Lucite furnishings are clearly magical

Walking down the lovely tree-lined streets of West Hollywood's design district that day was especially invigorating. It was a very different community then, and as I passed the many charming shops selling furniture and fabrics of all description, I instinctively knew that I would forever remember this day and what it felt like to be joining the ranks of all the other purveyors of fine furnishings along Robertson Boulevard. It was to be my first day of work for furniture designer Charles Hollis Jones and I was thrilled to be joining an industry I loved so much and to have been chosen as his personal assistant.

Initially, I wasn't really aware of the fame that Mr. Hollis Jones enjoyed at that time. His specialty was Lucite (often referred to as acrylic or Plexiglas), a material far less familiar to me than wood or lacquer. The demand for my new employer's services and product(s) was so great that I remember thinking that maybe I too should have heeded the advice given by Dustin Hoffman's neighbor in that wonderful film "The Graduate" when he counseled him to "go into plastics."

In any case, it wasn't too long before I became well-versed in the history of Mr. Hollis Jones' chosen medium as well as an ardent fan of Lucite and what it can achieve. I already knew that plastics in general had become a staple in all aspects of American life by the 1950s and, of course, still remains an essential to this day. Acrylic (and Plexiglas too) are simply generic terms for Lucite, which is a transparent plastic invented by DuPont in 1931.

This new "space-age" material was hailed as a revolutionary product as it was crystal clear, low density and yet stronger than previous plastics, as well as exhibiting excellent water and ultraviolet ray resistance. It was a true marvel of science that not only helped with the war effort, it then morphed into jewelry such as Lucite rings and handbags in the '50s and '60s and finally into its greatest form (as far as I'm concerned) -- furniture.

Some of the finest products in custom contemporary design have been crafted in acrylic, which is no mean feat, I can assure you. Lucite by its very nature as a transparent material, is extremely unforgiving. It reveals every defect, so each step in the fabrication process requires the utmost skill in execution.

Mr. Hollis Jones made sure I understood the process and stressed that an extraordinary amount of care had to be devoted to precision casting, cutting, machining, cementing and finishing. I came to realize early on that the hours required to produce the flawless surface that clients expected could easily be compared to the amount of time and effort required to produce a piece of fine lacquer.

The beauty and intrigue of what can be wrought from Lucite has remained with me since those early days of my vocation. When I later left Mr. Hollis Jones' employ and struck out on my own to produce original furniture designs, while not centering my efforts on acrylic per se, I did usually feature several Lucite designs as its popularity remained undiminished through the 1980s and into much of the '90s, when its place in design somewhat waned until becoming revitalized once again in the last few years.

Nonetheless, acrylic furniture will always have its place in fine décor where it usually appears as a featured element, such as a coffee table or side table, rather than as a complete suite of furniture. Its transparent nature works like magic in "opening up" a small room and the excitement of seeing through a piece of furniture is hard to beat. Imagine walking into a dining room and seeing a table and chairs made of a crystal-clear material. What a sensational look and a room that you wouldn't soon forget!

In my own home I have lived with Lucite pieces for years and have enjoyed an acrylic desk with waterfall sides in our master bedroom more than I can say. For actress Tatum O'Neal I designed a coffee table that simulated the look of bamboo and for screen legend Rhonda Fleming a dining table of carved acrylic.

Lucite sculpture has also enjoyed great popularity through the years and now acrylic in all shapes and colors is available at showrooms such as Haziza and Acrylicore (showcasing the brilliant work of acrylic artist Shahrooz Nia), both located in our Las Vegas Design Center at the World Market.

Designs in acrylic or Plexiglas obviously run the gamut in complexity and form with price affected as a rule by the thickness and quality of the material used. For example, 3-inch Lucite will be far more costly (and heavier!) than 1-inch; costs have gone up dramatically lately as a key component of plastic is petroleum. But again, the thrill of owning a piece of Lucite furniture and the design magic that it can conjure up in your home is well-worth the investment.

Stephen Leon is president of Soleil Design International and has been designing and manufacturing custom furniture and cabinetry for more than 25 years. He is on the board of directors of the Central California/Nevada Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers. Questions can be sent to soleildesign@cox.net.