New Accent Pieces Available this Summer

Don't leave your heart in San Francisco...
keep a piece of San Francisco in your heart! 

Now you can always keep a piece of San Francisco with you! Available in either a silver or gold heart-shaped locket with a matching 18" chain. Our pendant contains a small piece of the original Golden Gate Bridge, which comes from a section of the historic handrail material as we are crafting our larger furniture designs.



Desk or Table Top Accent Pieces

Also available this summer are our new accent pieces for your desk, table top, or bookshelf. Available in a variety of sizes, our small accent pieces can function as paperweights, bookends, or simple visual interest. Available with either an original patina finish or given a fresh coat of International Orange, each piece comes from a section of original Golden Gate Bridge handrail as we are crafting our larger furniture designs. 

Sizes vary, may contain mild weathering, number stamps, or letter stamps.

For more information:

info@goldengatefurniture.com
www.goldengatefurniture.com
www.facebook.com/goldengatefurniture
www.instagram.com/goldengatefurniture


Golden Gate Furniture Co.
1 Rankin Street, Studio 417
San Francisco, CA 94124
415.661.6263

Celebrating 20 Years and Reflecting Upon the Design that Started It All: The Headboard

 

 

Golden Gate Design & Furniture Company is celebrating its 20th Anniversary this spring.  What started as a personal desire for a headboard created from a piece of Golden Gate Bridge hand railing, has developed into a business and craft that has kept designer Rick Bulan busy over the last 20 years.

 

In early 1994, Bulan happened to catch a local television news segment featuring the 1993 replacement of some original pedestrian handrail on the Golden Gate Bridge.  “Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse on TV of this section of handrail being removed from the bridge,” Bulan reflected, thinking back upon the moment that the concept came to him.  “As a San Francisco native, I thought it would be cool to have a headboard made out of this handrail.” 

 

  

After tracking down the contractor who did the replacement, he bought himself a section of railing and created four headboards out of the material.  “I went to buy a section of railing, not realizing that each section was 12 feet long and weighed, literally, half a ton.  I arranged to have a truck pick up and deliver my piece of handrail, then spent several weeks with abrasive blades trying to cut the steel down to a manageable size so that it could function as a headboard.”  After seeing the interest in the headboard by other friends and family, Bulan went back to the contractor and negotiated to purchase the remaining sections of hand rail so as to start a business crafting furniture out of the historic steel.

 

After negotiating to purchase the available sections of handrail from the contractor, Bulan ran his first advertisement in the July / August 1994 issue of Metropolitan Home, launching the headboard design crafted from that first section of handrail purchased earlier in the year.
 

 

 

Reflecting on the circumstances of the initial advertisement that launched his business, Bulan “started by purchasing an ad in Metropolitan Home magazine.  It was a special advertising section that provided an image of the product with a couple paragraphs of backstory.  I had sent them my ad copy and an image of the headboard on a white background just before my wife and I left for a month long trip to visit her family in Kentucky.  However, while we were on the road, I received a message from the magazine that they wanted a photo of me to go with the story in the ad."

 

"They wanted it to look like I was leaning up against the headboard.  So, my wife and I are out in the middle of rural Kentucky, trying to take a snapshot of me on a white background, looking like I was leaning against an imaginary handrail of the Golden Gate Bridge.  As luck would have it, the local town’s beauty parlor was hosting a traveling portrait studio that week, and I was finally able to get a portrait done.  I think we used a broom as the prop for me to lean my elbow on, which the magazine then cut out and replaced with the image of the headboard that I had sent them.  Of course, by doing this, the proportions were off and it made for a bit of an awkward photograph,” Bulan laughingly recalls.

 

All of this was unknown territory to Bulan, but the gamble paid off.  Inquiries and orders started trickling in.  “My wife and I were creating our first product brochures by hand, making mini-scrapbook style booklets with pages we printed out on our printer at home and actual photographs affixed to them.  This was back in the day when you had to drop your film negative off at the local 1hour photo shop to have reprints done, and we were just using snapshots we took with our personal camera.  Eventually came the professional photographs done in a studio and professionally printed literature, but it’s amazing to look back over the years and see how the technology has changed, to become what it is now in the digital age.”

 

However, as he looks back over the last two decades, Bulan points out that the technology and techniques of creating the furniture has basically remained the same.  It is the tools and techniques used to run the actual business that have changed over the years.  "As we've moved into the digital age, it's the use of computers, cell phones, email, etc. that has changed the most, making communication and running a business so much easier to do.  But the way I built the furniture then is pretty much the same way I do it today."

