AD wrote to us yesterday with a situation familiar to antique shoppers everywhere:
Hello AT,
I found an old Noguchi coffee table in an antique store and it's available at 1/10 of the price of a new one.
As you can imagine it's that cheap because some of the glass is chipped in two places. Can you suggest some place I could try to get the glass touched up or would I have to invest in a whole new glass top?
So stinky...find something you like at a price you like and then reality interferes. It's not likely that a fix is possible for a chipped glass top. There is a glass repair service called Glass Doctor in Chicago, but from what we understand that route won't work in this case.
Replacement also seems challenging here. The top has such a unique (and beautiful) shape, it's not a standard that is available at any of the glass top sources we checked. Glasstopsdirect.com, sells all sorts of tops and a Noguchi knockoff table for $349.95, but we did not see the glass top available on it's own.
Readers, any ideas or sources for AD? We'd love to see the bargain work out...
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
Well as I understand the glass contains Nogichi's signature etched into the edge and as such I suspect you wouldn't want to toss it-otherwise you might as well buy a knockoff...
See the 4th photo:
http://www.hermanmiller.com/CDA/SSA/Product/0,,a10-c440-p119,00.html
I'm not sure about reparing glass- I'm not even sure if it's possible in this case.
Perhaps contacting Herman Miller would be the appropriate route- it's not going to be cheap though...
If the chips are kinda hidden then you might be able to fill it with an epoxy (go to your local craft store and ask for a perfectly clear one) - this wont make it look like new but it will stop light from scattering in patterns that highlight the chips. So - if the chips are on the bottom corner or some other non obvious place it will probably work... otherwise??
this may seem out there, but have you ever gotten a chip in the windshield of your car? i did once, and it cost $50 to repair (a chip the size of a dime, i believe). could an autoglass repair shop do something like this?
Is the chip along the edge? Or in the middle? I suspect that chips on the edge might be more difficult to repair, if you go with an autoglass repair shop--I imagine they are not even set up to do such a repair, as windshields don't have exposed edges.
In any case, don't discard the glass top; Any value the piece still has will be destroyed. You should consult a furniture conservator.
Let me ammend: Consult a furniture conservator before you do anything else. I don't know much about it, but my Antiques-Roadshow-watching experience tells me that they may be able to restore most of the value of the piece, but only if it's done right.