After careers in banking and finance, physical therapy and hotel management, Hans and Paulette Massaro Kretschman acquired the firm Plexi-Craft and “fell in love” with acrylics. In just over a decade, they have developed a workshop producing high-end luxury handcrafted transparent furnishings and fittings for designers and celebrities.
Let’s make one thing perfectly clear, what kind of plastic are we talking about?
We work with acrylic—a family of transparent petroleum-based thermoplastics made from acrylic acid, a derivation of natural gas. After diamonds, it is one of the clearest substances on earth, flexible, half the weight of glass, and 17 times more shatter resistant. Plexiglas, Lucite, Oroglass, Optix are among brand names in the trade.
How did it come to be used in furniture?
Created in the early 1900s, it was used commercially, employed during World War II for fittings in planes and submarines. Adopting its adaptability, modern aesthetic and futuristic properties, designers embraced it for furniture—a new “space age” product offering nice clean lines, minimalism. It gives a visual spaciousness to a room. And, of course, it’s appropriate for small spaces.
What techniques distinguish your work from mass-produced plastic items?
Assembled without nails, items must be glued in a technique that avoids bubbles—air bubbles are anathema. Our craftsmen—working in a climate-controlled glue room—have the ability to inject and brush on glues that become invisible in the transparent object. You want it to be impeccable, as flawless as possible.
Every piece is handmade. What starts the design process?
We generate a CAD (computer aided design), and then work with our craftspeople to fabricate it. The price depends on the amount of stretching, bending, beveling, and the number of glue joints required. There is no assembly line, every piece is made individually, and even the Signature pieces can be made to order with different dimensions and measurements. We aim to create contemporary heirlooms.
What items work best in acrylic?
We find the most popular pieces in our standard Signature line are coffee and end tables, dining tables, chairs and étagères.
What styles of decor are appropriate for acrylic?
The target is modern, minimalistic, Hollywood “glam.” But it’s very versatile, it mixes well with all types of furniture. In traditional rooms, it shows off an antique without taking away the beauty of it, accenting traditional features. You can see the carpet under it, the wallpaper behind it.
You’ve designed humidors, cribs, a piano. Do any items not lend themselves to acrylic?
You wouldn’t use it near heat, for fireplace screens, nor on pieces prone to abrasion, and not outdoors where it can be pitted by wind, rain and weather.
What care does acrylic require?
Never chemicals. Not even glass cleaners, which are based in ammonia. Always merely wipe with a clean, soft, cloth, damp if necessary. No polishes or scrubs. Like fine wood, it allows buffing off small scratches. It is very low maintenance.
When is colored acrylic used?
Over 90 percent of the market is clear, but occasionally people want color for children’s rooms or fun rooms— recreation or game. We can purchase slabs intrinsically dyed or more unusual is a process that laminates a fine layer of colored acrylic on the surface—the piece absorbs the light through the color and the hue emanates through the piece—so it glows.