By Lauren DeBellis
When Connecticut antiques dealer, Natalie Randall of R.T. Facts, discovered an old ship’s hatch in the barn of her newly purchased 150-year old farmhouse, she knew she needed to find a use for it. “As soon as my husband and I found it, we knew it was special,” says Randall. “The hatch is made of this great aged wood with steel parts, such as the handles that were used to open the hatch to get below sea level on the ship.” Inspired, she found the perfect match for it: an Industrial Age steel machine base from a nearby factory that had closed down. With two storage drawers on the base, she envisioned the table as an entertaining piece for the home to be used as a kitchen island or bar. “We instantly knew combining the hatch with the base would turn this into a real conversation piece. How interesting to have a ship’s door hatch for a table topper.”
Of course, putting the two together wasn’t easy. The machine stand was covered in layers and layers of grease, which, according to Randall, is not easy to clean up. “It’s a huge job,” she says, “A lot of power washing has to be done. Then, after the clean-up, we had to make custom stretchers in order for the hatch to be supported properly by the base. Our blacksmiths bolted the hatch to the base.”
Pairing this symbol of a sea merchant’s life and that of a factory worker, two important trades in our country’s history, is one reason why industrial items such as these are hugely popular right now. “They don’t make ship’s hatches like this anymore,” says Randall. “It has such a great patina and, the combination of raw, naturally worn and weathered wood with the sleek, mellowed steel is so appealing.”
Randall also sees this classic piece as a versatile decorative item. “Something like this brings home a piece of Americana, when times were simpler,” says Randall. “But the steel modernizes it, making it a bit funkier. It would fit in well at a beach house or a modern loft apartment. I see someone buying it that has an affinity for old nautical pieces for which it will become a treasure. If that hatch could talk, I am sure it would have many adventure stories to tell.”
There is certainly an impressive amount of manpower that goes into creating something like this. With the age of both pieces and the uniqueness of the ship hatch, the buyer of this table is not only gaining an investment, but also a piece of history.
MACHINE AGE
Somewhere between the first and second World Wars (around 1880 – 1945), the United States entered into the Machine Age. Factories were popping up across the country debuting printing presses as well as assembly-line machinery that were mass-producing items such as automobile parts, photographs and appliances. Those who made early machinery were artisans, and, to this day, their craftsmanship is still appreciated.
FASHION GOES INDUSTRIAL
According to Randall, who mainly sells from her shop or at shows such as Antiques at the Armory and the New York Botanical Garden Antique Show in New York City, industrial pieces are very popular among visual merchandisers from some of our favorite clothing stores. Clothing is often displayed on many of Randall’s pieces at Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Anthropologie.
