Specific materials and joining techniques to make the "old and new" fusion work.

I want to help you learn how to build furniture that looks old and new. This is not an idea; it is a set of instructions I have used to build and sell furniture in cities such as Milan and Kyoto.

The "Hybrid Heirloom" Furniture Design Guide

My goal is to show you how to build furniture that combines new materials. Let's start with the materials.

Material Selection: The Art of Contrasts

When you build furniture with new materials, think of each part as a living thing. Each material has its properties and behaves in its own way.

1. The "Living" Materials (The Old)

The wood you use should be reclaimed wood, but not just any reclaimed wood. It should be sunken wood. Sunkers are logs that have been underwater for over 50 years. The iron in the water makes the wood very hard and durable. It is heavy and hard. Has a deep black colour with a metallic shine.

You can also use oxidised brass and bronze. Do not use polished metals. Instead, look for bronze that is still changing colour. These metals change colour depending on the humidity in the room. A dining table made from this metal will slowly turn green and black. It will be a part of the furniture's ecosystem.

You can also use cane and rattan materials. These are plant fibres found in palms. Do not use cane furniture. Look for cinema furniture made from cane and oak. The old cane panels have an amber colour that is much nicer than modern plastic fibre cane.

2. The "Futuristic" Materials (The New)

When we talk about materials, there are two categories: metal alloys and plastics. Let's start with metals. One of the materials for building furniture is liquidmetal, or an amorphous metal alloy. This metal is stronger than titanium. Can be moulded into complex shapes. It is perfect for furniture because it can be made thin and still be strong. A thin liquidmetal leg can hold an old plank top easily, and it creates a striking contrast between old and new.

You can also use resin materials like glass. Dichroic glass is a type of colored glass that changes colour depending on how you look at it. It is very versatile. You can use it to add colour to your furniture. It is also very durable. When you combine it with materials like marble, it creates a striking colour contrast that can last for years. You can take a cracked table and fill the cracks with dichroic glass, making the inside of the broken surface sparkle like gold.

Eco-Veneer is a way to make old wood look new. We can use a printer to make a veneer that has really cool shapes that you cannot make by hand. It would be nice to have a herringbone pattern that swirls into the grain of the old wood.

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## Part II: The Joinery (The Intersection)

When we put new materials together, it is very important to do it in a way that looks good. A simple joint is not interesting. Here are three ways to join the materials that're special for this project:

1. The "Floating Tenon"

We do not want to attach a new steel base to an old wooden top. That would be boring. Instead, we can make the steel base go up into the wood in a series of pins. This makes a 5mm gap between the wood and the steel. The wood just sits on the steel base, held in place by its weight and the pressure from the sides. It never actually touches the metal, so the wood can expand and contract without hurting the frame.

2. The "Inverted Dovetail"

Most of the time, dovetail joints are hidden. For this project, we want to show them off. We can take an old drawer front from the century and attach a new drawer box made of aluminium to it. We use wooden dovetails, but we leave the wood pins visible and polished. This looks really cool next to the cold aluminium rails. The joint is like a handshake between the old and the new.

3. Cradling

We do not want to just hang a delicate old mirror frame on the wall. That would not be safe. Instead, we can make a frame out of blackened steel that fits around the old frame like a cradle. The new frame only touches the bottom and sides of the frame like an exoskeleton. We can also add some lights to the frame that shine on the old frame and make it look really cool.

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## Part III: The "Fifth Dimension" – Functionality and Ergonomics

Old furniture is not comfortable. It was made for people who wore corsets. New furniture is all about being comfortable. For this project, we want to use the furniture to make people feel something, and the new furniture to make people feel comfortable.

Case Study: The Hybrid Lounge Chair

- The Frame (Old): We can take the armrests from an old Art Deco club chair and keep them. We will remove the old upholstery and replace it with a new modern shell.

- The Seat (New): We do not want to use the uncomfortable seat. Instead, we can make a seat out of carbon fibre that is moulded to fit the human body. Eco-Veneer and the new seat will make the old chair look and feel like new. The old chair and the new materials will work together to make something special.

Eco-Veneer is a way to make old wood look new. We can use a printer to make a veneer that has really cool shapes that you cannot make by hand. It would be nice to have a herringbone pattern that swirls into the grain of the old wood.

---

## Part II: The Joinery (The Intersection)

When we put new materials together, it is very important to do it in a way that looks good. A simple joint is not interesting. Here are three ways to join the materials that're special for this project:

1. The "Floating Tenon"

We do not want to attach a new steel base to an old wooden top. That would be boring. Instead, we can make the steel base go up into the wood in a series of pins. This makes a 5mm gap between the wood and the steel. The wood just sits on the steel base, held in place by its weight and the pressure from the sides. It never actually touches the metal, so the wood can expand and contract without hurting the frame.

2. The "Inverted Dovetail"

Most of the time, dovetail joints are hidden. For this project, we want to show them off. We can take an old drawer front from the century and attach a new drawer box made of aluminium to it. We use wooden dovetails, but we leave the wood pins visible and polished. This looks really cool next to the cold aluminium rails. The joint is like a handshake between the old and the new.

3. Cradling

We do not want to just hang a delicate old mirror frame on the wall. That would not be safe. Instead, we can make a frame out of blackened steel that fits around the old frame like a cradle. The new frame only touches the bottom and sides of the frame like an exoskeleton. We can also add some lights to the frame that shine on the old frame and make it look really cool.

## Part III: The "Fifth Dimension" – Functionality and Ergonomics

Old furniture is not comfortable. It was made for people who wore corsets. New furniture is all about being comfortable. For this project, we want to use the furniture to make people feel something, and the new furniture to make people feel comfortable.

Case Study: The Hybrid Lounge Chair

- The Frame (Old): We can take the armrests from an old Art Deco club chair and keep them. We will remove the old upholstery and replace it with a new modern shell.

- The Seat (New): We do not want to use the uncomfortable seat. Instead, we can make a seat out of carbon fibre that is moulded to fit the human body. Eco-Veneer and the new seat will make the old chair look and feel like new. The old chair and the new materials will work together to make something special.

The Upholstery: The upholstery needs to be something special. I think the carbon fibre should be wrapped in memory foam and then covered with suzani embroidery or hand-loomed wool.

This is what makes it feel so good. When you sit on it, you feel like you are sinking into a chair that is good for your back, but at the same time you feel like old fabric. It is a feeling, but it is really nice. You feel like you are in the present. You can also feel the past.

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## Part IV: The Finishing Philosophy (The Patina Paradox)

Most designers do not think about this part.

If you use a finish on old wood, it does not look good. If you do not finish new steel, it will get ugly stains.

The Rule of "Differential Ageing" is to use a finish on the old wood.

This finish is called shellac. It is very old. Was used in Egypt a long time ago. It lets you see the wood grain, which's really nice.

For the metal, you should use a special kind of paint that is flat and black.

This paint is used in the aeroplane industry. It makes the metal look really cool.

When you put the wood and the new metal together, it looks like the new metal is in the background and the old wood is in the front. It is like a trick. The new metal is a frame, and the old wood is the picture.

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## Part V: The Unique "X Factor”. Asymmetrical Balance

To make it all work, do not make it symmetrical.

A long time ago, people liked symmetrical things, like nightstands. Now people like more random things, like in video games.

The console table has two legs.

One leg is a piece of oak that was carved by hand. It is really rough. Was taken from an old church.

The other leg is a piece of polished rose-gold aluminium. It is really tall and skinny.

The tabletop is a piece of smoked eucalyptus. It is sitting on top of the two legs.