 

Spring 2014 marks twenty years since that fateful day when Bulan saw the local news story.  He is still creating headboards, as well as various table and lamp designs, from the historic handrail that was removed from the Golden Gate Bridge in 1993.  All of the limited edition designs are hand-crafted locally in small batches by Bulan and the specialized artisans he works closely with at his studio workshop in San Francisco.  You can see all of Bulan’s current designs at his company’s website, GGBFurniture.com, and here at TheChrysopylae.com.  His Pacifica showroom and San Francisco workshop are available by appointment only.

 

Golden Gate Design& Furniture Company - 415.661.6263

Showroom: 446 Old County Road, Pacifica, CA 94044
Workshop: 1 Rankin Street, Studio #417, San Francisco CA 94124

info@ggbfurniture.com  -  www.ggbfurniture.com  -  www.facebook.com/ggbfurniture 

  

 

Mark Your Calendars: Spring Open Studios 2014

If you were not able to make it last fall, we will be participating in another Open Studios event at our Islais Creek workshop this Spring.  Mark your calendars now for Saturday, May 3, and Sunday, May 4, for the 2014 Hunters Point Shipyard Open Studios.  Be sure to follow us here at our blog, our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ggbfurniture), or on Twitter (www.twitter.com/ggbfurniture) for more event information as it becomes available.

Photos from Fall 2013 ArtSpan SF Open Studios

Thanks to everyone who stopped by last November to visit our workshop during the SF Open Studios event!

 

Workshop Studio at Islais Creek

 

Workshop Studio at Islais Creek

  

Vista Bench

 

Tea Table 

To learn more about these and our other designs, please visit our website www.ggbfurniture.com, or contact us at info@ggbfurniture.com.

Golden Gate Design & Furniture Co
446 Old County Road, Pacifica, CA 94044 - 415.661.6263

info@ggbfurniture.com  -  www.ggbfurniture.com  -  www.facebook.com/ggbfurniture

Happy New Year!

 

 

A New Design for a New Year: The Table Lamp

Originally previewed at DWELL On Design this past summer, the new Table Lamp design is now in production and available for purchase:

The new Table Lamp design incorporates a piece of historic hand rail cap as its shade and a cross section of the vertical rail picket as its base.  It uses an energy efficient 6.3 watt, 410 lumens LED with a 3,000K white color temperature that is equivalent to a 35 watt halogen bulb.

The Table Lamp has a limited edition production run of 195.  Each lamp is hand-crafted locally, numbered, and comes with a Letter of Authenticity.

To place an order for a Table Lamp, or any of our other designs, visit our online store or contact us directly via email or phone:

Online Store

 

info@ggbfurniture.com

415.661.6263

Wishing you all the best in 2014....

Golden Gate Design & Furniture Co
446 Old County Road, Pacifica, CA 94044 - 415.661.6263

info@ggbfurniture.com  -  www.ggbfurniture.com  -  www.facebook.com/ggbfurniture

 

Sneak Peek: DWELL On Design

New Designs for DWELL On Design in Los Angeles

DWELL On Design is right around the corner, and we're working on a few new and modified designs to have in our booth this year...





















As we continue to explore the use of wood with our historic steel pieces, we are offering modified versions of our Side Table and our Coffee Table designs with salvaged wood table tops.  Additionally, we will be introducing a new Table Lamp and a new Tea Table design.  The Table Lamp will be similar in size to our Task Lamp, but will incorporate a clearly recognizable piece of weathered handrail cap.  Our Tea Table will be similar in size to the retired Accent Table design, but like our Side Table design, it will incorporate the handrail channel beam that runs along the base of the historic pedestrian handrail.

The DWELL On Design exhibition will be taking place June 21 -23 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.  If you are in the Los Angeles area, we invite you to come by our booth and see the new pieces we will be launching this summer. 

Booth #1223

Golden Gate Design & Furniture Co
446 Old County Road, Pacifica, CA 94044 - 415.661.6263

info@ggbfurniture.com  -  www.ggbfurniture.com  -  www.facebook.com/ggbfurniture
 

2013 ADEX Awards Press Release

Golden Gate Design & Furniture Co. Receives Two ADEX Awards

The company that crafts unique artisan furniture from original steel removed from San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge was awarded two 2013 ADEX Awards (Awards for Design Excellence) for its Side Table and Task Lamp designs.

Pacifica, CA (May 15, 2013) – Golden Gate Design & Furniture Company (GGDFC) has received two 2013 ADEX Awards (Awards for Design Excellence) for its Side Table design and its Task Lamp design. 

The ADEX Awards, sponsored by Design Journal magazine, is one of the largest and most prestigious awards programs in the architectural and design industry.  For the 2013 awards, a record 2,828 entries were received from over 500 different companies.

"We are honored to have been recognized by the Awards for Design Excellence,” stated Richard Bulan, founder of GGDFC.  “We are excited to hear that we have been awarded with the Gold ADEX Award for our Side Table design and the Silver ADEX award for our Task Lamp design.  We appreciate this acknowledgement of our efforts to repurpose a piece of history into something that combines art and function, crafted by hand with integrity and heart."

