Peck & Company is on the move. Since their inception in 1987, the bespoke fine-metalwork fabrication and restoration house has grown into what is now the quintessential designer and architectural darling of most of the top industry leaders. Now, thanks to a significant increase from 13,000 to 25,000 square feet on the outskirts of the Houston Design District, their star is poised to continue rising.
For those unfamiliar with Peck & Co., the fabrication house’s public-facing projects include The Wortham Center, the Four Seasons Hotel, and Whispering Pines Golf Club, to name a few. Interestingly, unlike many other ASID Industry Partners, Peck & Co. (and their diverse architectural salvage yard) is open to the public.
Owner Levi Stovall holds an impressive Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The Art Institute of Boston. “My background is in fine arts. I started welding in high school and fell in love with it,” Stovall tells CultureMap. “I’ve combined the fine arts world with a tangible product that people would actually buy — I love it.”
Stovall operated his own “one man show” fabrication operation creating architectural metalwork — gates, fencing, staircases, and the like — prior to joining the sales team at Peck & Co. in 2013.
“Bill Peck was 69 years old at the time and would joke, ‘Oh, this is the guy who is going to buy me out.’ We had that conversation for a couple of years, its been a blessing,” he says. Sure enough, in 2019, Stovall purchased Peck & Company from Bill Peck.
Their fully in-house design and fabrication process is what sets them apart from other metalworking outfits. “That’s what I love about this shop,” says Stovall. “A lot of fabrication shops are either outsourcing, or the showroom is over here and the shop is over there,” Stovall says while gesturing broadly. “Here, the designer can come here and talk about it. ‘Oh, by the way, your table is being fabricated. Do you want to take a look at it?’ It’s truly custom.”
As previously mentioned, it’s a rarity for a shop with a pedigree so intertwined with interior designers and architects to be accessible to non-trade members, but the general public is welcomed enthusiastically at Peck & Co.
“I don’t care who comes through the door. Even if it’s just a sketch on a napkin, we can start pulling ideas—it’s Pandora’s Box,” he says. “We do the isometrics and pretty renderings for clients. I have a great design and drafting team who take the idea from the client and put it on paper.”
Speaking of the team, Peck & Co. currently employs 19 people spanning multiple fields. Stovall credits a philosophy of cross-training his artisans so that there is a lot of promoting from within. “Trial by fire,” is how he refers to his training methods, saying of his artisans: “One day he’s gotta be a hammer, and the next day he’s gotta be a feather — blows me away how talented they are.”
The move to the new space has been two-and-a-half years in the making. Once fully completed, an on-site 300-square-foot, glassed-in showroom and design center will offer striking views of the fabrication shop, allowing clients to watch Peck & Co. artisans at work beneath the sea of salvaged antique chandeliers currently on display — and for sale.
The inventory of architectural salvage goes back 35 years. Stovall shares that the majority of their pieces come from buildings in the northeast and Latin America, but there are also pieces from “Round Top, before it was ‘Round Top,’” and other similar places. “It’s fun because some people come in and want a unique, one-off piece, but then, if you have a little history behind it, it makes it more exciting.”
While bespoke furniture, drapery hardware, and lighting work keeps Peck & Co. busiest, not every client has that lead time available. This is why the salvaged antique lighting inventory is such a popular choice. Any piece of architectural salvage can be altered or reproduced in-house, with any tweaks worked out on-site.
“If someone needs something in a hurry, or just wants an antique piece, we will take them down, refurbish them, rewire them — we can get them UL certified if that’s what they want — or if they see one they like and want four more of them, we will make them,” he says.
As somewhat of a fine arts romanticist, Stovall prides himself on being a steward of the architectural salvage found at Peck & Co. With some pieces even predating welding, it’s hardly surprising that he’s so particular.
“I like to give these pieces new life,” Stovall says. “It has already been demolished, transported all over the place — now it’s waiting, like purgatory. ‘Am I going to Heaven or Hell, right? Am I being made into this beautiful console that this family cherishes and becomes an heirloom, or am I going to be hung up outside on someone’s fence?’ When those people [the latter] show up it’s like…we don’t have any of that.”
Stovall values Peck & Co.’s eclectic clientele that includes well-documented relationships with top designers like Benjamin Johnston and Courtnay Elias of Creative Tonic. “Courtnay is a great lady, great friend, great designer — very unique style. We’ve done a couple of those unique pieces for her. That’s something that makes me enjoy clients like that, because that’s something that would never even be on my radar.”
As for the remaining Peck & Co. clientele, or anyone who may feel a twinge of intimidation before pursuing a potential project, Stovall shared some reassuring insight: “I don’t care whose house it’s going in. I probably should. But it’s not going to affect the pricing, it’s not going to affect the quality — we strive for perfection every time.”
