One Forty Three Blog Post On DIY Potence Lamp

Image by One Forty Three

One Forty Three posted on their DIY version of Jean Prouve's Potence Lamp. I like their interpretation of the original design, shown below.

Image found on Google Images

One Forty Three did a second post where they played with their design/interpretation.

Image by One Forty Three

I am really liking the white version. I think the proportions are better then the other two. I would like to see the angle of the top bend to the bulb be a little tighter. It's a tic too doughy in relation to the other bends in the piece. One Forty Three did a great job of pulling these lights together. Now, they should think about putting these up for sale! 

Intro to Blacksmithing

Last night was my first blacksmithing class and it was AWESOME! The class is being taught by Jonathan Nedbor of Canal Forge who has 35 + years as a blacksmith. There are only six people in the class, including me, so the student to teacher ratio is perfect. The students range from 14 to 70 in age. Its a nice mix of personalities. Jonathan has a great shop, albeit dusty. It ends up that as you heat the metal and then it cools, it can shed a scale that turns to dust when you strike it with a hammer. Everywhere you look within the shop, there is an interesting tool or project. I'm really looking forward to figuring out what some of the odd shaped tools and machines do.

By the end of the first night, Jonathan had us squishing metal. Yes, squishing is a technical term. I made him repeat it twice. Our first project is to take two horse shoes and straighten them out. My two shoes are above. I got through 1 and 1/4 of the second. In the next class, I will continue to straighten the second shoe. Then, I will weld the two shoes together and work on making it a bar of steel. Although it feels awkward right now to handle the metal with tongs, it is incredibly satisfying to see the metal glowing red and shaping it with a hammer on an anvil. It really got my creative juices flowing. 24hrs later and I'm still high off the experience! I will continue to post on my progression and I hope, by the end of the class, to have some finished projects to share.

KITKA Design Toronto Post On Visiting Craftsmen In Asahikawa, Japan

Photo by KITKA

Via The Scout, KITKA Design Toronto posted on their travels to Asahikawa, Japan. They were able to visit craftsmen working in their studios. The photos from the post are inspiring. I can't believe that they were able to visit Professor Oda Noritsugu, at his house, and to see his Danish furniture collection in person. That must have been quite the experience. It also looks like they ate well!
                                           

They posted this video of Takahashi Hidetoshi making the above cup.

KITKA Design Toronto owns a Scandinavian and Japanese design store, called Mjolk, in Toronto, Ontario Ca. After reading through their blog and looking through their site, I definitely want to visit their store. They have a great eye for design and are interested in the whole design and creation process. They list that they ship to many locations, which I will take as internationally. If anyone has visited their store, let me know.

Crate & Barrel and CB2 Outlet in Cranbury NJ

Who knew? There is a Crate & Barrel and CB2 outlet in Cranbury, NJ.

315 Half Acre Rd

Cranbury NJ 08512

The only reason I found out was by calling CB2 to ask a bunch of questions about the Alpine Gunmetal Bed. I have been deciding whether or not to buy this bed, for myself, for a few months now. As a furniture designer, it's always hard to justify buying a piece of furniture when you feel like you should make it yourself. It ends up being a real struggle of conscience. When I called CB2, the representative suggested that I go to the Cranbury store to see if they had one in stock. I was so excited to know that they have a store in NJ. I was surprised when I went there that it is actually a Crate & Barrel outlet with some CB2 items. The representative failed to mention that!

The store had a nice selection of items. It is housed in a HUGE warehouse in an industrial park area. It must be their major shipping hub for the east coast. The sales people were delightful, which is sadly unexpected in a store these days. Even at 10 minutes to closing, the sales force was going strong. Unfortunately, the 2 year old kid having a melt down in the dinnerware section was not.

If I needed these chairs or had a client who needed them, I would have snatched them up. There were 4 of them at about $40 each. They are called the Jasper chair, and usually retail for $150 each. A lot of the other inventory was partials, left overs, or damaged. They had a great fabric, outdoor, and dinnerware section.

I even came across a couple Petrie Apartment Sofas. People LOVE this sofa. It would be a steal to buy it at a huge discount. I personally am not a fan of two cushion sofas. Someone always gets stuck sitting in the crack and it sucks. So, I didn't even look at the price.
Overall, the outlet is definitely worth checking out. You never know what great finds await!

