Old-school furniture manufacturing meets new media

Quality furniture is still manufactured in the United States, but to turn a profit one furniture maker is using the Web instead of traditional retail channels.
The retail-marketing model has served the furniture industry well; however, the people who make the furniture never got a chance to speak directly with the consumer. However, all that is changing thanks to the Web and social media.
CarolinaChair.com, is a direct-to-consumer custom furniture manufacturer that takes orders via their Web site and over the phone. The Hickory, N.C., based shop handcrafts one piece at a time and lets customers create the sofa, loveseat or chair that they want. Because the middleman is gone (the retailer) custom is more affordable. This is a smart business model and it’ll be interesting to see if other furniture manufacturers pull up their traditional marketing roots and try something new.

AWFS 2011 Fresh Wood Student Competition now accepting entries

The Association of Woodworking and Furnishings Suppliers (AWFS) is accepting entries for the 2011 Fresh Wood Student Woodworking Competition as part of the AWFS Fair, scheduled for July 20-23, 2011, in Las Vegas.
The competition is open to full-time students in an accredited high school or post-secondary woodworking or related program, and part-time students in an accredited post-secondary woodworking or related program who are transitioning into a career in woodworking or design. The deadline for entry applications is May 2, 2011.
The competition has six categories at both school levels: case goods, chairs, open, production/contract, reproduction and tables. Entries will be rated by a panel of judges that represent different aspects of the industry and those scores will determine the finalist pieces that will be displayed at the AWFS Fair. The final judging will be held July 19 at AWFS Fair, where awards will be given for first and second place winners in each category, at both school levels. A Best of Show award will be selected among all first place winners and the winner’s school will receive the Larry Hilchie School Grant Award. Fair Attendees will also have the opportunity to vote on the People's Choice award.
All forms and guidelines for the 2011 Fresh Wood Competition are available online or by contacting Adria Torrez of AWFS at 800.946.2937.

2010 Craftsman's Challenge winners announced

Scott Grove of Green Grove Design, Rochester, N.Y., earned the Grand Prize and took the Cabinetry category for his Ski Media Cabinets in the Sixth Annual Veneer Tech Craftsman’s Challenge sponsored by CabinetMakerFDM magazine. Grove’s cabinets feature a variety of veneers including amboyna burl, quilted maple, sapele and wenge.
2010 Veneer Tech Craftsman's Challenge Woodworking Competition winners include:
Grand Prize/Cabinetry
Scott Grove, Green Grove Design, Rochester, N.Y.
Distributor, Certainly Wood of East Aurora, N.Y.; Sales representative, Greg Engle
Architectural Woodworking
Albert Grant, Albert S. Grant Fine Woodworking and Design, Melrose, Conn.
Furniture
Abdolhay Parnian, Parnian Furniture, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Store Fixtures
Abdolhay Parnian, Parnian Furniture, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Specialty Items
Rob Milam, VeneerImages, Atlanta, Ga.
Student Design
Christy Oates, San Diego State University
Honorable Mention
Mark Bernhard, Bernhard Woodwork, Northbrook, Ill.
Tom Knoebel, Beach Cabinets, LLC, Melbourne, Fla.
Pattrick Loew, Hastings High School, Hastings, Mich.
Malcolm McDowell, Tunnicliffe, Art Lights, Torreon Co., Mexico
Earl Kelly, Earl Kelly Furniture, Pensacola, Fla.
John Harper, EMC Woodworking, Phoenix
Ramon Valdez, Exotic Woodworks, Bloomfield, N.M.
Chuck Sharbaugh, Holly, Mich.
Scott Grove, Green Grove Design, Rochester, N.Y

Diversify, diversify, diversify!

Technology is shaping how we live and what we buy. A savvy furnituremaker in Oregon, Substrata, sells a gorgeous line of custom wooden cases and docking stations for the iPad, iPhone and other personal electronic devices. The cases are made from exotic woods such as, Zebrawood, Maple, Fir, Walnut, Padauk and Wenge.

The tech accessories as well as other products create a nice revenue stream when consumers are hesitant to invest thousands in a custom piece of furniture. A $100 to $150 custom case for their newest toy is easier to swallow. iWant one!

US ER’s treat 31,500 table saw injuries per year

What’s your most valuable tool?
Your hands.
A recent study conducted by the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital found that from 1990-2007, an estimated 565,670 non-occupational table saw-related injuries were treated in US hospital emergency departments, averaging 31,500 injuries per year.
According to the study, lacerations (66 percent) were the most common type of injury while amputations (10 percent) were the most serious. The majority of injuries (86 percent) were to the fingers or thumb. Males (97 percent) and adults (97 percent) accounted for the majority of table saw-related injuries. In comparison to adults, children were more likely to injure their heads, faces and necks and to be injured at school.
Most of the table saw-related injuries resulted from contact with the blade of the saw. In cases when the mechanism of injury was documented, kickback was the most common mechanism (72 percent), followed by debris being thrown by the saw (10 percent), lifting or moving the saw (6 percent), or getting a glove or clothing caught in the blade (4 percent).

