ModFruGal » DIY

Lucite and Zebrawood Table

ModFruGal — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 02:55:44 +0000

I really wanted a Karl Springer lucite table, but kept getting outbid by interior designers on e-bay every time a good one came around. So I gave up that approach and started thinking about how I can finagle a new glam coffee table for no more than $200-$250. I found the lucite base on e-bay – came with a giant glass top that made it look oh, so 80′s…but I was able to purchase just the base.

Next came making our own top….In discussions with my crafty counterpart – he decides 2 pieces of MDF glued together is the perfect base on which to apply our veneer. I went to the local woodworkers shop and picked out a nice piece of zebrawood veneer – from there, we built the tabletop to be the exact width of the veneer so we won’t have any seams on the top. We cut small strips to use on the sides and left the underside alone. Sealed with a few coats of polyurethane and it’s done.

Lucite Base

Before Veneer

2 Pieces MDF

Unsealed Veneer On

Complete

Nakashima Wannabe

ModFruGal — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:49:29 +0000

I’ve always dreamed of owning a Nakashima table….maybe when I win the lottery. In the meantime, I’ll settle for a tiny knock-off found at none other than TJ Maxx. One of my better fashion bargain stops is slowly becoming a real contender in home decor. Most urban areas have one and it’s worth sifting through the piles of ugly floral plates to find something like this. It adds the rustic touch to a modern setting without screaming “log cabin”. It doesn’t have the elegantly honed legs that a real one would have, but for $35 vs. $3,500…I can live with that. If $295-$350 sounds like a deal to you, then Pearl River has a nice option.

Another strategy is to buy a slab top from someone like Newton Woods and adding your own legs. For example, the piece below is currently selling for $249 – plus shipping. I have also seen slab tops on e-bay for a wide range of prices – many affordable. Classic mid century turned legs or retro metal hairpin legs would make your table a showstopper.

Modern Mailbox

ModFruGal — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:04:06 +0000

It seems only fitting that my first entry is something completed yesterday, so as the premier feature I offer an alternative to obnoxiously priced modern mailboxes. You must be handy, or, as I am fortunate enough to have, a handy partner who can engineer your vision into reality with a bit of basic carpentry skills. So you’ve googled “modern mailbox” only to find that $400-$4,000 a pop isn’t quite what you can rationalize in your budget. So you start thinking……Can I (or someone dear to me) MAKE something that will suit my taste and not break the bank?

I too have lusted over the Neutra numbers on DWR, but again, $75 each….enter research mode.

WestOn Letters’ (link below) website provides my numbers at a budget price -I choose “deep ribbon” with spacers. Cost about $85 for all 3. I sketch out my vision of simplicity to be translated by my crafty counterpart into real measurements. Wood, deck stain, gravel brought the grand total up to about $125.

Pressure treated dog eared fence pickets screwed together on a frame with stainless steel screws. He cut the curve for the mailbox with a reciprocating saw and built a platform within the column for the mailbox to sit. We used our old mailbox so that cost is not included in our budget. Gravel at the base serves 2 purposes – keeps the look minimalist, but also keeps the wood off the dirt so it won’t rot, despite being pressure treated. We put a sheet of plastic under the gravel as well as an additional moisture barrier. The roof between the side walls is pitched at a slant (shed roof) for water runoff.

Found the mossy stones in my yard to finish the look and voila!

WestOn Letters site