History Upcycled
Hammer & Hand is transitioning to our new logo and design for our blog site. We will no longer be using this blog. We have a self-hosted blog. Please visit www.hammerandhandimports.com we just recieved a killer shipment from India!
Please visit our showroom at 415 Olive Street located in downtown St Louis at the corner of Olive and N Broadway!
Showroom 314.544.4600
Thank you for all of your support!
Chris & Amy
Steampunk lamp - bedside lamp from a vegetable steamer with a strong long life energy efficient xenon bulb that gives a warm light color tone, a reflector, a small handle to help with opening and closing, a flexible arm and a heavy base with a touch dimmer knob!
The Steampunk movement has its roots in Victorian Era Great Britain when England was at the height of its colonial influence. That can still be felt in the style of Indian antiques at Hammer & Hand. We have a number of pieces from the late 19th century that remind me of Steampunk.
This 19th century Indian window shutter from Rajasthan, India has been upcycled into a truly unique mirror! It is made of very thick, solid, teak wood with original antique iron hinges and latch and a high quality new mirror. $595.00
Late 19th century teakwood actor's trunk with intact make-up tray and original handles. This one-of-a-kind, hand-made trunk from Jodhpur, India measures 18"W x 12"D x 6.75"T $150.00
The Steampunk movement also uses some sort of “upcycling ” in most of the pieces. Of couse, we love that! Check out our Etsy store!
posted by Chris Plaisted
A trip to the living past…a phrase that Chris and I picked up one night while watching Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. We were brainstorming that night and trying to come up with a catch phrase that made sense to us and helps to describe our products. We just happened to flip on the Travel Channel and what do you know…Anthony was in India! Cosmic? I think so!
Chris reminisced about the amazing memories he made while he was in India in 2008. The great food, gorgeous landscapes and amazing history were at the top of his list.
The Blue City - Jodhpur, India
At the end of the show Anthony did his usual narrative wrapping up the show and in this episode on India he said visiting India is like “taking a trip to the living past”. Really!?! Did we just get that lucky? Perfect. We will use it.
In order to follow along with this idea and the Hammer & Hand Imports way, we took a closer look at what we are offering our clients. History and upcycling…hmmm…we ARE history upcycled!
We were just asked by a few people the other night at Pink Friday http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/kplr-pink-friday-fashion-show-112310,0,7065444.story?track=rss-topicgallery what upcycling means.
BelleStyle - great jewelry! www.bellestyle.com
parker + paige
Hammer & Hand created boutiques for the designers.
As defined by Wikipedia…Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.
We have a ton of very special items to choose from for your holiday gift giving! Upcycled antique column candle holders, hand stitched tapestries (large and small) made from vintage Indian saris, picture frames made with salvaged magazines and vintage block prints (made to print fabrics in India) to name a few.
Upcycled antique column candle stand - $95
Upcycled Indian tapestries made with vintage saris - small $35 / large $80
Frames made with salvaged magazines (hand-rolled) - 3 sizes - $20, $30, $40
Small Indian pillows (many colors) - small $25/ large $35
Block prints - vintage - used to print fabrics $20
Come and visit us at 7609 S Broadway in Saint Louis 63111. We are open M-Sat. 10AM-5PM. We will post our holiday hours next week.
If you are out of the state…we ship! We hope to have our on-line store up and running in the next couple of weeks. For now, if you are out of the area please call us @ 314-544-4600 to place your order. We can take a payment over the phone.
We look forward to hearing from you!
We are having the time of our lives and we have only just begun!
1st collector for Very merry Hammer & Hand Christmas – History Up…
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Find that “know it when you see it” piece. We will be located at 7609 South Broadway St. Louis 63111. Can’t wait to meet you!
Over the past 8 years Chris has been the general manager for a landmark import furniture store in Orlando. He has seen the trends come and go and has a good feel for the market and has done a fantastic job when it comes to ordering goods for the store. One item in particular has been a big hit for the past three years, the flat screen T.V. console. Now that flat screen T.V.’s are much more affordable he orders many different styles and one thing is always certain, they sell!
As we were filling our Indian container we began doing more research on our demographic and the market in St. Louis. We wanted to make sure that we had a good mix and could fill the needs of our customers. One of the newest trends in living spaces are lofts. St. Louis happens to have an abundance of them in the downtown neighborhoods. There are so many cool developments and fabulous spaces to live in! What we particularly love is the fact that lofts, in essence, are “history upcycled” just as our furniture is. Developers are recycling old buildings and making them useful once again. The lofts feature large open spaces, many with large windows, high ceilings and exposed duct work. We love the architectural features and gorgeous exposed brick that we have seen.
We realize there are tricks to make these large spaces comfortable and homey. In particular, we considered the high ceilings and the need to create visual barriers for the home office, dining room and living rooms.
For starters, most of the kitchens we saw had islands or bars. This one is easy. Using stools at the bar or island will act as a divider for the kitchen.
Upcycled teak bar stool
Price – $175
A living room or family room can be easily divided by an area rug and a seating group.
Sustainable sheesham wood sofa w/ sari fabric cushions
Price- (includes 10 18×18 cushions and the 2 sofa cushions) – $1595
Console price – $650
Coffee table price – $595
In the dining room, there are several options for defining the space. You can use a buffet table, console table, cabinet, sideboards or even a bookcase.
Upcycled antique Indian door buffet - light wood will be stained dark
Price – $1395
Upcycled antique Indian door cabinet
Price – $895
Rajasthani bookcase w/ antique arch and door panels
Price – $995
Vintage Indian teak sliding glass door cabinet (one of Chris' favs!)
Price – $995
A home office is a very important space to many of our customers and living in a loft you will need a piece that will not only delineate this space but will also be very functional.
Upcycled oxidized iron rolling rack
Price – $695
Indian upcycled oxidized iron armoire
Price – $995
If you like big, bold statements in your art and furniture, a loft is a good place to make them and Hammer & Hand Imports located at 7609 South Broadway St. Louis, MO 63111 is the perfect place to buy from!
Call us for pricing and details! 314.544.4600
Hammer & Hand Imports new home!
Hammer & Hand has finally found a place to call home! We couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome. Seriously. This is exactly what we had in mind a year ago when we were sitting outside on our front porch, having a glass of wine and dreaming of what it would be like to own our own business. Amy and I had been married for about 6 years and just had a baby and we thought well, guess there is no time like the present! Bam! Hammer & Hand was born! Little did we know that our five year plan would end up being our one year plan.
Through this year we have had to make some big changes to our lifestlye and put in many hours working to make sure that this business would not only survive but make a real impact on St. Louis.
Our biggest challenge was finding the perfect home for Hammer & Hand. We searched countless areas all around St. Louis and were running out of options. Either we were finding that the area was not a good fit for our product or the space was too pricey for a new business just starting out. We really did our homework and know that the first year can really be rough on a new business and wanted to make the best decision; we did not want to be a small fish in a big pond in areas like the CWE and Webster Groves. We also know that our customers appreciate a location that they feel is welcoming and is accessable.
We look at over a dozen spaces in person and ended up finding a space near Carondelet park in the south Carondelet area. We asked a few STL “fans” of Hammer & Hand Import’s facebook page what they thought about this location. We got a 50/50 vote. So, after a ton of research and networking, it was the vision of Benjamin Simms and Steins Broadway that convinced my beautiful, intelligent and savvy wife, Amy (she really does rock on the internet research), that South Broadway fit the bill!
This area had largely been marginalized by the constuction of I-55. But, with the efforts of Benjamin Simms (Steins Broadway - http://www.steinsbroadwaycondos.com) and a few other developer/visionaries (Rothschild Development – http://rothschilddevelopment.com/), this area is undergoing a huge revitalization. Today, you can find yoga studios, coffee shops, restasurants, lofts and now Hammer and Hand in this exclusive new area of St. Louis.
We will be working with Steins Broadway and anchoring the retail district on South Broadway. They just added new landscaping, added vintage street lighting and poured a new sidewalk!
Located at 7609 Broadway across from The Broadway Bean http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000165207167&ref=ts and Carondelet Yoga studio (just opened last Friday!) http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Saint-Louis/Carondelet-Yoga/101831203209890?v=info&ref=ts is where you will find Hammer & Hand on November 1st!
Steins Broadway - St. Louis Business Journal
Steins Broadway -The Temtor – former Coca Cola plant getting a $27M makover - yes, this will be Hammer & Hand’s next home!
Did you see the finale of Design Star the other night? Emily Henderson chose Tom (the departed designer) for her client because he was sleek and modern and different from her bohemian style. In keeping with her style added a minor bohemian touch and encorporated some global accents and aged artifacts that showed the more intimate side of Tom and his love for travel. She said ” the juxtaposition between the aged artifacts and the sleek and modern creates the perfect style!”
Notice the wall carvings in these photos above the sofa? Hammer & Hand Imports will be getting wall carving like these from Rajasthan, India. They are all one-of-a-kind, hand-carved architectural elements typically made from old door headers and upcycled into to wall carvings. They are made of teak wood and can be used indoor or outdoor.
We have had a few people ask us about the significance of the statues of the Buddha and the Kwan Yin and the enlightenment they will bring to their garden/homes. Though they look similar, they carry very different meanings.
The Buddha is a man and the Kwan Yin is a female. In short, the Buddha carries the most important messages or lessons of life. The Kwan Yin on the other hand is a deity that women pray to for sons or beautiful daughters and men pray to for protection in battle. The Kwan Yin can be found in front of, or on the grounds of, many Buddhist Temples. She is a Boddhisattva.
Here is a breakdown of their meanings. I also included some gorgeous photos of stone statues that we have for sale now! They Buddha and the Kwan Yin are 4 feet tall and are $1295 a piece. A great price for the quality and size. These statues will add a touch of enlightenment to your garden or entry way.
The photos are the actual photos of the statues for sale through Hammer & Hand Imports website. For shipping rates and purchase information please email hammerandhandimports@yahoo.com RE: Stone Statue.
As a major world religion, Buddhism boasts a variety of regional, national and even local traditions and art styles. However, there are certain characteristics reflecting Buddhism’s Indian origins that remain constant in the various versions of the religion, and one of these characteristics are the poses and gestures depicted in Buddhist statuary. The ritual forms of Buddhist statues each carry an important message or lesson, and most are universal to the religion.
The five most common mudras are the Abhaya Mudra (right hand raised and palm facing out, with the left hand down toward the hips and also facing out, symbolizing peaceful intentions and peacemaking); the Bhumisparsha mudra (all five fingers of the right hand reaching to touch the ground, symbolizing the enlightenment of the Buddha under the Bodhi tree); the Dhyana mudra (one or both hands in the lap, symbolizing wisdom, possibly supplemented by ritual objects such as an alms bowl); the Dharmachakra mudra (the thumb and index finger of both hands touch at their tips to form a circle, symbolizing the Wheel of Dharma); and the Varada mudra (both hands at waist level, palms out, right hand up and left hand down).” – eHow.com
Read more: Meanings of Different Buddha Statues | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_4574507_meanings-different-buddha-statues.html#ixzz0wjm3fO7S
It is common to see Kuan Yin in various forms and poses. She always appears cloaked in white, the color of purity, and her gowns are long and flowing. Often she will be holding a rosary in one hand, a symbol of her devotion to Buddhism and its tenets. She will also have either a book (The Lotus Sutra, which refers back to her origins), or a vase, which symbolizes her pouring compassion on to the world.
Sitting Kwan Yin (aka, Kuan Yin, Pinyin, Guanyin, and Kuan Shih Yin)
Read more: Story of Quan Yin | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_5591112_story-quan-yin.html#ixzz0wjl7Z5mU
Chris was having a conversation with a designer client of his the other day and she mentioned that she wished we sold the hardware that adorns our pieces. She wanted to use it for kitchen and bathroom remodels. Gosh! What a great idea! You could even use it for your own upcycled furniture to give it a real old world look. So, we decided to add a ton of gorgeous hardware to our Indian container coming to St. Louis in October.
April 10, 2011
Hammer & Hand Imports
