Search result for: the-last-thing-you-aquired-
| # | Post Title | Result Info | Date | User | Forum |
| Simple Human Products Press N Tear Paper Towel Dispenser Satisfaction | 1 Relevance | 17 years ago | dcwilson | General discussion | |
| In the age of baroque application of technology to ridiculously simple tasks, consider the Simple Human Products Press N Tear Paper Towel Dispenser as proof that design with technology CAN improve function in simple tasks, not just add sizzle and pointless complexity. I have spent a long life utterly disatisfied with accessing paper towels. Laugh if you must, but it is a fact. I have tried wall hanging dispensers, upright dispensers, even made my own up right dispenser from scrap wood. I have scavenged the internet and department stores. And all to no satisfaction...until now. In a thrift store, I found an upright dispenser by Simple Human Products. This thing flat out works. And I like it. And I almost look forward to grabbing a paper towel now. And it doesn't accelerate my use of paper towels. By reducing my frustration at getting a paper towel, it allows me to focus on getting just the amount I need. I know it took a ton of energy to make. But it will last me the rest of my life and this design could be done in greener material (are you listening Koen?). Surely, a designer building on this design could now find ways to make it out of recycled, or better yet (Koen?) ceramic material. I am not a shiny metal addict. I would much prefer a ceramic up right paper towel dispenser, one in which every line was a Van de Veldian/de Winterian fusion of function and ornament. Until that time, may i highly recommend this product by Simple Human Products. http://www.simplehuman.com/products/paper-towel-holders/press-n-tear.html | |||||
| Nanna Ditzel Rosewood Desk | 1 Relevance | 12 years ago | cdsilva | General discussion | |
| As posted previously in the last-thing-you-acquired thread, I was fortunate enough to buy a Nanna Ditzel 4-drawer rosewod desk off of craigslist last week. Yesterday, I did my usual cleaning / wood reconditioning routine on it, and got some decent improvement for the finish. However, the desktop still has a decent amount of uneven fading all over (including a couple of circular marks), some expected scratches, and a small veneer chip missing from the bottom right face of the third drawer.While I have come across all of the above issues on previous pieces, this is the most valuable and collectible item I have ever owned. There are a few options that have popped into my mind about what to do next. However before stating what they are, I was interested in what the next step would be for those on this board.I am currently undecided on how long I will be holding onto this desk. I really want to use it for at least a few years before finding it a new home. But at 175cm (69") long and 75cm (29") wide, I'm having a hard time finding a suitable place in my house right now.Sorry for the bad photos, but it's in my basement right now and the lighting is not very good down there. | |||||
| Design Within Reach is Full of It | 1 Relevance | 19 years ago | Turbo11 | General discussion | |
| You know, with Design Within Reach having their Eames "SERIOUS" sale, I think this company is taking themselves a little too seriously. Now they are selling some modded out airstream trailer as well, it boggles my mind. I know it's all about business, but I found this paragraph which interested me: A "fully licensed classic" is an item that's manufactured by the license holder to the original design, such as Herman Miller, Knoll, Cassina, Fritz Hansen, Vitra, Emeco and others. Only a licensed manufacturer can deliver the craftsmanship originally intended, ensure ongoing support of mid-century designers and foundations, and give you the highest resale value. Buy a knockoff and you not only support the wrong people, but you put money in the wrong direction. Buy the real thing and you buy it for life This is from the DWR site. Ok, granted, owners of designs need credit/money. But, are they really serious that buying a knock off puts money in the wrong people's hands. It's almost like anti drug commercials recently that say buying drugs puts money in terrorists hands...whicn is FAR from accurate. I don't fault DWR for their prices. It's standard manufacturer suggested pricing that puts their furniture out of reach for many of us. What are we supposed to do, wait until our 401k develops and refinance our house for a Barcelona chair? Bottomline, we love design. The companies owning the rights to the designs like the Knolls and Cassinas of the world are profitable or extremely profitable. The average income household that loves modern design doesn't share the same fate. Let's get down to Earth. | |||||
| This is great! | 1 Relevance | 23 years ago | koen | General discussion | |
