Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with design and furniture

What is this chair?

musofire — Sat, 25 May 2013 11:18:01 -0800

What is this chair? My wife, a huge fan of design magazines, doesn't recognize it. She thinks it might be handmade, but it looks too industrial for that. No marks on the chair, either. What is it?

Are there any George Nakashima documentaries online?

Infernarl — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 22:32:56 -0800

Are there any documentaries about George Nakashima available to view online? I would like to know more about his life and his work. I am particularly interested in the architecture of his studio.

How do I go about finding a seamstress to re-cover cushions?

maxreax — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 07:13:23 -0800

How can I find a seamstress to do some moderately difficult work, specifically re-covering foam cushions with provided fabric, and is this the best way to go about doing the job? We found some great old mid-century furniture on Craigslist (an armchair and a daybed), but the cushions need re-covering.

As is pretty standard with mid-century/Danish modern furniture, all the cushions are removable foam, so re-covering them would barely count as "reupholstery" as I understand it -- more like a heavy-duty sewing job, especially since we'd like to pick out and use our own upholstery fabric.

We've gotten some quotes from upholstery businesses (in NYC, where we live) and they're saying around $300 labor for the armchair and more for the daybed.

It seems to me that it'd be cheaper to find an independent seamstress or tailor to do this work (let me know if I'm wrong!), but since this is about as far away from my area of expertise as possible I don't know where to begin.

How can I find a capable seamstress to re-cover some foam cushions for me?

US Furniture Manufacturing

beisny — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 08:04:00 -0800

Can anyone recommend resources, companies or strategies for finding suitable US furniture manufacturers for a line of new designs? We would like to produce locally, but need guidance in terms of identifying the right manufacturer. This would be a mass-produced product.

Arranging lounge to be cosy

AnnaRat — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 19:01:38 -0800

Help me arrange a comfortable living space for comfy sitting around with friends, reading, watching tv. See the sketch up and photo of the room here (not my furniture, this is previous owners). Most interested in suggestions for type of furniture (e.g. 2 chairs, a sofa, a coffee table this size and shape) and where it should go, but specifics ("this sofa", "paint this colour") good too! The current orientation of my dining table is shown in the plan, the other grey box is a sideboard. I don't mind the previous owners furniture, though not exactly what I would choose. The photo is taken from near the entry door.

The view from the window (predominantly of the neighbour's ugly building and the fence) is not as nice as the view through the sliding door (leafy trees), so I currently have my sofa on the wall by the bedroom door. I do own the space outside so could look at outdoor screening options.

The window in the living area is about 80cm from the floor, so low furniture can fit underneath it.

I have a flat screen tv (32") that I am happy to wall mount. I need to put the dvd player/media box somewhere, as well as the soon to arrive router. If I can fit my small printer into some storage here too, that would be good. I want to watch tv comfortably, but would prefer it didn't dominate the space (to the extent that is possible in such a small space).

I would like at least one sofa which is long enough to sleep on (for me, which means at least 1.6m on the seating part).

I have a reasonable but not huge number of books I would like to shelve. Additional closed storage for kitchen overflow items would be good.

On the wall next to the bedroom door in the small alcove is the intercom, which cannot be moved.

I would like to make the space inviting for people to sit down, have a drink and a chat. Although I know people like hanging around a kitchen, it seems people always opt to sit at the table rather than the lounge area.

What sort/size furniture and where should it go? I own the place and am looking to buy new furniture, so anything is possible. Type/size of seating? Coffee table - shape? Build in shelves?

Also any other suggestions for furnishing this area to be cosy, beautiful and practical - paint, window treatments, knock yourselves out!

Media stand/TV table needed but what should I be looking for?

kat518 — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 12:08:00 -0800

Interior design for idiots: Looking for a media center but have multiple types/colors of wood going on. My husband and I have lived in our place for almost five years. We've talked about moving because it's a basement apartment and I would love a dishwasher but between the under-market rent we pay and the fact that we both walk to work, we're staying put for now.

As such, I've been thinking of how to make the place look nicer. When we moved in, we were both making significantly less than we're making now so the apartment still have a college apartment feel to it but we're starting to invest, or at least think about investing in things we really like (like this desk. Which I love. And this chair. Basically, I'm a Crate and Barrel whore. Who knew?)

To that end, I'm thinking our next furniture upgrade will be a media center. We currently have a rickety particle board on wheels TV cart. However, I don't know what I want to replace it. Looking around, it appears that most media centers are black or wood (or particle board that looks like wood). In the room where it will end up, we have several types and colors of wood furniture going on.
- We have the desk I mentioned in a very dark wood and two side tables that I'm partial to that are a little lighter.
- Then we have my husband's desk, two Ikea chairs, a side table and a coffee table that are all more like a light blonde wood color.
- Then there's a bookshelf (a single wall-mounted shelf) and the sliding doors to the closet in this room which are this light color.
- And there are four pictures hanging in the room that are a variety of colors of wood.

