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Northwest #2: Janewheniordercoffee's Turntable-Inspired Table Re-Cover

Name: janewheniordercoffee
Location: Sacramento
Time: About 3-4 hours, including the trip to the store
Cost: $22, since I had to replace my lost staple gun

 
 
1-24-jane1.jpg
BEFORE

Tell us the tools and resources you used for the project:

A former roommate broke the glasstop inlay of our table, so a while back we had dug an old sheet of plywood out of someone's basement. A trip to a basic fabric store and a basic craft store provided the white vinyl and a staple gun. I also used a pencil, straight-edge, regular and jumbo sharpie and a pair of scissors from home. And a book called 'Scratch Graphique,' for reference.

1-24-jane2.jpg
DURING

Share step-by-step instructions for how you completed the project:

  • 1. I upholstered the plywood with the vinyl, which felt more like an oversized book-cover job than upholstery. I just wrapped the top side with fabric and stapled it to the underside.
  • 2. My dj-boyfriend lived in France for a while and came home with this book (which I cannot read) about dj scratch notation. As graphic designers we're both interested in the problem of visualizing sounds or sound-making -- and it's a lovely-looking system. I looked at some sample notations and put a sequence together myself, and hand-lettered it in pencil directly onto the vinyl. (Rigorous design foundation training involving hand-painting typefaces made this easy enough.) Apparently, the sequence I wrote is pretty tricky, but not impossible.

    1-24-jane3.jpg
    DURING

  • 3. I filled in the tight spaces and edges with the smaller-tipped sharpie first, then filled in the bigger spaces with the jumbo sharpie.
  • 4. I went back and erased the few spots where sketchlines still showed up, and left the windows open for a few hours. (Man, that marker!)

    1-24-jane4.jpgAFTER

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    Jan Jumpstart 2008 - Northwest, How To...

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    Comments (10)

    I am so stealing this idea! I'm thinking coffee table....

    posted by SoSpunky5 on 2008-01-24 12:54:42
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    WTF.

    posted by Djluckyonline on 2008-01-24 12:55:26
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    Years ago, a friend of mine made a coffeetable using a plywood top upholstered in white vinyl, with chrome legs. I have to say, the result was luxurious and fun, though I'd expected it to look more like a tacky card table. This is a great idea!

    posted by visualingual on 2008-01-24 13:06:20
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    I especially like the "headphones as 3d art" you've got going on the wall.

    posted by Maryja on 2008-01-24 13:16:18
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    mmm, i love symbolologisms! i think you did a good job. now what about the chairs? :)

    posted by kdkaboom on 2008-01-24 13:23:25
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    The notations look great even without knowing what they are; so much the better that you've designed a piece of furniture that reflects your interests! Talk about bringing the Muse to the table....

    posted by KarenH on 2008-01-24 13:51:31
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    Love it. Fits your space to perfection, well executed, simple, stylish, good use of existing materials.

    posted by Slim on 2008-01-24 20:08:21
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    DJ scratch notation? I learned something new today!

    posted by AlmostAD on 2008-01-24 22:52:50
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    like your use of dj scratch notation.!

    posted by cctt on 2008-01-25 06:38:02
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    Excellent. I'd worry about durability of the surface, but the result is a great return on investment.

    posted by Jute Zak on 2008-01-26 04:06:25
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