My Three Favorite Things: Grayson Matula —
As an aesthetically-conscious bunch of designers here at Turnstyle Design, we are constantly keeping our eyes open for those unique pieces which make us feel special, feel at home, or any other such positive feeling. In this edition of My Three Favorite Things, we sat down with our late summer intern, Grayson Matula, who not only has many an uncommon object, but values them in a way only a creative young lady can.
With this in mind, we think you’ll enjoy seeing how members of our team contribute their personal aesthetic and visual perspective to our projects.
While in Burlington, VT, my family and I walked into a craft gallery to peruse some local art – the gallery sold a wide array of unique art pieces, including intricate ceramic vases, beautiful wood work, blown glass sculptures, jewelry, landscape photographs, and paintings. What we didn’t expect to find, however, was a whimsical little ram sitting on the checkout counter.
Being the animal lovers that we are, this quirky, oddly expressive plush ram immediately brought a smile to each of our faces. Filled with wonder, we asked the cashier what the ram’s story was. It turns out that the woman who made the ram had recently passed away, and this was one of her last pieces. Can you see it? Lamb’s wool is soft to the touch, with a beautiful coloring to it. Knowing this, we had no choice but to give the ram a home. Still today, the ram sitting on our shelf never fails to make us smile or to remind us of that woman and that cute little shop in Vermont.
When we moved into our current house, the previous owners kindly offered us several bar stools, which we readily accepted. These bar stools were quite unlike any I had ever seen before – very substantial with sturdy legs and large cushioned seats, no backs, and (the best part!) they swiveled. We were very pleased with the comfort and functionality of the stools, even though they looked rather plain with their oak frames and cream-colored cushions. However, after someone at a custom furniture store advised us to get rid of our “hideous” bar stools, we became determined to unleash their hidden potential and prove her wrong. To give them more personality, we had the cushions reupholstered with a lime green geometric print and deep blue piping, while the frames were painted a pale blue-gray. Years later, they’re still as useful as ever – we probably sit on those bar stools for hours each day!
Courtesy of Turnstyle, we have an installation of ceramic pieces in varying tones of gray cascading down our stairwell wall. The installation is so unique and a definite conversation piece; it elicits such intrigue, and each person perceives it differently, which is part of the reason why I love it so much. Several people have, with slightly concerned expressions, suspected the installation to be a rock climbing wall.
One person immediately recognized the artist, and yet another person remarked that the pieces looked like tortellini. It seems to be impossible for anyone to walk past the pieces without inspecting or touching them – even after walking past the installation every day for the past year or so, I often pause on my way down the stairs to examine the ceramic “shells.” I just love the way the pieces are clustered in the corner and make their way down the wall – we had initially struggled to figure out what to do with that wall, and I think the installation was a perfect choice for the space.
