CasaSugar

Adventures in Craigslisting: A Happy Ending

CasaSugar — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 16:00:47 -0800

If you've been reading my Adventures in Craigslisting posts, you'll remember that the beautiful, German coffee table that Chris Howard had stripped for me was stolen from his front yard!

Chris and I spent the next few days exchanging emails. We were trying to determine what piece of furniture I might need for the house. What I really needed was a chair for the office, to go with my Danish teak table that was used in lieu of a desk. In one email Chris noted

I do have a cool nineteenth-century French coffee table with exotic wood marquetry, a French round side table with marquetry, and a Russell Wright side chair, made of Northern Rock Maple, which blends well with teak.

I absolutely loved the chair, but after some quick research determined that I probably couldn't afford it. (A pair of the same chairs was selling for the insanely overinflated price of $1,400 on FirstDibs.) I wrote back to Chris, telling him as much.

To see what Chris's response was, and to see my new Craigslist find in my home, just read more.

Chris wrote back, saying,

You can have the chair for an even swap. It could use light refinishing on the back curved arm.

So after long last, a happy ending to this adventure! Although I was sad about the loss of the table, the new Russell Wright chair looks great in our house, and it's very comfortable and appropriate for our office. If you need any refinishing work done, or are just looking for some, cool antique furniture, I highly recommend Chris!

Adventures in Craigslisting (Chapter 3)

CasaSugar — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 15:00:46 -0800

If you've been reading my other Adventures in Craigslisting posts, you'll know that I had arranged to buy a beautiful gem-in-the-rough table from Chris Howard. Chris, who specializes in furniture restoration, agreed to strip the table. I would then refinish it.

The day before I was supposed to pick up the table, I got a frantic email from Chris. He wrote,

Some jerk just stole the table!!!! My neighbor witnessed this guy on a bike with a trailer load it up and leave! Cops were called, took the report, and just left. I have furniture outside there all the time and nothing ever went missing. So sorry!!! Going to drive around and look for it now.

To find out what happened, just read more.

Chris wrote me a second email shortly thereafter, saying

That was a unique table. I still can’t believe it. I’ve had $5000 items outside and nothing has ever happened. After the police left, I went to five antique stores to see if anyone tried selling it, but no luck. I got a lesson on the stolen furniture trade and who buys it. I’ll keep my eyes open. I might visit the Berkeley Flea market on Saturday to see if it’s there, and I also have the SHELL station [by his house] on the look out for the bicycle with yellow trailer. But I suspect it’s gone. Crime is getting bad around here.

Chris posted a "MISSING" ad on Craigslist, but in the meanwhile he wanted to give me my money back. I thought that seemed like a terribly unfair solution, given that he'd put so much work into the table. At the very least I wanted to use some of the money towards another piece of furniture that Chris owned.

To find out how this story resolved, tune in tomorrow!

Adventures in Craigslisting (Chapter 2)

CasaSugar — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 16:46:38 -0800

If you've read my first Adventures in Craigslisting post, you'll know that I found a beautiful and cheap German antique coffee table on Craigslist. The table was owned by Chris Howard, who specialized in restoring antique and modern furniture. Chris agreed to strip the table for me after he found out that I wanted to refinish it. He emailed me the next day to tell me how the stripping process had gone on the table.

To find out how gross and horrible the stripping process was, just read more.
Chris wrote,

I stripped the coffee table yesterday. This is one of those projects an amateur would do and vow never to strip finishes again. I thought the finish was a light coat of lacquer, wrong. It's about 10 coats of shellac, and shellac gets real nasty when removing. Good news... the wood looks like solid "genuine" mahogany, and has nice aged (deep red) color. when refinishing, light sanding of the mahogany, medium sanding on the light sections . . . natural stain (or selective staining if you don't want a modern style with high contrast), and oil should do the trick.

Wow-I'm glad that this is a project I didn't have to tackle! Check out all of the nasty stripping pictures below.

View 9 Photos ›

Adventures in Craigslisting (Chapter 1)

CasaSugar — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 16:00:46 -0800

One of the great things about buying or selling items on Craigslist is that sometimes your run into some remarkable furniture and some remarkable people. (You also sometimes run into oddballs, but I welcome the occasional oddball as well.)

Take my latest Craigslist find, for example. I found an antique German coffee table advertised on Craigslist for the low, low price of $40. I loved its curved edges and end pieces that could be folded down or propped up. The delicate scrollwork on the interior edge, contrasting with the more modern, clean lines of the rest of the table, seemed to me to act as a bridge between antiquated formality and midcentury sparseness.

To find out more about this Craigslist adventure, just read more.

