Friday Favorites 12/21/2012

Cheryl Katz, Contributing Editor
Blame it on Brooklyn–the epicenter of everything hip happening–for getting me hooked on handmade, local, old school, precious stuff. When I couldn’t get to New York City’s most highly populated borough recently, I did what I often do when I need a fix (or some clever gift): opened my laptop and surfed Best Made Co., where I found just the thing to give my friends for the new year–good, old-fashioned cheer.

Photo courtesy of Best Made Co.

Paula M. Bodah, Senior Editor
Several of the people on my Christmas list will be getting something from Roseberry-Winn Pottery and Tile, a Tiverton, Rhode Island, company that has an enchanting line of handcrafted porcelain dishware and accessories. Co-owner Michael Roseberry studied ceramics even while he was pursuing academic activities including botany and French. That background in botany shows up in the pretty patterns, suggesting flowers and foliage, that decorate the company’s pieces. Bruce Winn, the other owner, followed his passion for making things out of clay from the time he was in elementary school. When he’s not working with Roseberry-Winn or making his own pieces (his work is in the collections of the Boston Museum of Fine Art and The Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden, among other museums), he teaches ceramics at the Rhode Island School of Design.

I love the paisley design in this lamp, shown in a dove-colored glaze. Photos courtesy of Roseberry-Winn

A floral design in pretty spring green decorates a quart-and-a-half-size pitcher.

Meadow bottle vases–in butter, mint and amber glazes–are nice singly or in a group.

Roseberry-Winn also has a large line of tiles.

A combination of detailed tiles create a pretty design.

Kyle Hoepner, Editor-in-Chief
One item on my Christmas list this year involved large pieces of hardware. And I mean chunky, functional, automotive hardware of the cold-forged and precision-machined sort rather than elegant cabinet hinges and doorplates. (As you might suspect, the intended recipient is not exactly an enthusiastic reader of New England Home; he would be happiest if all tools came in a camouflage finish). But as I browsed the Makita website and other similar nooks and crannies of the Web, in the back of my mind I couldn’t help musing on what, exactly, might be the hardware opposite to the items I was seeking.

Perhaps it would be the work of Rhode Island–based craftsman Edgar Berebi. Imagine a toolchest full of the highly ornate doorknobs, frames, collectible boxes and other elaborate items that flow from his Barrington studio–is that something you might like as a holiday gift?

Winchester collection bronze door hardware. All photos courtesy of Edgar Berebi.

Frog box in jade, erinite crystal and gold plate.

An assortment of drawer and cabinet pulls.