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Tag: Interior ironwork

Country Living November 2023

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Inside one of the UK’s best magazines devoted to the English countryside, November’s Country Living, you will find a supplement with the nicely punning title of ‘Handmade Tales: Britain’s Top Artisan Makers’. It was a lovely surprise to see Richard featured as one of those craftspeople on page 10 and 11. He and the company have earned their status as ‘top artisan makers’. Just take a scroll through the testimonials on the home page of the website.

The supplement is divided into six areas of the UK and features some extraordinary craftspeople, making the most diverse and creative pieces from fabrics to furniture and from weaving to woodwork. A lot of these skills and age old techniques honed by time are thought by many to be long lost arts. Far from it. In this digital age we’ve all been crowbarred or seduced into (depending on your point of view and engagement with the tech), it can’t come as a surprise that premium physical pieces are highly prized by many and it doesn’t get more primal than a man expertly bending and shaping metal at an anvil.

It’s very encouraging that there are people, like those at Country Living, who care enough about these crafts to showcase them with such support and enthusiasm. As a small family company, we are always thrilled to have someone shine a light our way. Country Living editor, Michele Jameson, says at the end of her welcome piece. “We hope you enjoy this tribute to some extraordinary British talent.” All of us at Made by the Forge enjoyed it very much.

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The difference between Matt Black paint and natural beeswax finishes

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The Alexandra finial above

There are subtle differences between these two finishes as illustrated in the images which show both colours alongside each other. The beeswax finish on the right is a natural wax that is applied to the metal as soon as it is forged, while the iron is still hot. Once cool, it gives the metal a hardwearing, protective coating yet has no colour and makes the metal’s finish look like an inky, gun metal grey. The result is a piece of ironwork with a very dark, luxurious ‘sheen’. It allows the natural colour and grain of the metal to stand out and caring for it’s needs is easy by dusting it from time to time. Beeswax is non-toxic and is completely environmentally friendly. It is our personal choice of finish and was always the traditional way to coat metal before paint became available.


The Levington finial above

Our matt black finish on the left above is an all over paint. Once applied it has a consistent coat that will wear well and keeps its colour. It can be wiped clean with a damp sponge and is more suitable than beeswax in a humid area. The paint covers the iron completely giving it a uniform, slick appearance and looks incredibly smart framing a window or on any piece of ironwork. There are however environmental concerns regarding the use of this sort of paint because of the VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) which are now known to be damaging to the environment so we have highlighted this.  We aim to be completely transparent regarding our products’ credentials.

It is well known that black never goes out of style but which shade is always the most pressing question. That’s your choice and we hope these pictures and information about them both have helped you decide.

If you have any other questions regarding the finishes please do send us an email to sales@madebytheforge.co.uk or call 01473 487118 for more information.

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Measuring A Bay Window For A Curtain Pole

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If measuring up your standard window for a curtain pole was easy, measuring a bay window involves a few more steps and measurements to take. Bays can be curved or have a number of bends based on the number of windows contained in the bay. The more bends, the more measurements are needed. To take a typical example, let’s go through measuring up a four-bend bay.

First of all, rustle up someone to help with the measuring, as bays are usually too large for one pair of outstretched arms to manage. The most important thing to bear in mind when measuring is that true symmetry rarely exists in the real world. Never assume one measurement is the same as another because they look symmetrical. Measure each line to the nearest millimetre. And if you have to bend the tape to get a measurement, start the tape at that end. If the tape has to be bent, the reading cannot be trusted. Use a pencil to mark where you are measuring to and from for accuracy.

So let’s take a look at measuring a bay window with four bends.

Measuring a bay window example - a four bend bay

As the diagram shows, a four-bend bay has six points, A to F. Measurements are needed for the following:

A to F, the width of the window.

A to B (including finials), B to C, C to D, D to E and E to F (including finials).

In order for Made by the Forge to produce a single accurate bay window curtain pole, we also need the diagonals measured:

A to D, A to E. C to E, C to F. B to D, B to E, B to F.

Have a look at the top left and right of the diagram. The ends of the pole that wrap around to re-join the wall line are called returns. If you want returns, we need two more measurements:

1 to A and F to 2.

If you visit our bay page here, you will see many types of bay. Click on the one that you have and the measurement boxes are all ready for your figures and the online calculator will show you the price.

As ever, any questions, don’t hesitate to give us a call on +44 (0)1473 487118 or contact us via email.

 

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Measuring a window for a curtain pole

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Measuring A Window For A Curtain Pole

It’s extraordinary how much gets done around the house when you are actively discouraged to leave it. What about that window you’ve been meaning to spruce up for ages? How difficult can measuring up for a Made by the Forge curtain pole be? Answer? Not at all… Just three simple steps… W. W. W. – Where, Width, Work out…

  1. Where is the pole going to go? Stand back, look at the window and check there are no beams, light switches or fittings in the way of a straight mount above the window. Ideally the pole should be mounted 15cm above the top of the window. If you have a low ceiling, it should be mounted halfway between the ceiling and the top of the window.
  2. Width of the window to be measured.
  3. Work Out 10% of the width of the window for each side’s drawback (the area the curtain hangs in when not drawn). Remember to allow for the thickness of your curtains and add one of two centimetres if necessary.

