Nice people thread 2 - now even nicer

vivatifosi

harryhound wrote: »

Hmmm.
There are a lot of those Barcelona Chairs about - presumably reproductions?
Polycarbonate ( the plastic used for record player tops)? I think I would worry about durability at the corners. OK if well designed=no sharp changes in direction - everything rounded to relieve the stress.
Would that be the pint milk bottle that used to have a cardboard seal. went out of use in the 50's?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alessi-Juicy-Salif-Squeezer-PSJS/dp/B00004YTQZ ?
Cor - Definitely "War of the Worlds" stuff. (but what about the little row of glass pegs to catch the pips?).
G plan coffee table - my loft is home to an oval version - with a real GLASS top.
(The donor at our wedding is dead now:o;)).
LC Chaise Longue: I know someone with one of these or perhaps a reproduction?
(Either way it is v heavy - not a single handed move if you want it upstairs in the boudoir )
.

There's lots of knock-offs of most of these items, or similar items at lower cost. I have an original Eames chair, but still get told it looks nice and asked if I got it from Habitat :eek:... You can even get copies of some pieces in TK Maxx from time to time for less than £200. The leather isn't as high quality and they won't appeal to total design purists, but they still look ok. Personally I'd go for new for upholstered items and second-hand for hard furniture as you can get some great items from auctions and stuff. In terms of milk bottles, I'm thinking my preference is for the mid-70s vintage, before they got quite as stubby, but they still look lovely in a row on a windowsill with fresh gerberas in.

In terms of the ghost chair, they look great in small bedrooms as you can have a chair which makes a design statement yet makes little visual impact on the space in the room. I like that as I have small rather than spacious bedrooms...

By the way I'm very jealous of your loft

vivatifosi

lostinrates wrote: »

I get beauty, but beauty is often in the crafts & materials behind them: whether made by a craftsmand yesterday or handresd of years ago, I find more beauty, generally, in that. lso materials. My dad lovesplastic storage boxes, and while I really do see the virtues of easy to clean, grand to stack etc etc, I miss tea chests. I Loved tea chests in rows in our attick and shed. tea chests seem to offer promise and forgotten knick knacks, where as plastic boxes hold the junk you ain't got around to chucking.

That's so true. I worked many years in the high end furniture industry and get really upset by they way the DNA of furniture manufacture is being sucked out of Europe. I have seen master craftsmen at work, meticulously crown-matching or book-matching exquisite veneers and knowing how trees grow and which parts of the wood to use. My uncle was a master craftsman in one of these firms too and my grandfather taught me to use gold-leaf (not that I'm any good, but he was brilliant).

It makes me so sad when I see some of the stuff that gets imported from China that looks like it will snap because they just don't know how to use the materials. Leather and wood have natural qualities and have to be appreciated for both their strengths and inherent weaknesses. Go round cheap sofas and the scarring which occurs naturally on leather could be right across the seat, whereas it would have been so easy to use that bit round the back where it wouldn't be on show. It's such a waste, depresses me and makes me angry all at the same time.

morag1202

vivatifosi wrote: »

In terms of the ghost chair, they look great in small bedrooms as you can have a chair which makes a design statement yet makes little visual impact on the space in the room. I like that as I have small rather than spacious bedrooms...

My mother made an exact copy of the Rietveld chair in the late 60's and ended up with it in her (very small) bedroom. Comfortable it was not!

wageslave

morag1202 wrote: »

My mother made an exact copy of the Rietveld chair in the late 60's and ended up with it in her (very small) bedroom. Comfortable it was not!

Mothers as so difficult.

And yet they matter so much.

I am laughing and half crying here

morag1202

You knew her?

Actually, she ended up putting a sheepskin on it in the hopes that the cat would use it.

Ever the optimist, my mum.

SingleSue

carolt wrote: »

Our rhubarb is gorgeous!

OH forced some and brought it home - I was in Waitrose today and a smaller bunch cost just a shade under 4 quid! :eek:

Given how much OH has spent on the allotment - shed, innumerable tools, seeds, plants etc - it's nice to know that at least some of what we reap is worth something.

Better than year 1, when about all we got was potatoes.

We can't have rhubarb...youngest is seriously allergic to it, last time he had it, he was rushed into intensive care and had to be helped to breath!

Planting - We have tatties, onions, carrots, peas, parsnips and leeks in already (and probably more than that, my brother just hands me the things and I sow). We also have maturing grape and tayberry, 3rd season this year so hopefully a better crop...although it was pretty decent last year from the tayberry plus lots of different herbs.

vivatifosi

morag1202 wrote: »

My mother made an exact copy of the Rietveld chair in the late 60's and ended up with it in her (very small) bedroom. Comfortable it was not!

Its strange, but - bright colours or not - I've always felt that the Rietveld chair looks like the type of chair that they strap people to in America before electrocuting them. I wouldn't want one in my bedroom either :eek:.

sss555s

vivatifosi wrote: »

I've always felt that the Rietveld chair looks like the type of chair that they strap people to in America before electrocuting them. I wouldn't want one in my bedroom either :eek:.

Thanks for that viva.

You've just gave me an idea for the next big thing

lostinrates

Isn't the weather beautiful? Even though its colder today we're loving the sun. We'd hoped to take he old girls out but events conspired (included tack eating mice) and so we've spent the whole day in the garden. So much death, and it feels so weird not having done our sowings yet...the garden does look behind, but hopefully everything will explode together in a couple of weeks and it will be jaw dropping.

The less fun news is that for the first time in ages my nerves started firing about an hour ago. Its taken me about 10 minutes to walk in from the front garden to sit down, one painful step at a time. (I should have come in/sat down immediately, then I would have been alright but I felt on a roll out in the garden). My dad and DH are really worried in case I'm not ok through the week alone which is making me stressed! I feel so stupid

carolt

Take it easy, lir.

Hope you feel better soon.