Storming the Bastille

Our Work with 24e, Savannah’s Finest Furniture Store

Written By: Bastille Metal Works - May• 17•12

At Bastille Metal Works we create designs all over the world, but we really love working in Savannah’s supportive arts community.

We are currently featuring a custom slip-cast zinc tabletop with an antique drafting table pump base in the 24e display room. It’s a perfect piece for a setting that is decorative and ornate with a modern flair. We really love their 424 Collection, that blends old world details with sleek design. Their modern accessories can transform a historic space into a beautifully functional home.

According to the staff, our table has received plenty of attention from its visitors and employees alike. We’ve even gotten a visit from a curious SCAD professor that saw our display and stopped by the office to learn more about us.

If you’re out for a stroll in this lovely spring weather please stop by 24e to check out our table and see some of the best contemporary furnishings and accessories that Savannah has to offer! You may even find the perfect new item for your home.

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Our Very Own Chris Plummer is CAP’s Keynote Speaker

Written By: Bastille Metal Works - May• 07•12

Chris, our CEO, was selected to talk to the Chatham Apprentice Program (CAP) graduates about hope and overcoming difficult obstacles to achieve success and happiness. The Program, provided through the poverty reduction initiative Step Up Savannah, offers many excellent resources, including employment training and help with job placement. Yet the most import resource it helps provide is building self confidence in its students. We were lucky to be a part of this transitional and life-changing moment for some CAP students as they move into sustainable careers to provide for themselves and their families. We plan to impact many more lives through our partnership, which will provide employment for some of the graduates of the program!

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Why Quality Matters: Craftsmanship and Customer Service

Written By: Bastille Metal Works - Apr• 24•12

At Bastille Metal Works we always go through a set process to ensure our products follow your inspiration and meet your exact specifications. To ensure accuracy we always consult with our customer, design the piece, produce the project in our artisan warehouse, and do a quality check to make sure the style and measurements are perfect. The whole process typically takes 6 to 8 weeks but varies depending on the level of complexity and labor needed. Here is how we do it:

First, Chris Plummer, our CEO and lead visionary meets with the client to understand what they are trying to accomplish. He asks questions about their current design and aesthetic preferences. He also helps the customer decide if pewter or zinc would be the best choice, based on the overall look and feeling they want. (If you’re wondering what the difference is, check out our last blog!)

Next, the customer sends the dimensions over to our architectural design team, led by Vice President of Operations Luciana Thompson, who mocks up the size and design in the shop drawings. Time is spent ensuring the measurements and preferences are exact.

Finally the template goes into production at our shop where the team creates the substrate and edge molding and uses our unique slip-casting process to seamlessly manufacture each unique piece. They then add the edging details and polish them to the desired finish and patina. At this stage the item goes through more quality checks to ensure the integrity and authenticity of the Bastille Design.

We are very proud of what Bastille Metal Works represents. When we say we utilize traditional craftsmanship, it goes beyond our ability to handcraft every item in our artisan work shop. It also means we retain the individuality, attention to detail, and high quality, ornate look of a centuries-old practice.

 

    

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The Design Differences Between Zinc and Pewter

Written By: Bastille Metal Works - Apr• 16•12

Cast zinc and cast pewter countertops were once a design staple in Parisian bistros hundreds of years ago. While very similar, it’s important to recognize the subtle differences between the two metals. Sometimes people confuse cast zinc and pewter because they share many qualities. Both metals are living alloys, are often associated with having antiquated “old world” look, are food-safe as well as anti-microbial.

The desired look, finish, patina, and even the owner’s lifestyle and habits can play an important part in selecting which choice is the best fit. This information will help you distinguish between the two metals and learn which is best suited for you.

Cast zinc and cast pewter surfaces undergo an oxidation effect which changes with time and use. The oxidation on the piece is called a patina. The piece changes and adapts with age and the way it’s used, creating a personality all its own. Zinc, with its distinctive blue-gray color, retains its matte surface and will continue to patina even with intense polishing. Pewter doesn’t have as strong of a patina with aging and use and can be polished to maintain its shiny appearance.

Surprisingly, cast zinc and cast pewter can also be an environmentally friendly option to ordinary tables, countertops, and bars. If properly cared for, each product can last decades, possibly even centuries. This level of quality reduces production and product cycle costs and waste. Also, zinc naturally forms a protective carbonate coating as it ages, so there are no toxic coatings and no risks of fading, peeling, or chipping.The ability of the metals to withstand hard use coupled with a sophisticated aesthetic is proving to be a successful design solution, combining artistic vision with fully functional design.

Many homes have basic upgrades such as granite countertops, high ceilings, or crown molding, and while nice, for the luxury design connoisseur, these may not have the originality and character often desired. Why not try an authentically customized piece; a design element that can change with you and tells your story.

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Economic Gardening Provides Excellent Resources for Growing Businesses

Written By: Bastille Metal Works - Apr• 10•12

We were very fortunate to have a contact at the Technology Association of Georgia introduce us to a pilot program that could take our business concerns and provide valuable research, manpower, and expertise. And surprisingly, all of this wonderful information is free!

