Carlo Bugatti (1856-1940)

Over a century ago, Carlo Bugatti, father of race car driver and designer Ettore Bugatti, crafted a style of furniture that remains unique.

Born in Milan, Italy in 1856, Bugatti trained in architecture and cabinetmaking, worked as an interior decorator, designer and manufacturer of Art Nouveau furniture. He opened his first shop in 1880, displayed at three (3) Expos; 1888 London, 1900 Paris and 1902 Turin. His private career spanned 55 years in three (3) countries; Italy, France and Germany. He even served as Mayor in his hometown of Perrefonds before relocating to the Molsheim area of pre-war Germany (modern France). He worked until 1935 and died 5 years later. He’s buried in the family plot at Dorlisheim du Bas-Rhin, France which has a monolith resembling an ancient dolmen.

There’s a distinctive élan present in all of Bugatti’s furniture that sets him apart and yet, there is also something so worldly and timeless about his designs that if you said to someone unfamiliar with his work, ‘This was found in an ancient Minoan tomb,’ one might believe it.

Large pieces like bureaus and sofas are mainly held by museums or private collectors. Several important pieces reside at d’Orsay in Paris, Victoria & Albert in London, Sforzeco Castle in Milan and Brooklyn Art Museum in New York. However, some smaller pieces, chairs for-instance, occasionally appear in auctions. All are highly decorative or with two-part front legs consisting of steep slanted saber-legs and vertical beams to support the seat. While chairs serve a standard function, Bugatti’s are revolutionary in form and material.

Photo: Bugatti Chair ca. 1900 Sources: Wikipedia/YouTube/Auction Archives/Find-A-Grave/Museums/Newspaper Archives

Carlo Bugatti Inspired Crochet Coaster

The crochet coaster is comprised of two separate motifs; a square worked in rows with a medallion overlay worked in the round. With size 10 thread and a 1.8mm hook, the finished square measures 4.25” in.

BASE

Avec Brun, ch 36, sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each remaining ch (=35 sc), turn

A ch 1 & lift technique is used for turning, dc in each sc (=35 dc), turn

*Ch1-lift, dc in each dc (=35 dc), Turn *Repeat 15x,

End with a row of sc all around perimeter (turning corners with sc-ch1-sc). Break thread. Weave in tail.

OVERLAY

Avec Vert, ch 4, 16 dc in 3rd ch from hook, join (w/sl st throughout)

Rnd 2: 2dc in each st (=34 dc), join

Rnd 3: *2dc-tog, ch 3, sk 1, *Repeat around, join, TURN

Rnd 4: (Seed Stitch): sc in joining st (the cluster), working in ch3sp: sc-tr-sc, sc in next cluster and repeat around, TURN, join

Rnd 5: work 4dc in the sc above clusters only, join (=68 dc)

Rnd 6: ch 2-hdc in 1st st, hdc in each of the remaining 3sts, *2 hdc in next 1st, hdc in rem 3, *Repeat around, join (=85 hdc)

Rnd 7: 5dc-shell st in each 4rd hdc and sc in space between shells (=17 shells), join

Rnd 8: sl st to 2nd dc of shell, ch 1, hdc in this same st, sc in 3rd dc, hdc in 4th dc of shell, *Ch 4, working in next shell, hdc in 2nd, sc in 3rd, hdc in 4th, *repeat around, join

Rnd 9: hdc in just 2 of the prev hdc sts and place 5 sc in each ch4sp betw, End. Break thread long. Block/Iron both, Center/Pin. Use the length of thread leftover to sew the overlay atop the base.

Carlo Bugatti Inspired Makeover

Dressing up a Modern Plant Stand Bugatti Style (Because “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”)

Always Start with the End in Mind.

I’m so inspired by Carlo Bugatti’s furniture designs that I’d like to better understand the process of combining colors and materials to create furniture with character. I’m not building anything from scratch nor attempting to replicate any particular Bugatti piece, such a task is beyond my ability. My experience is limited to carving wood spoons, touching up furniture and chalk painting.

To achieve this makeover, I’ll focus on four aspects inherent to Bugatti’s work: Inlay, Overlay, Color Scheme and Material. I’ve made a sketch of what I envision.

