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

 

DWELL On Design 2013

Exhibit Highlights & New Designs

Last month we hit the road and exhibited at Dwell On Design in Los Angeles.  We had a great time meeting people at the show and looking at all the beautiful and creative products on exhibit there this year.  With so many awesome and innovative designs to consider, we wish to thank Jaime Derringer over at Design Milk for including us in her Favorites from Dwell On Design 2013.

To see more photos from our Dwell On Design booth, we invite you to visit our album up at our Facebook page or at our Flickr page.

At the Dwell event, we premiered a couple of modified designs as well as two new designs.   As we continue to explore the use of wood with our historic steel pieces, we were excited to show modified versions of our Side Table and our Coffee Table designs with salvaged wood table tops.

 

Above is shown our Side Table design with a table top crafted from a salvaged piece of Mango wood from Hawaii.

 

 

Above is shown our Coffee Table design with a salvaged piece of Claro Walnut orchard wood.  If you look closely, you will see the graft line where the two species of walnut were grafted and grew together.  A common practice in our local area orchards, since English Walnut had a higher nut yield and thinner shell, but it didn’t fare as well in the California climate, English walnut was grafted onto root stock of native California Walnut.  Where the two species met and grew together you get the graft line showing two distinct wood grains, lending character to what would normally be a standard piece of Walnut.

 

 

Newly introduced at the show this year was our Table Lamp.  The Table Lamp is similar in size to our Task Lamp design, and it uses the same LED lighting technology.   However, the Table Lamp incorporates a clearly recognizable piece of weathered handrail cap, differentiating it from the more abstract look of the Task Lamp.

 

Also introduced at the show this year was our new Tea Table.  The Tea Table is similar in size to the retired Accent Table design, but like our Side Table design, it incorporates the handrail channel beam that runs along the base of the historic pedestrian handrail.

Thank you to all who came out to see us at the show and helped us have a great experience.

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

 

 

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.

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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

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