| This is great! I could hardly wait for these quotes because I expected them to be the ones I would use to support my argument. I would argue that Teague is fully aware of the fact that "... the ultimate form of any object.." the one that"... is inherent in the object itself" is not something you achieve the first time around. It is not by accedent I think that he refers to:".. it must be evolved..." in other words it probably will be a step by step method, maybe even spread over several generations. I fully agree with him that we might reach that stage one day for most products...a kind of "paper-clip stage". This is not the place to do it but I could explain every single detail in a mug I designed for Mepal/Rosti 30-some years ago. It is still on the market, and quite succesfully so, and I am under the impression (or illusion) that it is to a large extend because it is so difficult to change it without loosing features that the user appreciates. I have tested a group of students by giving them all the information that was relevent to this product and I asked them to design a mug that takes all these considerations into account. The funny thing was that they all designed more or less the same mug, with one major difference: The handle was slightly lower, (increasing the stacking height) The reason was that they did not find a way to keep the top of the handle in line with the top edge because the all wanted to keep the stripperplate (an important part of the mould) uninterupted. The handle I designed could be flush with the rim because I found a way to make the top of the handle part of the stripperplate. Up to this day, I consider that my contribution to this simple product, was that technical innovation. The rest was a logical result of combining all the parameters inherent on the product, it's use, it's cleaning and it's production. It seems obvious to me that walter D.Teague is refering to that kind of evolving....Back to you! With my excuses to those who find this far to technical! | |||||
| RE: Kai Kristiansen nesting tables? | 1 Relevance | 6 years ago | maxpato | Identification | |
| Hi design addicts hope you are ok because im not ! just sat and had a second off to realised the KK cube set I bought on Ebay uk were ... a replicas ! not even close to the real Mc Coy ,they look nice but at close range they are grotesque compared to a KK set. Regarding the stamp? just found out its probably the ugliest thing Ive ever possessed ! and is a G-plan OML . Items were returned , bought another set from USA. Eye and touch and the fakes will be unearthed max Attachment: image.png Attachment: image.jpeg Attachment: image.png Attachment: image.jpeg | |||||
| Update for my recently | 1 Relevance | 11 years ago | Peruche | General discussion | |
| Update for my recently acquired vintage Art Deco neon "Welcome" sign. Mrs. Peruche & I bought our first bedroom set together 16 years ago. We purchased a 1920s/40s Art Deco waterfall bedroom set, matching bed frame, armoire & vanity. Also in our bed room is 1 or 2 Deco pictures and a bunch of vintage French posters, so it was a natural fit to try and incorporate the neon "Welcome" sign in our bedroom too. Wow!!! When the neon is on, our bedroom becomes our very own "Red Light District".... Lol...... Mrs. Peruche referred to the movie "Christmas Story" when she first saw it lit up. Because I bought the "Welcome" sign around Christmas, she said that it was my very own Fra - Gi - Le lamp!!! My Mother who is a strict Christian woman shocked Mrs. Peruche jokingly after she saw it lit up, Mom told Mrs. Peruche that if she started coming into LARGE sums of cash my Mother would know why!!! Hilarious.... I can only wonder what the neighbors are thinking when they see the outside of our bedroom windows when this thing is on. Oh well, the neon "Welcome" still looks great in our bedroom. Disclaimer: We will be using regular lighting 99% of the time:) Couple pics from down the hallway and outside the house for you guys & gals. Peruche | |||||
| Especially be careful sanding | 1 Relevance | 9 years ago | Zephyr | Repair | |
| Especially be careful sanding near edges, and areas where edge banding meets veneer. When the piece was originally made, it was also sanded prior to adding the final finish. I find that these locations are where the manufacturer had to sand the most, to eliminate uneven joints, misalignments, etc. and therefore are typically the places where you will burn through the veneer first. Not to mention, it is really easy to apply uneven pressure near the edges, which also accelerates burn-through. I just had some very slight burn-through on a Jens Risom Credenza that I am redoing. I actually think it was already there, and was covered up by the Risom-Marble Company with some artists paints, because it was literally not there one moment, and one pass of 220 by hand, and it was (I am always watching very closely when I am sanding veneer, and I mean really close). As Leif said, you can probably get by with just teak oil and 0000 steel wool. I would plan on doing half-a-dozen oil applications over the period of a few weeks. It will probably result in a well-worn look, vintage look. I personally like doing full restoration on these medium to low valued pieces, because they are hard to resell otherwise, but if this is for personal use, and you don't mind the vintage wear, then I would give the oil only method a go first. I certainly don't mind having the worn vintage look on my nicer pieces for personal use, in fact I prefer it in many cases. The only thing I am concerned about, in your case, is the patches of original finish which appear to remain on the surface. If this original finish is lacquer, or some other film-building finish, then the oil-steel wool method may not work, until you have stripped all this old finish off (chemically, with a razor blade, or sanding). You can see these areas in the second picture, the one of the drawer face. | |||||