When I went to look at the table, it turned out that it was owned by Chris Howard, a professional furniture restorer and all-around nice guy. When Chris heard about my plans to restore the table, he suggested that I leave the stripping to him and that I could then stain and seal the table myself. I readily agreed, since stripping furniture isn't necessarily my idea of a good time.

To hear about how the stripping process went, tune in tomorrow for the next chapter of Adventures in Craigslisting!

View 5 Photos ›

Source

Your Alternative Home-Shopping Destination

CasaSugar — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 08:30:20 -0800

As part of our Best of 2007 polls, you chose a combination of Craigslist, flea markets, garage sales, open-air markets, import shops, travel locations, and eBay as your alternative home-shopping destination. While I do enjoy shopping at each of these places, I'm going to have to part ways with you on this one and choose Craigslist as my favorite place to shop. The reason for this is because an overwhelming amount (71 percent) of my furniture has been purchased from Craigslist. And, as my recent Adventures in Craiglisting posts prove, you're always guaranteed some thrills with your purchase!

Source

Casa Interview: Tyler Velten

CasaSugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:45:16 -0700

Tyler Velten, a student at the Yale School of Architecture, was recently featured in the New York Times article Lighting Changes Everything. However, Tyler wasn't interviewed for his architectural projects. Instead, his artistic re-use of found objects and repurposing of Craigslist furniture and even the hated plastic bag were featured in the article. Tyler recently found some time between his busy school schedule to answer some questions for CasaSugar about his home design experiments.

CasaSugar: What was the first object you found that inspired you to start augmenting your apartment?

Tyler: We moved into the apartment knowing I was going to play with the space. It is a gorgeous apartment with great natural daylight. When it was empty, it felt more like a studio than an apartment. The first task was to somehow distract attention from the white walls. We found a kitschy brass table lamp complete with a tattered latex shade on the street. Instead of placing it on an end table or dresser (which we didn't have), I hung it from the wall. Lizzie [Tyler's wife] has teased me for years about taking it down. As a relic from our first days in the apartment, the lamp simply cannot be replaced.

For the rest of my questions, and to find out how Tyler's wife feels about his experiments, read more.

CasaSugar: How do you feel your architecture training has changed your ideas about interior design, if at all?

Tyler: I have been making art for many years now, whereas architecture is a fairly new adventure for me. Although I do think that my first year in architecture school has helped inform some of my newer pieces, like the woven light shade beside the bed, I believe most of my ideas regarding space were born a while ago. The real benefits of the program are the community of designers. I am surrounded by creative people thinking about culture and objects at all different scales.

CasaSugar: How does your wife feel about your lighting and décor experiments? Is she a part of the creative process?

Tyler: Absolutely she is part of the process. There are pieces she adores, and others, she could do without. Most of the pieces use non-traditional switches or are situated in awkward ways. My desire as an artist is to challenge our interactions and perceptions of functionality with everyday objects. In doing so this often inhibits their purpose. Lizzie is always helping me refine and focus my pieces, to make them intuitive without sacrificing their idea. She is my voice of reason.

CasaSugar: What projects do you have in the works?

Tyler: The real task in our apartment, and consequently the real derivation for most of my non-lighting projects, is to create more storage for our tiny apartment. We only have one closet in the apartment and the kitchen has one tiny counter top with a few small cupboards. I am constantly trying to find more storage space for our things. Although I would love to make a new bed and headboard, the real pressing projects are coming up with creative storage systems.

CasaSugar: When do you have time to work on this? Do you find these projects relaxing/therapeutic? What motivates you to work on them?

Tyler: I do not have much time because of school. Most of these projects manifest themselves over Winter or Spring breaks. Nonetheless, they do not take much time. Most of these projects take an hour or less. Aside from the grocery bag chandelier, every other project was quite simple. Adding doors to bookcases requires a bit of measuring, but the assembly is very quick, a few saw-cuts and a few screws. Although I love to design unique objects, I feel the most satisfying design is to re-purpose/recycle waste into useful things. By filling up wine bottles with water, then burrowing them upside-down in the soil of a large potted plant, one can make a great slow drip-irrigation well for indoor plants.

It is tremendously therapeutic to think of ways to use the waste that we create in unique ways. We throw away so much stuff, stuff that is really beautiful. It is very satisfying to make an object like a grocery bag transcend its original purpose by becoming an elegant light filter for a chandelier.

CasaSugar: What are some of your dream projects?

Tyler: I would like to have more specific big ideas, but that usually gets me into trouble. I can only hope to continue to experiment and play.

