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November 28, 2008

Thank you

Filed under: General — Tags: , — Alan @ 9:33 am

I got this note the other day from a colleague who builds conservatories in England. She had responded to the article that was just put on The Proper Home website.

“I think it’s brilliant that Tanglewood’s conservatories are getting recognition from a third party. As an independent conservatory company it’s good to see others who take an even more passionate and creative approach than we do to building conservatories/summer houses – which are a fantastic english tradition!”

Thank you Stephanie. We always appreciate it best when someone from our own industry recognizes our efforts. Among other things we strive for is to raise the bar for our entire industry.

Our goal is to build the very best hardwood conservatories in the world in terms of architecture and product quality, to provide our customers with the very best purchasing and ownership experience in the world and to offer our employees one of the very best places to work in the world.

Hopefully others will follow suit and together we can make a real difference.

Alan

November 21, 2008

Greenhouses vs. Conservatories

Filed under: General — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 4:54 pm

I just spoke with an architect about an interesting conservatory project he was working on. The design was for a green house that was to be reminiscent of an old-world conservatory to be used as a showcase for a botanical collection.

I wanted to point out the differences between a typical “modern” wood frame conservatory, the kind that is often used to expand and enhance living space and an actual greenhouse.

Many companies will use their wood conservatory system – systems which are designed to enclose living space, as a greenhouse. This has two problems. The first is that the structure itself is not designed to handle the environment and the functionality of a greenhouse.

The second, is that these systems will never begin to capture the exquisite lines and proportions that are the extraordinary feature of the greenhouses of the nineteenth century. They are reasonable facsimiles to the untrained eye no doubt, but not the real thing.

Here’s an example of what I mean:

The project shown here:

Dome Interior View

is the interior of the dome of a greenhouse that we built which uses small overlapping panes of glass to effect the curvature of the domes. This technique allows the structural members to be much lighter than a typical wood conservatory. It also allows for the modulation in their sizes that adds interest to the structure. This is much more characteristic of the older historic conservatories.

Compare the interior look of the dome shown in this picture:

Interior of Dome

one of Tanglewood’s “modern” wood conservatories, to see the difference.

Also compare the character and detail of the exterior of the dome shown here:

Classic Cupola

with that shown in the picture here:

Curved Glass Dome

The smaller pieces of glass in the top picture are even scalloped at the bottom, a small but crucial detail!

Though Tanglewood designs and builds many of its hardwood conservatories as elegant living spaces, when asked to design and build a greenhouse, we look to their historical roots. These elegant, romantic and oftentimes sheer feats-of-engineering can’t help but inspire anyone who looks closely at – and cares about the details.

As a tribute to these great grandfathers of the conservatories we design and build, we’ve added a new section to our website called “Our Heritage” (a subsection under Our Firm) in which we will showcase many of our favorite examples. Some are very well known, some mainly undiscovered. Most are American, many already renovated, some in much need of loving care.

Alan

November 12, 2008

Tanglewood Conservatories on The Proper Home website

Filed under: Magazine Articles — Tags: , — Alan @ 1:23 pm

Alan Stein & Nancy Virts

The Proper Home, a website which bills itself as The Expert Resource for Quality Homeowners, has just posted an article showcasing Tanglewood and the way in which Nancy and I founded the company.

The article is titled: “Tanglewood Conservatories, A Beautiful Life” “When you think of the ultimate conservatories, Tanglewood Conservatories stands alone. In this story, we explore how Tanglewood came to be and explore the results of passion and a true labor of love.”

It’s a story I enjoyed!
Alan

November 7, 2008

For a Very Worthy Cause

Filed under: General — Tags: , — Alan @ 11:24 am

I received this note from a friend and co-worker asking that we pay some attention and assist with a very worth cause. Please read the following note and do whatever you can to help. Thanks, Alan
——–
I don’t usually solicit any kind of money or beg for business but this particular topic is close to my heart, so bear with me, and know that this won’t happen but once in a blue moon. I truly hope that I don’t offend any of you by sending this email

My Sister/ co-worker, Shelly has decided to take a challenge completely out of her comfort zone and has committed to walking in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3 Day (60 mile) walk for the cure. Not only did she decide to do this because her best friend begged her to, but Breast Cancer and its wrath hits close to home for us. A few years ago our grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Among all her other ailments, she faced this disease head on, determined to fight it and win. And she did. Since then we have come in contact with person after person who has also had some sort of experience with Breast Cancer, whether it be themselves, their mother, sister, aunt, child or friend. This disease is wide-spread and affects so many every day.

So I ask that you please take a moment and read this email that my sister recently sent out, and consider your opportunity to be a part of something that could one day affect your life, someway somehow.

——————

Hello Family & Friends!

As you all know I have decided to take on a huge challenge in November. I’ll be walking 60 miles over the course of three days, camping out at night with thousands of other women and men taking this journey with me. It’s for an event called the Breast Cancer 3-Day, which benefits Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund. Every advancement in breast cancer research, treatment, education and prevention in the last 25 years has been touched by a Komen for the Cure grant. They are working hard to build a future without breast cancer, and I plan on raising $2200 to help bring us closer to that goal. I have raised $1010 so far, but I am still $1190 away from my goal. I ask each and every one of you to consider making a donation of $25 or more. Please also ask your employer if they will double your donation with a matching gift.

I want to say Thank you to those that have donated this past month. Thanks to my sister Shondra, and my very good friends Karolyn, Laura, and Dr.Z. Thank you so much for believing in me and this cause. Without a cure, one in eight women in the U.S. will continue to be diagnosed with breast cancer. That’s why I’m walking in the 3-Day. Because everyone deserves a lifetime.

Just follow this link to visit my personal fundraising webpage and make a donation. If you don’t want to donate online, please download and print a donation form and mail it to the address on the form. Or you can call 800.996.3DAY to donate over the phone. I would like to reach my fundraising goal by Nov 12, 2008, so don’t delay!

Thank you for taking the time to read this email, and thank you for your support. I ask that each one of you forwards this email on to 5 people that you know to help spread the word.

Sincerely,

Shelly
——–

Thank you for taking the time to read this and if you so wish, please consider donating to a great cause.

Alan

November 4, 2008

Blue Line Studios Founded a School

Filed under: General — Tags: , , — Alan @ 8:27 am

blue line studios

Our friend John Kiernan, master Trompe L’Oeil muralist and faux painter and founder of Blue Line Studios just sent me this image of a piece he’s done that is going to be on display in Italy.

John has also recently founded a school. He says on his website: “Blue Line Studios is proud to Announce the Opening of Our New Decorative Arts School. We will concentrate mostly on airbrushed panels and how it applies to decorative art. We are currently updating our site with course information and a student registration form.”

You can check out his amazing work at www.bluelinestudios1.com.

Alan

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