| Solution found thanks to you! | 1 Relevance | 13 years ago | NULL NULL | General discussion | |
| Solution found thanks to you! Well, I want to thank you for your insightful observation. You are correct in that this is a Vitra Design Studio reproduction, not one of the original Howard Miller Nelson clocks with the cord on the back of it. My understanding is, though, that Vitra is licensed by the Nelson successors, but I'm not sure. Now to the mechanics. Sure enough, the clock separates along the two halves (top and bottom)exactly as you suggested, but the trick is to take a Phillips screwdriver to the two deep-set recessed screws on the bottom half of the clock. When you unscrew these, the two halves come apart revealing the quartz mechanism front and center, with the battery compartment which, as you also pointed out, does take a single AA battery. Now, I should point out that the clock mechanism itself is half-way embedded or anchored into the bottom half of the clock body, so that the other half (top side) protrudes. The green time-set wheel is smack in the middle, half in and half out, so it makes it a bit cumbersome to turn it in order to set the right time, but using my nail I was able to slowly turn it. It is a pain to have to take the whole thing apart just to replace the battery, or worse, to set the correct time, so I appreciate your suggestion to set the time externally by just slowly turning the hour hand clockwise. I should also point out that if one is not careful, repeated screwings and unscrewings will probably damage the clock body which is nothing more than two blocks of painted wood screwed together into the wood itself, and sooner or later the wood fatigue will fail to hold correctly. Just inserting the screwdriver into the holes must be done carefully or the finish may be scratched. I'm speculating here about the eventual wood fatigue, but just a thought. This is my first Nelson desk clock. Many thanks again to everyone for helping out. | |||||
| I would like to take this... | 1 Relevance | 16 years ago | whitespike | General discussion | |
| I would like to take this... I would like to take this moment to thank each and every one of you that has contributed to this thread. This has been a funny read. And regardless of your stance, it illustrates just how important entertainment is to our society. Us going on and on about these things. I am sure there isn't anything that I could add that hasn't been said, but I'll give a quick read list of my own feelings about this topic, in no particular order... But I must rib Olive for a moment, as I am surprised one of her solutions was to leave a TV on for aesthetic purposes. Power suck only to make the black hole more bearable! Tsk tsk! 1. TVs are a part of life. I don't hide that I watch TV. My sofa faces it, too, because I refuse to get a crick in my neck so that I might impress others. My living room, I feel, does a good job at focusing on the "conversation pit" regardless. It helps to have other sitting areas not fixated on the tube in conjunction with the classic sofa at center... 2. Bold self congratulatory remarks about not owning or not watching TVs are irritating at times. And if you catch me at the right moment, I just see them as funny. Owning a TV doesn't tell you WHAT the owner watches, or how much they watch it. Being in touch with news and entertainment is part of being a well-rounded individual. If it makes you feel better about yourself to do without such things though, what'evs. Have a ball. But you're neither gaining my respect or losing it. I just hope you're making yourself into a dullard for yourself and not someone else. 3. Having economics enter the conversation is lame. (i.e. I'm hyper rich and have 19 houses and don't need TV for culture because I can afford to partake in the culture that you only watch on your dumb-box). I actually didn't own a TV before I was married and much poorer. Mainly because I am so ADD I cannot finish a program. But my wife has taught me to stay focused and now I enjoy a couple of weekly shows. It's actually a very positive thing for me. Learning to relax is good. Many of you seem to need to relax. So often designer types don't know how. | |||||
| Do a search on ebay ended | 1 Relevance | 10 years ago | Spanky | General discussion | |
| Do a search on ebay ended auctions for "industrial style" chairs, bar stools, etc. to get an idea of what sells and what doesn't. The industrial look is still going strong, I think. I just did a search for "vintage drafting table" on ebay and found over 350 listings though some are probably for accessories and whatnot. They do sell, too---not for big money but something. As for what your things are worth, check out the basic rules that everyone is asked to read before posting: BASIC RULES Respect and courtesy are essential. The moderators reserve the right to delete unsuitable messages as well as off-topic messages. No advertising is allowed. Direct or indirect commercial solicitations are strictly forbidden. Requests to identify objects are welcome as long as the object is believed to be modern, post-modern