Design/Fabric Question (Advise Pls)

[octothorpe]

Yeah, so I am going to make a fresh start and move, probably to Brooklyn (or some borough of NYC), *possibly* into the Oro, or something equally f@bulous by the end of the year.

For the last 6 years or so, I've not actually been sleeping in my bed, but rather Bill's brick-like object he calls a bed. I am looking forward to re-uniting with my mattress, although the actual bed won't go with the style of what I want the interior design to be. It's this rather lovely un-MoCo 4-post bed, with ball-and-claw feet, and *very* high (good for many reasons).

So this means I need a new bed. I've got an idea for a headboard, but I don't know if it will be possible. I want it to be a "statement". I want to play a bit with scale (make the headboard very high indeed!), but here's the catch. I want it to have a tight, minimal appearance, and I want it wrapped in leather. There is a problem with this, seams. Cows simply aren't that large, and I would like to avoid stitching everywhere but the edges. This brings me to ask:

What's the state of faux leather? Is it good enough to fool people, even when viewed close-up? I imagine it can come in some pretty wide rolls allowing for a good height before requiring a seam. Will the smell (from either real or faux) be just too much, and wind up poisoning me in my sleep?

Comments

[gryphons-hole.livejournal.com]

I am not so sure about pleathers these days. The quality may be expanding, but the smell is always there to me.

Micro fibers are coming a long way. That would give a suede look instead of finished leather. Not sure if that would work for what you have in mind, but it would offer broader options.

[kitchenbeard.livejournal.com]

I'd head down to Purl and ask what your options are. They may not have EXACTLY what you need, but I've laways heard good things about them and am willing to bet that they will be able to assist you in getting exactly what you want.

http://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/fabric

[fj.livejournal.com]

It's this rather lovely un-MoCo 4-post bed, with ball-and-claw feet, and *very* high (good for many reasons).

You sure you couldn't make it work as a contrast? I think I actually managed MoCo Gothic myself here.

Otherwise, the fake leathers I have seen just don't hold up smell- and touch-wise.

[notdefined.livejournal.com]

Umm, make sure whatever your headboard is constructed of or covered with is washable. I don't think any sort of fabric would take kindly to being shot at.

[gryphons-hole.livejournal.com]

HAHA!

[gryphon773.livejournal.com]

Shot on, not at :P

[notdefined.livejournal.com]

(clamps hands over mouth)

[gryphon773.livejournal.com]

I have a hard enough time getting...err...deposits off my metal bed. Fabric or leather would be a nightmare.

[notdefined.livejournal.com]

(clamps hands over mouth even tighter)

[furr-a-bruin.livejournal.com]

Perhaps the problem could be averted entirely by an OPEN mouth....

[EVIL GRIN]

[notdefined.livejournal.com]

Uhhhh, no. :)

[uncle-dan-nyc.livejournal.com]

I used to use this guy for fabic work when I worked in the scenic industry:
Brent Porters Fabrications & Interiors LLC
260 W 35th St
New York, NY 10001
(212) 594-5323

He was at times slower than the schedule would have liked, but that was due to tight schedules and the fact that he usually has a lot of work.

Brent is a very peronable man, and might be able to answer many of your questions.

Personal experience with sleeping with the aroma of leather? When I got my new Wesco's, I left them out of the box. My bedroom, which does have a HEPA filter on at all times, had a welcome smell of leather with no ill effects I can speak of on my person.

[ptownnyc.livejournal.com]

Well, if you become a Brooklyn boy like me we'll have to get together and do tea :)

Sadly, I have no idea about faux leather. We have a partially leather headboard, and I will warn you that it marks and scratches quite easily.

[beg1n.livejournal.com]

Whether leather or pleather, get some of these for your bedside:



I'd hate to see some nice furniture get stained from heavy shooters! :)

[danbearnyc.livejournal.com]

Faux leather? Faux Pas!

You've been in Connecticut too long.

[badgerpdx.livejournal.com]

Faux has drastically improved... You could add side trim..poles or posts (for tying things too) wrapped in leather if you really want and or need the smell... Oh wait, you have your own wearable leather goods for that...never mind.

