Da portelloni di emergenza a mobili esclusivi
Il making of dell'Emergency Exit Sideboard della Lufthansa Upcycling Collection
Four emergency doors but just the one question: is there something attractive we can make from them for the "Papa Charlie" Lufthansa Upcycling Collection? And inspiration came - let's make an emergency exit sideboard using the emergency exit door as the furniture door. But that led to the next question - how exactly do we do that?
A dedicated small team got down to work on developing the concept for this piece of furniture; they asked themselves: should we simply attach the door to the front, should it be possible to open it to the side or should it be actually be fixed in the sideboard? Not only that, but they had to decide how to cope with the fact that the doors have fully curved surfaces and no straight edges as is the case with normal cupboard doors. These were just a few of the problems they needed to deal with to ensure that the finished piece not only looked good but functioned as it was supposed to.
A pragmatic rather than a planned approach
The team decided to skip the whole theoretical stage, did not even prepare a blueprint, but instead got down to work and built a prototype of the sideboard. This way problems could be identified quicker and eliminated earlier. The solution they came up with was to mount a door in the sideboard so that it is flush with the side panels and the top.
In addition, it was decided to make the carcase from finger-jointed oak. The structure of the wood would give the item a high-quality appearance. At the same time, the material would be sturdy enough to complement the robust emergency door.
A cult object created step by step
The four emergency doors arrived well-packed on a pallet at the workshop located some 50 kilometres from Frankfurt Airport. Now it was time for the team to roll up their sleeves. First of all, the doors were inspected. The interior trim of the first door was unscrewed and the insulating material was removed together with the cavity wax that prevents oxidation of the aluminium material.
The door then had to be cleaned and its exterior was gently and carefully processed using a buffing machine. It was important that the signs of use were retained as these would subsequently provide the finished item with its authentic look. Subsequently two rollers each were attached to the top and bottom of the door with which it would be attached to the wooden carcase.
Made to measure - the oak carcase
The team had made a template of an emergency exit door so that it would be easier to adapt the oak carcase to the form and dimensions of the door. The base was first precisely cut to size, followed by the side panels, the rear panel, the top and the shelving.
The shelves were then glued to the carcase in positions in which they would not be visible through the window of the emergency door. This inventive detail means that items placed on the lower shelf can be clearly seen through the door window. To complete the carcase, the rails for the door were screwed to the base and the top.
An exceptional article of furniture "Made in Germany"
Then the prepared door could be mounted in the two rails attached to the carcase. Time to bring out the buffing machine again to give the emergency exit door a last and delicate finish - and with that, the job was done.
The innovative way the team brought together upcycling, aeronautics and aesthetics into a unified whole has made the emergency exit sideboard something very special - and, there are only four of them worldwide. Future owners will be proud to say that they are one of a select few able to enhance their decor with what is a genuinely rare piece.