Garden Collection from Stone Forest
8 March 2010
“People”
One of my favorite companies is Stone Forest because. well, that’s what today’s blog is about in some respects, just the things I like about Stone Forest. They are located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which makes them an American company, and given the many times I have waxed ecstatic about something made in Europe, it’s kind of nice to see the focus this time around on an American-made product. But beyond that, there is really just the quality of the designs and the integrity with which every product is made at Stone Forest.
They like to do things the old fashioned way, with craftsmen who take pride in their work and who are paid a wage commensurate with their skills. Imagine that, a living wage in this day and age! Even so, that is the philosophy with which they approach their employees, and seeing what their people return to them, it’s not hard to describe this as a mutually beneficial relationship.
OK, with that as background then, I would like to talk a bit about what they have for the outdoors. I do know, of course, that a large part of this country is covered with snow as I write these lines, but it’s a situation that will be changing soon. And maybe by the time it is warm enough to do something else with one’s yard, one can have arranged the shipping of a few products to transform one’s back yard into a backyard paradise.
One of the items Stone Forest has is a fire pit, which is often welcome in the summer nights at night when it’s a bit cooler. A few years ago my wife and I hosted a party in our backyard and told everyone to bring sun glasses for the daylight hours when it’s very bright and jackets, because we get the sea breeze at night. One of our guests laughed us to scorn. “It’s San Diego,” he said, and indeed it is. But we still get the sea breeze, and later that night, only pride kept him from getting a coat like everyone else did. But I swear his lips were just slightly tinged with blue!
The line of fire vessels and fire bowls from Stone Forest is something else, beginning with their names, which come from Greek mythology. They are a wonderful mixture of the ancient and new. In keeping with a company philosophy that celebrates fine workmanship, they are all hand-carved, but they also have gas kits available for those who simply wish to flip a switch for heat. Another item in this line is the new Suspended Fire Pit which blends natural stone with iron to achieve a contemporary look. The stone used in this creation is green granite, and the fire pit actually comes from a single stone which is split in half to suspend the hand-forged iron vessel between the two halves. As it is with their other fire pits, it works with both wood and gas.
The other item I wanted to discuss is Stone Forest’s long line of granite fountains. They have a wonderful rough finish that makes them both rustic and elegant because there is something most enchanting about the aspect of looking at works of art so painstakingly carved from a solid block of granite. As it is with all of their works, the craftsmen who carve these works decide upon the design of the finished work, making each piece that comes from their hands utterly unique. And that brings us back to the other thing that’s unique about Stone Forest. Unlike so much of corporate America these days, it’s run by people who know they need people to do the work that makes the company prosper, and the artistry that thrives in such an atmosphere makes their clients the luckiest people in the world.
Joseph
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One Response to “Garden Collection from Stone Forest”
March 8th, 2010 at 9:53 PM
Nice designs there Joseph. But I got to admit, after the wild fires we have had here in SoCal in the past years, the idea of an open outdoor fire kinda makes me nervous. I guess it’s not so bad if it’s a gas fire.
Joe