tables - Seeing Design

Published February 2, 2010 by Anne Collins Howard

Building A Birch Log Table

I often overestimate my handiness. And one of my most overzealous projects to date began when Mike and I spotted a fabulous Brent Comber side table in the Conran Shop. Looking at this $2,000 bundle of logs, nailed together in a circle, I turned to Mike and said, We could do that, right? This was about a year ago, so I don’t think he ever said yes to that question, but he explored the possibility with me anyway.

In the NYC flower market, birch logs and sticks are generally sold in small two foot-long bundles but to get the thickness we wanted and an even height, wed have to go the next size up: ten foot-plus. We bought eight branch-less trees, strapped them to the roof of the Volvo and headed to Home Depot. There we purchased the longest nails and screws available with hopes they’d turn kindling into a table.

The average side table is about 23″ tall so we cut each log up to get as many two foot pieces as possible (leaving an inch for error). With the straightest, least pockmarked stumps, we made a vertical circular bundle, tied it together with string, placed it over a paper grocery bag, drew a line around it to use as guide and took this picture as a reminder of the dream scenario.

We decided the best way to start building was from the center out. We took two logs and drilled them together two inches from the top and again two inches from the bottom using our largest screws (there is nothing subtle about the hole these 8 beasts leave or their half-inch metal head but in the center of the table, only stability matters). Trying to make sure we had a nice balance of thick and thin pieces and as little space between the circles as possible, we kept adding logs to the initial set, until we had over twenty making a circle. Once we were ready for the outer ring, we switched to nails. Their tiny heads and darker color hid in the wood infinitely better than the screws–especially when we hammered into the knottiest parts of the birch and tapped them deeper with a nail finisher.

The final touch was to saw the top down until all logs were level and pray the whole thing didn’t fall apart.

About twelve hours of labor, thirteen stripped screws, and $85 in materials, we had ourselves a birch log side table. Unlike Mr. Comber’s, ours is far from perfectly round—but its our favorite piece in the house.

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DIY tables

Published November 4, 2009 by Anne Collins Howard

Raaar! Table

Footed tables are nothing new but when they come with big red paws and jungle cat legs, I can”t help but notice. This resin accent piece also comes in white or black but in imperial red it’s got pounce.

Lola accent table, $379; WandRlust.com

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tables

Published October 16, 2009 by Anne Collins Howard

Know Your Design Biases

Decor-ideas-Brick-makers-table

I’m a sucker for Frenchie furniture. I love feminine lines, the movement of a curved back, and most decor that could be linked back to the sensuous style of Louis XV. But in decorating, one must know her biases. With my curvaceous Greyson sofa arriving next week (long story, to be continued) and my beloved 1940s French chairs poised to face it, my living room needed a piece to separate the two and break the theme. After hunting for coffee tables for a few months now–it became clear to me; I needed a brickmaker’s table. A rectangular steel base with a coarse wood plank top: it’s the antithesis of girly and just the thing to curb my dainty living room design.

Brickmaker’s tables have become insanely popular in home design (I generally try not to buy trendy furniture, but I’m hoping the simplicity of this piece gives it some staying power) and Restoration Hardware, Sundance, and Mecox Gardens (to name a few) all have lovely options but steeper price tags than my flea marketers heart can handle.

This is a no frills table; did it really need to be $1,400?

Not according to the upstate New York furniture company, SKALNY. I spotted their booth at the last New York Gift Fair, and to my delight, their brickmaker’s table was retailing at a mere $600. The elm top is made from reclaimed wooden doors and the steel base is thin, angular, and wonderfully industrial. I’m sure bricks were never made here but the raw look is enough for me.

To place orders for so-called SKALNY table #81211, call Sylvester & Co. at 631-725-5012. They can drop ship to any location in the country (table is $600, plus the cost of shipping).

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Published March 8, 2009 by Anne Collins Howard

Building the Kitchen Island

To me, the mark of a great kitchen is a big island. Storage and prep space aside, it breeds congregation, conversation, and sets a tone for a welcoming space. With this in mind, I took what could have easily doubled as a formal dining room and dedicated my 15′ x 12′ kitchen to an all-encompassing island. I was even prepared to pay $2,000 for custom installation but when I heard IKEA could provide the parts for $600, we dusted off the power tools and got ready to build.

This is the kitchen pre-island. The blue tape marks its future location.

The island base in its nascent stages.

Two hours later, the base starts to take shape and the interior tracks are ready for the drawers we assembled.

To best fit our kitchen, we chose the largest butcher block top available and cut it to size. Now I don’t know if IKEA expects those who buy their islands to own a circular saw, but it’s a good thing we do (and were only mildly afraid to use it) because we couldn’t find a single service in our area to cut it for us. But using the kick board as a guide and two C-clamps as stabilizers, we braved cutting the $250 slab of wood.