Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with furniture

Hooked on junk

WPW — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 17:14:09 -0800

Does anyone know of any "good" junk shops in east London? I've lived in east London (Mile End) for a year now, and have only ever found one "good" junk shop, on Roman Road.

I say "good" because what I mean is "crammed with junk, mostly of no value, but with the strong possibility of coming across something very nice indeed; not a forgotten Prouve, just a decent piece of old furniture". I've been to the one of Romn Road three times and once came away with a beautiful c1920 trunk; that easily repaid the investment of time and effort.

So, does anyone know of any place like this between the City and the Lea Valley?

Need to lose office furniture in Widnes.

emperor.seamus — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 02:14:14 -0800

I know this question comes up once for every location on the globe now and again, but does anyone know anywhere around the Widnes/Cheshire area that would buy or take some (rather nice) office equipment off my hands? Delivering it would be very difficult as I'm working for a very small firm who don't really have the money or the time to arrange anything on a larger scale. Anyone know of anywhere suitable in the area?

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. :)

Can my antique record cabinet be saved?

wheat — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 15:03:57 -0800

Hand sanitizer stained (really, lightened) my antique furniture. Is there a remedy? I have an antique record cabinet (1920s-ish, I think) in the baby's room. A pump bottle of Purell hand sanitizer was on top of it. Some stray sanitizer hit the face of the cabinet and its top and reacted in some way with the finish. Now there are whitish streaks where it landed and was absorbed. Any ideas on what might fix it? I tried some 0000 steel wool on one of the small spots on the top. This seemed to lighten it and the rest as well, but might work. It is the streak on the door is the most worrisome part.

DVD storage solution?

underwater — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:33:59 -0800

Has anyone seen this DVD storage solution? I keep 1000 DVDs in white paper sleeves in 10" x 5" x 5" cardboard boxes from Uline (these fit *perfectly*, BTW). But I want to upgrade to something stand-alone that is wood and looks like a real piece of furniture. Since I want to flip through them, drawers are the only option. Can-am doesn't look good to me and are too deep. This piece seems perfect but I can't find one to look at in person and it's very expensive to ship back if I don't like it. Has anyone seen one of these and if so, would the drawers be suitable for holding DVDs in sleeves and not plastic cases?

Other suggestions of furniture that meet the above criteria are also welcome. But I'm not interested in 1. ripping solutions 2. hanging sleeve solutions 3. boxes that don't look like real furniture or require re-stacking rather than being pull-out drawers.

I have read the other threads about DVD storage but they don't seem to have suggestions about wooden furniture with drawers.

Thanks!

Standing Up for the Ultimate Work Table

Bunglegirl — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 19:23:33 -0800

What is the ultimate table height for working while standing? I need a table for my work and projects. It will need to have a large surface area so my various projects can spread out if needed. I plan to use this table for graphic design (on the computer but also cutting out comps etc.), drawing, sewing (I realize there may be an issue with the pedal), bookbinding, cutting with an x-acto on a mat, assembling things etc.

Growing up I loved the wooden tables we had in art class. We sat in stools, so they were a bit high. This is what I think I'm looking for. I would like to recreate this experience for my home office but I'm not sure what a good height would be. I have an old library table that has sawed off legs so I am thinking about buying some wood to make new legs (with wheels). This means I can make it any height I want. I could go with a standard height but I assume that those heights are based on average males while I am only 5'5."

What is a good height? I plan to sit in a stool to work on the computer and for some tasks but would like to be able to stand at times. Should my forearms hit the top? At my waist? I have a bad back so not stopping over to cut out 100 sheets of paper is a priority.

The reason I ask is because I had originally thought that where my forearms naturally hit (while bent at a 90 degree angle) would be good but I stood over some desks at IKEA today and was thinking maybe something more at waist level would be better. I could buy a cheap IKEA table with adjustable legs but I like the idea of a sturdy wood table that doesn't shake when you bump into it. Maybe I should just buy a regular-height desk and make this table for my projects but I'm convinced that making my ultimate desk is possible. I like modern design but am cheap and handy with a table saw. Still, I'll take suggestions of desks available that fit the bill. Anything I'm overlooking? Thoughts?

How to find a good ottoman/end table combo?

jeffderek — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 05:09:57 -0800

Where can I find a nesting end table/ottoman combination in a dark wood? I've got a beautiful living room with mahogany bookshelves, antique trunk coffee table, and a sepia globe. Its quite nice, but my antique trunk is too tall to rest my feet on while sitting on the couch, so I'm looking for ottomans that will hide away easily, so as to not clutter my room. What I'd really like are some basic end tables, y'know, with four legs and a top, and ottomans that will fit underneath them.

