...about Friday field trips: John Lyle.

Field trip! Off to the Long Island City showroom of John Lyle: metal man, furniture designer and alchemist John Lyle, whose occasional and accent pieces are found in show house rooms, tony interiors, the must-have list of shelter pub editors, Holly Hunt showrooms and now, Donghia.

John makes the most of metals like bronze and steel, draws from history (ancient and modern) and channels the likes of Giacometti (John's long, low bronze and metal cocktail table) and even a little bit of Halston (the view-shattering stainless room divider)… all with a Southern drawl, a wink and a smile.

A side table from John's Inox line, via Donghia, was featured in the room of designer Charles Farruggio at the 2011 Holiday House.

John’s furniture and lighting, from his classic John Lyle Design collection, or his new Inox line (both To the Trade), are exquisitely crafted and, often, deceptively simple.

Shagreen (beautifully bare or delicately colored), bleached bone and shell tiles cover delicate, carefully considered shapes. Parchment and fish scale offer a rich ivory base on lamps and consoles, and pair perfectly with verdigris and the nickel-warm glow of white bronze. Waterfall edges have graceful bevels, legs have shapely tapers, and each and every table, console and cube fits perfectly into a range of interior styles, jewelry for any room. Even larger pieces are perfectly scaled, and display a mastery of engineering and craft.

He’s also fast becoming to go-to-guy for hot paraphernalia… all the fireside accoutrement to bedazzle your firebox… his custom screens, andirons and fire dogs are the chic accessory for the well-dressed hearth, warming up modern townhome or traditional piéd-a-terre.

Favorites include the classic Greek Key andirons wrought in white bronze, and the multi-paneled stainless steel screen that no doubt turns a roaring fire into an Escher-esque and hypnotic dance of flames. It would be almost all the art a winter room would need.

On top of being a craftsman with exquisite taste, a Southerner with a penchant for a good story, and a popular gentlemen’s gentleman, he’s also a generous man… look for a John Lyle piece in the Silent Auction to benefit Bailey House, and my upcoming Design on a Dime vignette... I just wish I was planning on having a fireplace!!

Get Social: Follow John Lyle Design, Inox and Donghia on Facebook.