Teroforma

We’ve been mulling over the idea of mixing warp/weft tones to develop a new line of table linens. These are among the first sample swatches. Still working out the details and probably need another few runs at it before we get it right. In the meantime, we’d love to hear your thoughts – which color combination do you like better? If not here, which combination of colors would you most like to see? Nothing like conducting market research with the people who matter most to us

Green/Blue

Blue/Red

Our friend Jenn Clapp is a bit of a tableware nut. So much so, we enlisted her help when we first began developing the idea for Teroforma. Now an interior designer with a leading Boston architectural firm, we suspect she has thoughts about the perfect decanters and linens more often than she admits. This photo was submitted by Jenn in the spirit of longer days, warmer nights and summer color.

This image was taken by Trey Ratcliff in the Chinese area of Malacca along the southern coast of Malaysia using HDR – a photography technique which, as he mentions, is a method by which an image or a series of images are manipulated in post-processing to do things that are virtually impossible with a single aperture and shutter speed. The image highlights a wonderful contrast between the simplicity of the family gathering together to eat dinner and the vivid color and apparent motion of the surroundings. To see the rest of Trey’s fantastic HDR work and to learn a bit more about the technique itself, we highly recommend visiting his website – stuckincustoms.com

After a few years of trotting around the world in search of artisans and designers in far-flung locales with whom to work on our projects, we felt it was time to look a little bit closer to home for our new introductions for Spring/Summer 2009. Each and every new item we have developed this season is made right here in the US. All the products will be available for sale on the website in the end of April – but feel free to order in advance on the website starting next week. Let us know what you think.

Loft Table Tools
Made from Fallen Pennsylvania Hardwoods
The Loft Series represents traditional craftsmanship presented in a modern idiom, using local materials and local expertise. Each piece was designed by Norwegian designer Thea Mehl and hand-carved from fallen hard woods using traditional methods by master woodworker Bill Baumgartel at Blueberry Hill Treenware in Pennsylvania. The series comprises two sets: a Condiment Set – jam spoon, chutney fork, spreader; and an Hors d’Oeuvres Set – pâté paddle, cheese knife. The specific hardwood type can vary from set to set depending on local availability.

Avva Serving Boards
Made from Conscientiously-sourced New England Beech
The Avva serving boards continue the core theme of complementary angles consistent with our entire Avva range. For this project, we did the design work in-house – it had been something Anna, Thea and I have been discussing for a long time and we knew just how we wanted it to look. Working together with Klaas Armster of Armster Lumber and Ken Fields of Breakfast Woodworks – both right here in Connecticut. All of the wood is taken from either CT or MA and has not been cut down for our purposes, but rather salvaged or otherwise reclaimed. Seemed kind of like common sense to us.

Tarn Coasters, Trivets & Mats
Made from Merino Wool Felt
Having recently returned home to Oslo from a seven year stint in London, Tarn designer Thea Mehl likes being close to friends and family but admits that the weather in Norway could be better. Turning negative into positive, Thea drew inspiration for the irregular shape of the Tarn series from a small cluster of puddles that collected outside her Oslo studio after an autumn rainstorm. Made from 100% Merino wool felt by Aetna Felt in Allentown, PA, each item is offered in a choice of 3 colors: light gray, dark green or deep blue.

If Teroforma were a highly sophisticated yet wonderfully accessible on-line fashion/design publisher, we like to think we might look a bit like Vancouver-based h(y)r collective. What started as conversation about our whisky stones turned into a discussion with Owen Parrot – one of h(y)r’s editors – and a recently published interview with Anna and me about Teroforma and it’s mission. We thought you might enjoy the read. And we know you’ll enjoy their fantastic site!

This timelapse was shot by architect James Leng – born in California and now based in Holland – during a get together with friends for a Turkish dinner. No word on how the food was, but the timelapse communicates a real honesty about the jumble of life that surrounds a great meal with friends. You can see some of James’ other camera work by checking him out on flickr.

A few of us from Teroforma just got back from a trip up to Vermont to see our friends at Vermont Soapstone who make our Whisky Stones. We spent much of the day with owner Glenn Bowman as he showed us around his workshop. We talked about the origin of his company and also a bit about its history. We thought we’d share some of our pictures from the trip. Let us know what you think. Enjoy!

Hawks Mountain, VT. Site of the original Vermont Soapstone quarry.

Vermont Soapstone in Perkinsville, VT.

Owner Glenn Bowman was born and raised on Nantucket where his family ran an inn.

Glenn shows us a picture of the original Vermont Soapstone mill which was entirely hydro-powered. It was relocated decades ago to its present location (about a mile away) following an engineering project that dammed the river to prevent flooding in the Connecticut River Valley.

Stone clamps line the banister as you walk onto the workshop floor. They're used during a setting process required to make composite pieces water-tight.

The light is great in this picture. It was shot using a Lumix DMC LX3 on out-of-the-box settings before we'd had a chance to read the manual.

A slab of soapstone is laid on this table as its cut into the pieces that become our Whisky Stones.

A close-up of the workshop wall. Just really like the texture in this picture.

Just visible off to the left in the image three above this one, this is a close-up of a closed-loop water filtration system that Glenn devised to clean away rock dust without infecting the local water table. The pipes pictured above feed the dirty water through 4 large mesh bags that capture the particles in the water as it is recycled to continue its cleaning process. According to Glenn, the approach is consistent with the way the original hydro-powered mill ran back in the 1800s, long before anyone ever heard the term sustainable manufacturing.

A friend of ours started this habit of reaching into his pocket during dinner, grabbing his camera and taking a quick overhead shot of the table at the height of mid-meal messiness. The first few times he did it, we just thought it was a bit odd. But seeing a bunch of his shots all together, it kind of caught on with us. These are some of our favorites from our own meals over the past year or so – and a couple thrown in from friends. We’ve started to collect them – the more beautiful, bizarre, energetic, unexpected, the better. If you have any you’d like to share, just shoot us an email at creative [at] teroforma.com with the picture and a short caption of where the picture was taken and we’ll post it. We warn you, it’s addictive.

Chicken and shrimp skewers with designer Anna Dabrowski in Berlin.

At home in Connecticut with a slightly styled braeburn and a triple cream from Normandy.

At brunch with friends in NYC.

At lunch with JP and Grace in Tangshan, China.

Dinner with friends in Berlin.

Just before getting on the train in Braga, Portugal.

A late lunch outside the Broadway Market in London.

Fresh, wonderfully perishable food from Borough Market in London.

A serious picnic in Oslo.

At lunch with Chockchai outside of Bangkok.

Anna Hellman is a co-founder of Teroforma.