Charlie Plesums
11-05-2005, 10:31 AM
If you get to San Antonio before February 5th, you may want to visit the McNay Art Museum (see http://www.mcnayart.org/exhibitions.html ).
Harold Wood came to the United States in 1978 to work on aircraft interiors. In 1985 he formed Aviart, a company that provides custom interiors to planes such as the personal jets (747s) used by middle eastern royalty.
On display at the McNay is a dining room seating 8 people, built from ebony, waterfall bubinga (I don't know the waterfall part, but it is the prettiest bubinga I have seen), ebonized cherry, bronze, lambskin (doesn't everyone use this for their upholstery?), ultrasuede, silk, etc. The ceiling "wallpaper" (I forgot whether that was silk or ultrasuede) reflects the design in the table and chairs. Fit and finish are perfect - for example, the arms of the chairs, when pushed in, are absolutely flush with the tabletop. Surprisingly, visitors are invited to touch and feel (but don't move anything). Amazing work. The museum director had been allowed to sit in the chairs, and assured me that they were extremely comfortable.
Now the most amazing part. The whole room - floor, walls, ceiling, 8 chairs, table, side pieces, etc. weighs only 400 pounds. The veneer is on aluminum and fiberglass honeycomb panels. With levelers to allow the room to be on an uneven surface.
Surrounding the dining room is an exhibit of some of the custom dishes and flatware built by his associate Hector Miller. Things like silver dishes "welded" together so it is pure silver, no solder. Titanium dishes that look like silver but are extremely light.
I might not make a special trip to San Antonio just to see this, but I would certainly recommend allowing an hour or two if you are in town for another reason.
Harold Wood came to the United States in 1978 to work on aircraft interiors. In 1985 he formed Aviart, a company that provides custom interiors to planes such as the personal jets (747s) used by middle eastern royalty.
On display at the McNay is a dining room seating 8 people, built from ebony, waterfall bubinga (I don't know the waterfall part, but it is the prettiest bubinga I have seen), ebonized cherry, bronze, lambskin (doesn't everyone use this for their upholstery?), ultrasuede, silk, etc. The ceiling "wallpaper" (I forgot whether that was silk or ultrasuede) reflects the design in the table and chairs. Fit and finish are perfect - for example, the arms of the chairs, when pushed in, are absolutely flush with the tabletop. Surprisingly, visitors are invited to touch and feel (but don't move anything). Amazing work. The museum director had been allowed to sit in the chairs, and assured me that they were extremely comfortable.
Now the most amazing part. The whole room - floor, walls, ceiling, 8 chairs, table, side pieces, etc. weighs only 400 pounds. The veneer is on aluminum and fiberglass honeycomb panels. With levelers to allow the room to be on an uneven surface.
Surrounding the dining room is an exhibit of some of the custom dishes and flatware built by his associate Hector Miller. Things like silver dishes "welded" together so it is pure silver, no solder. Titanium dishes that look like silver but are extremely light.
I might not make a special trip to San Antonio just to see this, but I would certainly recommend allowing an hour or two if you are in town for another reason.