Wish me luck!

The Guinea Pig.

This is a modern plant stand, origin unmarked. I purchased it around 2005 at Marshalls. It’s made of solid wood with turned legs. It was originally dipped in a mahogany, beet-like stain. I painted it light blue to match some other furniture.

Height 25” inches (63.5cm). The top square is a 9 ½” inch frame with 7” inset. Skirting runs along the sides with a 3 ½ ” inch drape. The under-space is hollow.

Quick Fixes/Preparation

Cleaned w/Murphy’s soap. Applied nontoxic paint and stain stripper. Scraped loosened paint off. Sanded. Fixed a crack with wood glue and clamped w/vice to dry. Filled in scuffs with wood putty and sanded. Chalk paint lifts easy, but messy. The original stain is stubborn; a lot of sanding, 3 coats of stripper and still won’t entirely lift. I think it requires a stronger stripper. I used an electric sander and razor blades to scrape off as much as

possible without damaging the wood and wrapped toothpicks with sandpaper to reach crevices.

Carving a Bugatti Design

As I viewed images online, I sketched some of Bugatti’s inlay designs. They appear to have a minimalist Art Nouveau style; nature themed with birds, vines and flowers. I selected a pattern and practiced carving it on scrap wood; paint stir sticks. The transfer method I use is simple, cut away the excess paper leaving space around the design but reducing it to a workable size. Turn it over and pencil fill the area of the design or outline of it. Turn the paper back over and place on the surface where you want the transfer to be and tape it down. Then use a ballpoint pen to trace over the outline, pressing firmly but not so hard as to tear the paper. Lift one end to check that the transfer is complete, then carve out. I’ll use these scrap carvings to practice inlay techniques later, but for now I’m satisfied with the carving.

Since there are opposite sides, it’s best to create a mirror image beforehand. Also, measure or use a piece of tape or string to align. However, it should be noted that carving mirror likenesses is difficult. Even with a paper pattern, I couldn’t manage to get any side perfect. I noticed some of Bugatti’s carvings were of different designs, like birds on one side, cattail on the other, or vines with leaves on one side and script on the other. This helps break up the pattern and give the piece a more aesthetic look.

Also, I didn’t know if I should stain the carved area first or not, so I did one side with stain only (no topcoat) and waited for it to dry, then made the carving. The stain was unaffected; no additional clean up; so it’s a matter of preference.

Tools used: Pfeil block cutters, Dremel diamond tip and a ‘Banana’ file.

These carvings are reversible; lightly inset and filled. They could be erased with paint stripper and filled back in with wood putty, sanded smooth.

Wood Stain

Even though Bugatti partially covered the wood in sheets of vellum and thin strips of metal, wood stains were also applied. These include a variety of hues: ecru, orange-brown and ebonized. The later, a process of using bark tan with a strained solution of steel wool dissolved in boiling vinegar to create a black stain. It’s likely, Bugatti made all of these from his own recipes and experience. There’s an interesting article on ebonized wood here:

https://www.popularwoodworking.com/finishing/ebonizing_wood/

The Victorians used green and black walnut husks to make stains, ink and tintures, but they also used tobacco, tea, coffee, beets and a variety of other materials. Today, we’re both fortunate and dependent upon commercially available wood stains. A little goes a long way; the 8 oz. sizes and a few colors will suffice.

Stains: 2 coats each, Varathane in Ebony & Minwax in Honey

Tools: 1cm Flat Sable Brush, 2”Foam Brush, Shop Rags, 220 Sandpaper

Inlay

Bugatti used pearl shell and metal inlays. They’re available in fine powder form. However, it’s a skill that requires practice. All the video tutorials make it sound simple; place the powder in the low area and flood with super glue then sand smooth. The reality is that I end up with powder everywhere and glue flowing outside the lines. To compensate for the learning curve, I used Golden Liquid Acrylic in Iridescent Pearl and applied it to the carved area with a micro channeling tube. After it dried and leveled, a top glaze was applied to seal the paint. I can’t tell the difference between the pearl paint and shell inlay, except the way it feels. It took much longer to do the shell and it was difficult to sand smooth. I prefer the look of the iridescent pearl paint.

