Trying Out That Björn Johnson Style
So, I kept seeing this name, Björn Johnson, pop up online next to these super simple, clean designs. Mostly furniture, looked really minimal. Thought I’d try my hand at recreating one of those simple-looking side tables. Looked easy enough in the pictures, right?
First thing, I went down to the hardware store and grabbed some basic pine wood boards. Didn’t want to spend much if I messed it up. Found my old saw, some sandpaper – various grits – and my trusty drill back in the garage. Cleared a little space, laid down some old newspapers to catch the sawdust. I had a rough sketch I’d copied, looked straightforward.
Getting Down to It
Okay, the actual doing part started. Here’s roughly how it went:
- Measured out the pieces for the tabletop and the four legs. The sketch had specific lengths.
- Started cutting. The tabletop piece was easy, just a square. But the legs needed angled cuts at the top where they met the table. My first attempt? Way off. Had to re-measure and cut that one again. Precision isn’t my strong suit sometimes.
- Then came the sanding. Oh, the sanding. The pictures of Björn Johnson’s stuff looked incredibly smooth, almost like plastic. So I figured I needed to sand like crazy. Spent ages, going from rougher grit to finer grit sandpaper. My hands felt raw by the end of it.
- Time for assembly. I decided to put the leg frame together first before attaching the top. Used wood glue and some screws. Getting those four legs square and stable was fiddly. One of them wobbled no matter what. Had to undo the screws, re-align, clamp it tight, and re-drill. Bit of a pain, honestly.
Hitting a Snag
The real challenge was attaching the tabletop perfectly centered and level onto the leg structure I’d built. Every time I thought I had it lined up and went to put a screw in, it would shift slightly. It was maddening. I almost just hammered some nails in crooked and called it a day. But then I remembered I had some old C-clamps somewhere. Dug them out, and they worked like a charm, holding the top firmly in place while I drilled pilot holes and put the screws in properly. Sometimes the old ways are the best.
The Final Piece
So, after all that, I finally got the table assembled. Let the glue dry overnight. Stood back and had a look. Is it a perfect Björn Johnson replica? Absolutely not. It’s got a few imperfections, the finish isn’t factory-smooth, and if you look closely, you can see where I messed up a bit. But you know what? It stands solid, doesn’t wobble anymore, and it holds my lamp and a book. It looks pretty decent, actually, in that minimalist way. Definitely learned that “simple looking” doesn’t mean “simple to build”. Was a good weekend project though, kept me busy.