Sixth time “Best Texas Style” Award goes to Mesquite Furniture Maker Lou Quallenberg

AUSTIN, Texas - Nov. 18, 2014 - PRLog -- Lou Quallenberg, a born and raised “Jersey” boy, works primarily with Texas mesquite wood in an area of Texas that has become quite famous for it's mesquite smoked barbecue.  Lou Quallenberg has now won the “Best Texas Style” Category at the Texas Furniture Makers® Show six times. This year with the massive curves in “Walker Curve Mesquite Entry Table”, last year 2013 with his impressive 10.5 foot long Susan Entry Table, in 2012 with his artsy “Drift” Sculptural Coffee Table , then in 2010 with with “Curves“ Mesquite and Starphire® Glass Coffee Table, in 2009 with his Mesquite Partners Desk - a much more radical take on the concept of Texas Style. Lou also won the Best Texas Style Category at the 2008 Texas Furniture Makers Show with his Mesquite Sister Coffee Table created from an unusually large slab of mesquite and a much less dramatic venture off of the more rustic "Texas Style" path. Frank Strazza, Master Craftsman, Furniture Maker and teacher at Homestead Heritage, said in his Blog two years ago “I can’t remember a year when he did not win that award!”

The Annual Texas Furniture Makers® Show located in Kerrville, Texas and now in its 15th year, continues to be the foremost exhibition and sale of Furniture Makers in Texas. It is quite an honor to be juried in and accepted to exhibit at the Texas Furniture Makers Show® featuring over 30 of Texas's finest Furniture makers, craftsmen and designers working with wood, metal, textiles, glass and more. “This annual juried show features the best furniture makers in Texas”, according to show Chairman Marion Lewis. The Texas Furniture makers Show is one of the highlights of the year for Texas furniture makers and their collectors.

Debbie Minns, KACC Executive Director notes “This show is our premier event of the year. The Texas Furniture Makers Show is all about the finest woods, the most exquisite design, and the highest levels of craftsmanship. "It was originally created as a way of really putting focus on the furniture makers in a gallery-type setting, to have the furniture appear as artwork - because that's what it is. These finely crafted, one-of-a-kind designs, they are beautiful, functional fine-art furniture," said Debbie Minns, the center's executive director.

The Texas artists will have their work on display for the expected 5,000 or so visitors, collectors, and design professionals attending the show that began October 30, 2014 and goes through November 29, 2014 at the Kerr Arts and Cultural Center 228 Earl Garrett Street in Kerrville, Texas.

Lou Quallenberg currently of Llano, Texas created the stunning, sculpted and live edge, mesquite Entry table that won the Best Texas Style Category. The Walker Curve Mesquite Entry Table is a piece that helps change the concept of “Texas Style”, bringing a more contemporary, refined look that would fit well in the most sophisticated, Luxury Penthouse in Dallas, Houston, Miami, New York City or London but also would be well suited in a Texas Hill Country style home.

Show description:

“Walker Curve Mesquite Entry Table”

Always searching to see where the limits on design and mesquite sit and pushing to that point to create his work. This new concept piece for the artist represents another evolution in his distinct design style. Custom designed for Avery and Martin Walker, to place in a front entryway. The piece combines and incorporates his signature, sculpted, live-edge style with a more sculptural, art piece, edge slab. This Texas mesquite entry table features the artist's signature floating top on stainless steel pins, welded to steel bars that are screwed into routered grooves in the table top. The “curves” are achieved with 14 slices of 1/16th of an inch mesquite planks clamped and epoxied onto an arched jig. The curved bases are artistically joined with sculptural mesquite brackets and meet the floor with sculpted feet. The silky finish is a very fine, 400-600 grit, hand, wet sanding with a custom blend of oils topped off with several coats of liquid cream wax, a two week process.

Dimensions: 36” height x 19.5” width x 69” length

Photos can be seen online at:

http://mesquite-musings.blogspot.com/2014/04/new-mesquite...

Lou tries to honor each mesquite tree used to create his pieces and finds a connection with each unique piece of wood that comes through his shop. Lou attempts to draw the soul of the tree into each piece he creates. If you get a chance to look at and touch his work you will probably find it talking to you - perhaps begging to be touched. It is a goal Lou Quallenberg tries to reach in each of his pieces.

See more work at http://www.LouQart.com/