Christopher Stuart - DIY Furniture A Step-by-Step Guide

DIY FURNITURE A step-by-step guide CHRISTOPHER STUART DIY FURNITURE A step-by-step guide CHRISTOPHER STUART Laurence King Publishing Published in 2011 by Laurence King Publishing Ltd 361373 City Road London EC1V 1LR e-mail: www.laurenceking.com text and drawings 2011 Christopher Stuart This book was designed and produced by Laurence King Publishing Ltd, London. Christopher Stuart has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988 to be identified as the author of this work. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN: 978-1-85669-742-2 Design: TwoSheds Design Senior editor: Peter Jones Printed in China All designs are copyright of the designers.

Duplication of these designs is for personal use only and not for resale or manufacturing. TABLES AND DESKS Kick back and enjoy your favourite magazine, write something or eat dinner while sipping an ice-cooled drink. Just dont forget those faithful objects that serve them up to you. Their function is simple: to create a surface to hold things and elevate them to a useful height. The myth is that, only here for support, they should do so quietly. In this chapter are seven designs that speak up.

They are unconventional in materials, process and design and refuse to speak quietly. These designers hail from different parts of the world, but all speak the same language: resourceful design. Common industrial materials like PVC, plumbing pipe, wooden dowels, concrete, Styrofoam and windows have been recontextualized to serve you in a less quiet way. These designs go beyond a place for a conversation and become the conversation piece itself. NEWSPAPER TABLE MALAFOR The idea behind the Newspaper Table is to create a unique experience for readers. Typically, tables have a fiat surface to place items on, with magazines and newspapers usually stacked or hidden on a shelf below.

This table was created especially for periodicals and presents them to the user in an innovative way. Unlike a stack where only the top one is visible, the many holders of the Newspaper Table allow the user to display more than one favourite magazine. The colours, images and graphics from each periodical become elements for the user to arrange, allowing them to complete the design. Black PVC pipes are used to carry water from one place to another, so perhaps its fitting that they are here re-purposed to bring information to the reader. A simple cylinder pipe is cut at two lengths to form the legs and newspaper holders. The curves of the pipes naturally nestle into each other and are permanently held together with PVC glue and a rubber strap.

The process is repeated to create the desired shape. The Newspaper Table was last exhibited at the dizajn = designs exhibition at the Polish Institute in Berlin in 2009. The same principle of PVC pipes and cargo straps is used to form the bookshelf on page 46. Adapt the design The table can work as two separate tables or as one large table with two units put together. Create a tiered version with the longer tubes running through two or more levels. _Drill two 6mm holes on one of the short pieces of pipe. _Starting from the centre, glue the pipes together as in the drawing. _Tie a knot in the rubber strap. _Put the rubber through the first hole. _Run the rubber strap around the outside of the table. _Put the second end of the rubber strap through the second hole. _Pull the rubber tight and tie a knot. _Once the glue is dry, turn the table over and start adding magazines. + _Alternatively, make shelves (see page 46). + _Alternatively, make shelves (see page 46).

ULTRA-CONDUCTIVE TABLE PAUL LOEBACH This side table grew out of Paul Loebachs Himmeli lighting collection, in which the lights are constructed using tied aluminium tubes. The lights were originally inspired by traditional Scandinavian Christmas crafts made of tied straws. These tied-straw crafts are found in many other countries too. From this tradition comes the Ultra-Conductive Table. The table was originally designed for a special exhibition McMasterpieces in New York City, in which every object in the show was to be made from raw parts ordered from the American classic McMaster-Carr hardware catalogue. The designs strong structural framework relies on the basic principal of triangulation, in which the negative space of each intersection of tubes forms a triangle.

This triangular structure gives the table a crystalline appearance that plays off the shiny copper material and creates a surprisingly strong and stable form.