January 23, 2012
We know this table is old, but like my high school French teacher, it’s not about to say how old it is.
It seems pretty certain that this table was made in the 19th century. The drawer has hand cut dovetail joints and there are a number of nails visible underneath (and holes where others have been removed). Most of these are post-1880 wire nails, but one has a hand forged head and might be an early 19th century hand-made nail.
Overall it is in OK condition however the top has a plethora of water ring marks. None are bigger than a drinking glass so I think it may have been used as a bedside table.
I think if one looked at these marks long enough you could probably distill the story of a lifetime from them . . .
The table is 21 1/2 inches deep, 21 3/4 inches wide and it is 30 inches tall.
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Posted in $151-$200, 19th century, Antique, Farmhouse/Country, GONE! SOLD!, Rustic, Tables, Wood |
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December 22, 2011
Update: I just discovered that this line was actually designed by Leslie Diamond, not Russel Wright (although for a long time the line was wrongly attributed to Wright). It seems that this is a far too common error and I apologize for the wrong attribution. I’ve made a few changes below, but let it stand as a cautionary tale about jumping to conclusions. . .
Problem: In 1935 you followed the nomenclature zeitgeist and called a line of furniture* American Modern (in a style which we now call Art Deco). It was produced from 1935 to 1939, but time has passed. The second great reaping of the world’s youth is over and the intellectual class hasn’t been desperate enough yet to come up with the sophistry of post-modern to describe that which comes after modern. What do you do when you need to sell the next line of furniture?
Solution: In a scenario like hyphenating names after marriage you take the old name and add a descriptor to make it fresh.
The line was introduced in 1949 by Conant Ball and was named modern mates (yes, in lower case**). Like American Modern it too was designed by Russel Wright and also featured the use of light-colored (birch) finishes and “modern” styling.
We’re fortunate to have a side table which is 22 1/2 inches tall, 16 1/2 inches deep and just over 18 inches wide. It is in surprisingly good condition with only one little abrasion of the finish next to the drawer on the front right vertical board. You can see it in the pictures below and it is only 1/2 inch in size.
The drawer slides nicely and it’s a handsome piece.
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*There was also an incredibly popular dinnerware line with the same name but made by Bauer (1939 to 1959). We’ve had a fair number of pieces of it over the years such like this divided dish and this open server.
** Was this reactionary? Was capitalization seen as a thing of the past? Should contemporary rebellious kids begin using proper spelling and grammar in text messages?
Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, GONE! SOLD!, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Modern, Tables, Vintage, Wood |
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October 16, 2011
Cute, effective, economical.
This is a smallish piece that still offers plenty of storage. It is 36 1/4 inches wide, 18 inches deep and 30 inches tall. There is a full width drawer, and adjustable lower shelf and four small drawers for storing flatware or other small items.
I’ve seen furniture with drawers like these used as dressers before. It seem that compulsive sock folders find these are perfect for displaying the wonders of orderly foot coverings. As the scion of a short, stubby, gnarled and stubborn tree of disorderly pack-rats I won’t even pretend to understand.
It is in very good condition and it was made by Vinde Møbelfabrik of Skive, Denmark.
Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, GONE! SOLD!, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Storage, Vintage, Wood |
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August 20, 2011
Since I’ve misplaced not one, but two pieces of paper with the dimensions for this piece I’m going to get it over with and state them now. This vintage waterfall dresser is 32 inches wide, 49 1/2 inches tall and 17 1/2 inches deep. The third time’s a charm, or so they say.
This piece probably dates to the 1930′s, has five storage drawers and is in good, useable condition. Even the decorative plastic inserts in the pulls are all there.
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, Art Deco, GONE! SOLD!, Storage, Vintage, Wood |
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August 12, 2011
Let’s start with the bad news shall we?
First, AMC’s Mad Men, while drawing upon the zeitgeist of the early 1960′s and featuring drool-worthy furniture is fictional.
