Ever since the development of Desk 117 and D117 Collection, I’ve wanted to see a F117. Since they were already retired with only a few flying speculated R&D missions, the only place to see one in real life, up close and personal, is at the National Air Force Museum in Dayton OH, on Wright Patterson Air Force Base. I finally had the opportunity to stop by this past weekend and spent some time with it.
A couple of years in the making. Started out with this button mounted in a cardboard “box” so that the kiddo can press it as part of her alternative communication training; eventually made a little box out of MDF that was weighted with river rocks so that it wouldn’t move too much. A button is usually mounted to her head rest to control her AAC device but she needed something when she’s not in her chair, laying down in the living room, having a rest. It kind of worked but the kiddo got stronger and started kicking it over accidentally (sometimes intentionally). The box had sharp corners so that was not ideal. Here’s is a new housing printed with “Tough” material from FormLabs. It is weighted with stainless steel washers. It’s rounder, more streamline… let’s see how this goes.
By now we can all agree that “crazy” just doesn’t quite fully describe this year, 2020. We’ve had our share of nutty madness, which lead me to thinking about creativity and outlets for it. Since slowing down productions and orders, as well as taking a leave of absence from social media (Facebook and its products), I’ve had more time to think about what is really important in life, and what I really want to create, who I want to create for. My daughter’s medical condition has affected my life considerably. She needs constant monitoring and with a shortage of skilled nursing, even before COVID, means I do not get much sleep. She does not eat anything by mouth. She has very little control over her head, trunk and limbs. Her medical appointments, therapies and schooling peppers my day. There isn’t much left within 24 hours for creating.
Luckily, I’ve been able to do some work with help from a 3D printer. I’ve been able to draw it up while my kid sleeps and send it to print with minimal intervention. That has proven more helpful than the addition of the CNC from the previous year. On a side note, the CNC was put into good use earlier in the year to make intubation shielding boxes that we distributed to local hospitals through physician friends.
Intubation Shielding Boxes
The CNC was also instrumental in the creation of a Tandem Power Chair. A charity had given my daughter a ride on car that she could press a button to GO. It had a bluetooth remote to let a caretaker to do the steering. Unfortunately, my daughter hated riding in it. The movements were sudden and the noise from the electric motor was loud and alarming. When her rehab doctor suggested that we needed to start looking into independent mobility, I panicked a little - wondering how in the world we could possibly get her into a motorized wheelchair. One day I had an epiphany. Maybe my younger daughter would tolerate it a bit more if her sister could ride with her, maybe even hold each other’s hands. What if my older daughter could drive it, and show her how to drive it? What if I could source really quiet brushless direct current motors?
Tandem Power Chair, kid drive mode.
Tandem Power Chair, caretaker mode.
And thus, the Tandem Power Chair was born. My daughters were hesitant at first but once they tried it my younger daughter had a huge smile on her face. It was a huge relief for me; and surprising how quickly she grew accustomed to it. She didn’t love her adaptive seat though (I didn’t make that)… she looks more supported in that (at the time) than any other seat. Now that we know she can tolerate a power chair, we need to teach her how to drive one for real. Her varying muscle tone and cerebral palsy movements make operating joysticks difficult.
In the mean time, with COVID, our extended family moved in with us so our kids can play together. It was great while it lasted; and gave me the idea that perhaps if my daughter could “chase” after her older relatives, maybe she would have more motivation to work on using the joystick.
I made her a single user power chair that is height adjustable, enough to see and reach the kitchen counter, and tilt adjustable to help caretakers put her into her new seat — a seating orthosis that is strapped onto the platform.
She has happily taken rides in it but working the joystick is still problematic. I would cup my hand over hers and help her operate it. It can go on grass so when there’s enough space, like in our backyard, she loves going round and round in circles by herself.
My Younger Daughter in her manual chair, seating orthosis, and communication buttons
One of my daughter’s therapies is working on augmentative and alternative communication. To start with, she would need to learn to press a button with the least amount of movement. She would need to be as consistent as possible. It is easy for most people; not for my daughter though. This button controls a device (an iPad for now) to communicate with us. This button can also help her interact with adapted devices such as toys or even a power chair; however a power chair would need 3 buttons for forward, left and right.
