Sunday, November 25, 2012

Build LLC in Seattle

This is just a little shout out of love for one of my new favorite architectural blogs.

01_logo

Build LLC is a design/build firm in Seattle that does a great job restoring and building MCM homes or at least homes with a Modern flair.

Their website is a nice showcase of their work, and their blog is a FANTASTIC resource for those of us doing things that are a little beyond simply buying materials at Lowe’s and putting them up in a typical fashion.

I stumbled across the blog looking for information on edge treatment for drywall (L Bead, J Bead, reveals, etc.) and was amazed by the amount of “secrets” that Build LLC had made available on their site. [that specific post is here]

Another post I read regarding drywall was giving tips on how to make sure minor mistakes in the framing, construction, etc. don’t show through to the finished wall.  That’s some valuable and extremely helpful information (not something construction people are often apt to share!).

Kudos for not being so guarded with this fantastic information and for helping people like me figure out how to create beautiful work in a not-so-typical fashion!

http://www.buildllc.com

Sliding Doors (Barn Door Hardware for Trolley/Rail Mount Door)

On the journey to our MCM Atomic Ranch home, we restored and lived in two other homes.  The first was an Ohio farm house (1917) that we restored/reinvented to something more “modern,” but definitely on the contemporary side of things, before I became a fan of more “purist” MCM ideals.  The second home was a beautiful little American Foursquare (1911).  In each of those locations, I built a sliding door and used simple galvanized steel barn door hardware for the sliding rail/track.

CIMG0203
The room is obviously in progress, but you can see the door style on the left (click to enlarge photo).
In the first home, I custom built a giant door for the bathroom that was clad in steel sheeting to look like an old freezer door.  On the second home, the installation was for an exterior courtyard “gate” application.

I am currently building an attached shed on the back of my studio, and when I visited Lowe’s and Home Depot to pick up the barn door hardware I needed for a large (barn door sized) pocket door, I was surprised to find that they don’t carry barn door hardware!  How can Lowe’s/HD in COLORADO (land of horse and barn) not have sliding barn door hardware?!

I had quite a bit of trouble locating a local store that carries what I need, and it was also fairly difficult to find anything online at a reasonable price.  The typical Stanley rails I’ve used before are not even available at Grainger (my source for “to the trade” hard to find hardware type stuff), and the ones they DO have start at $110 (with local pickup) and go up from there. WTF?!

The cheapest thing I finally found was at HardwareandTools.com. It’s $18.36 for an 8 foot rail or $13.76 for a 6 foot rail (each is rated at 450 pounds).  I was nervous about the shipping cost of an 8 foot piece of steel, but the shipping was only $25 (the site said it would only be $15, but they charge a $10 shipping surcharge on the item –beware of this when ordering from other sites, some say “additional shipping may be charged, we will contact you if this is the case” –so you make your purchase and they call you to tell you it will actually cost more to ship!!!).  So that’s $44 total for the rail delivered (a far cry from Grainger’s starting price of $110).  In comparison, the rail is $30 at Sears (but only online, so $15 more for tax and shipping), and can be found for around $40 on Amazon (with a shipping price of anywhere from $11 to $125 (!!!), depending upon the vendor).  I can’t decide if I’ll be going with a more “known” vendor like Sears or Amazon (hopefully this could mitigate taking care of any issues that might arise) verses ordering from HardwareandTools.com, which I’ve never heard of or used before.

The link below illustrates the kind of thing I had been running up against prior to finding the options above.

http://www.realslidinghardware.com/box-rail-sliding-hardware/

$341 for barn door hardware ($629 for the stainless)?! Obviously they are preying upon those who were not raised on a farm and think they must pay a premium for something “quaint” (I understand a higher price for the stainless stuff, but still…). The Real Sliding Hardware site IS a great place to see different installations of this kind of setup, and they also have some cool stuff that is a little more custom looking/functioning than simple barn door box rail.

To complete the project, I lucked out and found a box with all of the rest of the hardware (the hanging trolley wheels, rail hanging brackets, guide rail/wheels, etc.) at my local Habitat for Humanity ReStore for $15 (it’ll run you anywhere from $85-$125 for all the extra stuff new, or $35 for a two-pack of just the trolley wheels).

