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RECATUNE 84 M ore than 35 y e a r s a g o , Marcelena Recatune apprenticed under one of Dallas' few remaining bookbinders, learning the nearly lost art of hand tooling leather. The ancient craft appealed t o R e c a t u n e ' s l o v e o f cultural history (she studied anthropology at SMU and UTD) and desire to unearth her own Basque heritage — where tooling leather has been rooted for centuries. In 1983, she founded Larru Leather Company, which has since become an invaluable resource for national interior designers and private clients. Working in fine calfskin from France, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland, along with exotics such as shagreen and parchment, Recatune and her assistant, Alejandro Mejia, create custom hand-tooled leather furniture, wall tiles, desk blotters, bound books, and accessories. It's not just their techniques that are time-honored. Much of the artistry is accomplished with Recatune's sizeable collection of vintage and antique leather-working tools, including some dating to the 1700s, which she brought from Paris. Some Greek key, medallion, and custom motifs are enhanced with 23K gold, and the company also restores and custom-colors leather. Recatune is an expert in Suminagashi, the 12th- c e n t u r y m a r b l e i z i n g technique perfected in Japan and later used in Europe for paper and fabric book c o v e r s . S h e l e a r n e d t h e s k i l l f r o m h e r bookbinder mentor, and she has applied it to hand- bags, and small leather accessories for the home. "It's an ancient process that few people still do," Recatune says. "Almost no one does [Suminagashi] on leather." The rarefied artistry of hand tooling naturally a p p e a l s t o a n e x a l t e d REVIVAL IN THE DALLAS DESIGN DISTRICT, A LOST ART THRIVES — ONE FINELY TOOLED WORK OF LEATHER AT A TIME. BY REBECCA SHERMAN PHOTOGRAPHY IMANI CHET LYTLE Marcelena Recatune Alejandro Mejia Desk inset for Old Parkland Debate Chamber audience. Larru Leather's clients are just that: Ross and Margot Perot, President George W. Bush and Laura Bush, Ted Turner, Jerry Jones, Woody Allen, and Oliver Stone, as well as prominent designers David Easton, Jan Showers, Emily Summers, Stephen Sills, David Cadwallader, a n d J o s e p h M i n t o n . Most recently, Larru Leather created custom desk insets and accessories with a gilt o w l c r e s t a n d o t h e r designs for the spectacular D e b a t e C h a m b e r i n historic Old Parkland. They may be dying arts, but Recatune expects hand tooling and marbleizing to thrive at her Dallas Design District studio for a long time to come. "Alejandro started as my apprentice in 1997 when he was 19," she says. "When the time comes, he'll have someone apprentice under him." Vintage leather-working tools