Last month Urbancase launched their new line of products at ICFF.  The firm, founded in 2002 by Darin Montgomery introduced a four-piece series which includes the One-by-One-Chair, the Ledge, the Mantis lamp, and… The Emergency Cocktail Station.

It’s a clever wall mounted bar with a drop down work surface that comes equipped with the tools to cure most any cocktail emergency.  (You supply the medicine).  Able to cure most urban cocktail emergencies.

inside of San Francisco welcomes GO BUILD STUDIO to their curated selection of upholstered seating, dining tables and chairs, coffee tables, bed frames, and lighting. On display find the newly redesigned Zebra Series and the brand new Wavelegth Series.

The Zebra Series of case goods features highly graphic Zebrawood (a sustainable veneer product made of plantation-raised Poplar) framed by dark Oak, and sophisticated touches like bronzed pulls, and dovetailed drawers.

Heiloom quality goods.

On the floor at INSIDE MODERN...

The Wavelength Series is a seating group inspired by the motion of waves and the movement of shorebird legs. The basic form is designed to cradle the derriere on a simple repeatable shape. Each piece features tightly upholstered seating with thin padding, and may be ordered in Walnut, Oak, Maple, Espresso, and with or without Ebonized legs and trim.

Splt Wave Bench features built in table.

Superior build and elegant lines on the Wave Bench.

Greg Bergere of GO BUILD STUDIO founded his furniture company in 1998 in San Francisco and the eclectic collection currently celebrates simple and useful design with the varied influences of plain Shakers, mid-century moderns, and high-low cosmopolitans. Bergere learned to build things while working alongside his father, a self-starter, tinkerer, and craftsman who built and fixed everything around the house. Greg never learned of hired help so developed a strong skill-set for building things. He went on to receive degrees in art and architecture and practiced architecture for some years. Ever the “doer,” Bergere eventually quit architecture for furniture making, having tired of what he describes as the “…labyrinthine requirements of getting buildings approved and built in the Bay Area.”

Bergere describes his design process as “…both direct and relaxed, searching for thoughtful and reserved simplicity.” The work shows “…an appreciation for traditional forms and the long history of craft in furniture making informs our contemporary outlook.” General concepts that inform his work: style over fashion, classic forms, geometry, substance and longevity, craft and lineage, contrast and balance, gravity and levity, generosity and spaciousness, transparency and opacity, and openness. Materials chosen are of the highest quality and reflect GO BUILD STUDIO’s commitment to sustainability. Each and every piece is finely crafted in their San Francisco-based workshop.

The bedrock of inside’s iconic collection is from Modernica, the California-based manufacturer responsible for the revival of the George Nelson Bubble Lamp, the classic 1950 Fiberglass Arm Chair, and Case Study daybeds, couches and shelving. They are also an authorized dealer for the Cherner Chair, designed by Norman Cherner in 1958 and still regarded as one of the most dramatic designs utilizing the technology of molding plywood. Their friendly, knowledgeable and helpful staff are waiting for you at the showroom on149 Gough Street in fashionable Hayes Valley.

You may see more of Greg’s work here and peruse the current offerings at inside’s site as well. Stay tuned for pictures from their showroom floor…

Laguna Beach locals Daniel Wacholder, Nick Sheridan and Bret Englander started working together at the tender age of 14.  You might remember them from their launch at the Kim Sing back in December.

Their first project was a boat build from scratch they used to sail up and down the California coastline. A few years later they restored an RV and traveled cross country in search of new things and ideas. A lifelong partnership was born and years later it sparked a creative partnership spanning furniture, industrial, and environmental design.  According to Bret “…the work acknowledges a…conflict exists between art and science.”

They just sent us some new photography on their Era Table which we thought we had to share.

The forecast calls for rain in Los Angeles tonight, March 6th.  Perfect timing to unveil the newly arrived samples from RS-Barcelona including the Drops Tables.

Drops Tables

Our friends from Spain who brought us the RS#2 Foosball table,

their super slick foosball table, have been getting all kinds of attention for their whimsical designs.  The crate’s been unloaded and Ford&Ching is representing RS.

You can view samples of their designs and furniture at the KimSing and soon at selected retailers in the U.S.

Standard Console enduring environmental patina

Last week I visited one of our East Coast designers, Eric Slayton, at his studio in Brooklyn. (Some of you know, I probably had some ulterior motives for being there as well)  I got to preview his latest version of the standard console; a series of pieces with a portfolio of time lapse photos showing the “rusting” will accompany each piece.   Each piece will be located in different environments from urban to wilderness.  Today, we’re at day 17, so these photos were taken on day 12.

Beautiful affect of the patina on solid Corten steel

Amazing contrast between day 1 and 12.