How To Reupholster and Repair Danish Modern Chairs

Every so often these Danish modern chairs come up for sale or for free from an older relative or friend. Because these chairs can now be anywhere between 30 to 50 years old, they often need to be refreshed and repaired. Over time, the interior foam breaks down, the fabric wears out, and the wood can be cracked. Other unforeseen issues can come up, especially if you buy them online and only see them in a photo. These particular chairs that I found, had to have been in the house of a smoker. As you can see in the Before photo, you cannot see that the wood was covered in a thick residue of grime. When I went to pick them up, my reaction was- Yuck. But, I got them for a good deal. So with a little patience and perseverance, they ended up coming out quite nicely.
Below is a step by step guide on how to reupholster and repair Danish modern chairs. Please let me know if you have questions on any of the steps.

Materials:

Clean area to work

Screwdriver

Chisel

Hammer

Pliers

220 sandpaper

Steel wool

Gorilla glue

Water

Murphy's Soap

Rubber gloves

Scotchbrite

Watco Danish Oil

Rags

Vinyl - 3 yd for 4 chairs

Black fabric for under the seats - 3 yd

1/2" thick foam - 2 1/2 yd

3M Super 77

Felt feet to protect floors

Staple gun

Staples

Scribe tool

How To Reupholster and Repair Danish Modern Chairs:

Step 1- Assemble all materials and prepare a large enough area to work in. An area will be needed to clean the chairs and another area to lay out the fabric and foam. My studio has a ceramic tile floor. While it is not the prettiest, it allows me to get the floor wet and to then mop it up or vacuum easily. As you start to disassemble the chairs, you will have a mess as the old foam crumbles and the fabric starts to shed. If you don't have much room inside, a couple of these steps can be done outside, weather permitting.

Step 2- Disassemble the chairs. Take photos or notes while you are disassembling. Everyone always thinks they will remember how they took something apart, but they never do! It will make your life a lot easier if you document your process.

With these chairs, you need to remove the wooden buttons to get to the screws that hold the chair together. The buttons will pop out if you place a Scribe tool in the corner and pry them out. Sometimes, you will have to sacrifice one that splits. They can also be repaired with glue, as they are just cosmetic. Put all your screws, buttons, and parts together with each chair. Label each chair and each part to that chair. This is very important. Wood can get tired and cranky when its old. Most likely you will not be able to interchange parts from different chairs and you will be just as tired and cranky if you have to try to make them fit.

Step 3- Clean the teak wood. Depending on the condition of the chairs you are working with, you may be able to skip this step. As I mentioned, the chairs I was working with had a layer of grime on them from cigarettes. I could run my thumb nail along the surface and scrape a black coat of filth off. Gross. Using hot water with a bit of Murphy's Oil, scrub the chairs with Scotchbrite. Change the water often. If you can get away with only using a rag, try to. It took a long time to remove all the dirt. Allow the chairs to thoroughly dry.

Step 4- Examine the wood for any cracks, splits, and damage. If the chairs are perfect, skip this step. Because teak is an oily wood, regular wood glue will not work for repairs. Gorilla Glue will need to be used. One of the chairs had a split on the side member. I dampened the wood and shoved the Gorilla Glue into the split. I then clamped two scrap pieces of wood on each side to hold the repaired piece in shape. I let it sit overnight for the best results. When taking the assembly apart, carefully use a chisel to scrape any glue that has oozed out of the crack and onto the surface.

Step 5- Sand the entire surface of the chairs with 220 sandpaper. Teak wood can dry out overtime and needs to have oil reapplied. Sanding the surface will ensure that there is no residue or foreign material on the wood. By creating an even surface, the oil will absorb nicely.

Step 6- Apply the Danish Oil or Teak Oil. Using a clean dry rag, follow the instructions on the back of the Watco Danish Oil can. I like to use the Danish Oil Natural, but feel free to use the Teak Oil. There isn't much of a difference between the two types. Between coats, let the wood dry overnight. Before applying the next coat, rub the entire surface with superfine steel wool. Put 2 to 3 coats of oil on the wood. After final coat, rub entire surface with superfine steel wool. It will bring up a nice shine to the finish and make the wood sing. Place wood frames to the side.

