Three Twelve Lounge
Chaise lounge & ottoman, 2010
Chaise lounge & ottoman, 2010
I woke up early on the morning of Friday, March 12, 2010, with an absolute compulsion that I register for ICFF. Within minutes, I was on the website for the IDSA chapter in New York. In absolute shock, I discovered that the registration deadline was a mere 5 hours away. If a more rational version of me had woken up that morning, I would have known that the best idea was to wait until next year. Instead, I ran with the idea that this was meant to happen, and engaged in a furious race against time, firing off countless emails and phone calls. I spent an anxious weekend in waiting, finally getting the acceptance Monday afternoon.
I found myself 2 months away from ICFF with a booth but absolutely nothing to put in it. The entire design process got put on high alert. Years ago I had designed a swoopy chaise lounge concept that a number of friends had fallen in love with. I used that as my launching point, and a day later sketched out the eventual design.
I had never built an upholstered piece before, so I had to find a builder. I brought my sketch into my local Design Within Reach store and sought the expertise of the proprietor, a man I had gotten to know over countless conversations about favorite designs and designers. He pointed me in the direction of Retrospect Furniture in San Francisco. Within 5 seconds of walking in their door, I knew I'd found my builder. The team there did a phenomenal job, completing the lounge early so I could get it crated and shipped to New York. He was also generous enough to allow me to document the entire build process.
I chose tangerine orange to make sure my piece stood out, and it certainly did. The rush of people at ICFF was amazing. I ran into a former classmate and an old mentor. In many ways, I was completely unprepared for that stage, but it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life.
