Concrete furniture construction and design pictures

Part II of the Lance Stephenson interview is more pictures than words. Lance openly shares pictures of his design process on his website. It is easy to look at a finished piece of furniture and not understand the details and time put into construction. In these pictures, Lance clearly shows some of his self-created design techniques in working with concrete and steel to create furniture.

Interview with designer Lance Stephenson

I always enjoy getting to speak with designers. It is fascinating to discover what types of materials they work with, why they choose those materials, what influences they have and who inspires them. This was true with an interview I recently had with Lance Stephenson. Lance creates furniture designs made of concrete and steel. I was immediately interested to learn more about his concrete creations.

Interview

Tell me a little about yourself.

I am self taught wherever my interests, or perhaps a better word would be, obsessions, take me. As a child my primary creative outlet was photography. I had my own darkroom from about the age of 12. As a young adult for about three years I carried a Pentax 6x7 (thats 5 pounds of camera) everywhere I went. I mean everywhere. I didn't go a single rock concert or shop at the price club, or any where else that didn't allow cameras in. Anyway I'm grateful for my obsessions, because I do not know how I'd get out of bed in the morning without them.

What made you decide to work in concrete?

Concrete has been an interest for me for some years. I have researched construction technique and materials quite a bit. I am building some structures for my future home and work. In so doing I have developed a great admiration for this material. It is capable of far more than side walks and tilt up buildings. Concrete can form resistant structures, like ocean going sailboats with hulls less than 1/2" thick, or thin shell domes, vaults etc. To quote Pier Luigi Nervi, "Reinforced concrete is the greatest structural material yet devised by mankind".

Can you tell me a little about your work and what inspired you to do these?

Well I just really enjoy making things, and I need a cottage industry. Furniture seems a good fit because I can employ any number of different disciplines, from design to finished piece. It is important to me that the work itself is not boring. The genesis for these tables came after the first time I saw ground and polished concrete floors and the modern tools used for doing this. Constructional process is often inspirational for me. I'll see how one thing is done, and I'll think about how I might exploit that for something similar or for something not so similar. That was just the start. I knew I didn't want a big chunky design, like what comes to mind when you think of a concrete table or a concrete anything for that matter. My wife drew a picture of the basic leg shape on a cocktail napkin and boom, I was off on another obsession. The coffee table came first, then the computer table and dining table later. As far as personal aesthetics go, I tend to go for sleek structurally efficient designs.

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Leather vs. Fabric Upholstered Furniture

When setting out to purchase new furniture for the family or media room, there are several things to consider. First of all, how much wear and tear will the item get? What types of spills may I be facing? What is my expectation for how long I want to keep the furniture? In my personal experience medium grade leather is more cleanable and durable than fabric due to its protected surface and the non absorbent character. In addition to clean ability, dust and dirt stays on top of leather and can be kept to a minimum, very important for those suffering from allergies and people with pets. In addition, fabrics tend to hold smells from smoke if you enjoy cigarettes or cigars. In the off chance you get a tear, leather can be fixed usually to the original look with professional help of course. One myth I hear about leather all the time is how hot it gets. Leather does not create heat, it will simply warm to you body temperature and that's all. As for the cost, the average leather sofa runs approximately $1000 to $1200 slightly more than comparable fabric, but worth it in the long run.

Furniture Handcrafted by Artisans Around the World

If you are looking for something a bit more exotic try looking at Novica. Novica is a website that works in association with National Geographic. Their mission is to connect artisans from around the world to other people in the world that may be looking for artisan crafted items. It is great how they have been able to create a marketplace for artisans that may not have been able to sell their creations in their native country.Novica offers a wide range of goods created by many artists. I particularly enjoyed reading some of the artist bios to learn about their history and what fuels their passion for making art. Prices for the products are very reasonable.

Low Ceilings Beat the Heat with Hugger Ceiling Fans

A traditional ceiling fan has a long metal rod that attaches the fan motor to the base which is affixed to the ceiling. You really need a fairly high ceiling to carry off this look without your guests feeling closed in above their heads. There is another category of ceiling fans called hugger or low profile which are designed to be hung in shorter ceilings. Hugger ceiling fans may have no metal rod and connect directly into the base. There is a short metal rod option as well. The great news is that these ceiling fans can be installed in shorter height ceilings. The summer heat can be stifling and the costs of energy continue to increase so it may be worth a look at low profile ceiling fans.