I am interested in purchasing a George Nelson credenza/sideboard for the entry into my apartment. I am particularly interested in the credenza that is made of walnut/teak that has the colored sliding doors. I have definitely seen the sliding doors in both black and white. I am fairly sure that I have seen the doors in yellow and red/orange as well. Does anyone know what all colors the sliding doors were available in? Are some colors more easy to find then others? I couldn't find anything on the internet that detailed what colors the doors were available in. I think the credenza in question is either part of the CSS or EOG series but not positive about that. I would also consider other pieces from other designers that are similar to this piece. Made of nice wood but with colored sliding doors on the front. Thanks for any help!
Hi there,The nelson...
Hi there,
The nelson credenzas (and most other brands that I've seen) have sliding doors that are just a pressed fiber board (like mdf) with a melamine or laminate layer on the top. Every one I've ever seen in person has been scuffed, faded, chipped, or otherwise not in good condition. The credenzas themselves are pretty bullet proof. The sliding doors, not so much in my experience.
When I got my Nelson credenza it was literally being used as a chicken coop. It had been painted at some point and was absolutely covered with what you would expect a chicken coop to be covered with. (shudder.....)
It was by far my most ambitious project to date, but it turned out pretty good. I had to trash the sliding door because of the reasons I stated above. It just didn't hold up. I simply went to home depot and got a thin piece (1/4-inch I think) of MDF, cut it down to the original door's size and painted it. This is a temporary fix until I get around to ordering a red piece of laminate and laminating some MDF so it's a little more professional.
Below is a picture of my refinished chicken coop. It's not 100% done. I need to find some replacement locks an I have a finger pull I need to install on the door. Overall, I think the painted red door looks really good. Anyone who isn't an expert would never know it's not original. The moral of this longwinded story? Unless you have your heart set on a museum piece, find the credenza you want regardless of door color and replace the doors yourself. It's super easy and you'll get the exact color you want.
cheers
Ha! My wife thought I was...
Ha! My wife thought I was insane to buy it off of Clist. That first night we left the unfinished thing in our living room. BIG mistake. The next morning our house stunk like a farm. Ick! It was a ton of work to strip it, sand it, finish it, polish the metal etc. Thank the design gods that that old herman miller stuff had really good quality veneer. Ultimately, it turned out great. It's one of our favorite pieces in our house. You would never know the thing housed chickens for years on a farm! We still fondly refer to it as the chicken coop though.
That pole lamp is so awesome. We looked around forever to find one. I have no idea what company made it, but it's pretty unique. I wanted a Stiffel lamp but those things are serious $$$.
chickens?
I'd love to hear more of the back story. At what point did the original owners realize they were housing the chickens in a collectable piece of furniture? How did it get from an office to a farm (or was this an urban coup)? They didn't even bother to clean it up before selling it?
TV is definitely to high. It...
TV is definitely to high. It was there when the wife and I moved in a couple years ago. Its on the long list of projects, just not very high on the list. 🙂
Regarding the Herman miller chicken coop, I have no idea how it got there. It was found at an estate sale out in the middle of nowhere.No other mcm furniture to be found. if I had to guess, someone worked in an office with HM furniture and was given it during an office remodel or closing. It was the purest definition of a barn find.
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