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Many of you know that the path that led Warren to
create Warren Hile Studio was the renovation of his 1920 Craftsman Bungalow
in Sierra Madre, California. After much painstaking
research on the Arts & Crafts period, Warren began, of course,
with the spindle Morris chair. He studied original finishes and
the way a piece would naturally age. After completion of his first
chair, the Hile family had one day to enjoy it ... and a local antique
dealer immediately snapped it up. This process was repeated several
times until finally Warren and Kevin Lathrop (Hile's current production
manager) decided that there was an obvious need for finely replicated
Arts & Crafts furniture. This was in 1991.
The rest is, as we say, history. But you can rest assured that
every Hile Studio pieces you purchase has a littlepiece of this wonderful
history. Warren still watches with a
keen eye to be sure each gem is just as well built, and as beautiful
as that original spindle Morris chair.
The design of our pieces falls into three categories. The first
is the exact measuring of original pieces made available to us by our
patrons. See list below. The second is the use of original
blueprints and the third is Warren's perfect design sense of pieces not
originally available.
#634 Table
8 Leg Sideboard ( No. 817)
#818 Server ( No. 818)
Bow Arm Morris Chair ( No. 336)
Slat Settle ( No. 208)
Morris Rocker ( L & J Stickley No. 475)
Limbert Side Chair (Awhanee
Lodge)
Limbert Double Oval Table ( No. 158)
Strength and durability, as well as integrity
of design, are hallmarks of Hile Studio. All Craftsman pieces are manufactured using true
mortise and tenon joinery. There are no nails or screws in any
load-bearing joints.
All pieces are hand-sanded. Extra care is taken to create an "aged" look. This
is accomplished by softening the edges.
On the Craftsman Heirloom pieces, a pigmented paste wax is used to create "darkening" in
the corners and around corbels. This adds to the "aged" look. We
do not "distress" our Craftsman pieces. The finished result has
the appearance of a well cared-for, true original!
Wood
Hile Studio uses the finest Select & Better
Quarter-sawn White Oak from the Midwest
Leather
Naked leather is used to complement the "aged" look of the furniture. This
leather is Scotch guarded but should still be considered "unfinished".
Finish (Heirloom)
The finish on each of our Craftsman pieces,
is a combination of water-based aniline die, shellac and paste wax. It is considered a delicate
finis, but spills, when mopped up immediately, cause no damage. Dining
table tops have a light coat of lacquer to help with spills.
Cherry wood pieces are not stained but receive
a lacquer and wax finish. This
finish will darken to a beautiful rosy color over time.
Finish (Premiere)
This finish is more durable and is only used
for public areas. It
is a combination of NGR dye, sealer and pre-catalyzed lacquer.
Tiles
Our Craftsman tiles are custom made for us and
feature a Grueby-like glaze to depict the pottery from this period.
Hardware
Our Craftsman Heirloom hardware is custom designed,
hand-hammered copper. Our
Premiere hardware is authentically replicated cast metals.
Oak
Cherry and Mahogany
Prairie (002)..............Light yellow ochre
Montecito (003).........Medium nut brown
Baldwin (004)............Medium red brown
Arroyo (005)..............Dark brown
Cherry (006).............Oiled
Mahogany (007).......Oiled
Sage Green & Iris Blue
A hand-rubbed paste wax finish, although not as durable as some of the sprayed-on
finishes common today, is what gives each Hile piece its rich, lustrous beauty
and aged patina. To maintain that appearance for years to come, follow these
simple instructions:
Avoid exposure to strong sunlight. Finish will fade.**
Avoid exposure to extreme heat or cold.
Humidifiers are helpful when using dry heating systems.
Use protective felt pads under lamps, telephones, clocks and radios.
When protecting the top with glass, do not use felt, plastic or cork
dots under the glass.
Do not use products containing silicone or lemon oil.
Avoid alcohol spills as they will permanently damage the finish.
Apply Howard's Feed & Wax 2 - 3 times a year.
See product at www.howardproducts.com
Use Pledge© sprayed on a soft cloth to
dust as often as desired.
The leather will stain. For some stain guarding
use Lexol© or Coach's© leather
products. Test on an unseen patch first as these products will slightly
darken light leather.
The finish on the Premiere Line is a beautifully
formulated, durable version of the Heirloom finish. This finish is "family friendly" and
has been tested in-house for durability to alcohol, heat, acid liquids
and solids, and water. Here are some simple care instructions:
Dust using a soft, dry or lightly dampened cloth
Do not use oiled and treated cloths
If a solvent based furniture cleaner is to be used, test an inconspicuous
patch first
Apply liquid wax occasionally to maintain sheen.
Furniture from Warren Hile Studio is built to last for years of normal
use.
General product care is usually sufficient.
Each order of Hile Furniture should be delivered to
you with the special
Hile Studio Care Tag.
Please let us know if you are still needing one.
Leather Color Choices
When working with natural products each hide may take on a different color.
This is our present finding:
Black....................Consistent true black
Mahogany............Varies from chocolate brown to reddish brown, distressed
Chocolate.............Varies from almost black to a dark chocolate brown
Burgundy..............Varies from dark burgundy to a genuine plum color
Saddle..................Varies from a light tan to a burnt orange or taffy
color
Hunter...................Varies from a dark green to a jade green
These variations can happen from one tannery order to another and we
are not able to special order our choice. We will do our best - but we
cannot promise a match.
About the Leather we use...
- The leather that we have selected to upholster pieces by
Warren Hile Studio is called " naked " . This term applies
to the simple fact that the leather is tanned as usual, but not finished.
- We have carefully selected " naked " leather
because of the subtle earth tones that complement our natural wood
stains and because of the tendency for it to age with use. This,
we feel, is in keeping with replicating historical pieces.
- It must be understood that because
of the lack of a shiny applied finish, all imperfections are
still present and some may end up in a finished cushion or seat.
- We try to work around this as much as possible ... but
unfortunately the "perfect" hide does not exist. If imperfections
are unacceptable, we suggest that the client select their own leather
for us to use. An allowance on the price will be calculated.
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