I feel like darker woods look nicer and as such, have thought about attempting to replace or stain the items that are lighter but that sounds like a lot of work. I think it looks nice when rooms have furniture that's of the same or similar styles or colors but at the same time I don't want the room to look too matchy-matchy. Should I just get a media center that's black and goes with the TV? Should I just try to find one I really like and deal with it?

Bonus - do you know of a media center that you really like? It's pretty rare that I find furniture where I think, wow, that's really cool, but I'm trying. We had talked about hanging the TV on the wall but my husband doesn't want to do that so we looked at some media centers that have a table and backboard.

Thanks in advance for your help - I feel like this is a dumb question but I've looked around and tried to figure it out and haven't come to any good conclusions on my own.

TL; DR - I want to get a new media center/TV stand but there are lots of colors/types of wood going on in the room where it will reside. What color should I get?

Buy perfect or reupholster?

kevin-o — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 06:52:37 -0800

How much will it cost to reupholster a modern lounge chair in Brooklyn? I want to buy a modern wood-frame lounge chair, and I am trying to determine whether it's better to pay more for a perfect chair or whether it is better to buy a good frame and replace ugly fabric. The chairs I want are designed like this one.

Bonus points if you can recommend somebody good near Park Slope to do the job!

Metrosexual but lacking bookmarking skills.

derMax — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 03:12:29 -0800

Some months ago I came across a site that, I think, makes products from bespoke designs by young designers, or at least makes such products available for purchase. I think (am almost certain in fact) that it is based in the UK. I cannot remember the site and no amount of searching turns it up. Some more details: when I looked at the site last, it featured some products such as bags and curtains perhaps, made with Scandavian-looking (Marimekko like) fabric, and other designs were similarly modern or retro-modern. In concept it seemed a bit like myfab, but less industrial and mass market. It also had similarities to sites like etsy, but was not, I think, a place to sell handcrafted products - although I could be wrong. Now that the wife and I are trying to decide on a look for our new house, I am desperate to try to find this site. Please help.

Where can I buy this gorgeous twig coat rack?

Year of meteors — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 03:39:10 -0800

Where can I buy something like this twig coat rack in Australia? I love this twig coat rack - but shipping from the US would cost $$$.

Where can I buy something similar in Australia?

Help me become a furniture/product designer

mizrachi — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 07:39:51 -0800

I've come up with a functional and adaptable line of furniture. Problem is, it's entirely in my imagination. What's the step-by-step process I can take my original idea from fantasy to an actual, sellable product? I am not particularly talented at:

drafting
model making
woodworking

I know nothing about:

auto cad
the manufacturing process

But:

I really believe in my imagined product line
I have a natural eye for design
Furniture excites me

What now?

George Washington didn't eat here.

yersinia — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 16:29:08 -0800

I need inspiration and suggestions for bright, clean, unfussy interiors... incorporating early-American-style furniture. A friend has asked for help planning and decorating her first apartment. I'm excited, but there's a catch: she already has a set of dining room furniture, and it's, well, kind of ugly. ~80s Ethan Allen, very very Early American in style, complete with lots of fussy curves and super-knobby legs; warm orange-golden maple-colored wood, something like this. The set was purchased mainly because it was cheap and sturdy, and I don't think she's really thought about the aesthetic one way or another, but for a variety of reasons I doubt we're going to be able to replace it, or even modify it in any major way (by painting it, for instance).

Although a rank amateur at this whole design thing, I'm a fan of blogs like Apartment Therapy and would like to make suggestions that help incorporate some of the qualities of their interiors-- brightness, simplicity, livability, a clean, organic feel-- into my friend's room. Thing is, my mind's eye invariably associates the Early American furniture style with stodgy, heavy, busy, or grandmotherly interiors; I have a feeling a really creative person could probably break free of this stereotype, but mediocre me is finding it hard to imagine how a room with knobby orange-colored furniture could also be made to feel open and unfussy and bright.

The design blogs I've seen aren't much help, since they seem to bring up Early-Am/Colonial-Revival style mainly to deride or dismiss it. I really need some inspiration here. Does anyone know of suggestions where I can find pictures of pretty, modern-small-m interiors that incorporate Early American elements? Failing that, any suggestions of how else I might go about getting my head around this?

Whither goest the pillowtop?

Knicke — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:04:59 -0800

I have a tiny, weird-shaped studio apartment. Help me figure out the most logical way to add a full-sized bed! And/or help me figure out what to do with an acutely angled corner. Here is a quickie mostly-to-scale drawing of the apartment's main living space. The un-labeled boxy bits are windows (no windows in the kitchen, sadly).

