Management Chair

Monday, August 21, 2023

Ideas for Hiding a Wall-mount Ductless Mini Split HVAC Unit

Ceiling mount mini split HVAC units cost more and are more involved to install than wall mount units. But the ceiling mount units tend to be much less visible. So, the question today is whether there is a good solution for hiding a wall-mount ductless Mini Split HVAC unit in a wall or soffit or ceiling.

Here are some of the ideas I found quickly. There may be better or more designy ideas, but these are all better than exposed units. My thoughts on each solution are found directly below the photo.

1. Uncovered alcove in soffit. Eh. This is better than fully exposed, but not a lot.

2. Uncovered alcove in built-ins. Nah. This is fine for a retrofit, but we're opening walls and ceilings, so we can do better.

3. Covered alcove in built-ins. Better, but still no. This is fine for a retrofit, but we're opening walls and ceilings, so we can do better.

4. Uncovered unit in a non-structural wall over closets. Yeah - maybe for the kids' rooms this makes sense. We're likely to have some extra headroom above those closets so this is better than mounting them on the face of the wall.

5. Hidden in a soffit cabinet. I guess, but only if we can't do better. I don't care for this retrofit solution.

6. Technically, this is just a built in - but it has the quality of a wall. We could do something like this in the kitchen soffit on the west wall of the kitchen.

7. Same as 6. Nice looking, but depends on using an existing soffit or built-in space.

8. Another one hidden in a built-in.

9. This is nice - provided it is done in an elegant way - this one looks a little clunky-chunky.

10. I honestly don't know what is going on here. But I like that the unit is recessed into the wall/ceiling.

Wednesday, July 5, 2023

Dining Chairs

[NOTE: I am going to update this post with impunity, adding new chairs and ideas whenever I care to.]

Beyond aesthetic considerations (which we generally agree on), we have two rules for dining chairs (and furniture in general):

1 - V's Rule: No furniture that kids must be especially careful on or around. e.g., no light colored upholstery or leather, nothing fragile, nothing too expensive, nothing we will worry about every time the kids sit on it, etc. V is prioritizing peace of mind.

2 - J's Rule: Nothing that will loosen up or wobble or come apart. I want comfort that my furniture can survive regular family use and outlast me. I am prioritizing peace of mind too - but in a slightly different way

With these two rules in mind, we are starting to think about our options. To meet rule 2, I am focused on chairs with a bentwood (or upholstered) seat and back and steel structural legs and structural elements.

Here are several that meet our requirements.

Galvanitas Chair S16 - This is my absolute favorite of the chairs shown here.

Galvanitas Chair S22 - I like this a lot, moreso with the little hole in the back of the seat.

DSC 106 Chair by Giancarlo Piretti for Castelli - We picked up four of these at Artists & Fleas in Portland last year. A couple are in medium shape, but they're so durable and stylish, is hard to care about blemishes.