Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Treasures! - Cool Stuff

I wanted to share a couple of treasures from recent foraging. A great cast bronze piece, that looks as though it was part of something larger at one time, and was simply unscrewed, then tossed out into the world for me to find. I love the simple decorativeness of it, and the age suggested by the deep patination and rust.

I also found a really great chair! The chair is Heywood-Wakefield; ridiculously collectible furniture. Apparently, "During the 1930s and 1940s Heywood-Wakefield began producing furniture using sleek designs based on French Art Deco", and pieces from that era through the 60's are heavily collected. I have plans for this one, and you'll be seeing it again soon...let's see if you recognize it!

Monday, November 22, 2010

Inspiration #3: Sexy Furniture

When most people think of Portugal, they probably think of Port and Madeira wines, amazing food or Ferdinand Magellan. We should all be thinking about design! I stumbled across this site for a Portugese company making the sexiest, most interesting furniture I’ve seen in ages. Talk about thinking outside the box! They combine traditional/historical and contemporary forms with super-modern materials to make furniture babies that any parent would be happy to have at home.


Check it out!

Friday, November 12, 2010

Inspiration: Art meets Design

An amazingly impactful and artful idea that, even though it's typically thought of as a traditional printmakers technique for intaglio printing (an acid etched zinc plate), can also be used in an interior design application, on a wall or ceiling, or wherever you can come up with really. This beautiful example was done by a local artist, http://www.bethweintraub.com/archive2006/index.html



Think of something like this on a wall in your home! Graphic patterns, organic shapes and images, words...the variations that are achievable, are as endless as the imagination!

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about intaglio etching: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intaglio_(printmaking)

Zinc sheet is commonly sold for counter tops and other industrial applications. It's inexpensive as far as metals go. Here's a company that sells online, to give you an idea of the sizes and costs. http://www.rotometals.com/ZINC-SHEETS-s/29.htm

If you DO choose to try this project, you will need to do some serious research about the process of acid etching zinc. Although relatively simple, it can be very dangerous! Printmakers study for years to perfect their technique, and learn how to minimize their risk of exposure to dangerous acids and gasses.

I think i'm going to give this a go, and see if I can come up wth a process that creates a similar result, without all the toxic mess. I'll get back with you then!

Remember, anything is possible, if you put your mind to it, and devote some time to learning about it!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Treasures: Estate Sale Find!

Gorgeous day in the city on Saturday, and no obligations...a perfect day for a treasure hunt! So, I hit some of my favorite haunts, and wasn't disappointed. One of my favorite finds today was at an estate sale. In a group of items that had just arrived (lucky me!) I found a beautiful silver compote dish/centerpiece. It's about a foot tall, so it was more of a centerpiece from which you would serve or present fruit, nuts and candy, than a dish from which to serve an actual baked compote (a baked fruit dish). Made by the Poole Silver Company, I just love the elegant, elongated lines of this piece. It's poised and delicate looking, but very well made.




Shown here with a few of my alabaster pieces, compotes are great for the dining table. Sure, they're a bit old fashioned, but something like this adds sparkle and interest to the table, especially around the holidays.


An estate sale is like a big garage sale, and they typically happen when someone has passed away. The family can choose to have an expert come in, assess the value of the physical estate, and then dispose of that estate via an estate sale. These experts can also be hired to identify important pieces in the estate, thereby ensuring that the family is able to save these things. 

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Inspiration #2: Wonderful Fashion and Art Blog

created and maintained by Diane Pernet. Cutting edge fashion, art and creativity. Very inspirational!

http://www.ashadedviewonfashion.com/

Project 1: Part 3-The Finale!

Cut the old electrical cord about 6 inches from the base of the lamp. If your lamp looks as though it will be difficult to get the new cord through, securely tape your new cord  to the cut end, and start to pull from the top of the lamp (the one with the wires showing, that we just spent so much time on) 

Lamp cord comes in several colors and thicknesses. Find the one that works for your personal taste, but be sure that the thickness will work for your lamp. Lamp cord thickness varies depending on the age and type of lamp.

Pull the wire all the way up through the lamp until the taped section is completely through. Cut off the old cord, and voilĂ ! You have rewired your lamp! (just kidding) :)


Take your new socket apart. Now, you don't necessarily have to replace the socket of your lamp, but I want to switch from a twist switch, to a pull chain, so I'm replacing the whole socket. They're inexpensive and I think it's safer. If you are replacing your socket take the inside out (the socket base with aluminum socket) of the insulating sleeve and outer shell, and remove the socket cap at the base.


Just work in reverse. Thread the new cord through bottom of the socket cap, and screw the socket cap back down until snug. If you removed the harp saddle, you’ll want to make sure this goes on before you screw down the socket cap, along with any washers or nuts.

One way to track where everything is at a crucial or complicated step in a process, is to take a digital pic of the way it's supposed to be, so that when you have to replicate it, the pic can help you get it back the way it was.
Now it's time to separate the 2 sides of the cord, down about 6 inches from the top end. If you're careful, just the smallest cut between the 2 will start the separation, and you can pull them apart the rest of the way (to about 6 inches). 

You'll notice that the insulation around each side of the 2 ends of the cord is different. One will have a ridged texture. That is your "neutral wire". The side with the smooth insulation is the "hot wire". 

