Fall in Love with Falling Water

My first visit to Falling Water on Sunday, Frank Lloyd Wright's most famous and most recognizable building really left me with an appreciation for the architect and the realization that millions have been aware of for more than a century. He was a visionary and a genius. I was awe inspired by the integration of nature all through the residence that was once owned by the Kaufman family, known in Pittsburgh for Kaufman's Department Store. Falling Water was entrusted to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and now costs over 1 million dollars per year to maintain. Multitudes of architects from all over the world visit Falling Water annually.

The most impressive aspect of Falling Water for me was the interior detailing. I was really fascinated by Lloyd's use of lighting, how every window functioned and how every piece of furniture was placed and integrated within the home. It was also very interesting to learn from the tour guide that Frank Lloyd Wright's career was completely revitalized with the completion of Falling Water. In fact, he went on to design 400 buildings and 200 of those buildings conceived were actually built.

You don't have to be a Kaufman to own a piece of Frank Lloyd Wright furniture. Weisshouse is the exclusive retailer of Cassina, the only licensed manufacturer legally permitted to reproduce Frank Lloyd Wright's iconic furniture. Stop in the Weisshouse showroom to learn more about Cassina and the beautiful masterpieces that will fit perfectly in the decor of your home.

Frank Lloyd Wright

606 Barrel

608 Taliesin 2

617 S.C. Johnson Wax 1

623 Lewis Coffee Tables

619 Meyer May Desk

As Green As It Gets

Weisshouse just welcomed a brand new line of carpet and completely natural carpet pad. The line includes three different styles of carpet that are adorably named "Soy Milk", "Rice Milk" and "Almond Milk". Each style has several colors and one style that is striped ("Almond Milk"). Not only is this line of carpet incredibly beautiful and durable, it's also good for the Earth. It's priced very well at about $ 8.50 per foot. In addition to the three styles of Earth-loving carpet, we now have two different types of carpet pad that are equally green. One pad is made completely of felted wool and the other is a rubber pad that consists of recycled tire crumb rubber and synthetic rubber. This carpet is wonderful for any room of the house and especially ideal for babies, children and anyone who has allergies or off-gassing sensitivities.

This new, natural carpet has been installed in the following locations...

Vancouver, BC – The Olympic Village "Millenium Water" condominium project, a LEED Platinum project.

Telluride, Colorado – A municipal housing project focused on green development installed this natural carpet in six of it's buildings.

Vancouver, BC – Cielo, a prominent high-end condominium project in the west end of Vancouver, installed natural carpet in condominium bedrooms.

Canadian Navy Ship – the navy has been using this natural carpet for its vessels for years due to wool's natural resistance to flames and smoke.

Sarah Richardson projects – our natural carpet has been selected for several of Sarah Richardson's (Canadian celebrity designer) projects.

In addition, many television, music, and sports celebrities have selected our natural carpet for their private homes, due to the quality, durability, and environmental sensitivity.

Stop in the showroom today to see "Soy Milk", "Rice Milk" and "Almond Milk" for yourself. Any of the talented Weisshouse designers can show you which style is best for your home.

"Soy Milk"

"Rice Milk"

"Almond Milk"

natural carpet pad

Saturday Sale

This Saturday, June 18th, we are having a special one day only sale. All special orders and selected floor models are 10% off. Please print the "coupon" below and bring it with you to the showroom. We represent a vast array of incredible lines such as B&B Italia, Cassina, Bontempi Casa, Cisco Brothers, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams and Bernhardt Interiors plus lots of vintage and one-of-a-kind originals! We also offer full service interior design services that include kitchen and bath design.

It's Dad's Special Day

So...this Sunday is Father's Day. Dad's are difficult to shop for and often don't want  their son's and daughters to even spend money on them. Well, with a little help from Weisshouse, you can get your dad a gift so great that THIS will be a Father's Day he'll always remember!

Dad's love all things manly and they love a great desk lamp to show off at the office. The Egle table lamp is perfect and priced at $ 740. The vintage aluminum industrial table lamp is great for dad's who like things a little more rustic ($ 295). How about a piece of Pittsburgh's history for your dad? We have a sleek, modern chrome and glass coffee table that began it's life at the US Steel Building in the 1950s ($1,550). I know my dad would love it! For the real outdoors-type dad, we are loving the Nakashima inspired teak bench that can used indoors or out ($ 3,990). Finally, any man in your life would admire this vintage foundry mold sculpture that costs $ 550.

Weisshouse Stages Friendship's Glass Lofts

Weisshouse was recently asked to stage a unit in The Glass Lofts, a modern and vibrant green building in Pittsburgh's Friendship neighborhood for a photo shoot for Pittsburgh Magazine. Weisshouse designers, Ron Reinheimer and Stan Adamik teamed up to create a funky stylish feel that enlivened the space and complimented the architecture.

Ron Reinheimer provided some insight into the process that was staging this space...

