FALL '23 | Birdstudio

NEWSLETTER/ FALL 2023

Hello Friends,

This past year, Bird Studio has had the immense pleasure of working on several high-profile jobs in historic downtown Philadelphia.

First up, our work at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel on Broad Street has been progressing through the spring and summer. We are done with phase 1, which included restoring the plaster marble columns in the lobby. These hundred-year old columns have likely been redone more than once, not to mention the dirt build-up in such a public space.

We were able to repair damage to the underlying structure and stabilize these pieces of history. As you can see, the resulting finishes brighten up the lobby considerably.

We can see life returning to this stunning space, and are so grateful to be part of this transformation.

This next project had our head in the clouds! We were delighted to offer our artistic talents to a beautiful penthouse space at the brand new Laurel building on Rittenhouse Square. This project perfectly showcases what Bird Studio is best known for- bringing a range of finishes to a single space in order to add completely custom signature elements.

Our clients know that they won’t find their finishes anywhere else.

The ceiling coffers in the main living spaces of this home were installed with 500 square feet of hand-applied palladium. This rare material is known for its silvery warm luster and strong anti-tarnishing qualities. The leaf is .1 micrometers thick, which is thinner than spider web silk. Needless to say, applying the leaf is a delicate process. Gilders are even known to hold their breath when placing sheets!

The end result is well worth it. Gilding has a timeless quality that serves to emphasize the architecture of any space, and has historically been used in palaces and religious spaces to draw the eye upward. The reflective glow also offers spectacular movement to a room. Combined with the view here, this space offers a real WOW factor.

In the private elevator lobby, we faux painted 2 steel fire doors to disappear into the surrounding veneer finish. This is not your grandfather’s faux wood grain, folks. Trompe l’oeil means “trick the eye”, and that’s exactly what Zack provides. Through the use of an exact color match, these doors meld perfectly into the room, allowing for modern fire safety without sacrificing style.

Lastly, the all-important switch-plate covers were faux painted to match the surrounding marble. These small details matter, of course, sometimes as much as the big ticket items. We do love bringing the final finesse to our projects, and can’t wait for the next challenge. Many thanks to ASW Hobart Construction for their partnership on this space.

Bird Studio was honored this past summer to release a long-awaited video project. It’s the perfect bite-sized encapsulation of what Bird Studio is all about, and we hope you’ll take the time (3:44 to be exact) to watch it.

We also completed a revamp of our marketing materials, including a brand spanking new catalog, which looks pretty sharp if we do say so ourselves. A huge shout out to Andrea Hemmann of GHI Design for her excellent design abilities.

We have spent the past month sending these books to our designers and friends, but if you didn’t receive one and would like to- please let us know and one will appear at your doorstep! You can also check out some of our projects at www.birdstudio.com.

We have a few fun projects up next on the schedule. First, an exciting and unusual project. One of our clients came to us with an antique ship to be restored. This 10-ft long “model” is really something special, and we can’t wait to show the reveal. (Be sure to follow us on Instagram for progress pictures).

Zack is also deep into another mural project for a private residence. Bird Studio’s interior murals blur the line between hand painted wallpaper, mural, and fine art painting. The benefit of this approach is that the work can be completed off-site in our studio, instead of taking up days and weeks of your client’s time in their home. The canvas is then installed like wallpaper in one day. These murals are true statement pieces that again offer a completely custom artwork that often incorporates the personal property or interests of the owner.

We do like to keep busy, but if you have a project in mind for 2024, let’s talk soon.

Thank you for your support!

Zack Bird + the Bird Studio Team