A Door is More Than an Entrance— It’s a Statement

Story by Sarah Fader

Nancy Saavedra is the co-founder of Art Boulle. Born in Ecuador, she moved to Canada when she was five years old, and as an adult she studied business in Toronto. Years later Nancy revisited Ecuador, where she fell in love with the country and the man whom she would marry, Diego Saavedra. While she was there admiring the nation’s historical architecture, she got the idea for a custom door company, and that’s how her firm was born. Together with her husband, Nancy founded Art Boulle, which creates beautiful statement doors—incredible projects she is very proud of—for its clients. Art Boulle’s corporate office is in Toronto, but the company recently expanded to the U.S. and has a new showroom in Palm Beach, FL.

Design + Decor: How and why did you get into the custom door industry?

Nancy: It was around 15 years ago when I traveled to Ecuador, and I was inspired by the craftsmanship. I wanted to bring a product to Canada that was not massproduced, but more unique and handcrafted.

Design + Decor: Why do doors—exterior and interior—matter?

Nancy: The front door has always been the signature piece of the architecture of the house. It’s the first thing people see when they walk through your door— it is a statement. It’s crucial to make a door that has impact and that “wow” feature. Interior doors are the same concept. We can do custom doors and fabricate something that goes with the front door so it flows and matches the overall design of the house.

There is personality in each door. As a matter of fact, for every door we do, we try to make it custom and unique to match that family’s taste. It can be anywhere from intricate—something that’s very ornate that goes with the family, like a coat of arms—to something more modern or minimalist. Minimalist would be something that’s still elegant but not too heavy, and doesn’t overpower too much for that personality. Every single door speaks with a design, which is our specialty. We design based on the taste of the client.

We have a lot of clients who are, for example, from Dubai, and they love to show a bit more of their success. They want intricate and ornate pieces that show their tastes, their imperial style—like a palace type of look. We get clients who want something nobody else has.

Design + Decor: What are some styles you are seeing in custom doors?

Nancy: A lot of the styles are contemporary—however, they’re handcrafted. We’re able to implement metal and wood—the combination of the two—which a lot of our clients love. We’re able to do metal features with wood, and vice versa, or we can just do metal; it depends on the client. More clients tend to go towards the contemporary. Contemporary is more of a modern design with square or straight lines rather than scrollwork, which is a lot of the French style we do.

We’ve made a lot of replicas of artist Edward Brandt’s work, which is Art Deco style. His work is now in the prominent banks of Downtown Manhattan. Art Deco was an era where the traditional classical scrollwork became a bit more modern. It’s still a lot of hand-craftsmanship and detail in a bit of a more modern era. Some of our clientele love that era, and it’s very hard to find someone to fabricate something like that.

We’re diverse because we have every single style. We now have a client who wants something in the style of Buckingham Palace, so everyone is quite different. For traditional style, we do a lot of cast work. In France, a lot of the doors are traditional pieces that are historical—they have a lot of scrollwork, drapery, cast elements and leaves, and are inspired by nature.

Design + Decor: What is the process of creating and executing custom doors? Can the architect/designer come to you with their own design?

Nancy: Architects will come up with their own designs, and we’ll help them fabricate those pieces. Some architects will come to us and say, “What do you recommend for this project?” We get involved in the design process, presenting a couple of options to them.

Design + Decor: Are pivot doors popular?

Nancy: Pivot doors are very popular right now. Everybody wants to have that oversized door, not just the double door. It creates a bigger space when you open the door and walk through the entrance. Pivots have become very popular; at least 80% of our projects are pivots. A door that’s hung on a pivot system has a plate at the bottom and a pin inside the door. The top plate also has a pivot pin, and it’s hung on that. So the door actually opens and closes on that pivot; it’s not a hinged door. We still do hinge doors or concealed hinges for modern doors. But the pivot is easy to open and close; you can move it with your finger, even though the doors are heavy. Some of them are 600 pounds, but they’re easy to move. We work with FritsJurgens, from Germany, one of the best pivot systems out there. tanna Design Associates, GWT Outdoors and, of course, Kurtz Homes Naples. Ultimately, The Collective will feature additional businesses, such as interior design studios, furniture companies, and other related firms that complement the existing tenants.

