Manolo for the Home

Frank O. Gehry’s Wiggle chair is the upscale version of the cardboard furniture I featured last week. How upscale? A thousand dollars will buy you a piece of Gehry’s 1972 “Easy Edges” series, which included the Wiggle chair, a side chair, a dining table, and the smaller side table. But is it worth it? You decide… Approximately 60 layers of cardboard are held together by hidden screws with a fibreboard edging, making this chair sturdy and physically appealing. It can actually hold thousands of pounds, and the chair itself feels almost velvety to the touch. Personally, I like everything about the series except the color. Cardboard, as we recently saw, doesn’t have to look like cardboard.

Available at Hive Modern

As a follow up to Monday’s post about cardboard furniture lovingly crafted by people who take the DIY thing to a whole new level, I thought I’d share one of the more clever entries in designboom’s cardboard folding chair contest. Johan Carlsson of Denmark created this neat little cardboard chair — dubbed YOC or ‘your own chair’ — that doubles as a shopping basket when you’re not resting your weary toesies.

The designer had this to say about his cardboard creation: “YOC is designed for being in the city walking. In the urban landscape less public space are provided for sitting down. public benches are being moved away or replaced with a ‘leaning pole’ but the need of sitting down remains. YOC serves both as a carrying bag and as a stool to be used while rambling, shopping, waiting or when ever you want to sit down.”

Now I’m asking myself why I couldn’t have had my very own YOC when I lived in Manhattan…

I’ve mentioned cardboard furniture at least once here at Manolo for the Home, but that was kid stuff and pretty basic, to boot. As it turns out, cardboard furniture isn’t just for FedEx enthusiasts anymore! In fact, there’s a whole group of people in France who love making classy cardboard furniture so much that they’ve even coined a name for themselves: the Cartonnistes. They craft cardboard furniture that isn’t just functional — it’s also beautiful!

Seriously, do these pieces look like cardboard furniture to you?

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Vancouver furniture designer Judson Beaumont knows how to have a good time. While his company, Straight Line Designs, sounds like it would produce nothing but conservative pieces for conservative people, the furniture that comes from Straight Line Designs is actually anything but straight-laced.

In fact, whimsical is the best way to describe Beaumont’s pieces.

Visiting the company’s web site page is worth it for a glance at the gallery, which is full of images of “tear away” cabinets, curvy credenzas, and some seriously amazing furniture for kids that no doubt costs a pretty penny but is likely worth every one. You can commission custom furniture if that fits into your budget, and Beaumont is happy to work with international customers.

I feel like I’m allowed to call people nerds because I myself am a first rate nerd. I love Doctor Who (old and new) and Battlestar Galactica and, yes, Star Treks of all flavors. I will say, however, that I think I would stop far short of asking Tony Alleyne of 24th Century Interior Design to redo my house in sci-fi style. If a friend transformed their house into a tribute to Star Trek, I would certainly admire their dedication, but all-in-all, it’s just not for me. Perhaps it is for you?

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Some furniture needs to be treated to repel water and stains. Some furniture needs to be reupholstered every few years. Some furniture attracts dusk. And some furniture needs to be shampooed and shaved every other day to prevent dreadlocks.

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Is it just me, or is this vibrating chair shaped like a gloved hand just a tiny bit… perverted? A best, you’re getting a pat on the rear. At worst, you’re getting a sensual massage that might just come with the “happy ending.”

Some people prefer to keep the outdoors out and the indoors in, while others prefer to mix it up in creative and inventive ways. Nature and manmade artifacts come together brilliantly in a chair and a chaise from Chaircouture.

In this case, gilt carved French bergeres have been reupholstered with fabric that looks like it needs periodic mowing.

And here, a French chaise with verdigris patina has been reupholstered with one-of-a-kind water fabric that looks as if one could dive right in.

I’m not sure how one would go about purchasing one of these original creations, as each is unique, having been lovingly crafted by a certain Margaret. I suppose the first step would be e-mailing to inquire about prices and availability, which means $$$$. Sigh!

My coffee table is the small steamer trunk I took with me when I moved into the college dorms. It has served me well and continues to serve me well, so I have no intentions of getting rid of it any time soon. How many coffee tables can store a household’s worth of board games and video games? It’s also sized just right for my itty-bitty cottage cape.

But if I had all the space in the world (along with all the money in the world and no pets or kids) I might just invest in a seriously mod coffee table from BoConcept. Materials like glass, wood, and chrome come together to form coffee tables that are interesting enough to serve as the focal point of a space. Observe…

If these aren’t to your liking, have a look at the BoConcept web site for more unique urban design. Yum!

And by TV dinners I of course mean dinners eaten in front of the television, which is how most meals in my home are consumed, much to my horror. I’m enjoying it while I can — once my children are old enough to appreciate the whole family thing, dinners will be consumed as a family at the kitchen table. We don’t have a dining room, or else I suppose we’d be eating in it. For now, The Beard and I balance our dinner plates on our knees with our feet on the coffee table in the den. Ah, childfree living…I shall miss you.

Maybe I should get one of these sweet retro TV trays from Koo Koo Bear while I still can? Okay, maybe not in this economy. Like Twistie and I were saying the other day, the houses in our heads are getting upgrades while the houses we actually live in will have to do that much longer. For now, answer me this: