The best Antique & Collectible Furniture books: Reddit reviews

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

I’m certainly not an expert, but I do have a bachelors in furniture design. I was just saying midcentury modern is hard to define. I have his book Soul of a Tree. An excellent read for any woodworker or furniture design. I highly recommend it. I also have several references that clearly state he is mid century modern. Including the link I posted at knoll. He has three pieces that are still “ mass manufactured” at Knoll. Look at his Japanese-inspired more Modernist designs such as the Conoid range. That style fits perfectly with mid century modern tastes in interior design.

George Nakasima would like to have a word with you!!!

Other than him though, I can't think of anyone that would be up there with Maloof, maybe Greene and Greene, but they are known for their innovative design at the turn of the 1900's.

Maloof's book is an amazing read if you are interested in woodworking. He was pretty much entirely self taught and developed his own mehtods for most things he did.

plus fuck bent lamination, looks so easy, then you try to do it and everything explodes.

they really are something else to build, not just becuase it's a sam Maloof or anything, more so because everything curved is bent lamination, and it's all carved by hand.

When he probably started he didn't have the luxury of taking a big 12/4 block of walnut and carving out a curved back on the bandsaw. Also the angles and math behind chairs needs to be pretty specific, I always think of the first scene in the patriot movie when his chair falls apart.

It's not like one of these things takes a year to build, but does take a good amount of time and trial + error to learn how to do it.

I could probably build this in a month with my shop tools, if I had very detailed planes of all the angles and a story pole so I could trace the exact curves out, and it wouldn't look nearly as neat as this. This is assuming I didn't have my full time job.... I've tried rocking chair joints before based off guides online. People have adapted them to power tolls and what not, but Maloof looked at the joinery as a sculpture, his book is an amazing read, he talks a lot about the joinery. He basically does the joints very oversized and carves them perfectly flush, somehow to the point where you can barley notice they are there.

I think he was pretty much entirely self taught.

The people that build his stuff using his same mehtods is considered art not so much functional furniture,

This is really good work, and I'm glad the tabletop is built properly. I've been planning something similar, but I'm working my way up to the mitred joints.

If you want more inspiration, and scale plans, this book is awesome: http://www.amazon.com/Domestic-Furniture-Photographs-Measured-Drawings/dp/0486251713

It's not a fake or reproduction. It's more Eastlake (not Nouveau) and personally I think it would be a good buy at the price. The upholstery is not original and doesn't look to be in great shape, so keep that in mind. I don't think it would be expensive to reupholster, and it's simple enough (no tufting) that it might be a good project to try upholstering yourself.

You might want to check to see if your library has this book available. It's a great collection of furniture catalog pages from that era, and I remember a number of similar chaises pictured. I have a chaise much like that one and it's my favorite spot for reading!

That one's interesting just for the Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought list. I've already spotted a history of beds and a history of bathrooms that need to be on my wishlist.