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jazzfishSometime between 1983 and 1986 (aka "while we were in DC the first time") my parents bought a sleeper sofa, armchair, and ottoman from Cargo. Or possibly This End Up. They're made out of nicely finished pine lumber, mostly 2x4s and 1x6s, sanded and stained and with the corners rounded. Within a few years of the turn of the millennium they had the Least Comfortable Sofabed Ever taken out and replaced with a flat panel, and they got the cushions replaced (twice) as well.
When I moved into my own place in mid-2006, I took a bunch of furniture that had been in Pop Shackelford's house until November 2005, and also the Cargo set. I've been hauling them around ever since. I like them a lot: they're reasonably comfortable, they're sturdy, and they look rather nice.
They're also literally the only examples of this style of Cargo furniture I've seen in the wild.
Most Cargo furniture has solid slat sides and narrow armrests, as currently sold by This End Up as the 'Classic' collection. A somewhat less common variant is available as the 'Artisan' collection, with vertical rails and proper armrests. What we've got aren't either of those. Our furniture has the flat 2x4 armrests of the Artisans, but with a single 1x6 as a horizontal side rail. This old craigslist-esque ad is the only photo of the chair and ottoman I've found online. Note that the couch in that photo is wrong; only the chair matches our set.
Whenuilos moved into her own place in 2005 she acquired a gigantic blue two-piece Ikea sofa, and we've been hauling that around as well. It's a really nice sofa, perfect for stretching out on... but apartment living does not really call for three sofas, two of which are Large. And we both like the Cargo set better than the giant blue thing. So we've been halfheartedly looking in thrift stores and used furniture stores, hoping to come up with a chair or couch that matches the ones we've already got.
There are a couple of places in Vancouver (well, Burnaby. same difference. unless you're in Vancouver. or Burnaby, I guess) that will make custom furniture. We're at the point where calling one of those places and saying "Make us a chair and/or sofa like the one we've got" is beginning to seem like a reasonable plan.
But before we do that, I figure I may as well toss this out to the wider internet and see if anyone else is any better at tracking down obscure and possibly nonexistent 1980s furniture.
Help?
When I moved into my own place in mid-2006, I took a bunch of furniture that had been in Pop Shackelford's house until November 2005, and also the Cargo set. I've been hauling them around ever since. I like them a lot: they're reasonably comfortable, they're sturdy, and they look rather nice.
They're also literally the only examples of this style of Cargo furniture I've seen in the wild.
Most Cargo furniture has solid slat sides and narrow armrests, as currently sold by This End Up as the 'Classic' collection. A somewhat less common variant is available as the 'Artisan' collection, with vertical rails and proper armrests. What we've got aren't either of those. Our furniture has the flat 2x4 armrests of the Artisans, but with a single 1x6 as a horizontal side rail. This old craigslist-esque ad is the only photo of the chair and ottoman I've found online. Note that the couch in that photo is wrong; only the chair matches our set.
When
uilos moved into her own place in 2005 she acquired a gigantic blue two-piece Ikea sofa, and we've been hauling that around as well. It's a really nice sofa, perfect for stretching out on... but apartment living does not really call for three sofas, two of which are Large. And we both like the Cargo set better than the giant blue thing. So we've been halfheartedly looking in thrift stores and used furniture stores, hoping to come up with a chair or couch that matches the ones we've already got.There are a couple of places in Vancouver (well, Burnaby. same difference. unless you're in Vancouver. or Burnaby, I guess) that will make custom furniture. We're at the point where calling one of those places and saying "Make us a chair and/or sofa like the one we've got" is beginning to seem like a reasonable plan.
But before we do that, I figure I may as well toss this out to the wider internet and see if anyone else is any better at tracking down obscure and possibly nonexistent 1980s furniture.
Help?