Mies van der Rohe Furniture Designs causes legal catfight

In one corner you have Knoll Inc. In the other corner you have Alphaville Design. And in the middle you have Mies van der Rohe’s iconic Barcelona furniture designs from the 1920s.
The trouble started when Knoll sued Danrick LLC, dba ModernCollection.com last July in New York because the contract furniture maker claims exclusive trademark rights to the Barcelona chair design. Alphaville Designs joined in the court battle with its customer Danrick and the suit was dismissed in January.
Now, Alphaville Designs has filed a declaratory relief lawsuit against Knoll in San Francisco. Alphaville Design's lawsuit seeks to overturn Knoll's trade dress claims that it has exclusive rights to the 1920's Mies van der Rohe Barcelona furniture designs.
“Our case will clarify the law and show that Knoll cannot keep others from using these 1920's designs that have been made by a myriad of manufacturers for over 40 years,” says David Lee, President of Alphaville Designs. “We seek a full cancellation of Knoll's trademark registrations with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.”
I guess this proves that good design is worth fighting for. Stay tuned.

If you've got it, spend it!

While Angela Jolie collects orphans, her other half, Brad Pitt collects high-end (not child friendly) contemporary furniture. During his shopping spree at Design Miami/Basel he purchased hundreds of thousands of dollars of contemporary furniture.

Here's a sampling of what he purchased:

I can’t help but wonder what this stuff will look like after it’s been exposed to their child army. Kudos to Brad Pitt for keeping the high-end furniture market rolling!

An ode to breezy summer days

After working in the world of loveless high-volume manufacturing, New Zealand native Jolyon Yates wanted to create some soulful and distinctive low-volume furniture.
In 2008 he started ODE, a venture that specializes in one-off distinctive, eco-friendly furniture.
I especially love his Breeze or Savannah Rocker. Its flowing surfaces lead the eye on an easy journey into a slower era. The Breeze is sculpted from Birch Plywood and stands approximately 1,000 mm tall by 520 mm wide by 1,000 mm deep. It’s finished with a strong satin lacquer to draw out the subtle natural colors of the wood.

Little space, big idea

Instead of offering out-of-town guests the couch or a blow up mattress, now you can offer them the ottoman.
Hollandia International has designed a convertible ottoman that folds out into a twin bed. The space-saving furniture trend is available in more than 250 fabrics, and features a Vita Talalay Latex mattress that is specially ventilated for increased air circulation. It also has a flexible shoulder zone (a softer area where shoulders can press further into the mattress without resistance). The bed is designed to alleviate back pain and numbness for side-sleepers.

Once your guest is over the shock of sleeping on the ottoman, it may encourage them to ante up for a hotel room next visit. Well played.

Not your father's Murphy bed

When you live in a small space it must take on multiple personalities during the day.
A Murphy or hideaway bed is one way to incorporate another personality into a small space. Thankfully they’ve come a long way from a small wire-frame mattress hidden in a closet.
This new generation furniture trend is all about stylish storage. The functional and luxe Habersham Augustine bed with bookcase is the Ferrari of Murphy beds. The design clearly conceals your sleeping quarters and will leave guests wondering, “Where do you sleep?”
The Augustine bed comes in various hand-painted finishes to match almost any décor.

Furniture visionary Maloof dies at 93

Sam Maloof’s wooden furniture was much like the man graceful and creative, has died. He was 93.
As a newlywed in the late 1940s’ Maloof couldn’t afford furniture and set out to build his own using discarded fir plywood and oak shipping crates. Soon after his friends and family started asking for copies of his pieces.
Maloof began his career as a full-time woodworker in 1948 and was completely self-taught.
In 1949, Better Homes & Gardens magazine published photographs of his furniture to show readers how to decorate on a budget. Less than 10 years later the American Craft Museum in New York displayed his work in its first studio-craft furniture exhibition. Maloof also was the first craftsman to receive a MacArthur Foundation grant in 1985.
Over the decades his handcrafted furniture sells for more than 100 times the original purchase price and can be found in the Vatican, the Smithsonian and the White House.
His signature design was a rocking chair with elongated rockers jutting backward. While the feature looks to be sculptural it was incorporated to keep the chair from tipping over.