I have been living with a twin bed for years now. It's time to get a new mattress, and I figure that now would be a great time to get a full size one. I'd really like a proper bed - not ready to consider a futon or fold out couch yet. However...I can't figure out where to put it.

It seems to me that the only logical place to put a full size bed is in that triangular area - it's the only way to keep such a large piece of furniture out of the main walkway. If I place the bed with the head next to the radiator, the triangle bit is cut off from the rest of the room (can't get there without going across the bed). I've considered building a loft bed to go in that same spot, but I'm worried that putting such a behemoth there will block the light from the window in that corner - light is a rare commodity in this place.

Which option is preferable? Is there another option I've missed? Is there something brilliant I could be doing with that acute pointy corner?

Thanks in advance for any insight you have to offer!

How a furniture designer from Europe sell his designs in USA?

3dd — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:20:50 -0800

How a furniture designer from Europe sell his designs in USA? My friend is free lance furniture designer from Spain who has a solid career of more than 20 years. He gets hire by furniture factories from countries in Europe to design room sets (living room set, bedroom, etc) he designs every single piece of the set and gets paid a lump sum for it plus royalties over the sales. He would like to get some orders from the United States but have no clue about how to start. Any ideas? –Minimalist / Italian style

Designer desk recommendation?

roundrock — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:38:56 -0800

I'm actually earning my keep doing what I love - photography and design. I just got an amazing Cintiq 21UX, and there's just one (unanticipated) problem - I no longer have enough desk space to accommodate all of my equipment, so I'm in the market to get a dream workhorse desk once and for all. I'm putting together a triple monitor setup (Cintiq flanked by 21" monitors on either side) and also need a pull out surface for a keyboard, lots of wiggle room for a mouse, and extra space for writing/sketching/knick knacks/making piles of things. Bonus if the height is adjustable (working height on the Cintiq is lower than viewing height) and if there's a place for multiple printers (including a big Pixma Pro9000).

Any graphic designers / photographers / etc out there that can recommend something amazing? I've seen the MILK desk, but it's out of my budget (hoping to stay under $1500), and it doesn't have a pull out anyway (this is critical, because I'll pull the Cintiq right up to the edge of the desk when I work, but I still need the keyboard very accessible). The closest to ideal that I've seen is this:
http://www.anthro.com/ppage.aspx?pmid=18

Help me pimp my new guest house!

miss lynnster — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:52:19 -0800

Inspire me! Where are your absolute favorite places to find incredible, unique interior and outdoor decorating treasures and bargains in Los Angeles (or online)? I'm looking for cool stuff to fill/cover walls, floors, windows, garden, patio, home office... you name it! I LOVE finding bargains so the Rose Bowl and PCC swap meets are already on the list, as are other places... but I'd like to hear where you find YOUR inspirations! I'm dumping most of my old furnishings and will be designing my new living space *almost* from scratch. I tend to be drawn to things that are cool vintage or have slightly ethnic (asian, european, middle eastern) influences. When I'm done, without going broke I want this new place to feel like a really comfortable sanctuary where people love hanging out. :)

Name those designers!

jon1270 — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 03:21:25 -0800

I have a particular furniture company in mind, but forgot the name and can't find it. Please jog my memory. Several months ago I stumbled on the website of a furniture company named for two designers, and neglected to bookmark it. These designers are both gay men who were once a couple, broke up but remained business partners, were once profiled in the NYT. Their offerings are comfortable, contemporary but not brutally modern, neither cheap nor OMG expensive, and available nationally through independent furniture dealers. I've spent about an hour and a half trying to re-stumble on the site, to no avail. Any ideas?

Help me find "mid-century dark brown" paint

Artifice_Eternity — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 12:25:14 -0800

I'm a fan of mid-century modern design. We've just bought an apartment in a building from that era (1961), and want to furnish it appropriately. We've got some vintage stuff we've collected over the years, and have bought some new stuff from Ikea and elsewhere that fits the bill. I'm also planning to build or modify some simple items (shelves, an entertainment center) in mid-century style -- and here's where I've run into a major problem: I can't seem to find paint in that very dark, almost-black brown that is so characteristic of the period. Any suggestions? I've looked at the paint chips on offer from half a dozen different manufacturers, at various hardware stores, and nothing quite captured it. As this blogger (who faced the same dilemma) put it, "I was hoping for a slightly darker, more bitter brown, something that really embodied the color 'expresso' [sic]".

It does seem to me that "mid-century dark brown" has a "bitter" quality to it -- undertones of black and green, perhaps? -- that make it very different from even the darkest brown colors of paint I've seen on offer these days (which tend to be orangey).

