Out of the Ordinary
Left-of-Center atelier opens in Northeast
by Chris Lee
Photo by Eric Moore
Left-of-Center Style, the newest addition to Northeast’s growing collection of retailers, opened shop just after the first of the year. Its eclectic offerings include locally crafted custom furniture, metalwork, pottery, art, and a few antique collectibles—where else can you find a sleek, white ostrich-leather chair beside an eighteenth-century nickel soaker tub? Shop proprietor Gerri Summerville plans to add more work from local artisans. “We have only just begun,” she says. But the shop’s star offering is the sophisticated furniture Summerville and her partner, David Clemens, have been making since 1997 under the Left-of-Center label. Their distinctive pieces are painstakingly refined and detailed in the workshop behind the storefront. Summerville focuses more on design, while Clemens does more hands-on woodworking, but both perfect pieces as they take shape. “This is the stuff we love doing,” says Summerville. “It’s not middle of the road. It’s not for everyone.”
Left to Right: Wood at Work Hand-carved walnut “Nautilus” chair in green velvet, $2,800 and up, and figured cherry desk, featuring hand-sculpted drawer with leather insert, $4,750 • Living Light “Squid” wall sconce with handmade glass inserts and wrought-iron frame by metal artist Chris Dunn, $775 • You Tube Vase by potter Mike Norman, $160.
Left-of-Center Style, 509½ First Ave. NE, Minneapolis, 612-788-1333
Email
Print
del.icio.us
digg
Feed
11 ISSUES (1 YEAR)
