Rescue, refurbish…

Eames Sofa Compact.  Direct from the horse’s mouth (in this case, the Herman Miller website):

“The Eames sofa compact started out as a built-in sofa in the Pacific Palisades home that Charles and Ray Eames designed for themselves in the 1940s. They liked the sofa so much that they developed a freestanding version—first in wire, then the current model, which has been in continuous production since 1954.

The design, which looks nothing like the big, plush traditional sofa, is crisp and light scaled. And while it's perfect for smaller rooms and smaller spaces—in which a traditional sofa would look bulky and out of place—it also lives beautifully in larger rooms in which an airy, modern look is desired”

 Before the rework.   Note the poor condition of the fabric and also that the metal frame had not been well maintained, and in certain areas, had been repainted with what appears to be cheap spray-paint.  The chrome legs were badly tarnished, but did not require new electro-plating as come elbpw greese and polish did the trick. 

I “rescued” this model from a collector who had been using it as a bed (!!!).  The fabric is original, and my upholstery guy (thanks DL @ Remnants – go check him out!) suggested I reserve it in case I want to make some funky pillows.  This is a reserve piece for me – I found it without having a specific use for it – and is therefore refinished in a neutral wool fabric that can easily go anywhere when it is ready to be a feature piece.   

After the rework.   I decided to keep the original springs and spring brackets as they remind the viewer that this is a vintage piece.  

There are two basic versions of this sofa: (i) the “original” design, which folds down into a (cough cough) compact piece that is great for smaller rooms; and (ii) the updated version that doesn’t fold, so amended as people were concerned about getting things (fingers) caught in the folding mechanism.   I am not a purist, but if you change something so much that it no longer makes sense to call it “compact”, then it’s not the same thing at all.   The seller represented that this was the latter, which then would require some machining in order to convert it into a fake “real” version.    The lesson in this case is never trust that everyone knows basic mechanics.   Upon some inspection, or rather unscrewing two blots, my new sofa folded…it is older than the seller believed, and is clearly an original design.   That makes it at least an early 60’s model, and perhaps a 50’s model.   

I bought the sofa for $1,000.   From there, I have spent ~$150 on powder-coating, $125 on new fabric, and another $800 on having the upholstery work.   In all, I am into this for ~$2,100, one of my more expensive projects.   If it were for sale, I would be able to get north of $4,000 and perhaps as much as $5,000…another nice “p.a.” trade to keep in my basement.  

UPDATE.   The original fabric on this sofa appears to be Alexander Girard for Herman Miller, and more specifically one of his Mexicotton pieces.  The fabric was likely made in ~1960, which reaffirms my assertion as to this sofa's age.    I am going to reclaim the fabric as well and look for a "correct project".   Bolts of similar fabric are part of the SF MOMA collection, and well for ~$250/yard (!!!).   Granted my pieces aren't in perfect condition, but the sofa has ~5 yards of the fabric...nice.  http://www.architonic.com/dcsht/mexicotton-wright/4100690. 

Recycle, resource…

Design Idea – Reclaimed Flooring for Non-floor Applications.   When we moved into our house, the main floor bathroom was one of the selling points for me.   It still has the original tiles and fixtures, but one of the previous owners went with fairly aggressive wallpaper that creates an interesting vibe.   I liked everything except for the cheap looking “laminated” counter top that someone decided was the best idea for the old cabinet (boo).   Granted this material resists water and is maintenance free, but you can get there in many ways that also look nice. 

Removing the top was off the table (here all night everyone, 9 o’clock show is different than the 7 o’clock show), so I had to limit options to overlays.   A single piece of ply with some stain and seal would do the trick, but that is too easy and texture-less.   That also seemed inappropriate for this room given everything else that was going on.   After some thought, I arrived at the idea of using reclaimed tongue and groove flooring, the same board size used throughout the house (the original oak), as the overlay.   This was beneficial not only as it would produce a texture (uneven boards), but it was also relatively easy to work with as this was to be an indoor winter project.  

