug. 19-20).
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