65 Million Year-Old Art :: Design Elements

May 2012 Gallery

Objet d’art :: Sink Vessels :: Floor and Wall Tile

65 to 180 Million Year Old Art  :: Javanese Petrified Wood

In late Tertiary (Pliocene) times, the region experienced near-perfect conditions for the creation of petrified wood. Until man’s intervention, the region was blanketed by thick tropical rainforest so there was plenty of wood to start with. These forests often develop on the flanks of volcanoes that occur along the “spine” of the country from Sumatra in the northwest toBaliand beyond in the southeast. It is this close proximity of forests to volcanic activity that was so conducive to preservation of the wood.

Periodically the various volcanoes erupted in much the same way as didMount St. Helensin 1980. Trees were blown down by the force of the eruption and encased in scorching volcanic ashes. If the trees were too close to the volcano, they were simply incinerated. Too far away, and the trees were not totally covered by the volcanic ash and with time they consequently rotted away in the normal way. However, in the middle of these two extremes, the trees were buried by thick ash which was so hot that it effectively sterilized the trees, destroying all the microbes that normally cause wood to rot.

The volcanic ash has another important function in the generation of petrified wood. It is rich in silica minerals, and the fluids percolating through the ash would also have been saturated with these minerals. The fluids seeping through the ash slowly dissolved the original organic matter of the tree, atom by atom, and replaced it with various silica-rich minerals such as quartz, chalcedony, and jasper. The preservation is so fine that in places you can see the cell structure of the original wood.

The beautiful and varied colors come from trace elements that are dissolved in the silica. Traces of iron, for instance, impart the shades of brown and amber, while manganese oxides produce the blacks and blues. Growth rings are less well developed relative to deciduous trees due to the lack of seasons in a tropical climate, while the large cell structures reflect the moist conditions in which the tree originally grew.

GREENPOD WaterHaus

GREENPOD designed and built homes is featuring a series of Spring Tours starting April 7 at their factory here in Port Townsend.

Joglo is proud to be represented in the WaterHaus model that will be on display both here at their factory and in the Seattle Green Home Tour later in the month.

GREENPOD has incorporated one of our Natural Riverstone Sinks along with our Basi Green Square and Herring Bone Tiles in the main bath area.

Special thanks to Ann and the design team for using Joglo.

      

Natural Sinks

April 2012 Gallery

This month we are featuring natural sink designs that just arrived from our most recent buying trip to Java. Our designs have been created using green, sunset, ijo and natural onyx, petrified wood, riverstone and teak root.

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Four new stone tile designs have also arrived in time from spring and summer projects; petrified wood mosaic, pence mix mosaic sliced pebble, maroon mosaic sliced pebble and red-tan-white mosaic sliced pebble. We compliment our entire Spa Collection with artisan reclaimed and plantation grown teak furniture designs that create relaxing spaces.

 

Bali Design

March 2012 Gallery

Our Bali container has arrived, transforming our showroom once again with treasured finds and some new designs in sustainable furnishings. From among the rare and unusual, this fancifully carved antique bed of teak… 

                    

Featured this month as well, the oil paintings of a young Balinese artist who poignantly captures the timelessness of village life.

                                                                   

Sharing the walls are the whimsical creations of Lulu, whose pieced antique batik rugs are a favorite among Bali designers.

 

Kitchen & Bath Stone Accents

This artistic client applied two styles of Joglo’s natural stone tiles to create wonderful accents in her recent kitchen and bath remodel. The bath vanity also shows one of our natural riverstone sinks.

     

The kitchen photos show our Terra Wall Tiles used as both a backsplash and under-cabinet wall accent.

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The natural roughness of the small red marble pieces that comprise the tile surface offer an effective contrast to the smooth counter surface.

 

 

The Terra Tiles are rigid tiles measuring 8 inches square and are made up of many smaller cut rectangular pieces in a mosaic design. The exposed surface has a rough look that creates wonderful verigation of color and texture.

 

 

 

 

 

The master bath upgrades include a Joglo Natural Riverstone Sink and Sliced Black Bali Pebble Tile as both a vanity sink accent and meandering floor mosaic.

Thank you to our new friends Mike and Sharon for sharing these photos of their project completion on behalf of our mutual artistic client.

 

 

The Inseparable Pair

February 2012 Gallery

There can be no better month than February to honor the Indonesian tradition of rendering folk art in pairs. This symbolic tribute to an ordered universe is best exemplified in Javanese sculpture, and most celebrated in the Loro Blonyo, sculptures that depict the inseparable pair – Dewi Sri, the goddess of fertility and the protector of the rice fields, and her consort Sedona.

Historically, these figures were presented on their own lavish bed, and so were affordable only by the aristocracy. During wedding ceremonies, they were replaced by the real bride and groom adorned in garments that replicated the home’s beloved Loro Blonyo.

Walls That Talk

January 2012 Gallery

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Our walls tell the story this month with an eclectic collection of hang-able folk-art. Combined, these paintings, weavings and architectural carvings offer a birds-eye-view into the past of what was once Dutch-Indonesia. Among our favorites: a pair of primitive storyboards, an ikat woven to document a bride’s dowry, and a Dayak “ship of souls” fiber textile. This is a fun and colorful collection that speaks for itself.

Masks: Myth and Magic

December 2011 Gallery

In our December gallery, we present the ceremony and myth behind our collection of masks.

From the divine to the demonic, these masks tell a story: recounting ancient Sanskrit epics and recalling tribal rites and rituals used to sustain life. Perhaps our favorite: a paddle mask from Timor worn to “save face” when anonymously “borrowing” from a neighbor’s crops.

Each mask is displayed amidst shaman or charm sticks, ancestor figures, stone guardians, or Wayang puppets that magically bring the mask to life.

Custom Teak Vanities :: Natural Riverstone Sinks

This is our first glimpse of a project that is still in process on the east coast with some wonderful clients who discovered Joglo while visiting Port Townsend. They began their journey with us acquiring wonderful art pieces from Borneo and Java and now a spa-like transformation is underway with a remodeling project incorporating Joglo inspirations and materials.

Pictured here are two custom designed master bath vanities made of solid teak complimented with natural riverstone sinks from Joglo. The sinks were chosen to pair well scale-wise while maitaining their unique characteristics. Each vanity has two drawers and a slatted shelf beneath for bath accessories. Solid teak trim created to specification also compliments a built-in master tub surround.

A second component of the project for Joglo is a custom designed master king platform bed with matching nightstands; all solid teak with natural finish to match adjoining master bath fixtures. As these pieces are still in production on Bali, we’ll update with another post in early 2012.

Special thanks to our clients for sending photos and becoming long-distance friends in the process.

[Video Update 12-18-11]

Again, special thanks to our gracious clients…

Gentleman’s Bath

Our customer stopped in during Wooden Boat Festival this year to share photos of his completed project which he started after last year’s Wooden Boat Festival following his visit to Joglo. Shown is one of our Natural Riverstone Sinks from Java which he installed on an old piece he strengthened to suit the application. A wall mounted faucet provides a clean aesthetic for other decor.

This is the inspiration that we thrive upon where natural materials, old world charm and clean lines create a relaxing space. Thanks to our customer for sharing his project success.