Step 7- Remove old reupholstery. Take the seats and remove the staples from under the chair with a screwdriver.

As seen in this photo, I put newspaper over my table. When taking the old upholstery off, a lot of it just crumbles and falls apart. When I'm done, I can gather up the paper with all the debris and throw it away. Follow the same method with the backs.

Often when I reupholster, I will find out that I am not the first person to redo the piece. It can become a mini excavation. Based on the different layers and fabrics, you can figure out the approximate time someone did a reupholstery. It's interesting to see the history of a piece. 

Once all the fabric and foam is removed, use the chisel to scrape any remaining foam that may be stuck to the wood.

Step 8- Apply foam to seat and back. Carefully layout the seat and back parts on the foam. Cut the foam to size. Do this outside or in a well ventilated space.- Spray Super 77 onto the wood and the matching side of the foam. Place the foam on the wood and work the two materials together. Super 77 is sneaky to work with. Try to keep from getting any on your hands, or you will be amazed how everything that becomes stuck to you- lint, dirt, foam, your dog, etc. Let the Super 77 dry according to the directions on the can.

Step 9- Carefully layout the seat and back parts on the fabric. I used black vinyl because I find it to be era correct and desirable to the market. I chose a more expensive vinyl that looked fancier and was a better quality to work with. Vinyl, in general, is hard to work with because it is stiff. To make the process easier, choose a fabric without a repeating pattern.

Also cut out the pieces of black fabric for the underside of the seat. It is a nice finishing detail.

Step 10- Attach the fabric to the seat and back. This will be the hardest step in the whole process. Use a staple gun with the appropriate staple length. I use an electric staple gun because it is hard to have the strength to staple through all the layers manually. For the seat, start in the center of one side, secure your fabric in place and begin to staple around the perimeter, pulling the fabric tightly. Unless you have meaty hands, your fingers will be sore from this. Staple the corners last and try to work the fabric over the corners smoothly. 

Applying the black fabric after will create a nice finish detail and make the underside of the chair disappear. For the back, start by stapling on the bottom edge. Wrap the fabric over the front to the back and fold the edge. Place the folded edge on the bottom and staple to secure. Then, wrap the sides and staple the sides cleanly. Unfortunately, I forgot to take photos of the back assembly. So, let me know if there are any questions. Sometimes the staples will not seat all the way down when stapling. Use the hammer to nail them fully in.

Step 11- Reassemble the chairs. Using your notes or photos, labeled screws and wooden buttons, put the chairs back together. Apply felt feet.

Step 12- Fini! Stand back and admire your work.

These Danish modern chairs, which have no official name that I am aware of, are really great. They have survived the test of time because the design is well thought out. It has minimal pieces and assembles easily with screws. Teak is a durable wood. The proportions are perfect. Whether you are small or large, you will fit comfortably in them. They also do not take up a lot of room and they are fairly easy to find.

Good luck with your project!

What To Do With Your Old Keepsakes

I came across an article about a photographer at hippopota.com who takes photos of keepsakes, such as cherished stuffed animals and sentimental objects. I believe it was in the NY Times. I thought that was such a good idea. What better way to capture a fond memory and comfort, without holding onto a stinky torn up toy for the rest of your life.

(Don't worry, Pierot. I will never give you away... Come to think of it, I have no idea where you are right now...)

The New Architectural Digest

Image from the NY Times

The design world is abuzz with reviews leaking out of the new Architectural Digest. The NY Times ran an informative article this past week on Margaret Russell's (pictured above) debut issue and revamping of the prestigious magazine. I am also seeing posts popping up from various other bloggers who have seen the issue and/or have been invited to the opening parties. See Design Therapy's post. Even last night, I was having dinner with some design friends and we were discussing whether or not anyone had seen an actual issue yet; none of us have.
Now my curiosity is stoked. If the snow holds up today, I may go in search of the new mysterious issue. Have no doubt, I will report on my findings. 

