Respect…

Barcelona Chairs (circa 1970 - designed by Ludwig Miles van der Rohe, manufactured by  Knoll).  Icononic…it’s that simple.    If you don’t agree or don’t like these chairs, then you have no taste…it’s like that.     

The chair was designed by Ludwig Miles van der Rohe in 1929.   It was exclusively intended for the German Pavilion as one of Germany’s entry into the International Exposition which was hosted by…Barcelona, Spain.   Along with the other entries, this piece was intended to show that Germany was back baby.    The chair is still in production today…I think Germany has shown well.    

I found these chairs posted online in my area.   The listing noted “Authentic” chairs.   This usually means one of two things: (i) they are authentic (and some items are worth noting in this context, these chairs among those, as knockoffs are all around - yes Fred C, I am looking at you as I type this) and the seller is a real guy; or (ii) they are so fake it hurts, but claiming authentic will stop people from asking questions.   Vintage always is its own safety net.    Most reproductions are new or more recent build (they were not in production years ago, and if they were, they are not going to age well given the lower quality materials).    If something is obviously vintage, that alone should provide comfort.  

Luck for me, this was (i) above.   The chairs retained their labels.   The seller also had the tag from when the chairs were shipped to the original owner.    After checking the label versus others and confirming it with Knoll, I felt good about the chairs.  The leather is also an atypical color (these chairs seem to be mostly black and white)…I was able to find others with the same label and leather color.  It is impossible to be 100%, but the mosaic suggested that these are the real deal. 

The story is also fun, as always.  The seller purchased them when he found them in the storage area at his firm.   This architecture firm purchased the chairs for their offices and had since moved on.   His parents had Barcelona chairs when he was young and he felt an attachment to them.   I didn’t ask about his purchase price, but I imagine he is in the money.   He had them before he was married.    Now with two kids (I suspect he had the chairs for maybe 10 years), his family was moving and his wife was making get rid of “the boys” as he called them.    Side note – ladies, if you find a guy who’s bachelor furniture is in this realm…he is either a catch, maybe gay (not mutually exclusive I guess), or not single.    He had posted them at a slightly higher price than we discussed.   I negotiated him down a little as I need to have a small cut fixed.   He was also happy that these chairs are going to live happily next to my other period items (these and the Sofa Compact in the same room…oh yeah).  

The seller thought these were 1940s builds…and so did I, until I started to think about it and “do the work”.   The leather has some great “patina” (note: nice stuff has patina while low grade stuff is worn), but it seemed hard to believe that it is ~70 years old.    I estimate the build date based on the following:

·         They are Knoll production, which means no older than 1953.

·         Knoll office at New York office at 745 Fifth Avenue, New York.    These tags appear on pieces in the 1960s and 1970s.   The latest reference I found was on a catalog for the 1976 year.   It would be cool if these chairs were born the same year as me, but I don’t think that is the case.

·         Leather color.   The color is kind of funky.  I found single chairs in the same color way that claim build from 1961 to the 1970s.  

I have not decided on refurbishment yet.  The frames are in fine shape for the age (some small scratches, but mostly in need of a good polishing).  My guy DL is going to review the cushions for me.   At the very least I want to have the small cut repaired to prevent spreading and the leather could use some reconditioning (to soften it).   Beyond that, I may have some of the deeper patina re-dyed to protect the leather (if needed), but I also want to be mindful so as not to remove the story from the chairs.   

I am into the chairs for $2,300.     I think this is my biggest pre-work ticket to date.   A pair of new chairs can run up to $16,000.    Vintage chairs like these in interesting colors (browns, reds, etc. with patina) go for ~$3,500 for singles and more than $8,000 for pairs at higher end dealers.    I jokingly call these projects/finds PA trades (personal account – that probably tells you more about my day job that I wanted to let out) when I discuss the value with my coworkers…this is another nice trade.   These are not for sale, but if you want to leave a comment supporting the iconic nature of the chairs, please do.    

Retask, reuse, reclaim…

Outdoor Table (2012 - by JLS, for JLS).  As with my dining table, the legs are standard “Parsons” flavor (this time in an aluminum tube-stock as the fabricator recommended a rust proof material for outdoor use).   The top was created using re-milled bourbon barrel staves, which are white oak.   One side, the old barrel exterior, has a nice patina from 40+ yrs of untreated exposure to the elements.   The other side, the old barrel interior, was charred, as required for bourbon aging, and maintains a dark hue and charred texture.  The top is treated with multiple coats of high-linseed content exterior oil (clear color).    Between this treatment and white oak’s natural properties, this piece should be good to go for a number of years.   

Unlike other projects where I find myself in need of a purpose for an object, this project began with the end in mind and I needed to find the inputs.    It is easier to find wine barrels in Minneapolis as a number of businesses sell them to people for use as rain barrels.   Actual bourbon barrels are much harder to find.    Luckily I have my ways and I was able to locate a few for sale about an hour west of Minneapolis.   

Transport was the next hurdle.   Outside of getting lost without cell service for a bit, the barrels are huge (or larger than expected).  Where I had hoped to take three so as to have more than enough materials (my production method was very much in flux), I was only able to cram two into the back of the Landy.   This is probably reason enough to think about stepping up to the 110, but that’s another story.  

Production required some thought (it always does, but this project more-so).  The table top I had in mind required 1” “square” pieces.   The issue is that the staves are not uniform in size, and the sides are angled in order to allow them to come together to form a barrel that is wider in the middle than on the ends.   After considering a few methods ranging from complex and precise measurements to purchasing a new band-saw to some likely serious post milling sanding, I returned to a core axiom (brought by an old friend):  if you cannot make something that is perfect (or if you believe, to a high degree of confidence, that trying to create perfection will fail), then you should design and build with imperfection as part of the end goal.  With this in mind, I decided to use masking tape as a guide and milled each stave by hand, freestyle (without guides or jigs).  I also left the ends of the stave (the ridges that were milled to allow the barrel top and bottom to fit securely) in place as they complement the lack of surface uniformity. The result is a surface that is slightly uneven and not uniform as well as an overall surface dimension that is not uniform or square, but by design.   I think this adds to the flavor of the piece.

This is the first piece that I have designed where I contracted the fabrication and finish of elements with another party.   This is not entirely true as the frame for my dining table was outsourced, but in this case, I went to a welding firm and a powder coating firm (not a furniture business that sells things a la carte in certain cases).   While this required a few extra trips to the contractors’ offices, I was also able to design to the exact dimensions I needed and to the exact specs…and for ~75% less than the quote I received from the same supplier I used for the dining table.  

I have said this before, but being a mensch gets you points.    In this case, this was the second job I sent to the powder coating firm.   The proprietor was happy to refer me to a welder, and was excited to see the final finished project.    The proprietor printed the photo I sent to him and has it on the shop board so the crew can see where the often plain things they make end up…pretty cool.  

I am into this table for around $500 and a few hours of work.  As with other projects, this is time and money well spent as the generic tables I found of similar size retail for at least $1000 (and often 2x that level).  It is also interesting to note that most of the tables I found for sale at retail only come with steel legs, which seems like a “designed to fail” strategy.   

 

This table is not for sale, but I would entertain interest in reproductions.   I also have four barrel tops that could become interesting side tables (perhaps another post).