The Gilpinoid Leg
Adaptable furniture leg gives casework the distinctive mark of its maker
Synopsis: Designed originally to relieve some of the sharp edges on his furniture and make it more toddler-friendly, this leg has become a favorite of Hank Gilpin’s. The leg combines a traditional square post with a fin-like projection on the outer corner that can be rounded off. It functions like a square leg, but opens the door to lots of design options: a tapered fin, a turret corner, and more. Gilpin shapes his leg from solid wood to guarantee continuity of grain and color.
One day long ago, while designing a desk, I watched my very energetic 2-year-old son racing through the house, his head at tabletop level. The furniture suddenly seemed to be bristling with pointy corners and sharp edges, each one of them inviting him to a perilous head-meets-corner moment. The potential for serious bruising got me thinking, and before long I had designed a leg for…
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Comments
What a fabulous look and even better safety feature. I can even see this as a great safety feature for older adults, elderly people who often grab furniture to steady themselves. My 89 year old father has hurt himself accidentally pulling furniture over on himself more than once and I probably will as well before it's all said and done.
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