Blue Slate Design

Blue Slate Design is a jewelry and houseware studio dedicated to
high design and exquisite quality.  Many of our products are contemporary interpretations of historically documented objects.  Pulled from paintings, carvings,
and other sources, the items are deconstructed, reworked, and repurposed to create incredible
one-of-a kind pieces.  

Located just outside of the small
art community of Fairfield, Iowa,
we place special emphasis on recycled, repurposed, and sustainable materials and
practices.  Our studio is housed
in a passive solar, highly energy efficient building.  Our forge is powered by hardwood charcoal,
never coal.  Our products
represent an effort to incorporate reconditioned materials in new
and exciting ways.  

Holly Butler – Firm Principal
Ms. Butler opened Blue Slate
Design to serve as an outlet for
her creative impulses and as an experiment in sustainable,
locally based business practices.  She carries a Master of
Architecture from Tulane
University and is in the process
of opening an architectural firm specializing in energy efficient custom homes.  

Jens Butler – Oak Wood Forge
Oak Wood Forge is Blue Slate Design’s on site blacksmith shop.  Most of the equipment was purchased from a blacksmith in Northwest Iowa who retired after
60 years in the business.  We are proud to carry on his tradition, incorporating a modern twist into time-honored forms.  

Mr. Butler first began
blacksmithing as a small boy and
has been enchanted with the
process ever since.  He
incorporates organic, living
shapes into functional pieces to
form beautiful works of art.