{"id":344217,"date":"2025-07-07T14:16:41","date_gmt":"2025-07-07T18:16:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.sothebysrealty.com\/?p=344217"},"modified":"2025-07-07T14:16:41","modified_gmt":"2025-07-07T18:16:41","slug":"the-captivating-elegance-of-metal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/the-captivating-elegance-of-metal\/","title":{"rendered":"The Captivating Elegance of Metal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Decorative metalwork still elevates design, bringing luxe 1920s-style sophistication to architecture and interiors, says Elizabeth Fazzare<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>The Whiteley, London, U.K<\/span><\/a>. | <\/span>United Kingdom Sotheby\u2019s International Realty<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

A century ago, <\/span>Art Deco was born<\/span><\/a>. More than 16 million designers, design aficionados and curious visitors from around the world flocked to Paris\u2019s \u201cExposition Internationale des Arts D\u00e9coratifs et Industriels Modernes,\u201d where the style was first showcased in architecture, furnishings and all manner of decorative arts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Chief among these was metalwork, which rendered the nature- and geometry-inspired motifs of the era for the homes of the wealthy and the facades of urban life. From grilles, screens and fireguards to elevators, doors and entrance halls, modernity announced itself\u2014in metal.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the art deco period, decorative metalwork connoted luxury,\u201d says Ada de Wit, the Ellen S. and Bruce V. Mavec curator of decorative arts at the Cleveland Museum of Art. This sense of luxe was conveyed, she says, through \u201chigh-quality craftsmanship; modern, sophisticated design; and the use of expensive materials, such as brass, chrome, in some cases silver and gold plating; and novel alloys like monel.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

An exhibition exploring Cleveland\u2019s place in this design history, \u201cRose Iron Works and Art Deco,\u201d opens at the museum this July, a chance to revisit what might otherwise be labelled a lost art or an anachronism. \u201cNow, decorative metalwork is not that common,\u201d says de Wit, \u201cso including it in architecture and interiors is often considered a \u2018statement.\u2019\u201d But for some architects and designers, it has never lost its sheen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span>West Linn, Oregon<\/span><\/a> | <\/span>Cascade Hasson Sotheby\u2019s International Realty.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cMetalwork today ranges from the French artist Ingrid Donat\u2019s exquisite, tactile patterns based on tribal tattoos to finely finished geometric gates by the American firm Horus Bronze,\u201d explains Peter Pennoyer, a New York City-based architect who regularly integrates custom metal detailing and decoration into the residences he designs. \u201cThese are two examples of master metalwork that denote a commitment by architects to elevate the design of a house to the level of a \u2018gesamtkunstwerk,\u2019 or total work of art.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For a <\/span>home in Hunting Valley, Ohio<\/span><\/a>, Pennoyer did just that. Taking inspiration from the Czech cubist period (1912 to 1914), a lesser-known predecessor of Art Deco, Pennoyer employs faceted architecture, inside and out. He also designed bespoke Cubism-informed metal hardware and commissioned Donat to create a parchment-and-bronze study, among other metalwork details. Reed Hilderbrand\u2019s landscaping includes an impressive sculpture garden with works by artists including Sol LeWitt, Richard Serra, Ai Weiwei and Andy Goldsworthy. The house and grounds will eventually be left to the Cleveland Museum of Art.<\/span><\/p>\n

That Cleveland is home to some of the U.S.\u2019s best examples of decorative ironwork is largely thanks to the subject of the museum\u2019s forthcoming show. Rose Iron Works was founded in 1904 by Hungarian ornamental blacksmith Martin Rose who collaborated with fellow Hungarian-born designer Paul Feh\u00e9r to create pieces for mansions on Euclid Avenue\u2019s Millionaire\u2019s Row, in Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights, and facades of public buildings across the city\u00a0 including the landmark 52-story Terminal Tower.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cMuse with Violin\u201d screen, 1930. Designed by Paul Feh\u00e9r and made by Rose Iron Works. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund \u00a9 Rose Iron Works Collections<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEarly 20th-century local taste embraced Martin Rose\u2019s European training,\u201d explains Bob Rose, current company president and grandson of the founder. At that time, this meant traditional historicism, which imitated past artistic styles. Gothic scrolls, acanthus leaves and flowery baroque metal designs were most popular, Rose notes, until Feh\u00e9r\u2019s appointment in 1929 brought a \u201cmore open, less dense, deco motif\u201d to Cleveland. Today, a renewed client interest in metalwork sees \u201ca diverse mix of all,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n

In New York City, Art Deco icons like the Chrysler and Empire State buildings loom large on the skyline. However, newer structures are also pulling from this history. On the Upper East Side, recent residential towers by Pennoyer, Robert A. M. Stern Architects and INC Architecture & Design are all heavily influenced by the period.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Downtown, a recent major office-to-residential conversion of an art deco tower originally by Ralph Walker also offers the opportunity to live among historic and new examples of the intricate style. In west London, a similar architectural transformation\u2014department store to apartment building\u2014by Foster + Partners at The Whiteley embraces the building\u2019s 1920s Art Deco details. All these projects feature decorative metalwork in their facades and interiors.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The Benson on Manhattan\u2019s Upper East Side, by Peter Pennoyer Architects. Photograph: Peter Aaron<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBecause we want ornament to enliven our designs, artisanship is essential,\u201d explains Peter Pennoyer. \u201cTo make metalwork in our projects resonate authenticity, we always start with research. Finding and understanding inspirational sources equips us to take our designs beyond the expected. They then become integral parts of a new vision rather than mere quotations from history.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Respecting the past without replicating it wholesale is crucial to assuring these elements feel fresh in any residential application. \u201cApproaching metalwork as functional art allows for the creation of lighting, hearth items or structural features, such as stairways as statement pieces,\u201d Rose says. \u201cThe design of each can be complementary to other furnishings or architectural details.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Embracing the current interior design trend toward mixed metals can also add visual interest that\u2019s rooted in the 21<\/span>st<\/span> century \u201crather than viewing metalwork as simply black wrought iron,\u201d says Rose, who adds: \u201cRegardless of style, incorporating carefully handcrafted metalwork provides a sense of timeliness and permanence.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

From design to desirability, here\u2019s what art deco teaches us about luxury living today\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Decorative metalwork still elevates design, bringing luxe 1920s-style sophistication to architecture and interiors, says Elizabeth Fazzare The Whiteley, London, U.K. | United Kingdom Sotheby\u2019s International Realty A century ago, Art Deco was born. More than 16 million designers, design aficionados and curious visitors from around the world flocked to Paris\u2019s \u201cExposition Internationale des Arts D\u00e9coratifs […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":232770370,"featured_media":344218,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1393],"tags":[1472,1524,1505],"class_list":["post-344217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art-and-culture","tag-new-york","tag-oregon","tag-united-kingdom"],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pf4gbL-1rxT","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":347213,"url":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/spotlight-on-wimbledon-game-set-and-luxury-living\/","url_meta":{"origin":344217,"position":0},"title":"Spotlight on Wimbledon: Game, Set and Luxury Living","author":"Natalie Davis","date":"June 25, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Every summer, tennis transforms Wimbledon into the world\u2019s most elegant sporting address. 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