You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find attractive, non ornate end tables. I prefer square/rectangular legs to anything round. I just want a super basic end table that will fit an ottoman underneath it.

Any ideas?

How to turn a glass-top coffee table into a tile-top coffee table?

melissa — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:17:10 -0800

I have a glass-top wood coffee table with a broken glass top. Instead of replacing the glass, I'd like to turn it into a tile top coffee table. Since the glass is broken, what kind of backing should I glue the tiles to? The coffee table has a lip that holds the glass in place and has a wood reinforcement beam in the middle, so I shouldn't have sagging issues with the right backing. This is an table that is only used inside.

Any other advice on how to make this project a success is welcome. I don't plan to go too fancy - just regular tiles in alternating colours. I've done a very little bit of tiling in my bathroom, so I understand the basics of tiling, but I'd love to hear about your experience with similar projects. Thanks!

Looking for a good place to buy a new, reasonably-priced couch in NYC.

Afroblanco — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:23:05 -0800

Looking for a good place to buy a new, reasonably-priced couch in NYC. Generally, I'm looking to spend between $1500 and $2000 on a sectional couch or couch + loveseat combo. I prefer leather, but I'm not stuck on it. I don't mind buying online, but they must have a showroom that's reachable by public transportation

No idea what styling I'm looking for. My definition of good design is similar to the Supreme Court's definition of pornography - I'll know it when I see it.

Anybody have ideas about a cheap way to get a couch from Austin to Fort Worth?

Zebtron — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 06:40:20 -0800

I found a great vintage Danish couch in Austin that I want to refinish. I need to get it to Fort Worth though. Any ideas on an inexpensive way to move it?

We did not make the bed, but we must lay in it.

oflinkey — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:02:40 -0800

Our mattress was damaged in a (self) move and we have reason to believe that it is a manufacturing issue. We have to deal with the furniture store first. We do not anticipate this being an easy situation. Advice needed, please. We are just looking for some general advice for getting a fair shake in this situation.

Less than a year ago, we purchased a foam-core pillow-top mattress from a chain furniture store. This was one of the few stores that would deliver to our previous rural address. At the time, the salesman had promised a free frame with delivery, it did not come, he then wanted us to pay for it, we had to complain, etc. etc. Eventually we got it for free but had to drive an hour to get it. So, I am sure the store has record of this.

We moved ourselves a week ago. When we laid the mattress down, it appeared that a layer of material (or foam or interfacing or whatever) below the pillow-top had bunched in the center of the mattress. The outside is spotless. We were careful in the move and did not bend/abuse the mattress.

We are in the process of contacting the store to have a repair person come out to look at this. We are about 1.5 hours from the store we bought it from, although the store has another location about 30 minutes from us. We had an appointment set up, but the store canceled it. Now, we can't seem to get a live person on the phone.

As delicate as a foam core can be, I don't think we should not be expected to move it. Ideally, we would like a replacement. This store is not known for its stellar customer service. We are looking for any and all advice on getting what we think is fair. I just want to be prepared. Especially useful woud be "insider" info on how things work-- for instance, does the manufacturer give credit to the retailer (thus the retailer is not really out any money for a defective product).

We are in Western New York, if that matters.

Furniture Shopping in Highpoint

philmas — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:39:12 -0800

I have family visiting me in Durham, NC this weekend to buy furniture. Where are the best places to go? They plan to go to Highpoint that some call the "furniture capitol of the world." What are the best places to go? I know they are looking for a couple of couches but I don't know what styles or periods interest them. I once went to Furnitureland South in Highpoint and it was about 2 million s.f. of floor area. It was an ungodly amount of furniture to wade through to get to what you actually wanted. Any ideas would be appreciated.

White cat. Dark sofas. Cat hair is not sexy

yeara — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:06:25 -0800

i got a couple of new couches for the living room, and i enjoy lounging on them. my roommate's cat has taken a liking of them too, but sheds massive amounts of hair. I now have to vacuum them every time before said lounging. is there anything i can do to deter the cat from lounging on the couches?

How Best to Set Up a Furniture Rearrangement Question?

WCityMike — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:08:21 -0800

How can I best set up a question regarding furniture rearrangement (in terms of spatially rearranging things, with measurements) on the Internet, and is Ask Mefi the best source or are there other communities that would be better? Are there Flash tools that let you post furniture floorplans and let others come and rearrange things? Alternatively, for advice simply on arrangement of furniture, how much might a professional's advice be, and would an interior decorator be the profession to turn to? (Do they still call themselves interior decorators? It seems a '70s term.) I am going to be living in a small studio for a while to come now. It is a great landlord and a pleasant building. I have no use for a one-bedroom and also would prefer to reserve funds (funds that would then go for increased rent) for other quite important targets at the moment, not to mention I don't have people who could help me move at the moment.