Disks

One of the design elements Bugatti frequently included in his furniture were disks reminiscent of ancient shields or fancy hubcaps. They’re comprised of textured metal, wood, leather, or in combinations of material with 1-3 colors.

He mounted these using twisted macrame rope, but some are inset, with full and/or partial disks.

I’m using wood coasters with applique overlays measuring 90mm (3.5” in.) Centered along the skirting as an inset with half drape. Affixed with wood glue. They’re made of birchwood, copper coated and sealed with varnish.

Tassels

Bugatti used tassels of macrame cord and silk. I made copper tassels using scrap wire EDM; also known as “hair wire.” EDM (electrical discharge machining) is an incredible discovery, first observed by Joseph Priestly in 1770 when he noticed that metal was disappearing from his experiments, and confirmed the erosion was caused by electrical discharges. The technology was developed 200 years later and the process has revolutionized precision in tool making. Imagine sending a mini lightning bolt 1/10 the size of a human hair through solid metal to carve out the shape of a propeller for your Bugatti race car Industrial

wire EDM differs from jewelry/craft wire which tangles at dead soft; this is smaller than 30 gauge, but has the strength of 18 gauge.

The tassels are comprised of nine (9) wires measuring 11 cm length, folded in half, wrapped with a strand brought up; leaving 17 below. I made 16 tl so the scrap was approx 176cm in length. Enough to put 4 on each size, but an odd number is more aesthetic. I placed 3 on each side. In hindsight, I think the reason he used white tassels was to match the white in the color scheme of pearl inlays and/or parchment. I might change these copper tassels out to see if white looks better.

Overlay

Bugatti used a variety of mouldings; decorative ginger bread house trim. The dentals resemble piano keys. He made these in wood, bone and ivory. Another design was triangles; pyramids above & below; like teeth. These were typically the same color, but sometimes he used two or three colors.

To make the overlay, I created a pattern of the side skirt, which is 14cm wide by 9.5cm tall. Drew out the “piano key” pattern on cardstock paper. There’s room for five (5) long [1cm width x 5cm length] and six (6) short [1.5cm width x 4cm length]. I used 3mm thick birchwood, cut using a scroll saw. The pcs were then sanded and stained w/Varathane in Golden Pecan followed by varnish of Windsor & Newton Gloss, affixed with wood glue.

Covering

Parchment: Bugatti used vellum coverings, often with drawings. I noticed one of his designs was a dandelion with seed heads that resembled cuneiform. I don’t have any vellum, but I do have dandelion shelf paper. Since I only need 7”x7”, I’m using this adhesive contact paper. Vellum is unusual, more common to bookbinding than furniture making. Regardless, it’s a tricky material to work with and requires a hide glue or contact cement. Hide glues are made from pulverized horn and skin simmered down to an adhesive consistency that will stick two fingers together when inserted in the solution. Over time, tension at stress points on the vellum incur damage if not properly coated and cared for. Faux parchment is made by spraying a clear top coat over paper, giving it a waxy look.

Finished Result

I had to chuckle a few times as I worked on this. It’s rather like bedecking furniture with jewelry; dangling earrings and a necklace. I learned. I had fun, and it was gratifying to use materials-on-hand, with the exception of the coasters; the cost for this project was $15 and 15+ hours. If I had to re-buy all of the material I used, including tools, I think I would’ve passed on it entirely. Instead, it was a chance for me to bring multiple hobbies together.

One of the hardest things for me was wrapping my mind around the colors. I’m more uniform by nature; I kept darkening the stain on the fencing overlay. Four coats later I was considering black--all of it--and had to stop myself. Also, I kept thinking about how difficult and malodorous it must’ve been to carve those little trims in bone and horn/ivory and he would’ve made his own glues too; hide, hoof or fish bone: very stinky.

I think woodworking is one of those crafts, where one can go on sanding, engraving and applying finishing touches for a long time. I began to wonder if he made any uniform pcs, even within a set there could be different engravings, material or trims; minute variations rendering each unique. With all the detail, I couldn’t imagine a large Victorian assembly line turning out exact likenesses. No, I think that even in his time, the furniture was limited in supply, perhaps custom made for commissioned interior designs, but I’m just guessing.

Here’s my finished result:

Before & After