Friday, July 27, 2012

“The Real Cost of Rip-Offs”

Dwell_June12_Cover_Web_1239x1600The June Issue of Dwell has an article called “The Real Cost of Rip-Offs” that I’ve been seeing/hearing quite a few people comment on.  This notion of “real/affordable modern” was a major impetus for starting this blog several years ago.  One of the blogs I follow, The Brick House, posted regarding being quoted by Dwell on this very issue.  The author sort of condones or even encourages knock-offs in certain situations.  Sure, she lauds the common party-line of “buy authentic vintage when you can,” but she definitely says it’s OK (or even necessary) to buy knock-offs ‘cause they’re more affordable to people on a realistic budget.

I think this is an issue that most “normal” (i.e. not rich) fans of midcentury modern are torn on.  On the one hand, you want to make sure that the quality of the chair that you’re buying means it will last and that the original designer is getting the credit (and pay) he/she deserves.  However, there comes a point where the cost is simply prohibitive, and the average person is forced to either buy a knock-off (if you can’t find what you’re looking for used) or not buy at all.

Tulip-Armless-Chair-by-Knoll-International-by-Eero-Saarinen-image-1I did a post a while back regarding some Saarinen Tulip Chair knock-offs we purchased. I knew we wanted a round Saarinen table for our breakfast nook, and was fortunate enough to find one on eBay.  However, finding the chairs (armless Tulips) proved more of a challenge, and every time I searched, I found the knock-offs staring me in the face.  At $250 instead of $1,500 for the authentic Knoll, I decided to give them a shot.  You can read about the debacle that followed in my original post, but needless to say, I learned my lesson.  That said, I think there are certain items where the knock-off would serve your needs without the danger of failure (fewer moving parts, materials that are less apt to fail, etc.). [Shh… don’t tell anyone I said that].

This brings us to the argument regarding whether or not people should be “allowed” to have things they can’t afford, and how knock-offs might actually drive up the cost of the real McCoy.  The first argument is answered simply by: if you can find something to make you happy for the price, who is to say you shouldn’t be “allowed” to have it as long as any laws aren’t being broken (you’ll just have to deal with the consequences of shoddy workmanship and functionality –and this is often a hard lesson, since you’ll still be spending your hard-earned money on something that will fail after a few short years or less).  I think the second argument is nonsense.  The difference between authentic and knock-off is fairly easily discernable. In other words, knock-offs aren’t really fooling anybody (if for no other reason than the price tag), and in most cases, no one’s actually trying to pass them off as the real deal. Not to mention, people who can afford the high prices of “designer” furniture would never buy a knock-off, thus, the price of a designer item is not being affected by knock-offs, because the target market for the designer item is unaffected.  I suppose one could make an argument for an item becoming less desirable if tons and tons of “normal” people own a knock-off version (thus devaluing the original), but that’s a little like saying people won’t buy a Nelson Bubble because Ikea sells paper lanterns in similar shapes.

So let’s talk about status vs. function.  What is the purpose of the piece of furniture in question?  Most midcentury modern furniture was not intended to be a status symbol, in fact, quite the opposite.  Notable designers of the 50’s and 60’s, especially “case study” designers, were looking for ways to bring sensible and beautiful design to the masses –highest quality at a reasonable price.  This begs the question of a responsibility that manufacturers/sellers/studios have not only to the consumer, but also to the intentions of the original designers.  As much as the word “Ikea” is dreaded in many design circles, I don’t think there’s any question that if Ikea had been around in 1958, Charles and Ray Eames would have gladly been working with them.

Before people start sending fiery hate-mail regarding this notion, I will qualify that we are talking about an age where affordable manufacturing was still possible in the United States and quality did not suffer for cost of manufacturing; you didn’t have to build things in China and Malaysia with underpaid labor to make them accessible.

imagesThis also isn’t to say there aren’t instances where “high design” items, or at least iconic pieces, aren’t still sometimes priced “appropriately” (at least somewhat affordably).  I did another post on the Nelson Bubble Lamp.  At $300, adjusted for inflation, it costs the exact same as the first day it rolled off the line in 1947 (for $35).

There are also times where an item is really expensive, but probably should be. I am TOTALLY in love with the Corvo chair by corvo_130410_36-200x200NoĆ© Duchaufour-Lawrance for Bernhardt Design. It’s gorgeous, hand-crafted from Walnut (in North Carolina, no less), and costs $1,500. If someone is creating a chair out of hardwood by hand (not to mention advertising it and taking it to market), $1,500 probably isn’t out of the question. Can I afford it? No. Can I buy a knock off? No (nor would I).  But I would suggest that there are no knock-offs because the price-point is appropriate… it actually costs that much to make and market the chair.  (by the way, check out the great series of Corvo photos on The Contemporist)

I think this is an important notion to consider.  If a knock-off can be made for much, MUCH less than what the “real” item is going for, either the materials and manufacturing in the knock-off are so shoddy that no one will buy the knock-off, or the “real” item is overpriced (shame on the design house/supplier).  Saarinen’s Womb Chair when purchased from Knoll is $3,500.  You can get a pretty good looking (I have no personal experience with the actual functional quality) knock-off for around $800.  Will it last as long as the Knoll?  Probably not, but the price difference between the two is SO VAST that it really makes you question Knoll’s price point, especially when you think about what the chair consists of… molded fiberglass with glued foam covered in fabric with four metal legs (should a chair of those materials really be pushing $4k?).

