Bronze Age

Bronze is an alloy composed of copper and tin. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the Bronze Age, which fell between the Stone Age and the Iron Age, is defined as that time when a specific culture started using bronze to make tools - a breakthrough that occurred at different times for different people. While the Bronze Age began before 3,000 B.C. in Greece and China, it did not start in Britain until approximately 1900 B.C. Ancient cultures used bronze not only for tools, but also for weapons and coins. 

Today bronze adds beauty to many homes. The metal can be fashioned into fantastical furniture, such as the crocodile benches and ginkgo chairs created by artist Claude Lalanne. Bronze statues and drum tables add weight to rooms, while bronze grills and grids function like delicate jewelry for a space. Bronze doors and basins recall antiquity. Take a look . . . 

 "A bronze basin by Ann Sacks on an old desk transforms a windowless bath."

Interior design by Benjamin Bradley and David Thiergartner, Bradley Thiergartner Interiors.

Photography by Francesco Lagnese.

"California Style in a New York Apartment" written by Krissa Rossbund.

Traditional Home.

 "Eighteenth-century Venetian bronze doors [from Matt Camron Rugs and Tapestries] flank the dining room archway."

Interior designer: Sandra Lucas, Lucas/Eilers Design Assoc. LLP.

Architectural designer: Robert Dame, Robert Dame Designs.

Builder: Mission Constructors Inc.

Photography by Werner Straube.

Text by Candace Ord Manroe.

"Christmas in the Heart of Texas" produced by Susan Fox.

Traditional Home.

 "The marble-topped bronze coffee table is from Matthews and Parker."

Interior design by William McIntosh, William McIntosh Design.

Photography by Ann Stratton.

"It Takes a Village" written and produced by Sabine Rothman.

Traditional Home. 

 "Bronze-and-leather stools flank a limestone table in the atrium; the wood sculpture is a 1985 piece by Mario Dal Fabbro from Maison Gerard, and the hanging lantern and tile floor are original to the home."

Villa Maria, the Long Island estate of fashion entrepreneurs Louise and Vince Camuto.

Architectural renovation by Andre Tchelistcheff.

Interior design by Carol Egan, Carol Egan Interiors.

Landscape architect: Edmund D. Hollander.

Photography by Scott Frances.

Styled by Howard Christian.

"Guiding Lights" written and produced by Mitchell Owens.

Architectural Digest (July 2013).

"A reclining bench upholstered in leather provides extra seating in the den."

Bronze rain drum by Bjorling and Grant.

Lynn Haven, Florida, home of Gene and Renee Evans

Interior design by Phillip Sides, Phillip Sides Interior Design.

Architect: Eric Watson, Eric Watson Architect, P.A.

Photography by Tria Giovan.

"New Home With Traditional Southern Design and Hospitality" written by Amy Elbert.

Traditional Home.

"Working with M. Brian Tichenor of Tichenor and Thorp Architects, designer Kelly Wearstler created a bold new look for a family’s 1930s Bel Air, California, residence. The entrance hall revolves around a Pedro Friedebergtable and a Jean de Merry chandelier; the statue in the corner is a 19th-century bronze, and the inlaid floor includes black rainbow, honey onyx, cappuccino, and Calacatta gold marble segments.

Interior design by Kelly Wearstler.

Photography by Roger Davies.

Text by Peter Haldeman.

"Kelly Wearstler Designs a Bold Bel Air Home" produced by Robert Rufino.

Architectural Digest (January 2013).

"Dark walls make a small guest bathroom look larger: 'It obscures the boundaries. And it's more glamorous. Liquid wax gives the brown paint depth — and it's easier than glazing.' The bronze-and-marble vanity with P.E. Guerin fixtures picks up the bronze theme that runs through the apartment. 1950s chiseled glass mirror by Max Ingrand."

Interior design by David Kleinberg, David Kleinberg Design Associates.
Photography by Pieter Estersohn.