So now, I need to bridge this gap… adapting our home-made power chair, have her practice, so when she gets a real power chair she can operate it.
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As 2017 comes to a close, I am thankful for all the people I have met this year. There was not enough time to get to everything I had set out at the beginning of the year but I suppose it’s an inevitable consequence to always trying to improve and satisfying the creative mind. None the less, it has been a challenging year. I was hoping to increase production and expand product offerings but life just does not always go as planned. We did take on some interesting projects we had not done before — learned new things: some interior design, some consulting, and some rendering.
My wife and I welcomed our second child in the middle of the summer. Unfortunately, as some of you have seen from my Instagram feed, not long after birth, she was transferred to a neonatal intensive care unit. She was diagnosed with some brain trauma and has a condition where she cannot take anything by mouth. After almost two months in the hospital, we finally brought her home. She is doing better but requires constant monitoring. I always knew the importance of good healthcare but this experience highlighted the importance of good healthcare access for all.
As a result of life's uncertainties, I scaled back production and turned to more flexible work that I can do in the office while I keep watch of the new addition. I am not sure how long this will last but in the coming months I might try to head back into the workshop again on a project by project basis. Let's see how 2018 goes, shall we?
Facebook friends- we need your help to determine a winner. Fourteen area furniture makers created a custom piece which features pallet wood from our back dock. Comment below to vote for your favorite piece. Voting ends 4/28 at 5pm. Winners will be announced at the charity event at our showroom this Friday night. Black Hound Design CompanyDavid Hsu Design Zeh's Custom Design FurnitureColorado Barrel DesignsBrian Arbuckle40 North DesignsEthan Hutchinson WoodworkerPrestige Custom Furniture LLCRiggo DesignThomas Brothers WorkshopJames Davis DesignsFine Ideas Furniture Susie RiepleGerspach Handcrafted Woodworks LLC.
Posted by D'Amore Interiors on Monday, April 24, 2017
Our stores, warehouse and offices are closed until September for a much needed summer sabbatical. Any orders received will not be processed until we reopen. Until then, you can still find some of our products on Amazon.
Festool OF1400 and MFS adjustable templates to the rescue!
It's been a pretty full year so far as we expanded our horizons with new materials and finishes. We've just finished "Luigi", which challenged us to make circular shapes larger than the ones for the "Saucer".
And working with live edge slabs of wood for the "Y Side Table" reminded me of the joy and frustrations of working with 1 to 1 drawings, and hybrid woodworking.
Here's me standing over the 1 to 1 drawing of the Y Side Table, making sure the feet is sympathetic to the table top, as well as finalizing the location of the V legs.
Speaking of live edge, we started working with a local store, in Colorado Springs, named Avier. They are currently hosting our Colorado Series, which includes the "Colorado Table", "Aspen Benches", and "Three Pine Tables". These pieces are our first time working with wood native to Colorado and also our first time creating outdoor furniture.
Another project that had been under major development was the "Slats Side Table" and I know there will be continued development as times goes on. Again, there's a departure in material choice, Ambrosia Maple. It works very similarly to hard maple but its natural coloring makes it less modern or, for a lack of a better word, cold. It seems slightly more rustic and perhaps approaches contemporary with the use of a limestone marble top.
Not a bad start to the 2016 year but there will be more to come in the fall. Many thanks to those who supported us through Etsy, Amazon, and of course through this website.
Dragonfly Mechanicals Men's T-Shirt
Sheep says
Wabbit with Magnifying Glass Kids T-Shirt
Vitra's always been one of those companies I have always respected and hope to one day work with. This film captures the excitment that is: Vitra.
The Colorado Table, 2015.
The Colorado Table has been in the works for about a year. I've done an live edge table project before but have resisted since then because it's so prevalent. There are so many great ideas on how the tables legs should be done that I didn't think there was a need for me to jump in. The Colorado Table, however, was different. I had heard about beatle-kill pine before from a friend at MOLD. She showed me photos of the wood grain and I was hooked.
The problem for me was that I don't usually work with pine. While pine wood is a ubiquitous material to work with in the construction industry, it is not in the fine woodworking segment that I "grew up" with. For one, it gums up woodworking tools and moves unpredictably even after drying and finishing. One day, while browsing through my local lumber yard, I came across this slab and had to have it.
