Thursday, August 05, 2010

Shopping from the Past: Hairpin Legs


I know, I know, mid-century modern furniture. But c'mon, lots of it is way cool, and one of my favorite details is a nice set of hairpin legs.


I'm an amateur furniture maker, so I got pretty excited when I found www.hairpinlegs.com, the web shop for a machine shop in Columbus, Ohio.


Apparently they just crank out hairpin legs in several variations, ideal for that custom coffee table or side board that you're working on. I have a nice pair of book-matched walnut boards that I'm going to turn into a coffee table later this summer.

Once I started poking around the history of the hairpin leg, things got really interesting. They were designed by Henry Glass in 1942. The austere lines of the legs minimize the amount of material needed to make them - a boon to the war effort. Like a less-famous version of Fuller, Glass got involved in just about everything, designing cars, houses, radios, and furniture.



He was born in Vienna, fled the Nazis in 1938, and lived an active life in design until his death at 92. Well done, sir.


Hairpins on the A.C. homefront

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm typing on a keyboard resting on a desk resting on hairpin legs from www.hairpinlegs.com as we speak! They are a great value.

Foster Huntington said...

the blog is looking great

Anonymous said...

amazing to find other hairpin leg enthusiasts. Thanks for this!

Anonymous said...

we have found an even better source for our hairpin legs.

http://hairpinlegsforless.com

they sell for less, ship faster and look great!

we have used them a few times and are very pleased.

Anonymous said...

If you are located in Canada - check out http://hairpinlegs.ca
They have super fast turn around time and an amazing quality product! I have used them twice now for my DIY coffee table and a live edge slab hall table.