Everyone knows that Tableaux is a very high impact addition to any space, but did you know that it can actually improve your life?  Until the installation of his Tableaux, this man (We’ll call him Joshua) was socially-challenged and, sadly, very unsuccessful with the ladies.  His dates would always end with an awkward peck on the cheek and a marginally believable promise to call.  He practiced in the mirror for hours and hours, but no matter how polished and smooth his lines were, he just could not entice his dates beyond the threshold of his front door. Lately however, when Joshua is dropped off after an evening on the town (he does not have a driver’s license) his lady-friends have been noticing his beautiful Tableaux.  They are typically a little shocked by his good taste at first, but then start asking questions.  It did not take Joshua long to discover that a polite invitation to “have a closer look,” a nice box of wine, and a dash of Barry White were the only ingredients needed to bake himself up a delicious love-cake.  Joshua said “I am no longer a lonely man thanks to Tableaux and Helser Brothers.”  You are welcome Joshua, godspeed my friend……

Did I ever tell you about the time that I went to a baseball game with my brother-in-law? He also invited a friend of his who is a catholic priest. At first thought, I had absolutely no problem with it at all. I just did the math quickly in my head and concluded that while I can still enjoy the customary baseball game beer, I may need to temper the customary baseball game language a bit. Then I thought about all the subject matter and jokes which were inappropriate all of the sudden, and felt a little sad. “Holy cow! We are going to sit through an entire baseball game in silence!” I thought, and “Sure wish I would have paid more attention in sunday school.” Oh well, I was sure that it was going to be a bit awkward, but free baseball is a beautiful thing, and worthy of some sacrifice, so I pressed on. The first eight innings went very well. There was lots of  fantastic conversation, and we were enjoying a classic ballpark experience.

At the time, the Arizona Diamondbacks had a closing pitcher named Matt Mantei. The manager motioned to the bullpen for him to come out and take the ball.  As Mantei was warming up they started blasting the song “Ice Ice Baby” by the rapper “Vanilla Ice.” The priest started busting a subtle groove motion in the seat next to me. I did not think much of it at first, but it was when the rapping started that I felt like a victim of a heinous social experiment……..the priest rapped right along with Vanilla, verbatim, karaoke-style, without missing a solitary beat. I cannot even begin to express the acute awkwardness of the moment. After the initial shock subsided I realized that this poor guy was a victim of my own weak minded stereotype, and was just another normal baseball fan!  I have been very careful to avoid stereotypes ever since, and have a rapping priest to thank for it……go figure.
This story clearly has nothing to do with Tableaux, and I probably should have used this precious time to tell you all about how wonderful the product is, because it is, but this is all that came to mind when I watched the video so I had to share it.
By the way; we have just printed a new Tableaux catalog and will happily send it to you for the highly attractive price of zippo.

 When customers browse through our Tableaux brochure at the designs available, they have numerous options. Design #942 doesn’t exactly stand out and scream “pick me!”, but for Robin Munson of Elements of Design in Henderson, NV, it did more than that! It completed her vision in a simple, modern bedroom. As seen in this photo, the windows aren’t in an ideal location, but the Tableaux worked beautifully. Design #942, (Kyoto), is a great solution for any modern, Asian theme, or even makes a natural additional to your patio. Contact Jocelyn Saccuci at Helser Brothers (Ext. #118) for ordering details.

Tableaux traceries piqued my fancy from the first time I saw the ad in Window Fashions Vision magazine a few years back.  In case you’re not familiar with Tableaux, it’s a lightweight faux wrought iron product that can be customized to virtually any size or shape, in just about any pattern homeowners and their designers can dream up.  Because Tableaux weighs only about 10% of what a comparable wrought iron piece would weigh, it’s ideal for windows, doors, and ceiling applications.  As an added plus, Tableaux is constructed out of 100% post-industrial recycled wood fiber and formaldehyde-free resin and is LEED certified.  What’s not to love?

   So I’ve had this cool Tableaux product floating around in the back of my mind for a few years now, and although I had suggested it to clients on several occasions it never panned out before now.  In retrospect, I think that’s because there are so many cheap-looking aluminum faux iron “wall art” pieces for sale through catalogs and discount stores these days and clients were hesitant to place a Tableaux order without seeing the product in person.  Before pitching Tableaux to this client, I ordered a sample kit with two big actual Tableaux pieces (about the size of a sample plantation shutter panel) along with a ring of finish chips.  I work out of my home, so finding storage space for all my sampling is an ongoing challenge.  However, seeing those actual Tableaux samples in person was crucial for reassuring my clients that this product looks as good in person as it does in the pictures, and that it wasn’t going to detract from their beautiful custom home.