"Approaching such a large empty space can seem a bit daunting at first.The challenge at the Glass Lofts was to turn an industrial environment into a warm place to call home. We started our color inspiration from the bright green color of the balcony wall, which is very visible inside the living space due to the two huge glass garage doors. The concrete floors were warmed up with beautiful rugs. The living room showcases a turquoise over-dyed rug from Turkey. It was a great anchor to define that space. The use of rugs in an open loft space is a great way to achieve the feel of different areas.The dining room is home to a hand-knotted Tufenkian Tibetan rug. It boasts many clear colors in a grid pattern. We also chose large graphic, colorful artwork to stand out against the industrial walls. You have to be very conscious of the scale of things when working with this type of space..THINK BIG! The sofa we chose is a large Italian-made sectional from Bontempi Casa. The sideboard in the dining space is extra tall and very appropriate for the scale of the space. It is an amazing vintage piece that looked great against the wooden wall behind it. We topped it off with a large colorful piece of artwork by Karl Mullen. We also selected a beautiful glass dining table by Cassina to insure a light and airy feel. The black Cherner chairs offer a very comfortable dining experience and only get better looking with age and wear. The playful piece of artwork over the sofa was created by local artist Jack Weiss. We pulled  colors from it on the multi-colored striped pillows below it. We incorporated more glass with the coffee table in the living room in black (Calvin Klein Home).  We placed a sculptural chair in vibrant apple green for a wow factor (Papilio from B&B Italia). It also has a very cool zipper up the back. The entire kitchen is all white and minimal. We gave it some personality with a collection of miner's bottles that are hand woven from detonator wire in many colors and intricate patterns. We also topped off the cabinets with an old colorful foundry mold. We wanted the balcony to feel like an extension of the interior space when the doors were up and we used the same color palette and made it even more fun with the pop-art styled flower table and bright green "S" chairs that can stay outside all year round. The bedroom space was split up to accommodate an office area. A modern Scribe desk from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams is the focal point. It was paired with a white leather desk chair on wheels. For the bed we decided on a large, simple white slip-covered headboard. The bedside lamps are vintage...a bit quirky and unexpected according to Stan Adamik. For another shot of color we liked the patchwork area rug also from Turkey. We wanted a nice mix of masculine and feminine in this room".

 

A Relaxing Retreat in Shadyside

When Paul and Laura, two new clients purchased and renovated a town home in Shadyside, they chose Weisshouse to provide furnishings for their new home. I was so fortunate to meet this lovely couple. They were wonderful to work with and have the best views of Shadyside and Oakland from their enviable roof top deck.

Paul and Laura lead very busy lifestyles. I was thrilled to interview Laura after we installed most of the new furnishings. Paul and Laura both really responded to various pieces in the showroom upon their initial visit and I used that to narrow down my selections when coming up with a design scheme. In addition, they wanted a comfortable sofa and chairs that were deep but not too high as they didn't want to block the incredible views from their town home's floor to ceiling windows. I first presented Paul and Laura with a more muted color scheme that consisted of earth tones like brown, tan and taupe. Paul and Laura really thought the space plan had a nice flow and loved the pieces that I selected. However, Laura wanted a more exciting color palette. After puling yellows, greens and blues together for the second proposal, the three of us knew that we were looking at the right selections for the space and the clients, themselves. A wooden slab dining table and six turquoise dining chairs elevated the dining room to a sophisticated yet comfortable look. Adjacent to the dining area, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams' Martin sofa and leather chairs complete the understated elegance with a waterfall glass table, stainless steel floor lamp and colorful wool rug. Read below for Laura's take on her experience working with Weisshouse.

LC: What inspired you and Paul to move to the new town house and what most attracted
you to the space?
LN: We wanted to purchase a home while mortgage rates were so low. In particular we
sought something near the University of Pittsburgh, that was low maintenance, lots
of outdoor space, comfortable for entertaining, and lots of light. The rooftop deck
is the most attractive feature!
LC: Where do you see yourself spending the most time in your home?
LN: On a deck or in front of a window working on a laptop.
LC: Why did you and Paul first come into Weisshouse and had you heard of Weisshouse
previous to your initial visit?
LN: I had visited Weisshouse several years ago when I first moved to Pittsburgh because
the window displays are so eye-catching.
We came back because we drive by the store frequently and spotted a sale sign in the
window as well as a natural wood dining table - reminding me that Weisshouse is the
best place in town to get furniture that is not cookie-cutter style.
LC: Have you ever worked with an interior designer in the past? If yes, please
explain. If no, please elaborate on your experience.
LN: No - I have a strong sense of likes and dislikes, so I never dared to work with a
designer. I'm glad that I tried it. The end result is a look that is much more
sophisticated than I could have achieved. Yet the feel is still comfortable. And I
was able to incorporate my favorite colors! Honestly - it saved us loads of time as
well.
LC: Finally, both you and Paul have such busy lives and careers. Can you briefly tell
me a little bit about that?
LN: We both run research laboratories at the University. It's like running a small
business with 10 employees and a million dollar budget. It takes constant vigilance
to keep any small business competitive and successful. The perks in our case are
making scientific discoveries, working towards improving human health and lots of
travel!

Kitchen: lucite chairs around a glass and metal pedestal table

Dining Room: Elmo side and Elmo arm chairs surround a wooden slab table on a stainless steel base

Living Room: Martin sofa, Martin leather chairs and a glass coffee table with client's own wool rug