Accessorizing is such a key element in the final design pro Trays: Where would we be without the tray! Trays are functional, resourceful and elegant, and they have an abundance of purpose and style. They are perfect for your candles and florals, allowing an ottoman to become a cocktail table, and are easily moved around.

Design + Decor: Do you recommend different materials for the doors based on location?

What’s trending right now in flooring?

Jack Walsh Trade Showroom

Jeremy Walsh

There truly is no stopping IDS. Although her parents have no plans to retire, Nicole is set to take over the family business when the time is right. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with my parents on a shared purpose and passion,” she says. “I look forward to what the future holds for IDS and the design industry.” And we can expect only great things from Nicole and such a dynamic, forward-thinking company.

International Design Source

Emilio Sadez

Nancy: Yes, absolutely. If we’re doing a project in Florida, for example, if the client wants wood, it would have to be a certain type of wood, or we would recommend a metal door. It also depends on which way the house is facing. If it’s facing south, it’s going to take a lot more sun. We recommend what material to use, but we let the clients know their options ahead of time. Some of them say, “I don’t care. I still want a wood door. It doesn’t matter that I’m facing south.” We have different options for the clients, including metal, wood or bronze doors.

Nicole Sadez Bobek

While Randy sees development projects like The Collective as a way of deepening his roots in the Naples community, his priority will always be Kurtz Homes Naples and continuing the foundation his father laid. “I hope we continue things the way we’ve been doing them for 38 years,” says Randy, who is delighted that so many family members are in the business. “My family is a real big part of my life. It’s great to have some of them as part of the Kurtz Team.”

Oiled natural wood flooring for any style room is popular— especially natural hardwood, which is trending with biophilic designs. We have lots of requests for wide-plank hardwood floors, which make rooms look larger and more open and offer something for everyone, no matter your design sensibility. Oak is one of the most durable species, with a tight, dark grain that works in almost any room, in any stain. Maple is the second most popular hardwood, because it has a predictable pattern and color, with a hint of character. Today’s most popular colors are gray and gray muted stains, white and light natural wood.

6001 Taylor Road Naples, FL 34109 239.591.1114

Most of our woods are mahogany. We know that’s an excellent wood because it doesn’t absorb a lot of humidity, it is a hard wood, it’s beautiful and it’s very noble wood. Depending on whether it’s a warmer or colder climate, we analyze that before we choose the type of wood we’re going to be using.

Resource:

1734 Northgate Blvd. Sarasota, FL 34234 941.552.2550

Randy’s mother, Nancy, continues to be involved with the business. His two daughters, Carolyn and Elizabeth, work in client relations and marketing, and Carolyn’s husband, David Gordon, is a project manager. Carolyn and David’s three children, Noah, Isla and Lucy are often in the Kurtz offices, and Noah is even listed on the website as a future employee. His start date? The year 2035.

Art Boulle

Nancy Saavedra

The advantages of an oiled surface are the pleasant direct con tact with the wood, the smoothness, the ability to repair the affected area without working on the whole surface, and the positive room climate created by the exchange of moisture. Natural oiled surfaces soak into the wood flooring and provide the necessary robustness from the inside out. However, lacquered surfaces represent sealing the wood floors on top, and are often obtained through several layers of lacquer. The wood underneath the lacquer layer is usually left untreated.

4209 S. Dixie Hwy West Palm Beach, FL 33405 416.781.4969

Resource:

Kurtz Homes Naples Randy Kurtz 111 10th Street South Suite 304 Naples, FL 34102 239.594.1501 kurtzhomes.com

401 Bay Street, Suite 1600 Toronto, ON, Canada, M5H 2Y4 647.822.9637 artboulle.com

What innovations and designs do you see for homeowners who want to create an outdoor oasis?