The Side Table design, which received a Gold Award, is a round, compact, three-legged table, crafted from historic pedestrian Golden Gate Bridge handrail.  The design is balanced in a way that allows you to flip the base over for a slightly different look when desired. 

The Task Lamp design, which received a Silver Award, is inspired by the street lamps of the Golden Gate Bridge.  In order to utilize every piece of the historic handrail material, Richard Bulan created the Task Lamp design to use the small pieces that were left over after crafting his larger designs.  The light fixture itself is an energy efficient 6.3 watt, 410 lumens LED with a 3,000K white color temperature that is equivalent to a 35 watt halogen bulb.

GGDFC is the brainchild of San Francisco area resident, Richard Bulan.  The company creates limited edition artisan furniture from original steel that was placed on the Golden Gate Bridge during its construction in the 1930’s.  Richard crafts his designs from sections of pedestrian handrail that were removed during the Bridge’s handrail replacement in 1993.  He acquired the handrail in 1994 and has since created and put into limited production his signature headboard design along with various table and lamp designs. 

For additional information on the company, feel free to visit the GGDFC website at www.ggbfurniture.com.  For more information on the 2013 ADEX Awards, visit www.adexawards.com.

#   #   #

Golden Gate Design & Furniture Co
446 Old County Road, Pacifica, CA 94044 - 415.661.6263

 

info@ggbfurniture.com  -  www.ggbfurniture.com  -  www.facebook.com/ggbfurniture

DWELL On Design 2013 Press Release

Golden Gate Design & Furniture Co. to Debut New Coffee Table Design at 2013 Dwell On Design Show in Los Angeles

The company that crafts unique artisan furniture from original steel removed from San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge will debut a modified Coffee Table design at the Dwell On Design Show in Los Angeles this June.

Pacifica, CA (May 15, 2013) – Golden Gate Design & Furniture Company (GGDFC) is preparing to exhibit their product line of limited edition furniture crafted from original steel off the Golden Gate Bridge at the upcoming Dwell On Design show in Los Angeles.  GGDFC, who will be exhibiting their unique hand-crafted designs in Booth 1223, plans to debut a modified version of the Coffee Table design that incorporates an inset Claro Walnut table top.

The modified Coffee Table design incorporates an inset piece of locally salvaged Claro Walnut as its table top, as opposed to the glass table top normally used in the design.  The particular piece of wood used for this design displays a beautiful graft line where an English Walnut tree was grafted onto a native California Walnut root stock, as was commonly done with orchards in the area.  The native Walnut tree fared better in the California climate, but the English Walnut had a higher nut yield and a thinner shell, so it would be grafted onto the native tree, thus extending its life.  The resulting wood near the graft line, with its beautiful, variegated marble-like swirls was what was then originally referred to as Claro Walnut.

GGDFC is the brainchild of San Francisco area resident, Richard Bulan.  The company creates limited edition artisan furniture from original steel that was placed on the Golden Gate Bridge during its construction in the 1930’s.  Richard crafts his designs from sections of pedestrian handrail that were removed during the Bridge’s handrail replacement in 1993.  He acquired the handrail in 1994 and has since created and put into limited production his signature headboard design along with various table and lamp designs. 

 

Dwell on Design, the largest design show on the West Coast, will be taking place from Friday, June 21 to Sunday, June 23 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.  GGDFC invites you to visit them at the Dwell on Design exhibition in Booth 1223.  The show is open Friday June 21 from 10am to 7pm, Saturday, June 22, 10am to 6pm, and Sunday June 23, 10am to 4pm.   For additional information on the company, feel free to visit the GGBFC website at www.ggbfurniture.com.  For more information on the Dwell on Design exhibition, visit www.dwellondesign.com.

#   #   #

Golden Gate Design & Furniture Co
446 Old County Road, Pacifica, CA 94044 - 415.661.6263

info@ggbfurniture.com  -  www.ggbfurniture.com  -  www.facebook.com/ggbfurniture

 

 

New Project for a New Year...

King Headboard with a Platform Bed Base

Happy New Year!  We’re starting off 2013 with a new project… a custom hand-crafted wood 
platform bed base that attaches to our King Headboard.  Here is a sneak peek at the project
from our workshop:

The King Headboard mounted to the platform bed base.

A wider view of the King Headboard mounted to the
platform bed base.

Detail view from top where the leg of the King
Headboard fits into the platform bed base.

Detail view from the bottom where
the leg of the King Headboard fits
into the platform bed base.

Best wishes to you in the New Year!

Golden Gate Bridge Furniture Co.

