
I am going to try to post several listings to make up for lost time so be sure to check back.
New York City Handyman & Furniture Assembly Dwelling Tips & Talk is a blog that we use to share our experience, knowledge, design ideas, as well as our ratings of flat pack furniture from Ikea, CB2,crate & Barrel,Pottery Barn,Elfa,Sauder, and many more. We also provide unique and helpful handyman tips for the new york city dweller.
Flat-pack furniture, much like downloadable designs, owes much of its TreeHugger appeal from having the ability to create something three-dimensional from a flat (or nearly flat) material; this makes it easy to ship, easy to assemble and generally space efficient. Here are some of our favorite flat-packable pieces of furniture.
1) Unto This Last is a London-based company that makes flat-sing furniture to order, using the latest 3d modelling software and a big CNC machine at the back of the shop. Instead of shipping and storing furniture, they have a load of sustainably harvested Latvian and Finnish plywood. When an order is placed it is manufactured to order, negating the need for a big warehouse, extra transportation or excessive packaging. | |
| 2) DES Furniture takes a single sheet of FSC certified Europly, mixes "conceptual sensitivity with technical expertise", plays a CNC machine like a violin and creates furniture like this book-case without any waste at all. It needs no fasteners or glue and could be shipped in a (really big) envelope. |
| 3) raw studio makes these groovy garden chairs made from one sheet of sustainable plywood. They're made in Kent, by a local UK manufacturer, and the creator is an engineer-turned-art-student, who has also built a "coffee" table made out of (you guessed it) recycled coffee grounds. The remaining two picks are after the jump... |
4) Keijidesign has created a "heavy metal" flat-pack chair that's created from a single sheet of perforated (and bent) steel. Say the designers, "At first, we were surprised at how easily a sheet of steel could be bent along a perforated line…just like Origami, the traditional Japanese paper craft." | |
5) The students at the Ryerson School of Interior Design started with a 4' x 4' sheet of plywood, and created some really well thought-out, well-designed tables; they're all sort of a backwards flat-pack -- just take them apart, and you're left with a square of plywood less than four feet square...all they need now is a manufacturer. |
The bathroom signifies personal independence more than any other room in the home. Because of this problem designers and manufacturers are constantly working on innovative products to preserve safety and independence for the disabled and elderly. Since moisture is a factor in the bathroom promoting safety from falls on slippery surfaces is of first priority for all members of the family not just the handicapped.
Installing grab bars near tubs and showers is a quick and easy first step. Apply non-slip adhesive strips or decals to the bottom of tubs and showers. If the existing floor is tile or ceramic with a slick slippery surface you can brush a slip-resistant glaze on it for safety.
Purchase ready-to-use shower and tub seats to make bathing safer and easier for the elderly and the disabled. You can also replace your shower head with an adjustable shower head mounted on a vertical slide bar. Often these come with a hand held option. These changes in the shower will make it more handicap accessible for seated bathers.
Keep the area under the sink open so wheelchair users can move up to the counter and have the sink accessible to them. When mounting mirrors over the sink, tilt them at an angle so seated users can see themselves easily.
Install a vent fan with a heating lamp to reduce moisture and help reduce slippery areas. Oftentimes the elderly are bothered by cold. Installing this heating lamp will warm the bathroom and provide a more comfortable environment for them.
The handicapped accessible home bathroom can vary greatly depending on the severity of the disability. Here are two examples of a handicapped bathroom. The one on the left is decorative but still very use-able for a handicapped person.
The one on the right is more functional and utilitarian, but often this degree of accessibility is needed to be of use to a person with disabilities. The ease of cleaning is also often a condition that also needs to be considered.