Secondly, this desk is not quite at the level required for a Mad Men cameo. It also has some slight issues.
Issues that are only issues due to neglect and deliberate hard-hearted malfeasance. Most notably, someone once attached something to the underside of the desk (like a keyboard tray?). This was done by drilling through the stretcher (or skirt) under the desk top, on both from and back. Apparently they were students of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre inspired measure never; drill a bunch of holes school of construction. Rumor has it that after botching this installation they were promoted to a planning position for a large local bridge construction project.
In any case there are several small holes in the front and rear stretchers from this. If one felt like administering first aid, they could probably be repaired. There are other, minor defects, like a small area of missing veneer on the side of the drawers (shown in the same picture that shows a sampling of the holes) and a few light spots on the top from differential wear and use.
Otherwise this is a nice mid-century modern desk. There is a cubby-hole and two drawers on the left side and there is a slight elevated lip encompassing the perimeter of the back half of the desk top, which is my favorite part of the piece. The desk is 51 1/4 inches wide, 27 1/2 inches deep and 29 1/2 inches to the top of the elevated lip.
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, Furniture, GONE! SOLD!, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Otherwise useful, Storage, Tables, Vintage, Wood |
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July 18, 2011
One of the cool things about untitled art is that you can call it whatever you’d like and no one can prove that you’re wrong.
Personally I’ve taken to calling this one The Cause Of and The Cure For Jerome K. Jerome‘s Indigestion. It was probably once titled something much more prosaic, like Race Day, or View of the Regatta, but in the absence of information proving otherwise I’ll stick with Jerome.
This painting is on board and measures 44 1/2 inches by 32 3/4 inches in frame. It is signed and dated in the lower right corner “J Taylor 1977.”
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, Contemporary, GONE! SOLD!, Modern, Other Natural Materials, Other Unnatural Materials, Painting, Vintage, Wood |
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July 16, 2011
I’m a sucker for old pieces like this. More exactly I’m a sucker for old stenciling. Sure, I know this was factory production made and the stencils were used on about a half-gazillion pieces but I like them just the same.
The chest of drawers is 34 inches wide, 19 1/2 inches deep and stands 46 1/2 inches tall. It’s in good condition with age appropriate wear.
Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, GONE! SOLD!, Storage, Vintage, Wood |
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July 3, 2011
I’m not certain if this Bombe chest came from a retailer or private party, but it is in great condition. It demonstrates a modern take on the classic balloon shape of the Bombe chest and is decorated with stenciled chinoiserie birds and plants. It is 37 inches wide, 19 1/2 inches deep and 34 inches tall.
The Bombe style was developed after the death of Louis XIV and during the subsequent regency of Louis XV. Apparently the Sun King preferred conservative, classically derived, styles of furniture notable for sharp lines and rectilinear geometry. His death signaled an opportunity for experimentation with the use of curved surfaces and embellishment with motifs derived from Chinese trade goods.
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, 21st century, Empire, GONE! SOLD!, Otherwise useful, Storage, Wood |
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June 11, 2011
Vintage teak desk with two drawers and a sliding top. It is marked underneath with the cross over double M mark of Moreddi, but it’s a bit too faint to get a good picture of.
The desk is in fair to good condition. It has definitely been used so there are some areas of differential fading, one water stain and some old tape marks.
It is 29 inches tall, 25 inches deep. With the drop leaf in the ‘up’ position it is just under 60 inches wide, without it is about 40 inches wide.
Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, GONE! SOLD!, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Storage, Tables, Wood |
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June 4, 2011
We’ve got a nice set of four of these classic mid-century chairs.
They’ve been refinished at least once over their life so we can’t tell who the original manufacturer was, but likely doesn’t matter. There were many makers of chairs like this and with good reason: they’re incredibly useful and good looking.
They’re comfortable too.
