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14-Nov-04 |
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What's your best bargain/find ever? (part 1)
Hi, mod fans!
I've heard some great stories through the years about people finding expensive and rare designer items in containers, in the basement of their new house or at a antique store where the owner was completely unaware of what they had standing in the corner of their shop.
Do you have such a story to tell? - what's your best find/bargain ever?
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14-Nov-04 |
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wassily chair
an early 70's knoll version for $70 at gary's in the east village. sadly the store are no longer there.
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15-Nov-04 |
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.
. . .The lesson in that being, the uninformed retailer may not live to play another round. . .?
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15-Nov-04 |
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in
that vintage store is still in business. they move to jersey city i think because the rent got too high.
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15-Nov-04 |
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best find
My best find would have to be my vintage Knoll Saarinen Executive side chair (the "A" Series?) with wooden legs. I first spotted it in a parking lot of a McDonalds. I had no idea what kind of chair it was or who the designer was - I just knew I liked the chair! So, when I pulled out of the drive through, I opened up my trunk and threw the chair in the there. As I was leaving, two McDonalds employees ran out trying to stop me but it was too late! I think an employee may have taken the chair out of the office to use outside on her lunch break and didn't bring it back in.
When I got home, a little research told me I snagged myself a true gem. The chair retained all it's original labels, older Knoll/New York sticker on the bottom, dated delivery labels, and the rare, no longer produced wooden legs. No tears or stains to this little beauty, a good professional steam clean got out the french fry smell. It's in a beautiful hopsack fabric in the trademark McDonalds yellow (a pair of these chairs next to each other would form the iconic "M").
I will always consider this my best find because it's now the only vintage Knoll piece I didn't have to pay a dime for!
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15-Nov-04 |
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420
I don't think I would classify your chair as a "find"; rather, stolen contraband (albeit from a McDonald's) might be a more accurate description.
:-)
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15-Nov-04 |
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15-Nov-04 |
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Really?
With the user(s) shaking their fists at you in your rear-view mirror? I don't think I'd be boasting about THAT "find". . .
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16-Nov-04 |
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Bad karma!
I hope that the McDonalds employee didn't have to fork over some of their paycheck to replace the chair. Or worse yet, lose their $5.15/hr job. I don't corner the market on morality but for sure I'd return the chair.
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16-Nov-04 |
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Ditto
That's not a 'find', that's a take.
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16-Nov-04 |
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YOU,
Should you get the chair....electric!YET:Paying vastly less for something other than its true worth can seen as theft,in some religions/societies.
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16-Nov-04 |
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fair trade
I consider the chair a fair trade to my obesity, clogged arteries, and hypertension that my love affair with Big Macs, french fries, and Oreo McFlurrys has caused me over the years. On some days, I'll even break down and get the Double Quarter pounder meal when I could just as easily get the same effect much cheaper from getting two double cheeseburgers off the value menu. And all the times I've ordered Supersize combos and wondered why *those* don't come with any cool toy or in a box with games and puzzles on it.
I could probably catch a couple hundred dollars selling this chair on eBay. And I can bet you that I'd treat myself to a Number Four with extra ketchup with part of that money. Twice.
As for the employee who gets $5.15 an hour with no health insurance, well, maybe we should talk to the CEO and see how much interest alone he's earned in one of his savings accounts. It would probably be enough to pay his employees a dollar more for their next ten paychecks and maybe a Barcelona chair (Knoll, not reproduction) for every district manager at Christmas. But don't blame me, I voted for the guy who wanted to increase minimum wage.
In the end, as I drove away and was immediately caught in a stoplight 200 feet away (where at that point they certainly had the chance to stop methen if they really wanted to), I *did* look in my rear view mirror at the two employees and they were laughing and cracking up, high fiving each other, screaming "you GO girl!",going all game show on me, I think they had other things that worried them more. They seemed quite amused at the situation. I go to McDonalds often enough to know that Managers and employees wear different shirts, you know, the whole hierarchy thing. It was a manager and an employee who had run after me, and it seemed the manager was having the harder time of the two containing herself.
So, as I sit back and admire my little golden yellow Saarinen chair,I dip another "all white meat" mcnugget into some sweet & sour sauce, I could only think of my chair's previous life where it was unloved and under-appreciated.
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16-Nov-04 |
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16-Nov-04 |
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...
Fine, I'm going to hell for stealing a chair.