With the growing interest in this style, I'm surprised this kind of color is not more widely available. Can anyone recommend a specific brand and color of paint that fits the bill? Or does anyone have experience mixing other paint colors to get something like this?

Looking for style at home in Vancouver

phoenixc — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 08:27:50 -0800

Vancouver.filter: I'm in Vancouver for a week and was wondering if there are any neighbourhoods that have a concentration of shops that sell home accessories, linens and furnishings - much like the stretch of blocks along Toronto's King East, Queen West West and Queen East neighbourhoods. I'm looking more for home accessories that I can bring back with me to Toronto at the end of the week, although I also can't resist browsing furniture shops. My taste is pretty broad - my current hit list includes the Montauk Scroll, clear glass coffee tables, Saarinen pedestal tables and pretty home accessories a la Anthropologie.

How do I show off my pipes?

wolfsleepy — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 19:29:32 -0800

Does anyone have any experience or advice on building a clothing/display rack out of pipes? Firstly, I don't know anything about plumbing, building things, or generally being handy.

I suspect it might be simple enough to construct a simple clothing rack out of steel pipes, but I'm posting here in case I'm mistaken so someone can tell me not to waste my time.

It would basically be a rectangular frame held together by 45 degree elbow joints, with a 4-directional joiner on each corner at the bottom so that parallel pipes can be fitted as a base.

(I'd sketch out a design but I'm worse at drawing than I am at words).

I'd like to know if something like this would be sturdy enough without having to weld anything together, and any tips/terminology that would make me sound less moronic in front of the staff at the hardware store.

When was my vintage Knoll chair made?

bonheur — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 09:21:30 -0800

When did Knoll switch from manufacturing the Pollock executive chair with five legs instead of four? I picked up a vintage Knoll Pollock executive chair at a thrift store last weekend. It does have a pretty old-looking label on the bottom, but no date that I can find. I want to find out when (approximately) it was manufactured. My chair has four legs, the currently manufactured chairs have five legs. If I could find out when Knoll switched from manufacturing chairs with four legs to making chairs with five legs, it would help me date my chair! Thanks in advance for any clues.

Where do I put the desk stuff?

jdl — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 13:12:15 -0800

I'm moving to a new place. Previously I had a desk and in this new place, I will not. I'm not sure where to put some things. My old place had a decent sized bedroom that I divided into two spaces: sleep space and desk/work space as seen in this photo.

Once I purchased a laptop, I never ever sat at my desk. I'm now moving into a new place--a one bedroom. I no longer will be using a desk--I got rid of the external monitor, etc.

However, the new place is sorely lacking in closet space. You can check out the layout here. Where should I put the printer/router/vonage thing? I plan on having bookcases in the livingroom, do I put a printer on a shelf? I don't love that idea. Is there some excellent piece of furniture that would work for this that I'm not thinking of? Thanks for any ideas.

Looking for cool to hang in the middle of a room...

dobbs — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 08:28:52 -0800

Chairs and other things that can hang from a high ceiling... suggestions? Turns out the loft I just moved into had a former Cirque du Soliel performer as a tenant. She installed a bar between two of the ceiling beams which can support several hundred pounds.

I'm considering hunting down an Eero Aarnio bubble chair but am curious if anyone else has any suggestions for equally cool-looking furniture or other things that can be suspended in the middle of a room. Friends have suggested a punching bag, a swing, etc.

As for swings... does anyone manufacture something ready made for such a purpose? I did some searches but only found swing sets. Thanks.

help me convert a mini-fridge into a foot-rest/fridge?

garfy3 — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 17:44:56 -0800

will a mini-fridge ("cube") still function if turned on it's back (cooling coils downward-facing)? i've got an ~~excellent idea~~ devious plan for a drink-holding ottoman. i basically want to build an ottoman around a mini-fridge turned on it's back, replacing the door with an insulated top that will carry a cushion for propping up one's feet. is such an idea bound to fail due to the design of the fridge itself?

Can you identify this table?

dobbs — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 23:17:22 -0800

So I just bought this table. The seller says the designer is possibly Kurt Østervig. I'm looking for more definitive info (designer/year/model name/whatever) and am wondering if any MeFites can help. Know anything about it? Thanks!

Multi-use furniture

greta simone — Wed, 02 May 2007 10:56:58 -0800

Looking for a furniture store/website mentioned in ask.mefi that I can't seem to find... Not too long ago, someone was asking about multi-use furniture for small spaces. Someone commented, recommending a store that I think fulfilled these criteria: a hip design store that specialized in affordable (as in things in the $50-$400 range) multi-use form/functional furniture for small apartments. I believe the flagship store was located somewhere in the Lower East Side of Manhattan but they had online ordering available. Does this sound familiar to anyone?
Thanks for your help-