Phil Mansfield for The New York Times

Professional Help: Refinishing This Craigslist Find

CasaSugar — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 09:15:00 -0800

Su Casa member Katedavis recently asked for some help with refinishing a cool bar she found on Craigslist. Since it's Renewal month here at Casa, I thought that her post fit in perfectly with our theme.

I felt like I was in a little over my head with giving great advice on this issue, so I thought I'd pull in Chris Howard, who you might remember as the awesome midcentury-modern furniture refinisher I highlighted in my Adventures in Craigslisting posts. Let's see what advice he had for Katedavis.

Chris labeled the necessary steps as, "Strip, sand, repair, prime, paint . . ."

He says,

If this project is taking place indoors, I'd recommend hand painting. If you have access to a garage or exterior space, spray painting will get the best results. For color, black is versatile and modern. Black will go with any color pallet. Unfortunately this is the hardest finish to perfect.

To see all of the steps, just read more.

Remove any hardware, adjustable shelves, and any moving parts that can be done separately. Prepare space with tarp, dust covers, etc.
Strip. It's important to strip away the old finish (dirt, grease, remaining glues, etc.) to guarantee the paint's adhesion. Otherwise the paint might not stick; the finish may orange peel; or, the paint could chip off. In addition, furniture strippers will soften/ripple the contact paper, making it easier to pull off.
Sand. Always in the direction of the grain, sand from low grit to higher e.g. 150-180-220. When sanding veneer be sure not to sand through.
Repair the damaged corner with Bondo. First use a razor to cut triangles, dig holes - crevasses, whatever is necessary so the Bondo locks/grabs in place and won't pop out in the future. Read the directions. Mix. (You'll have 15 minutes to work with the mixture.) Push the Bondo into the space, slightly higher than it needs to be. Once the mixture gets firm, wait 5-10 minutes and use a razor to gently slice the Bondo into shape. Allow it to fully cure for about an hour. Then use 180-grit paper to do the final shaping. For other significant fills use Bondo (or plastic wood for small chips) and a Spackle knife.
Do a final sanding with 220 over the entire surface. Use a cotton towel to wipe off any dust from the surface and grain. Repeat until there is no evidence of dust on the towel. In addition you can vacuum the surface.
For home painting projects, I'd recommend either Rustoleum professional, or Rustoleum Painters Touch. They're readily available at OSH, ACE, Home Depot . . . and generate a durable, smooth factory-like finish. If you're confident with your brush and fanning skills, go for it. Brush lines can be finely sanded out. Rustoleum also sells Aqua, a child-safe, water-based paint. Color charts and MSDS available at Rustoleum's site.
Apply two coats of Rustoleum Primer. Working from one side to another (Left to right, right to left, half-way overlapping each line). Allow the wood to soak up the primer. The can says it dries in two hours . . . but let it dry one to two days. Then lightly smooth with 220-grit paper (or #0000 steel wool), and remove the dust. If the sand paper gums up quickly, the primer needs additional time to dry. (Drying times may vary depending on weather conditions.)
Apply two coats of FLAT (in the color of your choosing). Flat sands easily and the dry time is much less than the primer. Let dry for 1 day . . . sand with 220, then dust.
Apply two to three coats of semi-gloss. This will create a strong finish, which will last for years to come. Use #0000 steel wool to buff between coats one and two . . . make sure there is no dust anywhere before you spray the final coat. This will be dry to the touch within two hours. . . . But will not cure for two weeks. (The can does not say this).
(For tabletops spray a clear coat of nonyellowing scratch-resistant enamel.)
For a heavy-use bar, consider custom glass cut for the top, and a mirror behind the liquor shelf. Also available are tiny halogen light fixtures for cabinets, to create a high-end modern touch.
Lastly, pour a stiff drink, relax, and admire your work.

Thanks, Chris! That's some excellent advice that I'm sure Katedavis will appreciate, as will other readers interested in a refinishing a project.
If you have other technical home project questions, send me a private message with the subject line Professional Help, and I'll do my best to find an expert to answer your queries!

Casa Capsule: The Week That Was

CasaSugar — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 10:39:30 -0800

We showed you how to make easy snowflakes chandeliers and ornaments.
The Beckhams splurged on a $50,000 tree house for their boys.
We told you how to maximize space and rearrange furniture for a party.
I shared my rollercoaster-like adventures in Craigslisting with you.
70 homes have been erected in Harry Connick Jr. and Branford Marsalis' New Orleans Musician's Village.
Saddam Hussein's gaudy mega-yacht is for sale.
I clued you in on the best place to find antique hardware.
And, I told you how to make a last minute outdoor fireplace.