Yes, I found some really nice faux exterior leather (for boat upholstery) at Jo-anns. If I found decent stuff there, a really good furnishings store in NY should have some kick ass stuff.

fabulous places for pleather cows

[badgerpdx.livejournal.com]

as far as fabulous places go, I recommend Portland, OR. VERY. HIGHLY.

Re: fabulous places for pleather cows

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

I need to be in NYC.

I actually thought about PDX, as I love it... but I have a well paying job here, and they love me.

Re: fabulous places for pleather cows

[badgerpdx.livejournal.com]

I imagine that we'd love you here, too. Who wouldn't?

[thornyc.livejournal.com]

make a fresh start and move

You, or you and yours?

And I was surprised that your recent druthers list didn't include "garage." What's going to happen with your Acura?

As for cows vs. naugas, I've experienced cheap kinds of both that were too redolent of the chemicals used to finish them, and nothing you'd care to be breathing in all night. And there are excellent, well-processed versions of both that would work well, so let other factors, such as cost and the amount of maintenance you're willing to do prevail.

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

Just me. It's time to move on. Bill and I haven't had "the talk" yet, but we both know it's looming, and it's kinda sad. What I don't want to do is have the big talk, then hang around for months/weeks until I move out.

[annoyinghandle.livejournal.com]

The answer to the question on Pete's lips, and mine as well!

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's sad, and *quite* difficult, as I care for him a great deal. However, I've basically stunted my growth by sticking around this long, and it's time to change that.

[rogueboi.livejournal.com]

Blah blah seam blah blah blah. Find a community whipmaker, and commission them to braid your bed into the leather. It all washes with saddle soap, and would keep some houseboy very happy and busy.

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

Ha!!

Now that's an idea!

Dammit, my SMS to you didn't send until just now.... (i sent it this morning)

[notdefined.livejournal.com]

If you have the exact, or pretty close, estimate of the size of this thing, go to a leather shop or if you know one, and interior design or fabric center. It may be that there are ways to give the appearance of a seamless covering on your headboard with what is available. There may also be other leathers, other than cow's hide, that may work as well.

[hwynym.livejournal.com]

I was gonna jokingly suggest whale foreskin, for size - but when I googled it, I got these...made with pigskin...and whale foreskin...

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

Hot!

[hennys64.livejournal.com]

Stay natural, faux is just trop, indeed. Why not make the seams a feature, with contrast stitching?

I recently also saw leather floor tiles somewhere, you could use those on a wooden backboard. They definitely should be cleanable, in case...

Or take leather strips and weave the headboard.

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

A friend of mine has a leather floor. It's *brilliant*. The stitching is "featured", and is also leather. The pieces are of random shapes, giving it a *very* cool look. Oddly, they do allow normal shoe traffic on it. I suspect it would last 7-10 years before patches would need replacing.

[progbear.livejournal.com]

I would definitely do a bit of research to find out what the faux-leather is actually made out of before constructing a headboard out of it. Some of it may contain chemicals that you really don’t want anywhere near your head! (Hell, some bedding materials contain stuff you really don’t want anywhere near your body! Ever see what goes into “flame resistant” fabric? Yikes!)

Reminds me of the Naugahyde™ sofa my dad got from J. C. Penney during my high school years. Not only did it consist of three uncomfortable deck-lounge style pads strapped to the backing that would constantly slip off the sofa frame, they also promptly cracked in a hundred different places, showing the stuffing through and quickly becoming unsightly.

I’d say you’re better off with real leather. Yes it’s more expensive and yes the odour is strong, but at least you know it smells like cow and not a chemical factory.

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

Exactly!

Although tanned leather (the kind you wear, etc) is *full* of horrible chemicals (that smell of your black leather jacket? yeah, that's the tanning and dying process). I do want to find out the implications of something such as that.

Of course, I could always go 50's diner red tuck-and-roll. That'd be lots of fun, and well padded ;-)

[furr-a-bruin.livejournal.com]

I can see how well padded would be distinctly beneficial... but given the earlier remarks about cleaning, all those tucks and folds would be a nightmare...!

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

Some of the faux leather is very good indeed and certainly a lot easier to clean:) You might consider covering the wood headboard with padding and then the faux leather and mounting it on the wall as a sort of informal piece of artwork.

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

Well, it just wouldn't work with the existing bed... the shapes are wrong.

It is however, an excuse to get a bit creative, and make something really cool, even if the first idea isn't possible.