Cool furniture, design objects and desiderata

[Find Finn]



[only guarantees that your item will be made and ready to ship in 24-hours.

It's this part I don't believe is possible long term.

 

[UnnamedPlayer]

Rubber mats are for the workbench, not for the study, but in either case I think that's probably the best approach.

Marmoleum is the answer.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

They actually look pretty good, thank you UP, I appreciate the genuine response.

 

[UnnamedPlayer]

They actually look pretty good, thank you UP, I appreciate the genuine response.

Make sure you get a large sample from Forbo to be sure it is what you are expecting.

We are putting in Marmoleum in a small central area that is surrounded on all sides by very busy tiles.
The hardest part is finding someone to;
A) Do the work on a small area, and
B) Has the skills necessary to level the floor and apply the feather coat

Although Marmoleum is a very durable product and very comfortable underfoot, it will telegraph any humps and valleys of the substrate it is laid on.

Although labour rates are higher in our country, we were quoted $1700 on average for 12 sq/m of floor.

 

[poorsod]



LOL!

The master woodworker of that shop is Ru Amagasu, who is a very talented craftsman in his own right, and also happens to be George Nakashima's grandson. Hard to find a better apprenticeship in the realm of live edge wood tables.

Not sure if it's where the discussion was going, but it's a choice that would fit the look of the house well, in my opinion.

What do you think of Ru Amagasu's work vs what Mira is doing? Are the price points similar? Are there differences in esthetic taste?

Thanks.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

As far as I know Ru works for Nakashima currently, so they're one in the same now.

I've seen a lot of Ru's work when he was on his own and I think it's very good. I dont know anything about pricing, as much as I admire the work of other craftsmen I rarely ask them to price anything since I prefer to build the work myself.

I think very highly of Ru, he gave me very good honest advice when I was just starting to make furniture that proved incredibly helpful.

 

[poorsod]

Thanks for the info. I was looking him up and an interview a couple years ago said it was a sore point for the family that he was their next door competition.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

If you are in the general area go to Willard Brothers and speak with Brian Millen. He does very nice work.

Practically speaking, the major advantage that Nakashima has over their competition is their stockpile of lumber. They have stuff that George collected that is unlikely to be found anywhere else and that is the reason why his late work was so highly regarded. If you stop by the Japanese section of the MET you will see some of his very late work and the wood is just incredible. It's my understanding that he was happiest with his work at that point.

At this stage of the obsession with slab furniture very incredible slabs are nearly impossible to source in many species. There are not many 300 year old walnut trees coming down and those that do are gobbled up at tremendous prices. GN was buying up whole logs before people were really obsessed with slab furniture and so he was able to source incredible wood.

Most of the majors were able too, Maloof has a stockpile of gaboon ebony and one of Brazilian rosewood that would make a lumber baron blush.

I consider GN very highly with regard to design, I think his stuff really gets the natural form over architectural form right. The temple builders used natural form for major visual aspects of their work and I think his work in furniture acknowledges that with great success.

There are people doing work that I consider to be very interesting in their own right and their are people who specialize in individual parts of the Japanese aesthetic that are doing incredible work.

 

[apropos]

So I had some spare time, and about $60 worth of wood from a salvage yard.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

The end result:

 

[poorsod]



Practically speaking, the major advantage that Nakashima has over their competition is their stockpile of lumber. They have stuff that George collected that is unlikely to be found anywhere else and that is the reason why his late work was so highly regarded. If you stop by the Japanese section of the MET you will see some of his very late work and the wood is just incredible. It's my understanding that he was happiest with his work at that point.

At this stage of the obsession with slab furniture very incredible slabs are nearly impossible to source in many species. There are not many 300 year old walnut trees coming down and those that do are gobbled up at tremendous prices. GN was buying up whole logs before people were really obsessed with slab furniture and so he was able to source incredible wood.

Thanks for the great info. I'm trying to decide if I should commission something from the Nakashima studio or wait for something I like to come up at auction.

I am thinking about either a desk or table. I'm not that into the live edge thing but I really like beauty of the grain, particularly the look of the book matched surfaces. I've been going through the auction prices for GN over the past few years and it seems his straight edge stuff is not as expensive or as popular as the live edge.

It's good to know that the studio has stockpiled hard to find wood. I'll have to visit New Hope after the studio is back from vacation.

Do you have any favorite woods suitable for a dining table?

Thanks.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

If you want one with George's signature on it...you have to buy at auction or through one of the shops that resells his work.

For a smaller table I would use English Oak burl

For a dining table I would use;
Bubinga
Walnut
East Indian Rosewood
White ash
White Oak
Elm

And they may have other woods that are just incredible, so I would say to get the most out of it I would ask them what their favorite piece is. I always feel you will get the best work by leaving the decisions to the craftsmen, I know that is too hands-off for many but it's the only approach I would consider.

The nice thing about a new commission is that it helps to keep people working and gives living talent an ability to shine. You also get to experience what those who fund a commission experience. Visiting the Nakashima compound is a really wonderful experience on it's own. There is truly nothing else like it.

If I were in the market for it, I would very highly consider Chris Hall. His Ming inspiration dining table was nothing short of a masterwork. He documents his process very thoroughly and in witnessing it I would say you're getting something that is truly unique.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

I finished up the bed;




The green is going....ASAP.

and some new work on my bench;




Those ends will be trimmed short of the table top.

Working on some details for the sliding dovetail battens;



You can see mom's cabinet slowly coming around on the right, that will be bumped back up to priority after this small table.

 

[Find Finn]

Looks good.

Are you going to fit a cushion?

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

Thank you!

I bought a 12" mattress for it....wanted an 8" but the 12" ones in the range I was willing to pay were a lot firmer. Apparently you have to pay a lot for a thin and firm mattress of foam, when he wears this one out in 10 years~ I'll get him a nicer one that is more aesthetically pleasing.

Next thing for this room is a bookcase that isnt made from conglomerate wood turds. I plan to build a small desk and bookcase not sure if I will combine the two or not.

 

[Medwed]

I would put thin mattress (as thin as possible) and smaller size than the frame. You have mad skills bro.