"A Modern and Warm Manhattan Apartment" by Christine Pittel.

House Beautiful.

"The paneling in the library of this New York apartment is inset with bronze in a square motif, echoed by Roger Thibier's gilded coffee tables. A Chanel-style sofa is covered in Classic Cloth's Kansas."

Interior design by David Kleinberg, David Kleinberg Design Associates.
Photography by Pieter Estersohn.

"A Modern and Warm Manhattan Apartment" by Christine Pittel.

House Beautiful.

 "The façade is painted in Benjamin Moore's Super White, the door is painted in the company's Steel Wool, and the custom-made grills are cast bronze."

1970s Los Angeles house.

Interior design by Chad Eisner.

Photography by Joe Schmelzer.

"A Fresh Take on Glamour: Chad Eisner's LA Design" by Michael Lassell.

Elle Decor.

 "Highlighting Brahler's Dutch heritage, the kitchen has a fireplace adorned with 17th- and 18th-century Delft tiles and bluestone columns from Breda. The zinc architectural finial (at left), double-door cupboard, and bronze chandelier also come from Holland, where gray-painted floors like this are traditional. Brahler treasures the worn upholstery of her 18th-century French armchair. She beefed up a vintage demilune chest by adding rear cabinets and a marble top to create the central island. Stainless-steel range and hood by Thermador."

Annie Brahler's Jacksonville, Illinois, home.

Interior design by Annie Brahler, owner of Euro Trash.

Photography by Bjorn Wallander.

Styled by Philippa Brathwaite.
Written by Douglas Brenner.

"Overdoing It With One Thing is Kind of Not Overdoing It" produced by David M. Murphy.

House Beautiful (May 2012).

 “Armchairs upholstered in linen velvet by Quadrille, a custom-designed ottoman by Jonas Upholstery, and a Claude Lalanne bronze bench used as a cocktail table in the library; decorative artist Jean Carrau painted the paneling to resemble pine and treated the knots with gold leaf.”

Interior design by Brian McCarthy.

Photography by William Waldron.

Text by Mitchell Owens.

"The Transformers" produced by Anita Sarsidi.

Elle Decor (December 2007).

 “Design firm Stephen Sills Assoc. worked with John B. Murray Architect to renovate an apartment on New York’s Upper East Side. In the living room, matching circa-1700 French mirrored bookcases from Galerie Steinitz flank one window; a John Chamberlain sculpture sits on the left cabinet, in front of a Pablo Picasso work, and an Andy Warhol silkscreen hangs above the one on the right. The Sills-designed club chairs are clad in a Lee Jofa fabric, and the bronze Ginkgo chairs are by Claude Lalanne.”

Photography by Bjorn Wallander.

Text by Dan Shaw.

"Shining Through" produced by Howard Christian. 

Architectural Digest (October 2013).

 "In the 700-square-foot, cathedral-ceilinged library, gilt-bronze vines created by Claude Lalanne frame the bookcases. The work above the sofa is Paradise 4, a 1998 C-print by Thomas Struth."

Ty Warner's penthouse suite at the Four Seasons New York.

Architecture: I. M. Pei, FAIA.

Interior architecture and design: Peter Marino, FAIA.

Photography by Durston Saylor.

"Manhattan Suite" text by Therese Bissell.

Architectural Digest (July 2007).

"A Candida Höfer photograph surmounts the living room’s custom-made sofa, which is flanked by vintage floor lamps by Gaetano Scolari (left) and Stilnovo; pre-Columbian objects stand on the Yves Klein cocktail tables, and the bronze crocodile side chairs are by Claude Lalanne."

Handbag designer Nancy Gonzalez's Columbian apartment.

Interior design by Jean-Louis Deniot.

Photography by Anita Calero.

Text by Mitchell Owens.

"Uncommon Species" produced by Carlos Mota.

Architectural Digest (September 2013).