Iconic Bench Recreated with Legos

Filed under: Fun Stuff, Crafts & Projects, Design, etc

It's not what you think: This LEGO project is all clean lines in a sophisticated palette.

We get a kick out of innovative LEGO design here at ShelterPop -- we loved the idea of the LEGO kitchen and LEGO house, but when it comes to reality, would we actually want to live with either of those colorful creations? Um, no. A little too flashy, a little too silly and a little too similar-looking to something a toddler might whip up.

But then we saw the sleek black and white bench from SoCal bloggers Chris and Dolores Salomone of the fantastic Humble Ablog and had a major change of heart. When Chris became obsessed with George Nelson's famous 1946 platform bench he knew he had to have it. But since he wasn't up for the $700 pricetag, he and Dolores took on a DIY version using the handy plastic bricks.

"At first, there were two schools of thought: Use random colorful LEGOs to really emphasize what it's made of, or try to make it look normal from afar, so people would be surprised when they saw it up close," Dolores tells us of the 4' by 18" bench, built entirely of LEGOs and PVC glue. "Without glue, it would come apart if you looked at it funny," she adds.

The process of building the table took about four hours, but only after tons of planning, 3D drawings, and practice runs. Though their adorable and brilliant time-lapse video makes it look like a total breeze:


Now that the table's a permanent fixture in their home, the Salomones are enjoying living with their LEGO masterpiece. They clean it with a simple duster, they don't let excited guests sit on it and there are not yet any future plans to create an empire of modern furniture made from plastic bricks.

But we're sure this won't be the last we hear from this creative couple: Chris was inspired by the positive reaction to the table, telling us "I have lots of ideas, and often wonder if I'm the only one who thinks they're good. The fact that people thought it was neat -- that's reassuring to me." Dolores adds: "My husband's an extremely creative guy and I can't wait to be a part of another one of his many inventive projects."

We think that the original platform bench craftsman George Nelson would have been impressed by the duo's handiwork. "The simple joy of taking an idea into one's own hands and giving it proper form, that's exciting," the master has said. And he's famous for insisting that designers need to deal creatively with human needs, which Chris and Dolores certainly did.

The one-of-a-kind table's not for sale, though Dolores says they'd be willing to give it up for a thousand bucks. "But that's only because we would go out and make a new one and have several hundred dollars left over to fatten our pockets with." Ha! Or maybe they'll attempt to recreate other notable designs out of outside-the-box materials. An Eames chair made of army men? A Barcelona chair out of alphabet blocks? We're keeping an eye on these guys.

Looking for more inspired design?
Wacky Design at the Brimfield Antique Show 2010
Designs of the Weird: A Bed Made of Corian
Clever Thinking: The Murphy Nightstand

 

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