Architecture and interior design thread

I bought the Asda/George lookalike a while back but had to get them to pick it back up as it started rusting within a month and that was during the summer... I love the look of the palissade stuff but it's just too expensive. Now looking to buy a picnic table instead and even struggling to pick something

We got a outdoor seating set from some FBM reseller outlet x. Might be worth a look.

Happy with it for the price. Would cry and return if it cost 50% of RRP though.

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Hay is too expensive, and some of the stuff isn't that good (looking at the dish drying tray that looks bad a few months in).
But I'd guess the finish on the garden stuff is great, coating on our metal things from them is very nice.

Hay palisade stuff is rock solid

How many reading spots does one person need? I’m looking at you Liz. Chesterfields are not light.

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This place still the best for window shopping / unbelievable purchases

https://www.vntg.com/

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So expensive though... Has yours been outside for a full winter yet?

I thought this would be the best place to ask.
I want to make some shelving units/book shelves. The last time I did this I used nice (read expensive) birch ply, tbh you couldn’t really see much of the ply once it was in place and full of stuff. So in the style of Neo Retro I’m considering using MR MDF (the green stuff ) a step too far or the natural progression?

This stuff’s basically fake Valchromat; I was gonna make a few of our kitchen fronts from it, but my partner vetoed it.

I scavenged some offcuts to test oils, was very easy to achieve a cute finish.

A friend made some wardrobe doors out of a sheet as a stop gap, waiting for some oak faced ply to arrive. 3 years later and they are oiled and still hanging. The ply has been used for something else. I’ve seen it used in kitchens too.
I’ve got a 5m x 2.2m run with 6 shelves to do in one lounge and another 3m x 2.2m run in the other. The cost of ply would cripples us.

It's super stable, we've used a full sheet as sliding door. Paint it the wall colour and it just blends in. Takes paint very very once you sand or tape the edges. YouTube help here.

I always liked Valchromat but couldn't find a nice finish that didn't wash it out , maybe it needs a sprayed poly.

I’ve looked at Valchromat, but want something available from a box store. If I use it I want to leave it green, just oil it. It’s growing in popularity at the moment and I can’t decide if it looks neo retro or just half arsed cheapskate.

Like any type of MDF with any type of finish on it, it's only as good as the person cutting it and finishing it.
Any fucker can lash something up out of MDF, but to make it presentable you need someone who knows what they're doing. Obviously I'm mostly talking about the edges.
Assume you've got that covered, otherwise it'll look shit no matter how you finish it.

I was hoping to use the track saw with a fine blade and as the mr MDF is a little harder than regular MDF I’ll fingers crossed only need to tidy the edges a bit¿
I’ll get a sheet to play with and build a pair of these supersized for the Bromptons to try it out first.
(Sorry this has turned into home diy)

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Yep, a crisp cut off a track saw is step one.
Sanding the edges up to some fine grits without rounding them is step two.
When i used to prep mrmdf for the spray shop we used to get the edges to look almost polished, and even then the paint would show up a saw mark every now and then.
I didn't have the patience for it.

shelving units/book shelves

honestly they can be made from the most tatty material, but if structurally sound can be given a finish to make them look the part - MDF supposes uniformity but trust me each join has filler under it and every nail fixing..
You'll make good stuff and not go wrong with the practice sheet - I like small thin cheep ply sheets for a 'i made it' job

I’m hoping for a bit better than I made it, but tbh…

But even (clear) finished green MDF will mostly look like a building site , i.e. I didn't quite make it

It seems to be a thing, honestly. It’s the next unfinished ply, trust me…

Can you post pics/links to examples?

I’ve only ever seen stuff made out of actual Valchromat…

I had to highlight it's only shelving to remind myself, and then even then I forgot, go for it ! Better than hatching a silk purse from a pallet etc

Do your own research 😂😂
I’m out and this is the first hit in my mood board. They laughingly call it Hydro MDF but it’s MR MDF

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I have a thing for 1940s functional furniture, made of cheap ply, mr MDF seems the logical progression.

Speaking of NTS, does anyone know where one could get a lamp like this?
(the wavy thing in the back)

Erm is it not hydro as it's less absorbent, like any green MDF,, that fades