Also remember to take into consideration the length of the decorative finial at both ends, the size of your choice can be found on the finial’s product page online. We suggest adding one curtain ring for every 10cm of pole. Be sure to order an even number for symmetry.

For a video of Richard showing you these points, please click here. As ever, any questions, give us a call on +44 (0)1473 487118.

measuring for a curtain pole - how to measure your window

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Ironwork for Interiors New Booklet

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At Made by the Forge, we make the finest ironwork known to humanity! As proof, we can now offer you a small pocket sized booklet to peruse and use for inspiration for your home or interior project. It features all our fabulous ironwork plus our new 25mm metal poles, new finials and a contemporary burnished wax finish. We have a downloadable version or we can send you a printed copy, whatever is the most convenient for you.

Shopping with us is easy and if you have any questions, we are always at the end of the phone or email.

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Stylish and Strong Shelf Brackets

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Handcrafted, stylish and strong are some of the words describing the fabulous shelf brackets we are making here at Made by the Forge. Recently we received an email, from a high-end interior designer, with the opening line;

“I need to order some more of these wonderful brackets!”

Praise indeed and we’ve had countless interior enthusiasts raving about them. They are incredibly versatile and can be used with any wood of your choice. At present, we don’t supply the actual shelves but after encouraging feedback, we’re making enquiries into providing the wood along with the shelf brackets.

These hand-forged, dark iron brackets have been successfully situated in both modern rustic interior spaces and contemporary ones to great effect. A customer kindly sent an image of her newly installed shelf brackets. They are particularly stunning because of the creative backlighting in her kitchen, a great idea.

The image below shows how our customer Emma furnished her glamping pod with a shelf under the TV so the handsets were all tidily off the floor.

“I’m really pleased with your lovely ironwork, and it’s made all the difference in terms of the finishing touches to both my own property over the years, and now to my newly completed glamping pod – The Owlery. Everyone is extremely complimentary. Thanks again for providing such an excellent service.”
Best wishes
Emma
Loch Sunart Yarns & Buttons

So deciding to put up one or more handy wall shelves is easy with our made to measure brackets. You choose the width of shelf for your needs and we make the brackets just for you. The raw metal is finished in a natural, locally sourced beeswax which gives the iron a beautiful sheen. The brackets can also be finished in a matt black paint according to your needs.

“I have just ordered 6 brackets for my newly decorated office space and am so looking forward to getting the contents of my office out of the boxes and up off the floor. I am the sort of person who likes to be able to see where things are so they are easily found!”

Ordering with us is easy. We have experts at the end of the telephone or an email whichever you choose.

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Bespoke Ironwork for CLAW’s recently opened Carnaby Restaurant

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Bespoke ironwork can complement an interior like very few other designed pieces. It has the added benefit of being both reassuringly traditional and at the cutting edge. Context is all. Richard and the team at Made by the Forge were commissioned to work with Senior interior Designer, Annie Harrison at the superbly named design company Run For the Hills; a London-based creative design house that exists in the space where graphics and interiors meet.

Named by ‘Design Et Al’ magazine as one of ‘The World’s Leading Design Names, 2018’, Run For The Hills enjoys a superb reputation and Made by the Forge collaborated with the design team fashioning bespoke ironwork for a very specific space. Specialising in the very best seafood from around the British Isles is CLAW (another great brand name). They have a take-away outlet in the city, near Liverpool Street station and have since opened the Carnaby Restaurant right behind Hamley’s on Kingly Street, Soho. CLAW can also be booked independently for festivals and events.

It’s there you’ll find Made by the Forge’s work, ranging from bespoke wall brackets for their lighting and bespoke hand made coat hooks.

If you have an idea Made by the Forge can take your bespoke designs and turn your imagination into handcrafted, wrought iron pieces which will add a certain rustic charm to any interior. Old fashioned spaces or contemporary places, iron just works.

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Tree Planting with the Suffolk Wildlife Trust

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As you probably know, for every order, Made by the Forge pledges to plant a tree to give back to nature what we’re taking from it. We assign this important part of our business to the Suffolk Wildlife Trust. Rather than plant one tree at a time, we let the Trust choose the best location and then on a certain day, volunteers who care about the environment come along and plant hundreds of trees at once.

 

 

We are indebted to Michael Strand the Trust’s Development Officer whom we meet usually every year at tree plantings. Alas both he and Site Manager Alan Miller were not available for this years’ plantings but there as the Trust representative was Sam Hanks, the Coastal Reserves Assistant and it was a pleasure to meet him.

While at Thorington in Suffolk, I was struck by the generosity of the volunteers. It’s such a good feeling to know there are dedicated and committed people out there who will give their time on a chilly December morning to plant trees given that the simple reward for their actions – a line of proud trees – will be years in the future. We’ve credited the volunteers at the end of this short 2 minute film to mark the occasion. (Click on the picture below to watch) I hope you enjoy it.

 

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