Day 1

View of the side of Eric's studio building

Downtown Los Angeles based 100xbetter just launched their new line of flat pack furniture. Many of us familiar with flat pack pieces have had the luxury (or discomfort) of putting together an IKEA cabinet most likely. When searching the market for current flat pack options, the guys behind this company thought they could do 100xbetter. Started in 1999 as a design/build studio combining CNC manufacturing technology with high quality materials (unlike IKEA) and a minimalist sensibility.

Check out the photos below of how easy and beautifully all the pieces come together………

Flat packed out of the box....

Base slides into side supports

Seat bottom slides in

Set the bottom down on the ground

Slide in the back panel

Admire your work. You've just put together the frame for the db chair.

Apply your cushion and take a load off!

The db chair and ottoman are part of the db series which includes a loveseat and three-seater.  They even make one perfect for kids or your height-challenged friends.  Each comes flat packed with a choice of wood finish, cushion style and upholstery.

db chair with leather contoured cushion

db loveseat with fabric button cushion

db 3 seater with fabric button cushions

kids db with fabric button cushion

With a price point that starts at $725, everyone in the family can have one.

Laguna Beach design group CERNO just launched their line of plywood furniture at the recent FORD&CHING winter event earlier this month. Hundreds came to see the chair in the Kim Sing Theatre and were very surprised when the chair turned out to be incredibly comfortable despite it’s hard appearance. Design purists rejoiced at the thought: A visually innovative piece of furniture that was not an occasional, but a full fledged member of the living room.

Ladies Love Cerno

The lounger and ottoman are made from solid Baltic Birch plywood that is CNC milled and hand finished. The standard finish is a pre-catalyzed clear lacquer but there are a variety of other finish options. Price is a very reasonable $2,900 for the Lentus and an additional $500 for the ottoman.

Not a Lazy-Boy

The Lentus and the rest of the Cerno line is available now at the FORD&CHING showroom. Look out for our feature on the Cerno design crew in the next few days.

Daniel Wacholder, Nick Sheridan and Bret Englander

RS-Life was kind enough to send us their super-deluxe RS#2 Stainless “foosball” table. It was an immediate hit at the F&C website launch event and has since become a regular part of workday stress relief here at the Kim Sing Theatre. RS#2 is a reinterpretation of a Spanish cultural classic. It’s a soccer table that, due to its innovative design and shape, is a spectacle in itself. Rafael Rodriguez, the designer explains, “It was about reinventing an article that was stuck back in shape as well as in certain features and giving to it a modern and attractive appearance to make it a design object.” There is also a painted version for indoor use that shares all of the same features, including rubber-soled levelers, an ashtray and glass-holders for all four players.

RS#2 is available in red, white, black and silver. The layout of the players and choice of team colors is 100% customizable so that, as Rafael Rodríguez says: “we can make with every game the game of our lives.” RS started as a metal workshop 1978 in a small town near Barcelona, Spain. Today, thanks to the efforts and hard work of two generations of the Rodríguez family, that workshop now produces a full line of furniture.

Skram Furniture debuts the Wooddrop 14 stool at FORD&CHING this Thursday. These multi-purpose stools represent a dramatic departure for Skram, whose work is defined by uncompromised workmanship. It’s a revolution in its own small way. Quite simply, the stool is cracked. But more importantly, the stool is beautiful.

We just uppacked the natural wood finished one. The literature says it’s Cherry with a clear finish, but I think it’s really a limited-edition one made of Hickory. I never saw the natural finish Wooddrop14 in person before a few days ago and it looks great (see below). I spoke with Jacob Marks at Skram and he said it’s also available in a slightly glossy finish for outdoor use.

In our conversation, Jacob referred to the Wooddrop 14 as an exercise in “deliberate imperfection.” Wood is selected with imperfections that add to the overall appeal and warmth of the product. “With the Wooddrop 14, the check…the flaw becomes an essential part of the design…and the cracks offer a striking contrast to the crisp elemental geometry of the volume.”

Check, please.

The stool is made of solid timber which Skram harvests, mills, dries and fabricates. This process lends itself to a continuity of control which Jacob finds invaluable. “From forest to furniture, we are able to preside over every step.” The timber is salvaged from local sources, so options will vary based on availability. Typically, though, Skram can stock a variety of materials and finishes in sizes ranging from 6-16” in height and up to 32” in diameter.

Perfect imperfection

Andrea Ching, my partner at  FORD&CHING is particularly excited about the Wooddrop 14. “It’s great to have an entry-level priced piece by Skram. For new buyers the stool provides a good introduction to Skram and a first step in fully appreciating this heirloom quality line. But it is also a great piece to specify in multiples for all sorts of projects ranging from private homes to large-scale commercial projects. It has so many great uses.”

Use #1: Bear trap

The Wooddrop 14 is available for immediate delivery in American Beech (with “bone” lacquer finish or clear finish), Torched Oak (with clear finish), and Cherry (with clear finish).

Clear satin finish looks beutiful over natural finish.

Available now at FORD&CHING.

posted by Willard on September 23rd, 2009 in FORD&CHING,Featured Items