Wood Doors, Custom Furniture

Memory is such an interesting tool. We can, given the right stimulus, recall with clarity a moment in time, long past. There are times, when moving through a crowd when I catch a scent and will be catapulted back in time to my Grandmother’s house on Clear Lake on a Saturday morning. Sometimes it’s just a simple smell, like fresh berries,cut grass or fried fish that brings back vivid memories of my childhood.

At Grandma’s house we would begin our day by looking out at the lake and consider the possibilities. My Mother and Uncles would all be getting ready to water ski, fish or pick black berries. Sometimes all I have to do is look at Grandma’s old hand carved cedar chest where she kept, what she called, the most important things.

One of my most vivid memories was when Grandma decided she needed a new front door. The entrance to her home was always unremarkable so we all chimed in and encouraged her to get something unique. Then the question, “what would make it special?” We began on-line and stumbled upon a wonderful website artfactory.com. We then chose a style that reflected the ambiance of the lake home and its surroundings. With all the possibilities they offered we then all agreed that it should reflect our lifestyle and the things we all enjoyed doing while we were together. We got out a lot of our old photos of fishing, the woods and all the moments we loved when Grandpa and Grandma were together.

We were excited to work with Scottsdale Art Factory because of their reputation and their ability to use our family photographs in the hand carvings on the door. Grandma was so pleased with her new custom door! The rest is history (see the photo included of our door of memories). It has been several years and Grandma is no longer with us but every time we get together at the lake house warm memories overwhelm me.

It has been said that all we ever really have in life is our memories. If that is the case then I suggest we make memories that last. I once heard that it’s better to be looked over than overlooked and in the context of making lasting memories I believe this to be true. Why go through life in beige if chartreuse will linger in the memory? Why opt for basic black if tangerine will seal the moment? Why be boring if bold will cause you to stand out and be noticed?

Moroccan Door: Morocco wooden doors, Moorish double doors, wood Morocco gateways and Moorish carved doors! Moroccans say a beautiful house is known by its beautiful door. We offer a wide range of Moroccan style doors, a unique art of Moroccan living, which makes it possible to recreate the warmth of hospitality and the cultural elegance of Mediterranean design right for your own home or office!


Scottsdale Art Factory: Offers Anglo Indian style doors with large bases in unique original design. Indian carving with European influence. Antique style door from the once French enclave in India, Pandacheri. Perfect for wine cellar or to give character to any house. Fine flower carvings on frame sides and over and under lintel. South India. Gujarat temple style doors, carved in solid cedar, inset with iron or copper plaques are avaliable. We can make you a pair of doors with massive carved frame ideal for your wine cellar. Spectacularly deep carved framed door. You may order huge hand forged iron hinges. Install these on your guest house and “Shahrazad” will come.


Berbers: The early Berbers were unmoved by the colonizing Phoenicians, and even the Romans did little to upset the Berber way of life after the sack of Carthage in 146 BC. All the same, the Romans ushered in a long period of peace during which many cities were founded, and the Berbers of the coastal plains became city dwellers. Christianity turned up in the 3rd century AD, and again the Berbers asserted their traditional dislike of centralized authority by following Donatus (a Christian sect leader who claimed that the Donatists alone constituted the true church).

Morocco officially Kingdom of Morocco, Arabic Al-Maghrib, or Al-Mamlakah al-MaghribYyah country of northwestern North Africa that lies directly across the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain. It borders Algeria to the east and southeast, Western Sahara to the south, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north. It is the only African country with coastal exposure to both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. With the Western Sahara’s 97,344 square miles (252,120 square km), Morocco occupies a total area of 274,461 square miles (710,850 square km). Casablanca is the largest city, primary seaport, and commercial and industrial hub. Rabat is the capital and the country’s second largest city.


Because of its lack of natural harbors, its rugged mountainous interior, and its distance throughout its history from imperial centers in the east, Morocco remained relatively free from foreign invasion until the early 20th century. This enabled it to preserve a proud traditional character, which is a rich blend of Berber, Arab-Islamic, Iberian, and African cultural influences. Those traits were joined by an infusion of European cultural elements during the colonial period when Morocco was a protectorate of both France and Spain.


Brief History: Unlike other North African nations, Morocco has been largely occupied by one group of people for as long as recorded history can recall. The Berbers, or Imazighen (men of the land), settled in the area thousands of years ago and at one time controlled all of the land between Morocco and Egypt. Divided into clans and tribes, they have always jealously guarded their independence. It’s this fierce spirit that has helped preserve one of Africa’s most fascinating cultures.