The problem with the studio is space and outlets, however: I have only two outlets in the main living area, limiting where certain things can be placed (computer, TV/DVD/cable, etc.), and electricians have advised that new outlets can't be added without major renovation.

I think I've done the best for what I've got, but it does need fixing. And recently I realized I have two furniture-space crises coming down the pike: (i) I've been sleeping on a twin air mattress for a while. I plan to replace that with a "full" bed, but have no idea how that might be introduced to the space without seriously getting in the way. And (ii) my bookshelves are overflowing and another one needs to be added, but there's utterly nowhere to put it. (I had considered a futon, but I think that after a certain age, it says that something's a little weird about you if you're still on a futon. Or is that just an idea I picked up from "The Office"? Dunno.)

I'd like to turn to hiveminds for advice -- either Ask Mefi's hivemind or that of a "furniture rearrangement" community -- but I frankly don't know how to appropriately post the problem in a manner that people can give effective answers, given that it involves accurate measurement and rearrangement of things.

I already have all the measurements done, and have set up a little cardstock model with rearrangable furniture to try my own hand at moving things around. Is there a website -- probably something involving Flash -- where you can set up a sort of bird's-eye view of your apartment and then Joe Schmoe come in off the street and rearrange the things inside?

Alternatively, how much would it zing me, financially, to get a professional to walk in and say, "If you put this there, put this there, put this there, and replace this with this, your problems should be solved"? (I live in Chicago.)

Close and present lumber

boots — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:30:14 -0800

Using pressure-treated lumber to build indoor furniture: Will I Die? I bought a whole bunch of lumber, including several pressure-treated 4x4s, that I can no longer use for its originally intended [outdoor] purpose. I'm considering using the lumber to build a platform bed, with the treated 4x4s as the legs. The plan I'm imagining involves the treated boards being completely enclosed by regular, untreated boards. However, it would still be indoors, and I would obviously be spending a lot of time in close proximity to, though never touching, the treated lumber.

How safe is this? Completely, mostly, somewhat, not at all?

Furniture suggestions in Chicago suburbs

ets960 — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 20:30:26 -0800

Furniture store suggestions in Chicago Suburbs I'm looking mostly for good quality furniture at reasonable prices. I already saw Dania and it looks like a good place to go, but I want others. I have been to Ashley Furniture as well. If you also have suggestions for finding furniture online please let me know.

Where to buy furniture/home accessories online for small spaces?

krisken — Thu, 22 May 2008 14:14:53 -0800

Furniture for small spaces: Somewhere on the internet, there exists a hip little home furniture/accessories store with products designed specifically for those living in tiny dwellings. Do you know what it is? I, of course, failed to bookmark it. Thanks in advance.

How eco-friendly is Crate & Barrel's eco-friendly furniture?

Xalf — Wed, 14 May 2008 10:07:22 -0800

Should I bother trying to buy eco-friendly furniture? Crate and Barrel claims that many of their products are eco-friendly. Although there is much discussion in the blogosphere about the existence of C&B's claim, I haven't found anything in the way of discussion about how eco-friendly the furniture really is. Can someone with more expertise in furniture production help me? (BTW, I'm most interested in couches.) And if the answer is, yes C&B's eco-friendly products really are eco-friendly and the best thing one can do for the earth short of buying used or recycled furniture, can anyone suggest comparable eco-friendly furniture in the same price range? I'm in Chicago, if that helps.

Have a seat

doift — Sun, 11 May 2008 16:08:59 -0800

I scavenged a chair from the street (oh, how Brooklyn of me) with the overly-ambitious intention of refinishing and reupholstering it. I can figure out how to to remove the seat and replace the fabric, but I'm stuck on several other necessary steps, to the point that I don't even know what terms to Google. Pictures within. This is the chair. Taking off the seat seems to be straightforward, and I'm an old hand with fabric and foam, so replacing that shouldn't be a problem. However, I can't figure out how to take apart the back so I can replace that fabric. How is the back joined to the sides? What is that little wooden post called? Where should I look for information on how to take that apart and put it back together again? Here's a closeup of the intact post, and here's my best attempt at photographing what's inside the hole from the one that's half-missing. The other side of the back also has one intact post and one missing one.

The other step that I'm confused about is the refinishing. I know nothing about varnish, shellac, etc., so I was considering just leaving the wood as it is, but then the finish started to peel and I figured if I'm going to do this thing, I may as well go whole hog. Can anyone tell from these pictures what kind of finish that is, how best to remove it, what I can expect from the wood underneath, and what new finish I should use?