In this internet age, there is definitely a danger of people being tricked into buying something they think is similar to the original, when in fact it is nowhere near.  As such, I think it’s pretty safe to say that buying a knock-off sight-unseen is just asking for trouble.  If you’re going to buy a knock off… make sure you sit in it and touch it first.  The “shadiness” of people selling knock-offs proliferates in the online arena, and the issues become more about deceiving people than about people knowingly purchasing a lower quality item because they want the look and lower quality is all they can afford.

What’s even more shameful than the proliferation of knock-offs is the wildly expensive “high design” pieces which are notorious for being ludicrously low quality.  In these instances, the “high design costs more to make because of quality control and the materials used” argument is total b.s.  Take Roche Bobois for instance.  Their furniture is extremely expensive, considered “high end” modern (though I would say, in more instances it’s more “contemporary” than modern), and is most often total crap as far as build quality and longevity is involved.  img_4988I have a friend who’s family has been in the business of building, restoring, and reupholstering furniture for more than 100 years.  He turns red in the face and sweats with rage whenever he hears the name “Roche Bobois.” (“$10,000 for a couch that won’t last 10 years?!” –and yes, he’s not being hyperbolic, these things often cost more than $10k …and they are total crap)

So anyway, I don’t think a single Knoll Tulip side chair should cost $1,500.  Should I not be allowed to have one (let alone a set) in my house because I can’t spend an entire month’s mortgage on a single chair?  Should I buy a knock-off instead (in this case, I’d say “no!” but that’s mostly because the Tulip Chair knock offs are really poorly manufactured)?  Must I force myself to be happy with something else?  Who’s fault is it that a “normal” person can’t possibly afford a set of Knoll Tulip chairs?  Is it my fault that I want pretty things (even if I can’t afford the “real deal”)?  Lot’s of questions… and all the answers seem to be highly subjective.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Carefree California: Cliff May and the Romance of the Ranch House

If you are anywhere near Santa Barbara from April 12 to June 17, don’t miss this exhibit at The Art, Design & Architecture Museum!

cliff_may_1521

“The exhibition and accompanying catalogue examine the modernization of the ranch tradition and its transition from regional designs in adobe, brick, tile, and stucco to the modest wood and glass tract house of the forties, to the near-minimal system-built ranches May designed and sold in the late 1950s and, finally, to his luxury ranch houses.”

–from the museum website

For more information: http://www.uam.ucsb.edu/Cliff_May.html

Monday, January 23, 2012

The Holiday House Model “X” Geographic

I’ve always loved airstreams.  Who doesn’t?  But THIS.  Now THIS is a truly unique and incredible trailer.

1960_prototype_025

Evidently there were only 5 ever made, and this is the only one still in existence.  In 1960, it had a sticker price of $8,495.  This was a time when you could purchase a decent house for $13,000.  America just wasn’t ready for luxury mobile living, so after a couple of years of trying to make a sale, the showroom closed in 1962, and this trailer was purchased for $5,000 by the showroom manager.  In 1995 she passed away, and her sister sold the trailer for a couple hundred dollars.

In 1999 a Los Angeles architect named Bardy Azadmard saw the trailer along side the road with “for sale” painted in the window.  The trailer was so rat infested that you couldn’t breathe inside and all the wiring and plumbing had been chewed to bits.  However, after nearly a decade of work and careful attention to detail, he brought the project back to life in all its original glory (from the teak cabinets to the original appliances).

1960_prototype_008_ygc8

The restoration cost around $20,000, and the trailer has since been sold (Sept. 2011) to a buyer in France and shipped over seas. The selling price?  Undisclosed, but Azadmard says it went for as much as you’d currently pay for a house!

The whole story, including the history of its design and production, scans from the original appliances, some scans from the original advertising campaign, available floor plans and options, information about the restoration project, information from the assembly line, etc. is available at this website: http://1960prototype.com.  The site is nothing flashy, so you may think you’re in the wrong place at first, but the information and photos are all there.

1960_prototype_045