The results you see here are better than I had imagined.   I was able to find a small bundle or remnant flooring that I simply glued over the plastic.   I used another piece of remnant pine to produce an “end cap” that is the face board.   Instead of staining the wood and adding yet another color to the busy room, I painted the surface black to match the cabinet.   The wood grain was “lost”, but the gaps between the boards and general variations in level produced by using smaller pieces instead of spanning sections provided the desired texture.

There seem to be many other ways to go with this idea.    I used the left over pieces from this project to make a small tray.   I could also see using many small pieces to create a cool mosaic that could be a table-top…lots of angles.  

Ping me on the blog if you want to discuss this concept.   Of all the oddball things I think about, this one is near the top of the list of interest as the results could be amazing in certain applications, not to mention 100% unique.  

Retask, recycle, rethink…

Retask, recycle, rethink…

Ski and Snowboard Bar by JLS for JLS - 1998.   I designed and built this bar for my first college house.    That it survived that period, along with my brother’s usage in college, and subsequent usage by other friends while I was living in New York is a testament to how much I overbuilt this item.  The body of the bar was built using remnants from other projects.   The top is also remnant tongue and groove clear redwood (yes, the kind that people chain themselves to in order to stop them from being cut down), and the “veneer” is as it appears – sections of old alpine skis and snowboards. 

Unlike most of my other projects that are end game based (i.e. I need a table, how can I create one), this project started with the materials.   At the time, I was working at a now closed ski and snowboard shop (pour some out for The White Wolf – the greatest job I have ever had).  The then contemporary binding technology required the tech to drill a number of holes into the ski and then mount the binding.  There is a maximum number of times a ski can be drilled before the tech could no longer work on it (I recall this was generally three times).  Owners would usually “forget” to pick up their old skis, and they would collect in the shop, usually for years.    This was the case at the shop I worked for at the time.   An important lesson in sourcing (and life for that matter) follows – if you don’t ask, you don’t get.   In the mind-numbing days of the offseason, I had convinced myself that something interesting could be created with the pile of dead skis.   A few days later they were mine all mine.   The bar idea was born out of…I was in college, need I say more.  

I am impressed that college JLS was able to think through some of the most interesting design angles.   First, I could have just as easily tacked the ski sections to the outside of the bar face and called it a day.  The “channel” design is an important safety feature as the metal edges remain inside the structure, and the cut ends are shielded as well – it is almost kid friendly!    Redwood is a relatively soft wood.   I could have just as easily used a common poly to seal the top and look to protect it from moisture.   Instead, I used something much thicker (it might have been dumb luck as that is all I could find at the time).    In any case, the thicker compound also prevents dents in the soft wood.

This is an important piece for me as it is my first “child”.    I would like to say that it was planned, but the usage of remnants was born out of necessity – who has money for new stuff in college?   After having worked with leftovers and “weird” items (like the skis), I started looking at everything in a different way.    Things are what they are, but is that all that they can be (think about that for a while)?   That idea is the essence of what I am trying to do with this website (and most of my projects for that matter).  

This specific bar is not for sale, but as with a few other items, I would gladly entertain discussions with parties interested in the concept.   The skis collected for years, and in asking for them I was gifted all of them.   Maybe I am to be the source of the “weird” materials for another person’s project in this case. 

Refinish, refresh, recycle…

Walnut Arm Chairs by Jens Risom for Jens Risom Design (est. 1954).  I found Risom while doing my research for the Grasshopper chair project.   Saarinen and Risom both worked for Knoll in the late 1940s and some of their designs make use of very similar methods and materials.   In fact, the webbing used on my Grasshopper chair is sold in a kit that is designed for a Risom chair that remains in production today.  