Before we go any further, we need to tie a knot! An Underwriters Knot..... fancy, huh? Here's a pic. 



Tighten the knot down well, then trim all but approximately 1.5 inches of wire back from both sides of the cord. Strip about 1 inch of the insulation off the 2 ends, to expose the wire beneath. Twist the wire between your fingers on each end tightly until it's smooth & straight. Now bend the wire end of each side of the cord, into a small hook.






Get the socket pieces. Take the black inside portion (socket base) and see that one screw is brass and the other silver. We are going to wrap the neutral wire, the one with the ridged insulation, clockwise around the loosened (but still attached) silver screw. Wrap the wire around until it's gone all the way around the screw. Now tighten gently. 

Do the same process with the other "hot wire", around the brass screw. 


Now you can start to pull the cord from the bottom of the lamp, to bring the socket base into the socket cap. You can move/tighten the knot to make it fit between the base & cap. The socket base should fit snugly in the cap (aluminum side up)

You can now slide the insulating sleeve and outer shell over the socket base, making sure to line up the switch with the opening in in the cover, and click it into place!



All we have left to do is install the new self-clamping plug. I use this type of plug because they are so easy! I’ve rewired a lot of lamps, and I’ve never had a problem. It's super-duper easy. You pinch the 2 prongs together, and pull out. The entire insides of the plug come out, and you'll notice there isn't much to it. Now pull the prongs to the sides away from each other. Thread the end of your cord, through the plug body (there's a perfectly sized hole there) and into the base of the prongs. Push it as far as it will go, then squeeze the prongs back towards each other again.




The little teeth on the inside of the prong casing, are biting into the copper inside the cord, making a connection for current to flow through.


Now, slide the plug body back over the prong casing until it's flush.

Ta-da! You're done! You have rewired a lamp!


Now you can reinstall the harp (if necessary), put a lightbulb in and the shade back on, and plug it in! Let there be light.



Thank you for joining me on this first project on my blog. Check back often for inspiration, fun finds and more projects in the future!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Project 1 : Part 2


OK. First, be sure to unplug the lamp. (Yeah, I know...duh)

Start at the top and work your way down. Just look at it. How is it put together? Do the parts even detach? Sometimes lamp parts are glued in place or molded, and can't be detached or replaced. If that's the case, you'll need to get a new lamp. Most lamps though, are put together in parts that at their most basic components are completely standardized. This is a wonderful thing, because it means you can go to a hardware store and get replacements. 

Here are the basic tools/equipment/parts you'll need, with the possible addition of some strong tape and maybe some scissors or wire clippers (if you're uncomfortable using a box-cutter type tool).



Start by taking out the bulb, and pinching the bulb socket just above the base. You've just removed the outer socket shell and insulating sleeve. 



Use a screwdriver to loosen the screw heads holding the metal wire ends of the split cord in place. Once loosened remove the socket completely. 



 You should be able to unscrew the rounded, bowl-like socket cap. If there is a nut or washer involved, be sure to save them. Once loosened, you should be able to slip it off. If your lamp requires a harp to hold the shade in place, you should see the 2 prongs of the harp saddle beneath the socket cap. Unless you’re completely disassembling your lamp, you don’t need to remove this.

Now you should have a just a wire coming out of the top of the lamp. You shouldn't need to disassemble the rest of the lamp, although I have, to show the way a lamp is constructed. 



Good to know: Using these basic instructions, you can change out bases, bodies or tops of lamps to freshen up or update the look of a favorite lamp. The pieces are sold in lamp supply stores or parts websites, or you can cannibalize other lamps you find in thrift stores for special parts! 

NEXT: Part 3 - the Finale!

Monday, November 1, 2010

Project 1: Let's rewire a lamp!


The Background:
I found this great lamp on Ebay, and fell completely in love with it. While doing some research, I found another auction selling a pair of the exact same lamps, and gobbled those up as well! The lamps are primarily carved Italian alabaster, with teak wood details at the top and mid-base. I will probably do an entire entry on alabaster alone (Love it). The addition of teak in the lamp design clearly marks them as mid-century, if the design didn’t give it away already. 
That’s actually a good general rule of thumb. When you’re looking at a thrift store piece of furniture and it’s made of teak or includes teak, it’s probably Danish Modern or at least Danish Modern inspired. One of the great things about vintage teak wood items is the fact that you’re getting pieces made from old-growth teak. The amazing and dramatic grain of the wood is impossible to get in farmed teak pieces. While I would never condone cutting old-growth teak forest down to make bowls, the fact is, buying vintage pieces is very “green”. Reuse & restore, people! There are also a lot of vintage Southeast Asian teak wood products on the thrift market. Some of these can be great: 
  • Teak bowls - if they’re solid teak and in good condition, they’re a great addition to the kitchen, and you will pay tons more for new copies.
  • Occasionally, interesting boxes or platters - sometimes these have really nice designs and can be great additions to a modern interior.
  • Oversized fork and spoon wall decoration - eh...they are everywhere…what were people thinking?
These tend to round out what you normally see around in thrift and resale stores. If you love it, get it. That is the cardinal rule of thrift shopping. 
Well, one of the lamps has started to flicker when I turn it on, which means either the bulb is going to die, or the lamp needs to be rewired. I’ve tried a new bulb and had the same problem, so it’s definitely the wiring. 
NEXT: Lamp disassembly and parts identification.