For this particular project, the home had an odd little niche built into the wall in the upstairs hallway.  This area is open to the two-story formal living room on one side, and open to the two-story foyer on the other side.  The railings are a mixture of wood and wrought iron ballusts, and the home’s architecture is Old World European although the clients’ tastes run a bit more transitional and sleek.  My clients’ don’t remember what the previous homeowner had displayed in this wall niche, and didn’t quite know what to do with it themselves.  They had thought of hiring a muralist to do a trompe l’oeil window scene in the niche, but because the niche is so close to the foyer window on one side and the dramatic two-story living room draperies on the other side, I really didn’t want to make it into another window.  Plus, located on an interior wall right outside a guest bedroom, a window would have been pretty unconvincing.

   My clients liked the Tableaux samples so much that they chose the exact same design as one of the sample pieces, in the exact same finish.  Because I wanted to do an inside-mount within the niche, I sent my installer out to create a template, and I’m glad that I did.  The niche is totally out of square and the walls of the niche slope so that the opening is smaller at the front than at the back.  To ensure a perfect fit, I had the installer cut a rigid template out of foam board insulation from Home Depot and test-fit that in the client’s home prior to sending the paper template to Helser Brothers for fabrication.  The last thing I wanted was to be stuck with a non-returnable, custom-made Tableaux piece that ALMOST fit in the niche! 

I have to show you how well packaged this product is for shipment.  After reading the instructions on the order form about the shock sensors and what to do if they indicate shipper mishandling, I was a little apprehensive that my Tableaux was going to arrive damaged, but it arrived in immaculate condition, wrapped in bubble wrap and carefully crated in plywood that was held together by honest-to-God real screws. 

  On installation day, my installer arrived a few minutes before me and had the Tableaux piece easily installed in about 5 minutes flat, before I even got there.  He told me afterwards that my client had followed him up the stairs anxiously and wanted to immediately touch the Tableaux as soon as it was unpacked, so I know she was still nervous about whether this “faux iron” stuff was going to be something she could be proud to have in her home.  By the time I left, she had already called her boyfriend and gushed about how much he was going to love the Tableaux when he got home, and she had invited one of her neighbors to come over and see it that evening – a neighbor who had just spent a small fortune having a fairly plain wrought iron grille custom-made for the door to her wine cellar.  The client is so pleased with the Tableaux product in this niche that she’s looking around her home for other places where she could use it as well.  At the end of the day, the niche looks beautiful, the clients are thrilled, the installer is pleased with how easy this product is to work with, and my imagination is going into overdrive thinking up more creative Tableaux applications.  I can’t wait to use this product again.  I want to send a big thank-you to Jocelyn and everyone else at Helser Brothers who helped make my first Tableaux experience a success! 

Whoa! This has got to be some kind of Tableaux record!   This 12 foot diameter beauty is going to be installed on a ceiling around a chandelier sometime soon……and to answer your next question……Yes, we will do our darndest to get a photo of the finished product asap !

-this particular piece perfectly illustrates one of  little-known advantages of the Tableaux custom manufacturing method.  Each Tableaux is custom-cut and can be manufactured in segments at no additional charge!  At 12 feet in diameter it is easy to see that the segmentation of this tableaux will make it much easier to transport and install….and the joints are virtually unnoticeable! 

Important note: Please keep in mind that this only works for surface-mounted Tableaux.

A little tip for you Tableaux fans out there is to use simple standoffs to squeeze some  additional impact out of your Tableaux Traceries.

Tableaux With Standoffs

By adding a small projection to a surface-mounted Tableaux, a shadow is cast creating more depth and beauty.  

   If you want to crank the “wow factor” up to what we call the “helmets and smelling salts” realm, just add some art lighting which will sharpen the shadows.

The best part of this whole Tableaux standoff idea is that the stuff you need to make it happen can be found at the hardware store for just a few bucks.  All you need are vinyl bushings and longer screws!

So there you have it…. Don’t say we never gave you nothin’. 

PS. We will explain the “Helmets and Smelling Salts” thing in more detail in a future post…..