or contemporary (no antiques). You may ask for help identifying an object’s designer, producer, period, style, material etc. – but not its commercial value. This forum is not a free valuation service. But you can get an idea of value by looking at what similar items sell for in local shops, on ebay, and in auction house lists of realized prices. It may take a few weeks or months of looking to get a good overall view. Also, be aware that the price asked is often not what the thing ends up selling for, which is why you need to look at actual final prices. Also, disregard 1stDibs prices; they market to a small population with deep pockets, and interior designers with big expense accounts, and their dealers often accept lower offers. Hope this helps, and good luck with your desk and chair. | |||||
| Dealers on 1stDibs, Chairish | 1 Relevance | 8 years ago | Spanky | General discussion | |
| Dealers on 1stDibs, Chairish and an increasing number of similar sites do indeed price things very, very high---way above their actual market value. Those sites are good in that they have a higher standard for photos which comes in handy when you are looking for detail shots of something. Also, high prices mean very little on things for sale, only on things that have actually sold. As far as Pearsall goes, I've reupholstered a lot of Pearsall furniture and have seen the naked frames. They look like something constructed in a high school shop class: thin plywood nailed and screwed to boards (sometimes pine), metal brackets holding sections together, even the points of nails sticking through the back of one chair, The fabric and padding hide all of this, of course, and all you see are the Jetson-era lines and the admittedly handsome walnut bases and trim. People like the stuff because it looks very mid-century modern and dealers jack the prices up because they can make money off it, though not quite the ticket prices you find online. BUT if your sofa is in good shape and you don't plan to use it as a trampoline or sit on the arms, great. If and when you replace the foam cushion, I recommend a firm density urethane upholstery foam wrapped in 3/4" upholstery batting. You can get all that online if you want to do this yourself (and get a can of spray adhesive to stick the batting to the foam). Do not get the foam at Joann's or other chain fabric stores. Theirs is not dense and it will develop hollows quickly, and it's still pricey even when on sale for half off. Ditto for batting--I think all they sell these days is quilt batting which is not durable enough for sofa cushions. Get the real thing online. | |||||
| I can not answer all the .... | 1 Relevance | 20 years ago | koen | General discussion | |
| I can not answer all the .... questions at the same time but here is at least an answer to some suggestions (sorry if I answer questions that are a few days old, but 3D rendering at this quality level requires time and all of it is of course based on volonteer work) So, here is the basalt version together with a narrow and lower version (by the way the vases are now 30 cm high (12") and 25 cm (10"). The narrow and lower version is made for a number of reasons. The first one is simply a stupid copyright consideration. Someone could easily have made this variation on the basis of the previous ones, and so I wanted to claim the copyright before that happens. Those of you who have noticed that the copyright is claimed by HippoDesign should not worry. I have no intention of taking away anybodys rights. This project was done by the participants on DA, but the DA Forum is not a legal person, and only a legal person can claim copyrights. For the time being it is the most practical solution. We will transfer the rights in all full and unlimited license ones the project is finished. The other reason for doing two versions is that some of the size problems can not be solved by compromizing. There is a need for small and larger vases. From a marketing point of view a "collection" is always better than just one product. Last but not least we are working on a previous suggestion to have some variation in the hexagonal shapes. In this first proposal we have mouved six of the 12 outside hexagones outward to a common circular edge. Amiel is still working on the other version, where the same thing is achieved but without enlarging the surfaces of the base hexagones. We are also looking at the different curves (parabolique, radii or radia combined with straight lines), at the depth of the concave shape and the height of that deepest point of the curve. I will try to catch upp over the week-end... | |||||
| Ok, well... | 1 Relevance | 18 years ago | DudeDah | General discussion | |
