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How do I build a Design table? What does yours look like?

Re: How do I build a Design table?

Tony, I think the physical size of your design counters is pretty much determined by your space. How many customer are you likely to be working with at one time?
I have just moved into a new space and needed to redo mine. I'm only likely to be working with one customer at a time and my space is not huge. However my design counter is 42" wide x 72" long and 35" high. That height allows for 24" stools for customers.

I build the area out of 5/8" MDF and they were painted so cost was not that much. Countertops are high pressure laminate (Formica) There are pictures in the link toward bottom of thread of the inprocess and finished counter. http://www.ppfacorner.com/showthread.php/957-Relocating-Trials-and-Tribulations

Dave from FrameMakers in Powell, Ohio has just completed a beautiful design counter with concrete countertops.

EDIT: here is a direct link to Album
 
Re: How do I build a Design table?

Gregory/Kai/John,

Thanks for the info. You're right John, it all depends on the how much room and space is available. I really like what you've done in your new location it looks great!. Are you have a traveling cabinet builder? Just kidding.
 
Re: How do I build a Design table?

Tony,
When I built this design table in 1991, I wanted to use flat drawers as the base unit and a mirror above it, sloped at 45 degrees. Mine will not win any beautiful design awards, but it's very functional.

You might want to consider a mirror above your design table. One of the biggest advantages is that customers can see their art, with mat and moulding corners as if they were hanging on a wall. They can step back to get a much better view than looking downward from only a foot or two distance from their art.

Mirror.jpg

The mirror was supposed to have a frame around it, but that is yet to happen!

The mirror is glued to 18mm MDF with liquid nails. Two pieces of slotted angle iron is screwed to the back along most of it's length and steel wire with turnbuckles anchor it to the wall. The wires could have been disguised, but that also has not happened yet!
 
Re: How do I build a Design table?

Great idea Ormond. With this design you have to work with the customer side by side as oppsed to the customer being on the other side of the counter.

Whenever a customer comes behind my counter and starts taking samples off the wall themselves and picks out matboards from the rack, I loose control of the situation and they are becoming in charge. Thankfully this does not happen often.
 
Re: How do I build a Design table?

I don't mind if customers take some samples off the wall. Most do not!

If they want to take control and start trying absurd choices, I help them by pointing out how absurd the choices are, because they don't harmonise with the art! If they want to go with an absurd choice, they have to live with it, not me.

Had one yesterday. Sisters chose a grey mat that didn't harmonise well with the art, but due to the fact they are going to part with nearly $700 on this frame, they are entitled to choose what they like!
 
Re: How do I build a Design table?

When I first opened back in 2004, I added a sloped mirror to my design counter based on Ormond's idea. It worked great but I eventually added visualization from Wizard and the mirror came down. Customers really did respond well to the mirror. (By the way, my mirror was at the end of the counter, so customer was on one side and me on the other.)
 
Re: How do I build a Design table?

Tony, where are you planning on putting the design table? Or are you replacing the one you have?
 
Re: How do I build a Design table?

Tony, if this table is part of a remodel, you may need to consider ADA guidelines. The table should not be more than 36" tall. We are designing one now for a new shop addition and although our tables are 36", this is really too tall to be comfortable for anyone in a wheelchair, so we are creating a pull out shelf at 29.5" high. Most ADA guidelines require a 30" wide area as well.
My inspiration for the pull out shelf came from seeing the one that Rob Markoff has in San Diego. He has a talbe top on flat files. One drawer is a false drawer and pulls out to reveal a low shelf. Very nicely done.
 
Re: How do I build a Design table?

Hi Tony,

I just had a new Design Counter made for our move. It is 4'x8' and has shelving on the front side to use as display for small items and on the back side vertical slots on the back for item storage for pick ups, as well as an opening to put in flat files. It works great. I stole the idea from Mike Drury, he has all the cool stuff :smug: We did put a kick plate on the bottom, it did end up a little to taller than we planned so be sure to consider your height. We have mounted our visualization camera to the counter which is Great. If you check on our FB page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/B-J-Gallery/47621751558?ref=hl) you can see the counter in the photos.

Good Luck
Robin
 
Re: How do I build a Design table?

That looks good Robin. The photoframes within reach of customers while they are waiting for you to work out the price. Good for impulsive buyers. Is the table long enough for large pieces of work?
I see you mounted your samples on the wall on triangular columns with brackets on the wall.
 
Re: How do I build a Design table?

Thanks Kai. Yes the table should be large enough. I do not have a lot of large pieces but it is a total of 8 feet long, so far I have not had anything larger come in. I would just move items off the top to make more room.

I LOVE the moulding spinners. They hold a lot of samples in a small area. I would recommend them to anyone needing to display samples. Again Thanks goes to Mike Drury! He hooked me up with these.
 
Re: How do I build a Design table?

Robin Gentry said:
Robin, I am sometimes slow to look at all of the posts, and I'm glad I saw this.

Your new design counter looks great and looks very functional. Also, I saw some framed pieces (competition pieces?) on the wall. I wonder who did those?

Keep up the good work.
 
Re: How do I build a Design table?

Bumping this old thread, which had a lot of good ideas. Would anyone else care to share a pic of their design counter?

We are moving our shop in April, and doing the buildout now.

I never really cared for the front counter we have now, which is 39" high, 9 feet wide, 49" deep, has storage in the back (orders to be picked up) and moulding samples on the front. It started out with a carpeted top 15 years ago, but has since been changed out to a floor tile top. Don't mind the mess. The goal is to have NOTHING on the counter at the new location. Just a clean granite top. Computers will either be on a different cart, or we will change to tablets.

GTP-OLDCOUNTER.PNG


For the new design counter, the plan is to make it 36" high (standard counter height), 8 feet wide, and 48" deep. It will have an 8 foot wide piece of granite on top, with a 9 inch overhang where the customers will be able to sit. (similar to an eat in kitchen island). The granite will sit on 6 finished kitchen cabinets, which will open on the customer side as well as in the back for order storage. (the customer side cabinets won't have handles and are only 12 inches deep, while the ones on the other side will be deeper. The customer side will just look decorative, but has some functional storage hidden within.) There will also be 2 drawers on the employee side. The sides will be trimmed with the same door panels. All the materials have been ordered.

It will look something like this, from the front. The back has 2 large center doors, and 2 sets of drawers with smaller cabinets below (at the ends):

GTP-NEWCOUNTER.PNG


That's where we are so far.
 
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