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<< Previous   of   Next >> Photo courtesy of Martin Pierce Hardware  (click to enlarge) Martin Pierce Hardware includes hardware such as the realistically-styled door pulls from its Lizard series.   ADVERTISEMENT   See for yourself Martin Pierce Hardware www.martinpierce.com/mphardware Knobs and Hardware 11730 118th Ave. NE, Suite 200 Kirkland 425-284-1573 5701 6th Ave. S., Suite 390 Seattle 206-762-7335 www.knobsandhardware.com   CONTACT THE HERALD Melanie Munk, Features Editor munk@heraldnet.com   Published: Thursday, April 10, 2008 Designer brings an artistic touch to cabinet handles By Andy Rathbun Herald Writer When designer Martin Pierce describes his door handles, he uses the phrase "avant garde" and mentions his early days as a teenage woodcarver. It's not the type of talk you expect from some guy making handles for your kitchen cabinets. It's the talk of an artist. And it's entirely appropriate. Pierce, a Los Angeles-based designer, creates an elegant series of handles for cabinets and doors. His designs, available online and through some Seattle-area Knobs and Hardware locations, let homeowners attach an elegant flourish to cabinets and foyers. "This is definitely not for the everyday person who just needs to change out their locks," said Katie Henry, marketing director for the Knobs and Hardware stores. "It is more a piece of art than just door hardware." Pierce's designs cater to an upscale crowd. A single cabinet handle runs about $60. A single door handle could exceed $3,000. His work process helps explain the cost. Each design begins with an artful sketch by the 57-year-old. He then carves a relief out of wood, and uses that to create a ceramic shell. Metal is poured into the shell, and imperfections are removed by hand before a final polish makes the handle ready for the home. He began crafting handles as an offshoot of his work as a furniture designer. Then, when looking for handles, he couldn't find anything suited to his pieces. "So I made my own," he said. Now, many of his designs are patterned after the natural world, incorporating hedges, willows, rabbits and frogs. "I've always carved or sculpted natural subjects, subjects of nature," Pierce said. "It sort of was a natural progression to put those into door hardware." For example, the bronze reptiles in his lizard series look frozen in place, as if a latter-day Midas strolled by, brushing a living creature with a magic touch. Pierce was surprised that the line caught on. "It's so realistic, and the challenge in making them realistic makes it much more of a sculpture," he said. Still, one of his most popular series is the abstract Ergo line, he said. The stainless steel knobs and handles appear to be patterned after foliage, but Pierce has smoothed over any telling details, giving them a fluid abstraction. While the Martin Pierce Hardware collection is only about 3 years old, with most retailers on the West Coast, the designer could expand his reach soon. Granted, he doesn't plan on overexpanding. "We are for a niche market," Pierce said. "It's not for everybody. Somebody asked us the other day, 'Could you do something that's a little more mainstream?' I said, 'Why would I?' … It just seems pointless." Reporter Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455 or e-mail arathbun@heraldnet.com

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