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, Chairs, GONE! SOLD!, Metal, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Vintage, Wood |
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May 25, 2011
Very unusual ‘Mod-Pop‘ bedroom set by Broyhill. These feature solid wood construction with a white lacquer finish and applied injection molded ABS plastic drawer faces and were part of the Premier Chapter One line circa 1970.
They are imitative of pieces designed by Raymond Loewy. Raymond Loewy is considered the ‘father‘ of industrial design, was the first industrial designer to be featured on the cover of Time Magazine and designed all sorts of great stuff, including streamline locomotives, the iconic Lucky Strike white package, Sears refrigerators and the interior of the Skylab Space Station.
He did furniture too, including the Doubinsky Freres DF-2000 line from which these are derived.
We’re fortunate enough to have three items in this line by Broyhill. The collection includes:
A triple dresser with mirror. It has nine drawers in two sizes. It is in good condition with some damage to the right side (probably from being stood on end) but otherwise with age appropriate wear. The mirror is in perfect condition. The triple dresser is 62 1/2 inches wide, 19 inches deep and it is 29 3/4 inches tall to the top of the casework. To the top of the mirror it is 72 3/4 inches tall. The mirror does have hooks on the back so it could be hung on the wall separately. SOLD
A Five Drawer Chest of Drawers. It is in very good condition with one small chip on the lower left corner as the only notable flaw. Otherwise it has age appropriate wear. It is 39 1/2 inches wide, 19 inches deep and 43 3/4 inches tall. SOLD
Finally we have a single nightstand. It is in good condition but does have some bubbling or buckling of the veneer on the right front corner. there are also a couple small area of old retouch paint on the left side. It is 27 inches wide, 17 inches deep and 21 1/2 inches tall. Sold!
Posted in $151-$200, $500-$1000, 20th century, GONE! SOLD!, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Modern, O. M. G., Plastic, Retro, Sculpture, Storage, Vintage, Wood |
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May 23, 2011
Vintage mahogany desk with a glass piece to protect the top. All the things that look like drawer fronts are drawer fronts, except for the two on the bottom of the right hand column. These are actually part of one double depth file type drawer.
It is in good condition with some signs of regular but not abusive use.
It is 46 inches wide, 23 inches deep and 30 1/2 inches tall.
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, GONE! SOLD!, Otherwise useful, Storage, Tables, Vintage, Wood |
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May 19, 2011
This original oil painting is is untitled. It is very similar to another work of his that also shows a view Eiffel Tower from the Place de la Concorde. They’re similar enough that they may have been painted in the same session.
Andre Franchet was born in 1896 and actively worked until his death in 1961. This work is signed in the lower left corner and the 12 inch by 24 inch canvas is in great condition. The frame is a bit dated and does have some slight damage. In frame it is 17 1/4 inches by 29 1/4 inches.
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, GONE! SOLD!, Other Natural Materials, Other Unnatural Materials, Painting, Vintage, Wood |
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May 18, 2011
It figures.
Three chairs.
Three Eero Saarinen style tulip chairs. We’ve seen this movie before. The standard dilemma whether to split the set or not applies. . . we’ve decided to leave them as a set.
Two of the chairs are in great condition but the third sits at a slight angle. These are vintage copies (not by Knoll) and only one of them is marked. It was made by the world-famous North Central Industries of Johnson Creek Wisconsin.
Not exactly as seen at MOMA, but still quite nice!
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, Chairs, GONE! SOLD!, Metal, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Plastic, Sculpture, Vintage |
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May 11, 2011
Original watercolor by Portland artist, Muriel Pallay. It shows a great view of Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach on what appears to be a typical Oregon day. It looks slightly overcast and just a bit chilly (the figures are wearing coats and one has their hood on).
Murial Pallay is a Portland based NW Coast Artist, won a 2008 Achievement Award from the Watercolor Society of Oregon and has a regionally famous collection of hat-pins.
The painting is hand signed in the lower right corner, in frame it is 23 inches tall by 30 inches wide and the frame and contents are in good condition.
