Hi Folk-
I am searching to re-do my booth for the coming year. Because of budget I will need to be able to build all of the displays.
Any suggestions for sites etc. where I can browse booth pics to gain ideas? I like pedestals that stand alone, but am trying to resolve stability issues as I plan this.
Replies
I'll toss a suggestion at you that could save some time and labor, although the price could be a little higher. You mentioned Daniel Keith's panels, which look like panels installed inside some boards that were routed out along the edge. I had something like that a long time ago except they were frames like that with cedar lattice panels inside. That lasted a couple of years and they were repurposed and used for garden fencing. I don't suggest lattice panels.
To make them look good, you would probably need Birch faced plywood which could get pricey. Here's an alternative; how about using laminate flooring framed with 2x3 stock routed out? You could probably find what you need at Flooring Liquidators cheaply with some interesting patterns available to complement your work. Something like rough sawn hickory or dark oak could go well with your work. Depending on the length of the strips, you could have different possibilities for the layout of the flooring, horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. Just some food for thought.
One thing to keep in mind, would be to have some sort of short legs on them to keep them out of the water and mud, and I would be inclined to figure out a way to get some form of attachment to your tent frame.
Steven Potts booth wins awards almost every year, and he redesigns almost as frequently. Take a look at his style as well.
I found laminate flooring at Lumber Liquidators for $.89/ sq. ft. If he used 2x3 or 2x2 stock with a rabbet in the edge for the outside frame, he wouldn't need a backer. There's more more involved with cutting of course, but less finish work needed so it's a trade off. Since he's a woodworker, I would assume he has either a table saw or a miter saw to trim the boards. Keeping the frames smaller, and going horizontal with the flooring, scrap could be minimized.
Just as an aside, when I made my panels similar to that, I screwed a couple of pieces of 2x2 stock to the bottom of my router to make a jig, and all I had to do was slide the router from one end of the board to the other to get a 1/2 inch groove milled out of the board. With the jig, there was no need to adjust anything or measure. I made 2'x8' OD panels, so that was almost 40 2x3x8' studs that I routed out. I think it took most of one day as I was using an inexpensive router and it had to cool off frequently. That was at the beginning of my art fair days, and it was a home made booth in it's entirety. The panels were part of the booth structure, which wasn't a good idea. It lasted for about a half dozen shows, and it was scrapped quickly in favor of a commercial booth and lighter weight panels. As I mentioned earlier, they were then repurposed by turning them sideways and they became fencing across my garden. Not bad as it gave me a 4 foot high fence 56 feet long.
Here is my preliminary plan. If you look at the pic you will notice that there is a short grey base for the pedestals and I guess to help stabilize the panels. I will replace that with base that with a trunk style box approximately 18X16X74 which will double as storage for transport. The 18 inches in height reduces the actual height of the panels. They will be constructed of pine with either a dado to make a true panel or my panel will simply be attatched to the back- probably inset to reduce thickness. When I go into work this afternoon at Lowe's I'll scope out the appropriate material, and wieght is a major factor. At approx 18 inches I can make 4 panels cover the 72 inches of the side dislpay and fit into the base/storage- which will have a hinged lid. Devise a removable axle and pair of wheels and I will be able to handle it by myself.
At 16 inches I can fit all 3 base/storage into the bed of my truck side by side.
Pedastals will be redesigned to use about half the wood. Open backwall where the pic shows a chair will become a 3rd paneled wall. Open spaces on the walls above the shortest pedestals will have display?shelf for smaller art. Properconfiguration will leave an access through a curtain on the left rear of the booth and @2 ft of storage.
My bro-in-law is an excellent carpenter and is excited about getting started tomorrow. After this is complete we are going to build a wood and figberglass half top for my pickup to increase storage. Gotta make what I have work to the max.
You can buy adjustable feet at Ikea.
Member Ernie Kleven has a diy ebook for sale in the "Suppliers" link at the top of this site.
Also, only because this issue has been addressed so thoroughly, Ray, have you checked the search? I just did a search for "booth display" and found many, many posts. Including this one that I posted that has a variety of designs: http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/how-do-you-like-this-...
Also, try searching for "booth design ideas".
Thank you Elle and Connie. Connie, what are the ethical steps for using, or at least being heavily inspired by someone else's booth design. I really like the booth by Daniel Keith. SHould I contact him. give him credit-? I will be changing several things but want to make sure I have acted honestly.
Your post/link above was right on the money for me.
Thanks
Ray
Glad it was helpful, Ray. Are you a woodworker? Many of the woodworkers have beautiful booths. Daniel's is wonderful, Matthew Hatala also has a fine one, wood panels with shadowboxes set in them to showcase individual objects. Look at the post I did about the St. Louis Art Fair -- I think you can see his booth there. I wouldn't worry about copying Daniel's booth, we are all learning from each other and I'd bet you wouldn't do a direct copy, but would adapt to fit your work. Any chance you can get to some shows and walk through them just to see the booth set ups? Always a worthwhile thing to do to get the creative juices going.
Yes, that is a nice booth. Some similarities with Kim Blatt's booth.
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next