Hello AT,
I am seriously in love with large sculptural wooden table/stools like this one from Room and Board and the Congo collection from Crate and Barrel, but the price is seriously prohibitive for me.
Where can I find something similar for cheaper? It seems easy enough to make but I do not have the tools or the workspace to do it myself.
Thanks!
Becca
Dear Becca,
While R&B and C&B usually deliver a lot of value at good prices, you are right that these are unusally high price points for small stools or tables from these giants. They must require a good deal more work than other things.
But where to find them cheaper?
We would scour eBay, Craigslist and AT classifieds using keywords to see if you can find them second hand, otherwise we would look at these shops and see when they are having sales:
Andrianna Shamaris
Hudson Furniture
There's also a place in Brooklyn, From The Source, that might have this sort of thing, and - if they do - it will definitely be at better prices.
Anyone else?
you can be sure that if you check out the Global Bazaar section at Target (new in stores this month, i believe...) there will be simillar stools/tables available. They had them last year and sold out.
racheldee took the words out of my mouth, but I also think looking in other similarly global type stores might work...I've seen these types of things at asian furniture stores.
You might even find something on Overstock.com in their "Worldstock" collection.
Isn't there a store in SF that does this kind of stuff? The name is totally escaping me at the moment.
I'm not doubting your wood working skills, but I don't think that this falls into the "It seems easy enough to make ...." category.
That being said, I would try the Target stuff as well.
I recently spied this set also..
http://tribalmonsoon.com/productDetails.asp?CC=52&SC=51a09s53&pcode=55a09s53a09s56
Ruth, I think the store in SF is called Neverland. They sell a variety of furniture, curios and musical instruments mostly from Africa or Asia. It's on Columbus Avenue in North Beach.
The Store in San Francisco is Cost Plus, site: http://www.worldmarket.com
There are Cost Plus (also called World Market) on the East Coast too....I was just in one in Northern VA on Friday and recall seeing somethign similar to that.
I was going to suggest Cost Plus too, but your best bet is to consider browsing African import stores. There is a great variety of woodwork in them. Target world market stuff is kind of flimsy.
I can sort of actually imagine making something like it, believe it or not. But it would not be easy. It would be about cutting about 8 or so identical pieces of ply-wood or MDF into the silhouette of that thing first. Then cutting away slots into the middle in the top half, and the middle bottom have, and joining them together like a kid's toy that printed onto a cereal box. Anyway, it wouldn't be easy to join the other ones to it, but the effect would be KIND of like that hanger lamp they show elsewhere on AT today.
Affordable options from West Elm: one in wood, two in a woven fiber. Similar proportions and footprints, but not in an exotic wood.
http://ww1.westelm.com/cat/pip.cfm?template=8grid&pkey=cfrntbl&gids=f071&cid=frntbl&area=shp
http://ww1.westelm.com/cat/pip.cfm?template=8grid&pkey=cfrntbl&gids=f213&cid=frntbl&area=shp
you could also buy a ceramic or terracotta or dolomite pot/vase/planter. and use a glass round for the top- or flip it over and use the base as the surface, if the shape works.
depending on the finish, you could paint it a dark brown, or even (bleck) faux wood grain.
You could try Pier One?
But I dont think you will find the exact item.
Nice piece though...Good luck!