February 4, 2008
Show Your D.C. Pride ... With a Coffee Table
Via Apartment Therapy (hat tip to reader Sara B. for the link), we couldn't help thinking this was pretty rad: local furniture designer Justin Couch (could that possibly be his real name?) is selling custom coffee tables shaped like the District of Columbia. Available in black and white formica as well as the walnut ply finish pictured above, this could be just the accessory those of you who've worn out your three stars/two bars T-shirts need to complete an entirely pro-D.C. aesthetic. Although, the "District Table" runs $600 plus any shipping costs, so you'll have to be a little more financially solvent than most of us layabout bloggers to afford this sort of Washington-focused extravagance. Maybe one of you wealthy readers would like to donate one to DCist headquarters? If we shouldn't have one, we don't know who should!
For more information, you can contact justincouch(at)hotmail.com, or call 404-202-7183.
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I so want one.
$600 though?
love apartment therapy, and thats a great table, but come on. 600 bones? ripppppppp. wouldn't dcist rather have a ps3 or lots of beer?
Maybe for an extra buck or two, he could personalize it to the buyer by adding a little inlay, to the effect of YOU ARE HERE. Just a small star or something.
just an idea?
goat boy, we won't turn away any gifts you'd like to send our way.
but will it blend?
Ah yes, people raised with IKEA budgets suddenly discover that when things are mass produced by low wage foreign workers they are expensive! Crazy huh?
Justin Couch is a resident artist at the Honfleur Gallery in Anacostia, and has several other really great pieces on display there this month -- www.honfleurgallery.com
I have a square table that looks remarkably like DC between 1790 and 1847.
Pretty cool. But $600 is a lotta clams.
I like it but for 6 hundo I wanna see him do Nunavut, Canada
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Nunavut-map.png
hi-5 to DC1974.
No one takes into consideration the materials, overhead (studio space rent/utilities) and least of all labor it takes to create items.
crappyhouse - you win comment of the day in my book, hands down.
sommer - there are a lot of us out there who are willing to accept gifts today, i'd wager! i know what i'm putting on my christmas wishlist right now though... :)
if there were only a handful of these tables made, then price is justified. but if lots and lots, then price should be lower OR quality of materials greater than crappy formica, eww. sorry to bust on the art, i do appreciate the table, and if it would fit my decor, i'd get one. walnut ply, of course.
perhaps justin couch, whose name would better be justsofa (because 'sofa' is a better word) or dustin couch (great initials), should increase production AND exposure and quality of materials, thus could sell more, and provide a better bang for the buck. one venue to try is upscale dailycandy.com. market beyond dc. i believe that ex-dcists around the world would love such a memorial to their district tryst.
seems like 74 and tiger fight poured a lot of smug on their condescension flakes this moring. i'm pretty sure everyone around here "gets it." it's just that nobody wants to pay that much for a fucking coffee table.
Couldn't have said it better myself, Goat boy. It seems like a lot of people in DC like that particular cereal brand, no?
This actually looks like a pretty easy DIY. With a jigsaw, large DC map and a little wood working experience you can probably do this in an afternoon. Sure might not be studio quality, but it would be cheaper and mean more to you.
maybe justin could give you one for the publicity.
if you want a local source...homebody on 8th st se has been carrying his stuff, including the table, for a while now.
if you want a local source...homebody on 8th st se has been carrying his stuff, including the table, for a while now.
Tiger:
The labor involved would be minimal for anyone with actual carpentry skills. It's just a plywood template, and the pieces are probably not put together with high quality wood joinery.
Perhaps we're paying for artistic angst.
If this were real wood with higher construction standards it may be worth the price. But the materials are cheap and the labor should be fairly minimal, assuming basic carpentry skills.
it's just that nobody wants to pay that much for a fucking coffee table.
Whoa. Hold the phone, Mabel. It's a fucking coffee table? Has it been "broken in?" Is he even licensed to sell used erotica? How used is it? Does he clean it? How clean is it?
hello all,
this is justin couch (yes, it's my real name. i have all appropriate documentation to verify if needed). first of all, thanks to dcist for showing me off.
second, the price. yes, it is a lot of money for a coffee table. but, for one, the materials are not 'cheap'. the problem is as soon as people hear plywood, they think of what's behind their walls. this is high-quality walnut veneer ply. one of my goals as a designer is to take materials that are 'cheap' and do cool, high quality things with them. second, i make every one of these to order. not that they're all different, but it's not like i have a warehouse to store them all, so i make them one at a time. no real economies of scale here. and last, i'm not making these for every tom, dick, and sue out there. some people have deemed them worthy of the price (i have sold 5) and i appreciate them immensely.
one more thing. that's a retail price. most people don't think about it, but the maker of the thing doesn't get all the money. generally a maker gets half (if they're lucky).
anyway, i know i shouldn't dip my toes into the comment zones, so i hope i don't get torn to shreds.
justin - Would you consider making a more "ghetto fabulous" version of the table, maybe out of cheapo plexiglass or even a recycled aluminum door? Some of us would like to encourage small local businesses, but we still got student loans and bookies to pay.