Blackcreek Mercantile & Trading Co. on The Scout

Photo by Rose Callahan from http://thescoutmag.com

If you don't already read The Scout, then you should make it one of your New Year's resolutions to start. It is a beautiful online magazine that features creatives and all things well made. It's a breath of fresh air to the design world.
This week, they featured an extremely well written article, by Sarah Williams, on Blackcreek Mercantile & Trading Co.; highlighting the turnings of Joshua Vogel. The article captures the nuances and grace of woodworking and the talented woodworker. 
I personally have the pleasure of knowing Josh and Kelly. Having visited their new studio, I can say that it exudes warmth and creativity. Josh is incredibly talented and has taught me a lot about woodworking. I look forward to seeing his new work!

Heath Ceramics

While I tend to prefer tableware with thinner, delicate edges, I appreciate the simplicity and warmth of Heath Ceramics. Founded in 1948, this American company has been producing tableware and tile in Sausalito, California. I took this image in their boutique stand at the San Francisco Ferry Building. They have a great website that shows their full collection and now have a blog.

I especially love their Dimensional Tiles. (Image pulled from website.) Someday, I would love to do the full length of a hallway wall, in a residential space, with one of their tiles. I think that it would add such great texture and interest to a space.

Simple Hallway Redesign

A client wanted to update their apartment, quickly and cheaply. They have a lovely modern apartment, in Brooklyn, with floor to ceiling windows. We ended up using some of their old pieces and mixing in some new buys. I wish I had a photo of the foyer before. It was all white with nothing hanging on the walls and no where to place keys and mail, when they entered. To give the entrance a little zing, we painted one accent wall Benjamin Moore- Stem Green in eggshell, $50.00. I purchased the BluDot Strut Console in olive, for its color, price of $399.00, and slim dimensions. I found this large mirror at Home Goods for $68.00. A total bargain for its size and detail. Then, I picked up the glossy vase at Pier One, on clearance for $10.00. Total: $650.00 with taxes and delivery.

Moss Donates To Museums

This week, Moss announced that they will be-

"As part of our ongoing efforts to (advance the cause) expand awareness and understanding in contemporary art and design, Moss has been engaged in a dialogue with museum professionals and their patrons to place works of exceptional quality in Museum collections. This thereby allows public access to important art and design, gives the artists a foundation for future projects, places contemporary objects in an art historical context and increases the visibility and viability of contemporary art and design vis-a-vis museum acquisitions."

Moss is donating significant furniture and art pieces to museums, such as the Art Institute of Chicago, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and Philadelphia Museum of Art. Some of the pieces being donated are from the designers and artists Maarten Baas, Hella Jongerius, and Fernando & Humberto Campana.

If you have never been to Moss in NYC, you MUST go! The showroom is incredible and hosts the most amazing design pieces and shows. Every time I go there, I get a little teary eyed by how beautiful everything is. Murray Moss is a genius. He has done so much for the design world and for designers.

Target Table

I was shopping for a client and I came across this table at Target. I believe it was on sale for something ridiculous like $12.99! (I should have written the price down or just bought it.) Look how great it is! It would look killer in a fancy house mixed in with some high end pieces. No one would ever know you purchased it a Taaaar-jay for such a fabulous price. Sometimes, it just kills me to see a mass market piece done so well. I couldn't even think about making a table for this price.

Say It Ain't So Domino!!

So, Domino is ka-put... This news has been out for over a week and the more I think about it, the more bummed out I get. I'm still mourning House & Garden! AND, I was rooting for Cottage Living- the great underdog! But alas,... RIP. With all these magazines going under, it makes me worried that they are going to become more and more obsolete. And frankly, that stinks. There is nothing like holding a glossy in your hands and seeing a full article. I wish the people at Domino good luck and hope that the magazine world can restructure to stay alive in the future.

How To Whitewash Or Pickle A Wood Wall With Paint

I have clients who have bought a house in upstate New York. They are a NYC couple who are transitioning their lives to working and living full time upstate and going into the city as they need to. They admired this house from afar, and when it came onto the market a year later, they snatched it up immediately. They are now going through the process of renovating it to become the home of their dreams. Like any renovation project, they are discovering all sorts of issues and dilemmas that are creeping up room by room. 

