Uyeda - HomeMade modern : smart DIY designs for a stylish home

To my mother and fatherfor putting tools in my hands, ideas in my head, and love in my heart. 2015 by Ben Uyeda Published by Running Press, A Member of the Perseus Books Group All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Conventions Printed in China This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher. Books published by Running Press are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the United States by corporations, institutions, and other organizations. For more information, please contact the Special Markets Department at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, or call (800) 810-4145, ext. 5000, or e-mail . Library of Congress Control Number: 2014943133 E-book ISBN 978-0-7624-5607-9 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Digit on the right indicates the number of this printing Cover designed by Jason Kayser Interior designed by Frances J Soo Ping Chow Edited by Jordana Tusman and Amy Azzarito Typography: Pacifico, Archer, and Brandon Text Running Press Book Publishers 2300 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19103-4371 Visit us on the web! www.runningpress.com This book is intended only as an informative guide for those wishing to know more about making furniture. Always follow safety instructions on power equipment and other tools.

Information in this book is general and is offered with no guarantees on the part of Running Press. The author and publisher disclaim all liability in connection with this book. Contents

The best way to minimize waste is to make more projects from the things you already own. G rowing up in a home with four children and parents on a tight budget, my siblings and I quickly learned that if we wanted something, wed have to figure out how to make it ourselves. Our bedtime stories consisted of books like Robinson Crusoe, Swiss Family Robinson, Little House on the Prairie, and Tom Sawyer. Whether they had a home in a treehouse or a raft for adventure, the heroes in these books made what they needed. So when, as a twelve-year-old, I wanted a sword, I found a book on DIY blacksmithing at the library and built my own forge on our concrete patio, using my moms old hairdryer, drain pipes, cinder blocks, and a cars leaf spring. I actually managed to forge my own metal sword before the concrete grew so hot that the patio exploded. And despite the explosion (or maybe because of the explosionquite exciting for a twelve-year-old!), I was undeterred in my quest to use DIY as a way to get the things I wanted without spending much money.

After a childhood spent making things, design was so ingrained in what I wanted to do that I went to school for architecture. My interest was always in doing more with less, so it wasnt a surprise when I started my own environmentally friendly firm, ZeroEnergy Design, and later, FreeGreen, a Web-based media company that distributes green home designs on the Internet. And thats how I was spending my time, when, in 2013, I grabbed a beer with a furniture designer friend and listened to him complain about how impossible it was to design quality furniture at affordable prices. According to my friend, the fault was with corporations and consumers for their misplaced values. He seemed resigned to the fact that his career would consist of making high-end custom pieces for rich people in the hopes of eventually becoming famous enough to offer an affordable line of products made overseas. It was a complaint Id heard before from many of my designer friends.

Maybe it was just the beer talking, but I bet him that I could get one thousand pieces of American-made furniture into homes across the country. I knew it was the labor costs that were putting high-end designs out of reach for the average person. So I decided to design a piece of furniture and make a YouTube video that included all the instructions, just to see if I could get a thousand people to make it. In my mind, DIY was the only logical way to create affordable, well-designed furniture. So far, that initial projecta concrete bucket stool (see )has been made on five continents by more than five thousand people. The response was so tremendous and unexpected that I continued designing as much affordable furniture as I could, and I started a website as a way to share those easy-to-follow modern DIYs.

On the site, Ive been able to prove that its possible for sturdy furnishings made from materials like solid wood, concrete, and steel to cost even less than cheap, store-bought plastic and particleboard furniture. But its become more than simply using DIY as a way to obtain covetable furniture (although we have plenty of that!), because when you become more conscious of the things youre bringing into your life, you can manage your financial resources and make an impact on the over-consumption of the planets resources. The collection of projects that make up this book enable you to furnish every room in your house with quality, sustainable furniture made with your own hands. Once you start making high-grade, durable furniture, youll notice the difference between what youre able to make and the low-quality, mass-produced furniture on the market. Following the instructions Ive laid out in this book, youll be able to create furniture thats totally individualized to your personal style, taste, and lifestyle. if you learn to make them. If youve walked into a modern design furniture store lately, theres a good chance that you suffered from serious sticker shock. if you learn to make them. If youve walked into a modern design furniture store lately, theres a good chance that you suffered from serious sticker shock.

With prices running into the hundreds for a single chair, it might feel as if beautiful, modern design is only available to the select few with pockets deep enough to afford it. The low-price furniture options are usually made with inferior materials with compromises in manufacturing ethics, and there doesnt seem to be much middle ground. So whats a design-minded, budget-conscious individual to do? Im going to show you how to roll up your sleeves and make beautiful, well-designed furniture by yourself. For most Americans it would seem extravagant to employ a housekeeper or private chef. Why hire someone to do what can easily be done without outside help? The same pleasure that we take in keeping a clean house or cooking a healthy meal for our families can also apply to furnishing our home. In fact, think of the projects in this book as recipes.