The Words and Not Words of Chris Erickson » Furniture

Face Space Office

Chris Erickson — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:39:21 +0000

Congrats Facebook, you’re office is much more interesting than your website.

Simple KitchenetteStudio Progression: Part IV

Chris Erickson — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 04:45:42 +0000

Of all the woodwork that was carried out for our office renovation, none was as detailed as our little kitchenette. We did some rough math and figure that the entire kitchenette is made of more than 600 individual pieces of wood, each of which had to be planed, joined, sanded, assembled and finished. It was worth it though — it’s a real workhorse and it turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the renovation.

Photo: Lincoln Barbour

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The Wood

Apart from the doors, which are made from old crates, the entire kitchenette is made of fir that we got from a 1904 barn from Wenatchee, via the ReBuilding Center. No plywood. Nothing from Home Depot. Just 103-year-old fir.

The dark wood on the left is what the fir looked like when we picked it up. The pile on the right has been milled down. We did this for every piece of wood used in the office — it was extremely time consuming.

I'm sure Kyle wishes he could reclaim the weeks of his life that was spent gluing, clamping, gluing, clamping...

Even the shelves were milled from solid barn rafters

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The Countertop

At 14′, the most challenging aspect of the countertop was balancing the size with our desire for a really tight fit. When it was all said and done Kyle was able to finish it at under 1/16″ total tolerance, quite a feat considering the wonky nature of the 80-year-old mill it was fitted to.

The countertop was painstakingly patchworked together, which in the end proved to be worth the time invested.

I'm quite certain that Kyle's lungs are wallpapered with counterdust

A perfect fit

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The Doors

Each door is a patchwork of panels that we reclaimed from ancient whiskey, fruit, soda and medicine crates. Thanks eBay, we couldn’t have done it without you.

Hours of mix-and-match...

...slowly started to come together to make...

...seven finished compositions

A barn-style "X" ties the doors together

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The Backsplash

Once the base and countertop was finished, Greg Forcum created a massive steel backsplash that ties to the metalwork used throughout the office. He did an amazing job and the final product fit perfectly into place.

To ensure a snuggly fit, the backsplash was tacked together in place and then hauled off to Greg's shop to be fully welded and assembled

The finished backsplash weighed a bit more than a pregnant Rosanne and was carried in by giant men in kilts. I kid you not.

Collaboration TableStudio Progression: Part VI

Chris Erickson — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 04:39:20 +0000

To facilitate impromptu discussions between designers and programmers, we designed a sitting-height work table to tag team with the taller Brooklyn Streets Work Table and placed it right in the middle of our production area. Like its big brother the Brooklyn Streets Work Table, this table originally lived as a pizza oven, but now a quick push off your desk sends your chair gliding into a magical collaborative wonderland.

Photo: Lincoln Barbour

The rough sawn fir came from a barn built in the 40s in Sherwood, Oregon.

Greg Forcum used his magic missile to add some reinforcement.

We didn't want to use brand new hardware on our ancient pizza base so we jogged across the street to Winks Hardware and asked them if they had any ideas. The salesman descended into the basement and came back with an unopened box of giant machine screws that had been sitting on the shelf for sixty, yes sixty, years.

A vintage Junior Pencil Sharpener circa 1921 provided the finishing touch

Brooklyn Streets Work TableStudio Progression: Part V

Chris Erickson — Fri, 29 May 2009 03:18:54 +0000

I read once that no office could ever enjoy success without a work table constructed from a pizza oven and street signs, so I felt obligated to buy one. I turns out that they are very difficult to find. Luckily, I know a guy who knows this other guy who said that he could make one. This is how it went down…

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STEP ONE: Find a pizza oven and take the base. We found ours in the basement of Rose’s Equipment and Supply down on SE Clay. If you haven’t had a scary-back-alley-illegal-bloodsport-tournament type of experience then head down to Rose’s basement. Keep your eyes peeled, bring a friend, and expect to find some crazy stuff.

Though it may have seen better years, this pizza oven base will soon be back in biz.

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STEP TWO: Buy some overpriced street signs and chop them up. Be prepared to spend a lot of time on eBay. Get that eBay iPhone app. Watch your bids like a Spanish soap opera. And then be prepared to spend a lot more then you ever, ever imagined paying for shipping.

Ours all came from Brooklyn, NY: Shore Parkway, 17th Avenue, and Bay Ridge Avenue.

Lay 'em out...

...and mill 'em down.

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STEP THREE: Destroy a barn and put it back together in the shape of a table. Our trusty tradesmen Kyle Sharp found the leftovers from a 1920’s barn and used it to build the guts of the table out and Greg Forcum did a bit of custom metal work to frame the table top. And there you have it, as simple as 1-2-3.

Getting dressed up

Drawers getting glued up

Getting framed up

Complete