The Kenwood Collection – a leather stamping study for Oneida, New York

From the Practice Log – an ongoing series of leather stamping studies, this one built from original designs. Volume I-B.

A September study.

Oneida, New York, pressed into leather. We walked the Kenwood grounds through photographs and came back with five stamps – enough for a luggage tag and everything up to a catchall tray. We call it the Kenwood Collection.

First, the tower. From the earliest photographs of the great brick house we drew its square tower, interpretive where the pictures go quiet, and set ONEIDA beneath it – a destination mark, made to hang from a suitcase.

It looks genuinely beautiful.

Black-and-white stamp artwork of the Mansion House tower above ONEIDA and NEW YORK, for the Kenwood Collection of Oneida, New York.

The black tag carries the gold. The chestnut sicilian brown and the pale sea-blue are pressed blind.

A black luggage tag stamped with the Mansion House tower above ONEIDA and NEW YORK, from the Kenwood Collection of Oneida, New York.

A sicilian brown luggage tag stamped with the Mansion House tower above ONEIDA and NEW YORK, from the Kenwood Collection of Oneida, New York.

A turquoise luggage tag stamped with the Mansion House tower above ONEIDA and NEW YORK, from the Kenwood Collection of Oneida, New York.

Next, the library. Three round-headed bookcase arches, shelved tight with old volumes, except for one gap left open on purpose. ROOM FOR ONE MORE, says the cover – the missing book is the journal in your hand.

Black-and-white stamp artwork of three old-library arches above ROOM FOR ONE MORE, for the Kenwood Collection of Oneida, New York.

Looks great when stamped onto the leather – once in deep espresso, once in warm caramel, the library's own woods.

A dark espresso leather journal stamped with three old-library arches above ROOM FOR ONE MORE, from the Kenwood Collection of Oneida, New York.

A caramel leather journal stamped with three old-library arches above ROOM FOR ONE MORE, from the Kenwood Collection of Oneida, New York.

Then, the lawn. From the old croquet photographs we kept the simplest grammar the game has, a ball waiting at the wicket with the mallet standing by, and wrote YOUR TURN underneath. On a keychain the phrase works twice – the game is waiting, and so are the keys.

Black-and-white stamp artwork of a croquet wicket, ball and mallet above YOUR TURN, for the Kenwood Collection of Oneida, New York.

The fobs wear deep green and warm caramel.

A forest green leather keychain stamped with a croquet wicket, ball and mallet above YOUR TURN, from the Kenwood Collection of Oneida, New York.

A caramel leather keychain stamped with a croquet wicket, ball and mallet above YOUR TURN, from the Kenwood Collection of Oneida, New York.

After that, the gardens. Two coneflowers with their heads bowed the way they actually grow, over the words THE PLEASURE GARDEN – the grounds' own story, a communal farm grown into a pleasure garden. The stamp sits low in the corner of each toiletry bag, one in honeyed russet, one in deep espresso.

Black-and-white stamp artwork of two coneflowers above THE PLEASURE GARDEN, for the Kenwood Collection of Oneida, New York.

A indian summer leather toiletry bag stamped with two coneflowers above THE PLEASURE GARDEN, from the Kenwood Collection of Oneida, New York.

A dark espresso leather toiletry bag stamped with two coneflowers above THE PLEASURE GARDEN, from the Kenwood Collection of Oneida, New York.

And finally, the one we liked the most. There is a story here about real sample teaspoons mailed to a prospective bride, so the pattern could be chosen before anything else was settled. We lined up five spoons, gave every handle a different ending, and set CHOOSE YOUR PATTERN beneath the row – on the catchall tray, where the small silver things of a day end up anyway.

Black-and-white stamp artwork of five teaspoons above CHOOSE YOUR PATTERN, for the Kenwood Collection of Oneida, New York.

Looks absolutely gorgeous when stamped onto the golden tan of the tray.

A arizona leather catchall tray stamped with five teaspoons above CHOOSE YOUR PATTERN, from the Kenwood Collection of Oneida, New York.

We made this out of love. Leatherius Woodman is on a mission to create and share artifacts of beauty, craft and love – this study is one of them, and we hope the feeling is mutual. Every image is a render – how we prototype before cutting a die.

If you'd like anything here made real, or anything changed – say hello through our contact page.

P.S.

An alternate black leather luggage tag stamped with the Oneida tower design from the Kenwood Collection.

An alternate sicilian brown leather luggage tag stamped with the Oneida tower design from the Kenwood Collection.

An alternate turquoise leather luggage tag stamped with the Oneida tower design from the Kenwood Collection.