When you need something that doesn’t exist, ADG can fabricate it.
Words
Lisa Waterman Gray
@lwgtravels
omeowners and designers occasionally envision something they want but can’t find at any store. In the Kansas City area, the artisanal Architectural Detail Group and ADG Lighting create sculptural and lighting designs that align with and express those visions, making happy clients.
Amber Heiss oversees Kansas sales as the California-based company’s local representative and design advisor. Her most recent project involved a sculpture that emulated an Overland Park couple’s three athletic sons in bronze tiles. Initially planned for positioning near the home’s circle drive, the three-piece sculpture was relocated to the backyard. The homeowner, Mandy, wanted it to depict her oldest son playing football and her two younger sons playing basketball.
Beautiful things, handcrafted, can take time. But this has been well worth the wait.
—Amber Heiss
She had been inspired by a sculpture she saw of three girls playing, but her own idea was for more easily moveable sculptures. That’s when Mandy found ADG.
“They could do what I was envisioning,” she describes. “They were very flexible and wanted me to be happy with the sculpture and [make it] very relatable for the boys.”
Heiss met with Mandy to understand her needs. After securing photos of the boys, Heiss shared meeting details with the company founder, CEO, and principal designer, Gerald Olesker. He leads with lighting, incorporating functional design and creating metal railings, fencing, and ornamental metalwork that reflect any era.
“When we develop these site-specific packages, I take an architectural view of a project,” Olesker says. “Now that [this sculpture is] in the backyard, each piece has its own individual story.
“Following ideation, I put [concepts] into pen-washed colorization, picking up details of a project with a nod to the architecture,” he continues. “Then this ‘storyline’ captures a moment in time. My young engineering team puts it in three dimensions, making it more realistic.”
The resulting abstract sculpture incorporates three colors of bronze tiles, depicting the colors of the balls and the boys in motion.
Other recent projects the company has worked on include illuminated ceiling sculptures inside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the historic Music Center of Los Angeles. Olesker says their design is reminiscent of the facility’s original opening curtain.
The company also created a giant, decorative, golden ceiling ‘platter’ for the Dallas Mavericks headquarters.
“They needed this intimate space—the Echo Lounge—with a nod to a giant speaker, evocative of the architecture, and within budget,” Olesker says.
Whether it’s on the national stage or private property, ADG is a source for creative solutions.
“It gives character and quality to a house and puts your personal touch on your property,” Mandy says. “It’s not an everyday, ordinary beige—but it’s not a pink flamingo either. It’s quality and timeless.”
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