Any instructions or suggestions on where to look for good instructions are most appreciated. I have basic hand tools, and am happy to buy some specialized supplies, but seeing as how I'm broke enough to pick up a chair from the curb, if this is going to end up being expensive and hassle-y, I have no problem taking the thing back from whence it came.

Klippan help plz

amethysts — Sat, 10 May 2008 11:22:57 -0800

The Ikea Klippan sofa is a popular model according to Google and is comfy enough to sit on at the store, but does anyone have any ideas regarding its total lack of head support? I'm thinking I need to add some kind of head rest, like a body pillow held in place with a giant piece of fabric wrapping around it and stapled in the back. This seems like one of those things that somebody somewhere must have figured out already (besides get rid of it). Any ideas?

A comfortable & storable reading chair?

cuando — Tue, 06 May 2008 08:46:02 -0800

A comfortable & storable reading chair? I live in a small 2 bedroom apartment in Chicago. ~85% of the time it is just me and I would like to get a good chair for reading for my second bedroom (something like this). The problem is that the other 15% of the time I have guests staying with me & a chair would only get in the way.

Anyone have any solutions?

Why won't my desk chair recline?

Pope Guilty — Tue, 06 May 2008 01:53:11 -0800

My desk chair has locked in an upright position- it won't recline at all. I've noticed this happening before- eventually I'll try to lean back and it'll go right back. But what causes this, and is there anything specific I can do to get it to recline properly?

"Fine corinthian leather!!"

pearlybob — Sun, 04 May 2008 17:18:29 -0800

Please give me your best tips and recommendations for bringing a leather sofa and chair back to life. A friend gave me a great leather sofa, chair and ottoman. They are in great shape except the leather is very faded and 'light' on the tops of the cushions and ottoman. It has retained its original color on the back and sides. It is still soft but looks like it needs a pound of lard rubbed into it. He says that the set was in the sun and that is why the color has faded on the top.

What can I do to help moisturize and bring the leather back? I've read the previous posts on leather care but they seem to deal with hard, cracking or torn leather. Mine seems supple, just faded and "dry".

What do you suggest? Favorite products? Do they make leather cream that has a tint to it to help restore the color? I browsed the shelves at the Lowe's but got overwhelmed so I thought I would ask for help. I also want something that will soak in so I don't have to worry about getting it on my clothes.

Thanks in advance. Any and all tips appreciated.

Where to find an awesome folding desk?

raygan — Thu, 01 May 2008 06:40:17 -0800

Where can I buy an awesome, folding, secretary-style desk with a closeable writing surface? I need a new desk, but I want something small that I can close up to hide my mess.
I kind of dig this one because of the size, price, and good reviews, but I'm not a huge fan of the ornate carvings.
Space-wise, I'd just like to be able to put my laptop in it closed, shut the desk, and leave it charging. I don't mind drilling cord holes. I've been to several furniture stores in my area and they don't really carry this sort of thing; in my town people all have mini-mansions and want BIG furniture. IKEA's options didn't really suit me either, they are all either too tall (It's going in front of a window that I don't want entirely blocked by an 8' cabinet) or too flimsy (PLASTIC hinges to hold up the writing surface!? Insanity!) Also, most everything was designed to hold a computer tower and large monitor, and I don't need anything like that.
Where can I find a descent looking desk without scouring antique stores and paying $900? I have a budget of up to about $350 but prefer to keep it to around $250.
I live in Houston, TX.

Cute Chair Needs Some Love

Bunglegirl — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:09:02 -0800

How do I take care of my (possibly antique) Ethiopian wood chair? How do I take care of my chair so it doesn't crack or warp? I'm in Chicago (dry winters, humid summers) and have noticed a few cracks in the wood. I assume those cracks were there before but didn't notice them at the time. I have no experience with cleaning/sealing/attending to nice wood furniture. How do I take care of it?

I bought the chair in Ethiopia about a year ago and shipped it home. The person I bought it from told me it was carved from a single tree (it is indeed one solid piece) native to Southern Ethiopia. My research on endemic Ethiopian trees only really turn up African Blackwood (ebony) which this is not. I bought it because I love the style so I don't mind that it's not in perfect condition.

It has a slightly "waxy" feel when I touch it and I'm not sure if it has been treated with something or varnished. The finish is worn in some areas and has some strange patterns like something was spilled on it or, if it was varnished, it was poorly done.

Because I bought it from a local shop, not an antique dealer or high end gallery I wasn't able to get many details and have no way of contacting the seller for more information.

Photos of the chair in question:
Entire chair
Detail of back stain
Detail of side stain
Detail of crack on back
Detail of crack on seat