The National Center for Economic Gardening was formed under the Edward Lowe Foundation, which strives to encourage entrepreneurship and establish strategies for economic growth. The Economic Gardening team uses innovative development techniques to ensure second-stage companies have the information necessary to support and develop their emerging business. And since Savannah doesn’t have an Economic Gardening Program, Bastille Metal Works was selected to participate in the Pilot Program to see if Savannah could benefit from this type of opportunity.

We established 3 main areas we wanted information on: Measuring the goals of healthy business practices, SEO optimization, and enhancing customer engagement opportunities. We are just beginning to work with the Economic Gardening team, but we’ve already gained lots of valuable insight. Each member of the TAG team has expertise in a given field and works to provide research, ideas, and information to help businesses to continue to grow in a planned and deliberate manner. Unlike a consulting firm, they don’t provide a report with a list of recommendations. What they do provide is a more valuable resource, collaborative research and resources for Bastille’s growing market.

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Our Growing Business

Written By: Bastille Metal Works - Apr• 02•12

We were very fortunate to have the folks from Complex Universal Furniture Supply come to visit us this week. They reviewed the bar we handcrafted for them and also enjoyed all the scenery and fine Southern dining that Savannah has to offer. The Complex team regularly go antiquing while visiting the U.S. and were happy to learn that Savannah has a sizable antiques market for them to browse. Now that they have made the final review, we are really looking forward to seeing the new pewter bar top fully installed in its new home in Tokyo!

We were also contacted by Derek Wilson from Bistro Life about doing some publicity in the United Kingdom. Our opportunities for international business have been rapidly increasing and we have seen a growing interest just within the last week. To learn more about our newest international projects, check out this week’s newsletter. It fully details our partnership with Complex Universal Furniture Supply and why it has big potential for the global expansion of Bastille Metal Works zinc and pewter range hoods, countertops, and custom furnishings.

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Partnering with CAP to Provide Sustainable Employment

Written By: Bastille Metal Works - Mar• 20•12

We are very happy to announce our partnership with the Chatham Apprentice Program (CAP), Savannah’s employment training class that helps individuals overcome poverty, gain basic skills, and obtain work experience to allow the graduates to secure sustainable and self-supporting jobs.

Bastille Metal Works will be providing several employment opportunities in our artisan metalworking shop to benefit CAP graduates. The position will fully train employees and give ample room for growth for engaged hard workers.

We are committed to fostering our community through business partnerships, campaigns, and volunteer work. Our work with CAP will support our efforts to help Savannah overcome employment barriers and impact positive social change.

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The Telfair Museum’s Bash and Live Auction

Written By: Bastille Metal Works - Mar• 01•12

The Bastille Metal Works team had a great time at the Telfair Bash this weekend. The slip-cast zinc and pewter table we contributed generated $5,000 for arts education and outreach in the Savannah community. The South Magazine took some great photos of us enjoying great company and live music.

Here are Katiana and Chris making their grand appearance. Here are the ladies of the office all dressed up and ready for the bash. Azim and his wife, Esther, make a striking couple. Mike, our Shop Manager, and his girlfriend Susan looked great, both in their picture and out on the dance floor. The ladies even got on stage and danced to a live rendition of “Proud Mary.”

We also collaborated with Savannah Millworks to donate a zinc bar to the Telfair Museum for all of their future events. The design was inspired by the decorative architectural style of the Telfair Academy. It was a wonderful time and we want to thank our friends at the Telfair Museum of Art for their generosity and support.

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“Like” us to Promote Social Change and Arts Advocacy

Written By: Bastille Metal Works - Feb• 22•12

Bastille Metal Works believes in giving back to the community. Diversity and differences are what makes each of us unique, and we believe artistry and education can provide valuable tools to better ourselves and rise above personal hardships.

AWOL is a nonprofit organization that provides art and technology education to at-risk youth. The organization focuses on providing a creative and non-violent environment with an emphasis on respect. The goals are to teach students’ real skills, a gift that can be passed along through generations, and provide cultural growth and sustainability. By providing a healthy, safe, and innovative outlet for energy and frustration, AWOL develops positive communication, social change, and self-awareness. Just like Bastille Metal Works, they believe deeply in the transformative abilities of creative inspiration.

To show our commitment to local programs advocating arts education and awareness, Bastille Metal Works will give $1 to AWOL for every person that “likes” our facebook page. Help us give to a program that Mayor Otis Johnson has said “fills a crucial need” in overcoming the effects of poverty.

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Table for the Telfair Museum’s Silent Auction

Written By: Bastille Metal Works - Feb• 16•12

One of our most recent projects is a donation we’re making to the Telfair for the Illume Live Art Auction. Chris drew his inspiration from a column in in the interior of the museum and modeled the technique on Savannah’s rich artistic culture with a modern twist.

The pewter table top has been made with a mirror finish and the base is handcrafted, slip-cast zinc.

Our table is one of the Telfair’s biggest donations and is worth a record $15,000. The proceeds will be going to benefit children’s art education within the community, so we hope to get some big bidders! Check out our video showing the process of creating the table from inspiration to finished product.

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