| Ok, well... I was going to wait for some of the locals to chime in and give the REAL take but since no one is...I'll give you the take of someone DYING to be a Portland Oregon, or Orgeon ANYWHERE resident. Qualifiers: I'm just a humble Midwestern boy who has traveled somewhat extensively from Portland up into BC and even Alberta. I've been to Seattle half a dozen times and my friend who lives out there even lived in Portland for a while so I have ONE good visit there. I too interviewed and had a good job prospect on that one visit to Portland, unfortunately, that was the DOTCOM days and the interview didn't pan out. I loved to call Portland Seattle "lite", all of the flavor at a portion of the price...at least at that time, I know now that it is not as "inexpensive" as it was then. I have never seen such a group of laid-back folks in all my life. I thought "are all these people STONED?!" Great restaurants, coffee...of course, and just a BREATH TAKING part of the country. Two hours from Seattle and just another couple to Vancouver. Now, Phoenix vs. Portland?...NO CONTEST for me anyway. It will be a geographical shock for you if you have grown up in Phoenix. I'm not a desert fan myself so the verdant green of Portland and the PNW wins hands down. Mountain Biking?...if you're into that sort of thing, have ridden in both AZ and PNW and, again, PNW hands down. There is a great site for MCM homes in Portland and look up "Rummer" if you haven't already. Bottom line, GO FOR IT, you're living my dream anyway. Weather, yeah it rains a lot, but not like it does where I live. I think the rain there vs. other parts of the country and thus the perception turns up people noses. It depends on your temperament. We may still make it out there someday. My wife had a couple prospects in Seattle recently, but, alas, didn't happen. For now, we'll just keep visitin, trying to plan a trip to Whistler for the Fall. GOOD LUCK...from just a midwesterner who probably doesn't know anything about how it REALLY is. | |||||
| jesgord... | 1 Relevance | 18 years ago | dcwilson | General discussion | |
| jesgord... Your taste in boats is impeccable. Grady's are beautiful and dutiful. Boston Whalers are likewise admirable. If you like these two boat makers, you might also enjoy knowing about Arima if you have not already heard of the brand. Arima boats are specifically designed for the Pacific Northwest's brand of turbulent waters...constantly big northwesterly swells and treacherous sand bars near the mouths of river estuaries. Juigi Arima took a clever approach to boat building for this marine environment, when he left a major builder to start his own brand. He decided to build an extremely sea worthy small boat--the 15 feet long Sea Hunter--at a time when boats were beginning a phase of bigger is better analogous to the elephantiasis that struck auto transportation via the SUV craze. Arima has always tried to build the smallest boat possible, not the biggest. And while he has worked his way up the length chart over the year, all of his boats evidence remarkable elegance of design and a focus on function. Arima integrates the look and function of the Dory's high bow and the work boat's unadorned purposefulness in a fiberglass sport fishing boat. It has kept Arima boats from being the latest greatest thing to carry your bimbo's for a sun tan in while you fish and chomp a cigar, I suppose, but not every brand has to move to the center in its marketing. Arima has staid a niche boat. They are boats that REALLY ARE designed to do the most with the least for near coast salt water fishermen. At first glance, his boats seem not too special. But the more I study them them, the more I appreciate the thoughtfulness of his designs. http://www.arimaboats.com/frames/index.htm | |||||
| What constitutes "beauty"? What makes "meaning"? | 1 Relevance | 13 years ago | Eameshead | General discussion | |
| What constitutes "beauty"? What makes "meaning"? I enjoyed your comments SDR. (and I must have been referring to your Nelson bench label comments on the other nelson bench thread) To many, the "patina of life" is quite beautiful... to a certain extent because of the "good" visuals (for instance, I like orangey colored wood) and it is obvious that to some degree this is a "learned aesthetic", all mixed up with what constitutes "authentic oldness". I know for many, its about investment, and "proof" = dollars, etc., and its hard to separate the aesthetics from investment bias, but I would like to try to keep it pure for the moment, for this discussion. To me, the patina and yes, even the "traumatic incidents" that the piece incurred over its lifetime-- can add up to an amazingly beautiful result. And it can add up to an unfortunate MESS just as easily. But the really bad examples of time/wear only goes to make the "pleasing" result more rare and exceptional. How that piece navigated the rapids of life and proudly wears all of its dings and experiences and still looks great (even to the point where it tells a story sometimes) is a very cool thing to me. To me it is far more interesting and meaningful when "clues" are there for the reading. But when a piece's life of use adds up to a really uninteresting or clunky visual "thud", then I guess I would have to become a believer in what you are talking about in your above post. PERFECTION has its own strength, and unique sound too. Perfection is a different kind of amazing from the patina kind. After hearing the way you think about it, I like the idea of restoration a little bit more now. It's great when the patina of time adds up to "beauty"-- but when it doesn't, I agree that a new round of "perfect" can be far better. It is refreshing to hear you talk about coatings (and failed coatings) for what they really are. We probably all have different standards by which authenticity is measured. | |||||
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