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, GONE! SOLD!, Painting, Paper |
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March 22, 2011
“Born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.” Job (5:7)
We mentioned Klee’s apocalyptic skies and here’s another example.
I know, deep in my heart, that he wasn’t looking to portray a church on fire. However, it kind of looks like that. . . Sacrilege aside I rather like the effect.
This is the least developed of the three Raymond Klee works we have so we’re making it the cheapest. It is framed to match the Notre Dame painting and is 24 by 36 inches (32 1/2 by 44 1/2 inches in frame).
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, Artistic wonder, AVAILABLE!, Eclectic, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Other Natural Materials, Other Unnatural Materials, Painting, Retro, Vintage |
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March 11, 2011
Some things are too cool to pass up even though they’re not in perfect condition.
Take for an example the bent plywood back, wasabi green vinyl upholstered chair shown in the picture above and in the slide show at the end of the post. We know next to nothing about it. It doesn’t have a makers mark and the condition is a bit dodgy due to two longitudinal tears in the seat upholstery and one torn front seat corner. On the other hand, the lines are great, the tufting is fab (!) and the color is cool (again). SOLD
Then there’s this mid-century lounge chair. The arms and base are teak with black leather-covered cushion that rests on a canvas ‘sling’ over tubular metal frame. It reclines and swivels. Alas there’s no ottoman and it too has some condition issues: again there’s some damage on the front corner (barely visible in the picture above) and some of the canvas is slightly damaged.
It’s darned comfortable and is good design (whatever that means). SOLD
Posted in Mid-century, Vintage, GONE! SOLD!, $151-$200, $51-$75, 20th century, Chairs, Mid-Century Modern, Wood, Leather, Other Unnatural Materials |
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February 12, 2011
A very nice old gate-leg mahogany folding table. The half-round form allows it to be tucked out-of-the-way for everyday use but then expanded when you host game night. It’s 32 inches in diameter. This is enough surface area for the cards and one drink per person so it could save you a fortune in snack costs
It is 29 inches tall and in very good condition. We’re not sure of the maker but it was model 612 in their product line.
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Posted in $151-$200, 19th century, 20th century, Antique, Empire, Furniture, GONE! SOLD!, Otherwise useful, Tables, Wood |
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February 10, 2011
If this looks familiar, there’s a reason. We used it as one of the headline pieces to advertise our last Westside sale. Although the sale was a success, this piece didn’t go so we’ve dragged it back to our world headquarters to give it another try.
Introducing (again) a petite Art Deco buffet or bar. It’s a smallish size, but has a respectable amount of storage space. The top drawer would be good for holding silver, or bar tools and you could put serving ware or your liquor stash in the cabinets below.
It is in a staid version of the Art Deco style, although when it was made Art Deco wasn’t a term in popular use. Instead it would likely have been called Streamline Moderne, or just plain moderne. The funny thing about nomenclature is that if you use your time as a reference, it shortly seems outdated and you need to rename it to keep it fresh. Hence the reference to this style as Art Deco which is the shortened name of an event that heralded the broad acceptance of the design aesthetic.
Unlike last time, now we’re able to tell you how big it is. The bar is 30 inches wide, 19 inches deep and 43 1/4 inches tall to the top of the back splash.
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, Art Deco, Furniture, Glassware / barware, GONE! SOLD!, Tables, Vintage, Wood |
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February 10, 2011
Vintage Oak washstand with bow-front top drawer and two storage compartments below.
There’s only one odd thing about this piece. It seems that the mirror may have been an aftermarket addition. The wood is just a little different color and the pivots seem too new. Who ever added the mirror did a good job however so we feel it isn’t harmful to the piece.
It is in good condition and appears to have been refinished at some point in the distant past. The washstand is 33 inches wide, 19 3/4 inches deep, 70 1/2 inches tall (to the top of the mirror).
Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, Farmhouse/Country, Furniture, GONE! SOLD!, Storage, Vintage, Wood |
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February 6, 2011
Not only does it look like a throne, it makes you look regal when you sit in it. And it provides excellent lumbar support while strongly encouraging that excellent posture.
According to the donor it’s from Indonesia, is hand-carved, and the upholstery is original.
Maybe your regular seat in the La-Z-Boy isn’t giving you the edge you want in family dynamics. This seat will change that picture. Just don’t let the cat take it over.
Dimensions: 50½ inches tall, 46 inches deep (from front to back of rocker), and 23 inches wide (at seat).
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45.541970
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Posted in $151-$200, Chairs, Fabric / Fiber, Furniture, GONE! SOLD!, Wood |
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February 1, 2011
For your pleasure, a pair of semi-antique* balloon back chairs upholstered with pink roses on a navy background. The frames appear to be walnut and overall the chairs are in good to very good condition.
Probably due to a wasted youth reading the wrong books, this style of chair brings to mind “perching” and “looking fetching.” The former stance involves sitting on the very edge of the chair. The latter is a variation, except you’re sitting at an angle with only your toes pressed into the floor and, probably, your hands lightly clasped in your lap–it works best if you’re under 20, female, thin, and wearing matching dress and slippers.
This being the twentieth century and Portland and all, you’re free to take these home and sprawl on them while you drink local microbrew and laugh loud enough to annoy the neighbors. We’d prefer it actually.
Dimensions: 35½ inches tall at the top of the back.
*semi-antique: older than vintage but not sure if actually antique
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, Antique, Chairs, Fabric / Fiber, Furniture, GONE! SOLD!, Wood |
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January 13, 2011
We debated if these qualified for inclusion in Ed’s “House of Ugly”, but…then we would have had to include the rattan bar too. The bar is kind of cool and not totally ugly, so it seemed like a bad idea. Besides, an agate topped brass based coffee table is a tough act to come after.
The two chairs are in good condition and the upholstery has little wear. We’ll throw in the table with the set to maintain thematic unity. The chair seats are about 15 inches off the ground and the table is appropriately sized too.
We’ve heard rumor that we may also be able to get a sofa that goes with these. Stay tuned and we’ll be sure to let you know if we do.
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, Bamboo / Rattan, Chairs, GONE! SOLD!, Tables, Vintage |
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January 12, 2011
Vintage rattan bar and stools that will make your friends olive-green with envy. It has a kidney-shaped top and is on casters, which make it easy to move to a new place as the party moves.
It is 49 inches wide, 24 deep and 41 1/2 inches tall. The bar stools are about 30 inches tall. Unfortunately there are only two stools so you better have one friend to share them with or make sure everyone else can stand unassisted.
Booze not included.
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Posted in $151-$200, 20th century, Bamboo / Rattan, Eclectic, Glassware / barware, GONE! SOLD!, Mid-Century Modern, Otherwise useful, Storage, Tables, Vintage, White elephant |
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January 10, 2011
We’ve been lucky enough to be donated a framed two-color artist’s proof of “Awakening” by Irving Amen. Our last Irving Amen print featured children watching a show; this one is perhaps more indicative of his basic themes of spirituality and children.
Irving Amen was born in New York in 1918. There is one internet report of his death in 2007, but everybody else seems to think he’s alive in Boca Raton. We’re going to be positive and assume the latter.
During a prolific artistic life, Amen has created thousands of woodcuts, etchings, lithographs, silk-screen prints, as well as works in oil and acrylics and sculptures. In 1974 he illustrated the classic Gilgamesh for the Limited Editions Club. His basic positive attitude, what some call his “love of mankind,” and his strong spirituality have made him a favored artist among many.
“Awakening” Dimensions (in frame): 31¼ inches tall, 21¾ wide. Approximate image dimensions: 21½ inches tall, 13 wide.
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45.541970
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Posted in $151-$200, Artistic wonder, Glass, GONE! SOLD!, Paper, Print, Wood |
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