A chair with Daddy issues

Meet Daddy’s chair, a Danish modern recliner with a sense of humor. Designed by De Vorm, Daddy’s chair is a bold, sophisticated armchair with a steep recline. The low-slung chair was designed with an optimal angle to be the perfect reading chair.
Unlike a real daddy, this armchair features no-sag springs and foam cushions which can be covered with any fabric. The design is available with no armrests and a couch can be created by attaching two or more chairs to one another.

Magical table expands at the push of a button

I remember my Mom wrestling with extra dining room leaves for every major holiday. Besides being a hassle to install, it was always a chore to dig them out of the storage closet. Those days are over for anyone who can afford The Fletcher Capstan Table, a round table that can double its seating capacity at the push of a button.
What makes this table so very amazing is that it stores its expansion leaves within itself. According to DB Fletcher Design, the table can go from seating six people to 12 in a matter of seconds. When small, the top is made up of six pie shaped leaves, and an outer skirt in the manner of a drum table. Under this first layer lie two more layers of leaves, the first strata made up of six arrow-shaped leaves and, under that, a large star shaped leaf. The table operates electrically from a small remote, and bases can even be made to vary in height.
The motors controlling the mechanism run on low voltage, which can be supplied from a re-chargeable battery housed within the table’s base. This battery is easily removed for re-charging and installation of the second supplied battery.

For yacht installations (I told you it was pricey), the table can run on its own batteries, or be connected to the ship’s electrical supply.
All tables are individually designed and built, and each is one numbered.

Casegoods companies build on sustainable practices

La-Z-Boy casegoods companies American Drew and Lea Industries have achieved Sustainable by Design registration.
The American Home Furnishings Alliance’s Sustainable by Design program aims to create a culture of conservation and environmental stewardship with sustainable business practices, according to the association.
“… American Drew and Lea Industries have realized a 12 percent reduction in electrical energy used over the past two years,” said Stephanie St. Pierre, environmental and safety manager for the two companies.
The companies also are reducing water use, resulting in a savings of 3 percent, or 300,000 gallons, in the first year. Also, 140 tons of solid waste was diverted from landfills to a recycling center during the past year.
As part of the program’s audit, the companies established several goals, including:
*Supply chain management
*Energy conservation, water conservation, recycling and solid/hazardous waste minimization
*Use of low-VOC/low-HAP coatings, certified lumber, low-emitting UF resins
Kincaid Furniture, also part of the La-Z-Boy casegoods division, previously passed the sustainability audit and Hammary is slated to complete the program later this month.

Furniture Buying Index remains at 56

The Furniture Buying Index remained unchanged this month at 56, according to America’s Research Group.
Britt Beemer, chairman of America’s Research Group, said, “This is somewhat positive for the furniture industry since at least the index did not go down …”
The Furniture Buying Index is compiled each month by America’s Research Group from interviews with 5,000-8,000 consumers across the U.S.
This may be an indicator that the recession has bottomed out or at least stabilized. While consumer confidence remains low, I think furniture manufacturers will have to offer rock-bottom prices to get customers into showrooms.

Extreme makeover: Adirondack furniture

This is not your traditional sitting by the lake Adirondack-style furniture.
The Adirondack Museum asked six modernist and postmodern architects and designers and six Adirondack rustic furniture makers to create a new, modern aesthetic. The results of the collaborations have reinvigorated rustic furniture trends using traditional methods and materials.
The "Rustic Tomorrow" collection features a desk by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill consulting partner David Childs that was built by Wayne Ignatuck with red oak salvaged from his yard and walnut castoffs from a nearby farm. A table by Shope Reno Wharton Associates’s Allan Shope was constructed in black walnut by Judd Weisburg, according to Interior Design magazine.
Other contemporary designers include, Michael Graves, Nils Luderowski Architect and Dennis Wedlick Architect, and 20th Century Fox art director Thomas Cardone, according to Interior Design.
This exhibit will travel to:
Munson-Williams-Proctor Art Institute, Utica, New York — February 14 through April 19, 2009.
D. Wigmore Fine Art Inc., New York, New York — April 22 to May 6, 2009.
"Rustic Tomorrow’s" one-of-a-kind pieces will be sold at auction to benefit Adirondack Museum on May 6.

Networking site for woodworking professionals launches

I just found a great new place to network with other professional woodworkers—Sawdust Soup. While other networking sites receive tons of press (facebook, myspace and linkedin) this site is just for us! So far, more than 140 woodworking professionals have joined Sawdust Soup and counting.
It costs nothing to join and you can share photos, videos, chat with other shop owners and join forums. Some of my favorite forums include: Finishing, CNC Circle, Software Geeks, All Things Hardware and Custom Furniture Makers.
Of course, if you have an idea for a forum you can start your own group. I also found you can blog (and who doesn’t have something to say!). Check it out and let me know what you think.
See you at Sawdust Soup!