This beatle-kill pine lab sat in storage for about a year since I brought it back to the shop. I kept puzzling over what I should do with it; which side of the slab should display? Since it came from the Black Forest Fire, the slab's live edge still retained some of the charred remains. What ever I end up with, the other features should not distract from its natural character...
I relented. It was going to be a coffee table and its legs should not visually over power the top. This Colorado Table features a detachable base that can be folded up for transportation. The top's corners around rounded so that accidental bumps would not cause serious injury.
And, the underside of the table is engraved with the origin of the slab so that we will always remember how it came to be.
It's that time of the year again; Noola and I found ourselves on a long road trip to see some family via roads we haven't travelled before.
First thing to see was the Big Texan in Amarillo, TX, famous for the 72 oz. steak challenge where one has to finish the extra extra large steak, shrimp cocktail, baked potato, salad, roll and butter, in an hour. The meal is free if the challenger finishes in time, otherwise the meal is USD$72. Amarillo, is also famous to me because one of my best friends who is Texan to the core grew up there.
Noola not being co-operative for the photoshoot in Amarillo, TX
Our second must see was the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, AL. The monument was designed by Maya Lin, whose work I had considered when I was writing my thesis at Pratt. The use of black-granite expresses the bold gravity of the issue. It hard not to think about the Civil Rights movement these days with the unfortunate incidents involving African Americans and the Police. Driving through Selma, AL with the pending release of Selma also reinforces thoughts.
Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, AL - inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.: "... until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."
It's really a sobering moment in the world with all the tension within the US and also all around the world. Hopefully 2015 will be better. Happy holidays everyone, and have a fruitful new year!
-David
Earlier in the fall, a client wanted to replace their stanchions that kept visitors from touching some expensive marble carvings with some thing more minimal and more suitable for their environment. Here are the results!
Hopefully I will have photos of them in its new home soon. The ropes are being fabricated soon.
Just finished a custom piece for a customer where the depth is about 8-inches, which is almost twice the normal depth. Custom order yours today through Etsy!!
After packing up three locations, driving 27+ hours, closing on a new home, followed by DIY renovations, we're finally ready to open up our new doors for business! ... sort of... we're still unpacking boxes and we need to renovate the workshop. It's been quite a learning process.
We have also been exploring our new surroundings, enjoying the outdoors and in awe of the breath taking skies. No, really, it's not just the lack of oxygen at 5000+ ft above sea level.
I've found myself just staring at the sky sometimes because the layers of clouds moving at different speeds are so much more noticeable, and sometimes the entire sky turns orange during sunsets. It's simply amazing. The other phenomenon that baffles is the weather. The locals say one can almost set the time by the daily rain. What they didn't say is the accompanying lighting and thunder, which our company dog does not appreciate.
A night at Red Rock Amphitheater with NPR's "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me".
Coloradans love the outdoors and it shows. We really appreciated a fun night at the Red Rock Amphitheater with NPR's "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me". We saw them at Carnegie Hall in New York, but it's a whole other experience at Red Rock. We can't wait to go back and enjoy other outdoor activities Colorado has to offer.
A funny occurrence we've found ourselves in is the fact that we visit our local Lowes store almost every day. From the aisles of sheet rock and insulation, to the appliances and out to their gardening yard, we've probably gotten advice from every Lowes employee. It's a little embarrassing as they are starting to recognize us. This is definitely sometime we're not use to coming from NYC, but I must admit it's kind of nice.
We can’t wait to start working again now that all the departments are at one place. Let’s begin!
Colorado plains and mountains
After almost 15 years living in New York, learning as much as I could about as many topics as I could handle, I am happy to announce that we are moving to Colorado! Starting June 1st, we will close down our offices and workshop and unite them in our new space in the coming days. It is my hope that we will resume business by July 15th. We are sorry we will not be able to fulfill any orders until then.
In the meantime, we just finished developing the KT Media Console. We will start taking orders for these starting August, 2014.
