Silas Seandel Studio: Shaping the Future in Fine Sculptured Furniture

Aug. 7, 2009 - PRLog -- New York’s Chelsea has long been a Mecca for out-of-towners seeking the newest, hottest, most innovative art scene in the country. Along with these cutting-edge contemporary art galleries and cultural hot-spots, many are discovering a “rare gem” - a real working artist’s studio that is home to the finest name in sculptured furniture today.

At the Silas Seandel Studio, 551-3 West 22nd Street, visitors can witness first-hand this acclaimed artist’s unique creativity, and select designs from distinctive commissioned pieces on display. This is sculptured furniture for the 21st century - beautifully hand-wrought designs that flow effortlessly from the artist’s hands to become singular works of art in metal, glass and stone.

Silas first opened a showroom in Manhattan’s celebrated D&D building in 1967, where he quickly gained a steady following of architects and interior designers drawn to his work. Years ago, he moved to the heart of New Yorks thriving art district - Chelsea - in order to house his growing collection.  It is here, on the premises, that all of Silas’ furniture designs and site-specific sculpture are fabricated. Bronze, steel, brass and copper is hammered, bent, cut and molded on massive tablets and simple machines to fashion the exquisitely finished forms of sculptured dining room, cocktail, console and end tables. Silas Seandel’s designs are livable, modern classics which complement formal and informal settings.

“I applied for an artistic license early on” says the sculptor. To realize his concepts, Silas has developed his own techiniques for producing distinctive, durable finishes such as a shimmering, soft pewter wash which glows in the light. Textures play a crucial role in the distinctive look of the furniture, and the colors and tactile finishes result from the application of acids and heat treatments. Silas’ stone furniture can be used outdoors as well as inside and is made of an all natural cast stone of his own formulation. In a unique process developed over four years, stone is inset with sensuous flows of pewter and bronze to create tabletops with a stain-resistant yet decorative surface.

Intriguingly textured or smoothly polished, the tables are maintenance free. The glass tabletops Silas has cut to his exacting specifications are durable polished plate glass, and the metal or cast stone is equally enduring. Such durability lends itself to flexibility, so that a cast stone cocktail table with metal insets can be sat on as a bench, or a bronze occassional table may be used as a stool. You can eat off one of these nontoxic table tops, sit on it, spill something on it without damaging it.

The key to Silas’ furniture collection is flexibility. An evolving set of the artist’s own “classic” furniture designs are the templates for variation. Silas’ basic designs can be modified according to the client’s desires, needs and specifications. In essence, he never makes the same piece twice, but varies the shape, size, and materials. The sculptural base of any table can be executed in different sizes and materials in varying finishes from highly polished brass to an antiquated patina. An example is the “Ortego” table with an airy sculptural base of interlocking semicircles and curves of metal. Depending upon a client’s requirements, the base can be modified, adding or subtracting curves, to make a dining room table, a console, or end table.

Another enduring design is the “Miro” table, with a sinuous s-shaped base providing stability for the glass top. Silas can vary the dimensions of the base without sacrificing the integrity of the strong design. The same is true of the “Duomo” table, a favorite with architects and interior designers, and sure to be one with new clients, due to its flexibility. The top of the table is a free-form biomorphic shape composed of a wide band of metal, pewter or bronze, and a flush-mounted inset glass. While the concept remains the same, the fluid contours of the tabletop can be adapted according to the client’s specifications for size.
One of the most adaptable pieces is a truly timeless cocktail table that began as an innovation specific to interior design in the 1970’s. Its kidney-bean shape is a classic of modernist design since the 1950’s, and Silas has given it his own unique stamp. “Bronzeforms II” was originally created to complement sectional sofas, popular in the 1970s, which have seen a resurgence with growing interest among designers and young, hip style makers in the 70s take on modernisim. The curvaceous bronze table is divided into two sections which can be placed together or set apart depending on seating arrangements. Both pieces are on casters, allowing for easy mobility. As with all of Silas’ furniture designs, this piece is available in any size with various finishes such as antique brass with a pewter top or all bronze.

The artist is willing to work with clients to meet their needs, and will often make a small model of a proposed piece. A couple from the Midwest visited Silas’ studio and saw a cocktail table with a highly textured finish which they instantly fell in love with. But what they had been looking for was a very, round, large dining room table, a piece they could not find ready-made in any furniture store. So they asked Silas if he could make a dining room table using elements similar to the cocktail table. He produced a marquette using three of the forms as a base for a glass tabletop. Now the couple are the proud owners of a one-of-a-kind table.
Or, in another commission a client involved a monkey statuette with a Gothic feeling. The client wanted this form to be integrated into the design of a table. Silas took the statuette and refashioned it, producing a new mold, which in turn produced the base of the table - a series of figures holding up a cast stone table top. In this instance Silas did not simply produce someone else’s furniture design, but creatively came up with a customized solution to meet the client’s needs.

Silas does not limit himself to furniture. He excels in forged brass and bronze wall sculptures and massive outdoor pieces. He has had numerous commissions for large pieces from corporations including Bell Telephone Company, Ford Motor Company, A.T.&T., Shell Oil, Pfizer, Bristol Meyers, Bethlehem Steel, Johnson & Johnson, ABC Television, and The Marine Midland Bank, among many others. He also designs and makes railings and staircases to clients’ specifications, as well as the popular small fountains and decorative screens.



Silas Seandel Studio
Sculpture for Architecture/Interiors
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10-4:30
551-3 West 22nd Street
New York, NY 10011
(between 10th and 11th avenues)
ph: 212.645.5286
silasseandel.com

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Silas Seandel Studio is a fine sculptured furniture studio located in the Chelsea art district of New York City. With over 45 years experience Silas Seandel has been providing artistic and functional pieces to the discriminating investor.