Single Chair Before:

Single Chair After:



Pair Before:

Pair After:

I found the first chair (the orange picture above) in so/so condition.    The frame had the expected marks and was in need of a simple sand and reseal job.   The cushion was another story.    The upholstery was shot as the cushion beneath it was, no other way to say it, “sat out”.   You can see the rips near the edge where your bottom and legs would hit the chair.  The materials used in the cushions 60ish years ago will eventually harden and literally crumble.   I was unaware if this until I arrived home with my chair and found a nice coating of yellow dust in my truck.  As this was a single chair, we decided to get a little aggressive with the new fabric.   We kept is “correct” by going with a proper period designer, but we stretched a little and decided on a very Missoni-esk pattern.  

I mentioned in an earlier post that two other chairs became “bridge” pieces because I found another set.   The next two of these chairs made that decision for me.   I was not looking, but came upon two more of these chairs a few months after I found the first.   These are the green chairs you see in the photos.   Like the orange chair, these chairs needed some fairly simple restoration work on the frames but the cushions were done-zo.  These changed the game – no longer was this a one off chair, I had a set going.   We decided to go with a relatively conservative fabric and to replace the other brown chairs with these two when finished. 

I bought the orange chair for $150, and have spend another ~$500 on materials and refinishing.   The pair of green chairs cost me $500 (talked her down from $800 based on the orange chair comp, but also realizing that a pair has more value than a single), and I have spend another ~$1,000 on materials and refinishing.   In all, I am into these three chairs for ~$2,150 and few hours of manual labor.   I found one more of these during my research – a model that looks to need some of the same work on the frame that mine needed and it also looks to need new fabric as the existing has stains and was sewn on with a period in-correct double-piping seem.  The seller is a prominent dealer in New England and he wants $2,300 for his chair.   He told me he has been looking for another to make this a pair for some time without luck, and that he could easily charge more per chair for a pair.   Let’s conservatively assume that a pair gets a 25% premium per chair…that gets me a mark to “market” value for my pair of $5,750, for the single of $2,300, and all in $8,050.   Another nice return on some found gems. 

Since the pair replaced another set, I cannot part with them.   The single might be something we can discuss if you have interest.   Ping me on the blog. 

More on Risom if you are interested.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jens_Risom

Refinish (again)…

It’s been a while…I was out of the country for a while, then it got cold…and now it’s getting warm again, and I have a few things in the hopper.   I am on a “distressed” vein as of late…

Before:

After:

The tables started off as normal course Room & Board parsons tables some years ago.   After years of use, and years of me developing what I think it no longer off the rack taste (no offense to R&B, they make great stuff, just often lacking in that extra little something something that makes it “real”), I reworked the tables.    Your humble author was at the time lacking in so many skills, among them a keen understanding of the merits of chemical stripping agent (use Zipp Strip people, there is no “green” alternative when you are using a chemical to eat away plastic coatings).    Refinishing part one involved an orbital sander and some medium brown stain.  The result was better than what was there, but the orbital sander left some marks…it wasn’t perfect.     Fast forward to last week.   The tables have been in a closet, acting as make-shift shelves.     As part of my annual February “I need to get rid of stuff” freak out, I came to grips with the need to move the tables on to another owner.   Luckily they are staying in the family…but they needed a rebirth.   As with the table I did last June, I used a number of tools to create the look off well used wood.  

The lesson learned from this project is that you cannot expect to be able to fully duplicate results when you are just a guy in a workshop.   In this case, the pine had been stained some years ago.   Where I lacked skill in removing the old finish, I am damn good with stain (it would seem).   I had hoped to add a much deeper tone by using a very dark stain.    The wood seems to have been well saturated a few years ago as it didn’t take the new stain, expect in the newly distressed marks.    The result is something different, and pretty cool – the tables look like old distressed brown leather.   

The results, while not as expected, are pretty damn cool.   The tables that started out off the rack “modern” (read – blah), made a pit stop in purgatory, and ended up as something different.   Where as the metal legs were almost the feature against the boring tops years ago, now the wood is the prominent feature and the legs have become the utility structural elements they should be.   As with all of my projects, please feel free to contact me if you have specific questions.   There are not for sale, but I would be interested in reproducing (or trying as it were) them for you.