446 Old County Road, Pacifica, CA 94044 - 415.661.6263

info@ggbfurniture.com - www.ggbfurniture.com - www.facebook.com/ggbfurniture

Unique Holiday Gift for The Someone Who Has Everything

 

Are you looking for a distinctive Holiday gift?  Consider our Task Lamp for something uniquely San Francisco:

 

 

 

We have a limited supply in stock for the holidays, so contact us today before they’re all gone!

Golden Gate Bridge Furniture Co.

446 Old County Road, Pacifica, CA 94044 - 415.661.6263

info@ggbfurniture.com - www.ggbfurniture.com - www.facebook.com/ggbfurniture

DIFFA Dining By Design

On November 14^th and 15^th, we were proud to be a part of a collaboration with MTP Architects and Lightswitch Architectural in creating a dining vignette for DIFFA’s Dining By Design Gala. 

The vignette celebrated the progress in the search for a cure, as well as the 75th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge.  The 48" x 130" glass table top rested upon two table bases crafted from historic Golden Gate Bridge handrail.  The benches were crafted from the same handrail material and locally sourced California Walnut.  The lighting was comprised of simple lamp pendants representing the 31 year AIDS struggle, with the red lamp illustrating the peak of the epidemic in 1995.

Come visit our Facebook photo album for a behind the scenes look at the creation of this table's design.

Golden Gate Bridge Furniture Co.

446 Old County Road, Pacifica, CA 94044 - 415.661.6263

info@ggbfurniture.com  -  www.ggbfurniture.com  - www.facebook.com/ggbfurniture  

Production and Pricing

We often get questions about the pricing of our designs and what is involved in their production.  The price points on our designs have such a varied range due to the nature of the material and how labor intensive it is to convert something from its original purpose into something new and different.  The larger designs, such as the Night Table, are crafted from 100% Golden Gate Bridge steel, using large amounts of the historic handrail.  This makes them much heavier and more costly to produce.  Our newer designs use smaller amounts of Golden Gate Bridge handrail, incorporating new pieces of steel for the cross-members.  This makes the pieces lighter and lowers the production costs.

 

The Night Table is crafted from 100% historic Golden Gate Bridge steel versus the
new Side Table which incorporates new pieces of steel for the cross-members.

Another reason why our production costs are higher than some may expect is due to the efforts we go through to make sure the materials used in our products are made in America.  The Golden Gate Bridge itself is an American made wonder that was built using American materials and labor.  The steel used to construct the bridge was forged and fabricated by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation on the East Coast, shipped through the Panama Canal, and installed on the Golden Gate Bridge during its construction in the 1930s.  In fact, on many of our pieces you will find the letters “B S C” stamped into the steel by the manufacturer from when the material was originally produced.


With this history in mind, we strive to remain true to the American spirit of the Golden Gate Bridge by ensuring that all additional materials used in our designs are sourced from within the United States.  For instance, the glass used for our table tops comes from Toledo, OH, and it is cut and polished in Fairfield, CA.  This American sourced glass is three times more costly than glass imported from overseas.  The new steel that is used as cross-members in some of our lighter designs is forged in Salt Lake City, UT.  The metal identification plate on each furniture piece is sourced from Los Angeles, and it is laser cut in San Francisco, CA.  Even the small rubber pads that are used to cushion the glass table tops are an American made product that comes from St. Paul, MN.  Our designs are then all hand-crafted in small batches using local tradespeople in San Francisco.


The very nature of our product is ecofriendly, as it is a repurposing of steel that was created for one use, yet we are using it in a creative way for something else.   We try to build upon this further by creating a sustainable product using ecofriendly practices in our fabrication.  In the production of our designs, we strive to use every piece that is cut from the handrail sections, so that no steel goes to waste.  Furthermore, we use acrylic paint because oil based paint is created using a hydrocarbon based solvent that produces toxic vapors during application and clean up.  This is the same ecofriendly paint used by the Golden Gate Bridge Authority on the bridge itself, and we even obtain it from the same source.


All these factors combine to create a product that is more than a simple piece of furniture.  It is a unique piece of art and a piece of history.  It is a connection to a memory or a feeling.  We hear many wonderful stories from people who have a personal bond to the bridge and San Francisco… ranging from being a native to the area and now living in another part of the world, to having a relative who worked on the bridge or crossed it on opening day… from receiving a wedding proposal on the bridge, to sailing out underneath it on their honeymoon.  The Golden Gate Bridge has many significant meanings to many people, and our designs allow them to bring a tangible piece of that meaning into their homes to enjoy for years to come. 

     

Headboard                             Night Table                             Lamp Table

Cocktail Table



Post Revised 01/31/2012 

Golden Gate Bridge Furniture Co.

446 Old County Road, Pacifica, CA 94044 - 415.661.6263
info@ggbfurniture.com - www.ggbfurniture.com - www.facebook.com/ggbfurniture