Thank you. -David
A couple of nights ago, I heard segment on Marketplace.org regarding American Industrial Design. It's not often that I hear design stories on a business/economics radio show so this report piqued my attention. It's a two part report:
Part 1: Two obsessed guys and a radical motorcycle design
Part 2: A motorcycle design for the history books
It features JT Nesbitt, designer of Confederate Motocycles (2005), now Lead Designer of Bienville Studios, Jim Jacoby, founder of ADMCi - American Design and Master-Craft Initiative, and the Bienville Legacy concept motorcycle.
What attracted me to ADMCi is one of their vision statements:
Celebrate gifted individuals and small teams who achieve levels of aesthetic, technological and commercial success commensurate with large corporations without the smothering effects of inbred corporate structure or manipulation from the financial sector.
though, their other visions are definitely what we need more of in the design industry. I believe it's this kind of thinking that will bring about innovation America needs.
Cloud Table, by Studio Maks
One of the pieces of furniture that made me smile is this: Cloud table by Studio Maks, a studio from the Netherlands. It was installed at Ventura Lambrate.
With this 70 m2 table we aim to create a landscape rather than furniture, a social place for people to meet and exchange information. The table exceeds the scale of common furniture design; it creates architectural space. At the same time this light and elegantly crafted table contains integrated media technologies that allow people to connect beyond the physical space; on a virtual scale.
Team: Marieke Kums, Alessia Nociaro, Zsofia Szoke, Gorka Beitia Zarandona
Produced by Friction Factory and supported by Creative Industries Fund NL.
nzer922's photo on Instagram
Ok! In Milan this week for its Design Week and I can't help but feel a bit overwhelmed here. It's not just the Salone del Mobile, but also Fuorisalon that involves the whole city. DesignJunction is also here, which I enjoyed a lot during London Design Festival last year.
Setup for Meet My Project is this afternoon, hopefully after that I'll get to roam the town a little more.
I'll try my best in the coming weeks to post interesting projects I find that's bigger than what's appropriate for my Instagram or Pinterest.
Be Original USA, http://www.beoriginalamericas.com/
While people say "imitation is the best compliment", as a designer, crafts person, and business person, finding copies of your work out in the world and undercutting your prices is rather distressing. One can argue that the capitalism ideals provides competition there by lowering costs and passing on the savings to the customer but there is so much more than meets the eye.
Yesterday, as I explored the Chelsea area of New York, I found a store displaying many mid-century classic chairs. I just cannot resist sitting in them. This store had "The Chair" aka "The Round One" by Hans J. Wegner. (PP501/503) I sat in it, made myself comfortable, admired the way the transition between the back rest to the arm rest. It's just such a great chair. Then I leaned over and saw the tag. The cost was much lower than what I thought it was, and then I saw the check box that indicated it was a replica. That discovery made me wince. Well, at least the store was honest about it.
Like so many iconic chairs by famous designers, there are imitations out there that to be quite honest, some times I cannot even tell the difference. However, what my summer in Denmark taught me is that there's a story behind all these chairs. A story that goes beyond just how the form came to be. After the design of the form is finished, there are people involved in crafting these chairs from the very beginning, perfecting the process of manufacturing that also adds to the embodiment of the spirit that goes with that chair. Even if the same people evolved the process of making these chairs by automation, innovating with modern technologies, that spirit carries on by way of passing that knowledge from one craftsperson to another.
However, with imitation, that spirit is not easily transferable. It's only with keen observation can one produce a perfect imitation. There's no chain of physical contact from one craftsperson to another and therefore a break in the chain of knowledge, that know-how, that original intent cannot be passed on and therefore an imitation is rather soul-less.
This is why I think it is so important for people buy original things. It's so easy to just look at the economical bottom-line but to truly treasure an object, an artifact, a craft, we need that spirit. It may be the key to a more meaningful life that might actually be more sustainable too.
Please think about this when you find a great deal on a piece of furniture. Do a little bit more research into the story behind the product rather than simply where you can get it for the lowest price; because when you know why or how that piece of work came to be, you'll like it more, you'll want to keep it forever, and you'll want to pass it on to people you love.
Honestly, this is why I am a furniture designer.
** oh yea, let's not forget, proceeds from imitation sales do not compensate the original designer who put in the hard work to bring a product to market in the first place. This is especially damaging for fledgling small companies.
