A Judd-inspired bench made by novice builder Emma Newbern. Photo: Emma Newbern This week, the first U.S. retrospective in 30 years of artist Donald Judd’s work opened at MoMA. You hardly have to be a diehard Judd-head who’s made the pilgrimage to Marfa to recognize the artist’s work — his influence is everywhere, from the types of floating box shelves you see at Ikea to the heels of designer shoes.
For Newbern, who was living in a sixth-floor walkup at Orchard and Canal when she built her Judd-esque sectional, the promise of cool furniture at an affordable price was similarly alluring. “I wasn’t satisfied with an Ikea-style home, and anything that I was looking at was superexpensive or not the quality that I wanted,” she says. “Though, frankly, I think I spent more money building the couch.
Stanley 25 ft. PowerLock Tape Measure $10 First, you’ll need to measure your space. If your bench is for the entryway, for instance, think about if you want to be able to fit rain boots underneath. Measure how wide your wall is, how high you’d like the bench to be, and consider the width of the bench. You can use a metal measuring tape to take the dimensions. I have a Stanley Powerlock, which I love.
When I got the wood back to my apartment, I looked at it for like two weeks. I was so intimidated to do anything with it. But then a family friend was in town and was like, What’s good with the wood? So we laid the pieces of wood out and built the piece. I think with building anything, you need two sets of hands. My friend held the pieces of wood together, and I referred to the drawing with my dimensions.