Monday, March 15, 2010

The Lego Project


Ahhhh the Lego project. It has been talked about for months, but never seen. You know, it occurs to me that this lego project actually has a lot in common with the mythical sasquatch Bigfoot. Both are shrouded in mystery...and both appear blurry in all known photos. (clear shots below).

With all this build up, I can't help but to think that this will end up being a bit of a let down for some readers. After several months I'd be expecting no less than a 1/2 scale model of Mount Rushmore or the Statue of Liberty. But no...all you get is this lowly bench/coffee table. 


It all started about six ago when I became obsessed with the George Nelson Platform Bench by Herman Miller.




I just had to build one. I don't know why, but I did. Like a pregnant teenager on her tenth month, or a gentleman with irritable bowel syndrome after a 12 course Mexican dinner; this thing was in me...and it was coming out!

So what's a fellow with no discernible woodworking skills and no tools to do? Turn to Legos of course.




Actually, first I turned to my good friend Terry. He was able to help me out by granting me access to his childhood stash. After I had become familiar withe the little plastic rascals, it was time to start designing. 

Using sketchup I would eventually settle on a design. A few re-designs later, reality set in; this project was NOT going to be cheap. You see…when you buy legos individually, they are about a 10 to 26 cents per brick…and this bench is just a few bricks shy of a small fortune.

Still, I wouldn’t take it back. It’s cheaper than the real thing (though admittedly, a lot less useful)…but who cares. It goes in the boring room that nobody sits in anyway. It’s an art piece…it will make an impression (weather good or bad) on all who see it. It’s a conversation piece…and it’s an idea that has come to reality. If that’s not worth a couple hundred bucks, then I don’t know what is.

-Chris



All pictures taken by Chris and Rosemary of Ro Ro Ro Your Blog
(except for the one obviously stock photo of the real bench)

Thanks again...the checks in the mail.

34 comments:

  1. That's awesome. I love legos. I think you have possibly the coolest coffee table ever.

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  2. That is amazing!! I think it was definitely worth the time and money.

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  3. It's great! Can you sit on it, or will it crush? :)

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  4. Kate: Thank you. I never really had any as a kid for some reason...but I've learned to love them in my young adult age.

    Jamie Lee: Thanks, and I agree...but my Dad on the other hand. Maybe he'll think it was worth it when he sees the end product. In the planing stages he thought it might be a like foolish.

    Courtney: I would be willing to bet that a human could sit on it. In fact, if anybody is interested, how does $100 sound? One condition though; the human must be less than 1 week old.

    Anyway, in reality...I'm pretty sure it would snap in half if a person were to sit on it. The design really screams out "don't sit on me" and placing objects on it will certainly reinforce that warning...but, I'm sure at some point (maybe in 10 days, 10 months or 10 years) somebody is going to sit on it and it's going down hard.

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  5. Really fantastic! Imagination realized in actuality...gotta love it.

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  6. Super Awesome.

    Can you douse it in clear glue and use some poly to make it even more sturdy?

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  7. A let down? No way! This is so cool! Very original and it looks great. You guys are so creative!

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  8. Meh.

    hahahaha! Just kidding! It looks ah-mazing! Is the top white or tan?

    I can see it now: someone will come in and go "Oh, what a cool table! Can I sit on it?" And they'll proceed to sit on it without waiting for the answer, and it will crumble to pieces.
    Maybe, to be safe, you should create one of those signs that grandparents have next to the art in their homes that reads "Children- do NOT touch!"

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  9. In the words of the Nappy Roots, "Awnaw, hell naw, boy, y'all done up and done it!"

    Ah-maz-ing! I bet that took FOREVER, but it was so worth it! Your house just keeps getting cooler and cooler! Are your house guests always amazed by all of the incredible details?

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  10. So impressive! Excellent work--perhaps a lego kitty house is up next? ;)

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  11. Whaaaaaat?! This is crazy... in an amazing way!

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  12. Thanks again everybody.

    Kim at yellow brick home:
    The whole thing is actually glued together using clear PVC glue. But, we had to do it brick by brick. You can kind of get it together w/out using glue, but if you look at it funny, it'll come apart.

    J-Maj:
    The top is White...and we wanted the bottom to be gray, but they don't make gray bricks in that size, so we had to go with black.

    And if next time you and Dan come over, somebody breaks it, it will have been premeditated. that's MURDER my friend.

    Rosemary:
    Yeah, tell Chris to buy the Legos and I'll help him build a Greek Revival for Gabby! (that's her favorite style right?)

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  13. WHOA that's amazing!! I can't believe you built that out of legos. How fun!!

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  14. WHOA! That is crazy. Don't have any parties where your one zany, rambunctious friend can come in there and demolish it in one swoop.

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  15. Let's get one thing straight.

    Gabby is NOT a fan of Greek Revival. She IS a fan of Queen Anne Victorian.

    As MOST tabbys are.

    BTW the pictures look great!

    ...Oh the legos are cool too.

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  16. Chris...sorry, for the mess-up there, with the whole Greek Revival thing. I always get confused between Tabbies and Maine Coons when it comes to Architectural preferences.

    As for the pictures...yeah, they do look really great. But, it's just like with Ansel Adams. Again, great pictures; but at the end of the day, who should the bulk of the credit really go to... Ansel Adams or God?

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  17. Strange...like the chicken and the egg, however you're missing one minor detail...

    Ansel Adams = God.

    Boom.

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  18. Wow. This looks fantastic! It came out much better than I imagined. And trust me i had my standards extremely high-I mean come on its you and d-lo... I expect mind blowing things.

    :) The pictures really are fantastic as well.

    I will make sure to keep Kevin away from this table. He is such a little kid that he will most definitely try to sit on it.

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  19. wow i dont even know what to say! this is really awesome. keep up the good lego work!

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  20. Wow! Awesome!!! Super cool and old school-great job!

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  21. How fantastic!
    By the looks of the traffic that you're getting here you may have a few potential buyers... or custom requests!

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  22. I love it - not to long ago I saw in tv someone building a whole house in humansize to live in for a only day though...

    Lego is coming back big time - also into the livingrooms....

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  23. OMG that is so freaking awesome! I really was curious about this lego project, and I must say you totally exceeded my expectations! LOVE it!

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  24. great work, do you mind if i link to it from our wesite, CHAIRFAG.COM

    Zach

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  25. ummmm couldn't you just buy a box og legos in one colour online i've seen them on the lego site
    you wouldnt have to buy them individually

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  26. Um, this is awesome!! Not a let-down at all. You're right, it is a total conversation piece. You guys are so freakin' creative!

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  27. Hi Chris, I work for Herman Miller in Zeeland, MI. and handle questions regarding our Classic product, such as the Nelson Bench. Your art work is a real "classic", nice job!
    Bob McAndrews

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  28. as a fan of both lego's and mid-century furniture, this post is absolutely AMAZING! kudos!

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  29. It looks fantastic! Can't believe you did it! I love lego ;)

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  30. Omigosh! Just stumbled upon your lego table!! ( I really should explore your blog more often, so many gorgeous stuff!! ) I love lego!! GREAT IDEA on making it a coffee table!! ;)

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