This room, pictured above, is technically the third bedroom. They will be using it as their media room. While the rest of the room has sheet rock walls, this one wall with the fireplace is paneled in pine boards. Previous to the 'Before' photo being taken, the pine wall was covered in hideous layers of cracking paint. After going over various options for the wall, my clients and I decided to whitewash it. We had the wall striped with an eco friendly paint remover and then sanded down to 220 grit with palm sanders. From there, I rolled my sleeves up and got started on the Whitewash Project, which is sometimes called Pickling. Please note that this is technically NOT whitewashing. Traditionally, Whitewashing is a process that involves mixing water, lime, and various materials to make a thin paintable plaster. However, there is no technical phrase for the process pictured above. It is generally referred to as Whitewashing. (Confusing, I know!) Below, are the materials and steps involved.

Materials:

Drop cloth

Chisel (optional)

Screwdriver

220 sandpaper

Vacuum cleaner

Paintbrush

Rags

Water

Paint

Container

Steel wool (optional)

How To Whitewash A Wall With Paint:

Step 1-  Prepare the area for painting by laying down a drop cloth or paper to protect the floors. If the trim and baseboard need to be protected, use blue tape to cover them. Also, make sure to remove outlet covers and light fixtures from walls.

Step 2- Since someone else removed the old paint and sanded the wall, I went over the wall to inspect it and remove any paint that was left over in the crevices of the panels or along the mantle and trim. I used a chisel to gently scrape some of the paint off. But in most cases, this step will not be needed. The cleaner your wall is to begin with, the cleaner the outcome will be. Whitewashing allows the grain of the wood to be highlighted. So, any imperfections will also be highlighted!

Step 3- Go over the wall and quickly hand sand it with 220 grit sandpaper to make sure the surface is smooth and the flecks of old paint are gone. Vacuum the wall with the brush attachment and then take a dry rag and wipe the wall down. It is amazing how much wood dust sticks to everything.

Step 4- MIx your Whitewash solution in a container using clean water and interior paint. In this project, I used Benjamin Moore's Aura Paint in Acadia, as the rest of the room is painted this color and we wanted a lighter version of the other walls. Most interior paints and colored wood stains, in flat to satin finish, will work for this application. I used a ratio of 25% paint and 75% water. Always start with more water and play around with the ratios until you are happy with the results. Remember to continually stir the solution throughout the project to keep it evenly mixed.

Step 5- Working in small areas, apply the solution to the wall with a paintbrush. As you paint the solution on, have a rag ready to rub the wall and pick up the excess paint. Beware of splinters when you rub the walls! As you move across the wall, you will notice that the solution does not look even due to the wood absorbing the paint. Don't fret! Let the wall dry completely and inspect the results, as it will most likely dry evenly. In the photo above, I did one coat of the whitewash solution. I am happy with the amount of wood grain showing through. As you add more coats of whitewash, the wood wall will become more opaque and show less wood grain.

Step 6- (Optional) Go over the wall with steel wool to make the raised grain smooth.

Good luck with your project!

Take Control

Oh how I wish I had taken a before shot!!! (I sometimes get so excited about starting a project that I forget to document it.) One of the services I offer clients is organizing. Often times, before you can get down to designing or decorating, you have to focus on getting rid of the clutter so you can actually see the room. This particular client has an awesome walk-in closet, but it was looking like a small pipe bomb had gone off inside it! She had boxes of stuff that she had not even opened in three cross country moves, bills and papers strewn over the floor, and stuff stacked on top of more stuff. So, how does this happen? Well, very easily. This client works a lot of hours and every time she moved she didn't have time to properly sort through her stuff. Her belongings got crammed into boxes and she kept shoving papers into bags to be sorted later. Every time she had people over, she would scoop everything up in her bedroom and put it in her closet. Out of sight, out of mind. BUT, not anymore!!! It took us four full days of going through her belongings and setting up systems for everything. We bought a filing cabinet to store all her papers and documents and set up a home office. We then tackled the storage situation and bought a bunch of containers. Now, like items go into particular containers. For instance, all her travel bags go in one container, her christmas decorations are in another, and so on. She still has some stacks of papers to go through, but she now has designated places to put everything. Best of all, she is getting rid of all this mental weight in her life. She now is not embarrassed to have people walk into her bedroom and she is organized in her personal life. It lifts a tremendous amount of stress off her shoulders. And better yet, we can now get down to the fun part of redecorating her space!