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16-Nov-04 |
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enough of the moral ramifications, already
Not to change the subject from the moral dilemma; but if anyone cares I've got two favorite finds. And thought I didn't "steal" either of them I'm sure my soul is going to rot in Hell just the same. So 420, save me seat next to you in the proverbial handbasket, we can chat about Saarinen for all our firey eternity.
Best find: A Nelson Starburst Clock (with walnut "spikes") in beautiful condition; at a yard sale two years ago.
Price" $3.00(US).
Second Best Find: A Thonet Plywood Chair (in either natural maple or birch), reminiscent of the Eames DCW; at a sidewalk sale of a junk shop several years back.
Price: $12.00(US).
And 420, though what you did was probably not going to earn you the "Citizen of the Year" award...I probably would have done the same thing.
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16-Nov-04 |
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Who cares if she stole it??...
Who cares if she stole it?? Have you seen 'Supersize ME?" MacDonalds is a huge corporation that contributes to the obesity epidemic in children. Screw em'. Enjoy your chair.
I worked for a company that had over 500 Eames chairs. They crushed around 300 of them with a bulldozer and buried them when they were done. I wouldn't feel that bad for taking some. I'm sure that chair would have landed in a waste bin. Now it can be enjoyed by someone who cares for lifetimes to come.
ANYWAY- My best find:
In the basement of my office I found a very rare Eames sofa (a 3473 or Aluminum Group Sofa, which is a elaboration of the Eames sofa compact designed 10 years earlier). They gave it to me for free.
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16-Nov-04 |
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trash
A P40 lounge armchair by Borsani and a Luisa chair by Albini in the trash one hundred meters from my flat. I think I will never move from there.
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16-Nov-04 |
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My next "find"
I was talking to my boss, an art deco fanatic, and I told him that I would like to own a knoll saarinen side table.
He said, "David, have you checked so and so's office - I bet those side tables are worth a lot."
I go to so and so's office, and sure enough, she has TWO used-but-not-abused knoll saarinen side tables that have been in the building for at least 10 years. I asked her if she wanted the tables. She waved her hands and said, "Those tables - egh - take 'em - they're junk."
Now I have to find a way to sneak them out of the building, past the security guards. (I don't know if the tables are owned by my employer - I just know that the tables have been passed around the building for years).
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17-Nov-04 |
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Security
You could tell security you are taking them out in the parking lot to use on your lunch break and then have 420 come by and pick them up for you.
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17-Nov-04 |
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...
I'd be up for it, but David would wonder where the other table went.
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18-Nov-04 |
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19-Nov-04 |
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28-Nov-04 |
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Arne Jacobsen 4130 (1955)
Considering that this seems to be the place to admit morally doubtful behavior I willing to accept your jugement on my best find ever. Picking up a collegue in the morning I recognized a Teak A.J. chair (not unlike the "ant" but with teak laminated legs and more angular in the back rest) amoung the garbage of my collegue's neighbour. I picked it out of the garbage and puty it in my trunk. Later that night at the modelworkshop that is part of the office I started to draw some different curves to see if I could improuve some of the detailing of the chair. Finally I put the backrest on the bandsaw and cut the new shape. It is still sitting there because I did not have the time it sand and refinish it, so, I am still not completely sure that it is better than the original but I guess that what preceeds amounts to a morally doubtfull act....than again, I am not a collector, I am a designer...by the way if I found a Barcelona, I would try to straighten out just sio slightly, the curve of the front "legs". I suspect that it would look even better.
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28-Nov-04 |
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Koen, After reading of your...
Koen, After reading of your desire to straighten the front legs of a barcelona, even ever so slightly, I have to politely disagree. In looking at Meis' design, the front legs have a flatspot on the front inch or so of the frame, as to rest securely on the floor, same with the rear legs. I would think that straightening this out would cause the front legs to not have enough support, and may cause damage to the chair from pressure..not to mention the floor. Another problem that I forsee would be that the ottoman would need the same front leg straightening, thereby no longer being level, unless you straightened all four legs. This to me might look arthritic. But most important, the chair and ottoman would lose their graceful line. The two pieces would no longer flow together.
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28-Nov-04 |
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I expect
the same problems, but I still would like to try...just to see if it is possible to make (keep) it elegant without that "fatigued-spring-like" look....just a thought
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28-Nov-04 |
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.
I think the seat has a bit of an overly theatrical lift to its front edge bad from a comfort stand point.Koen your reminding me of Loewys book: Never leave well enough alone!
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01-Dec-04 |
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Back to the best bargain ever!!!
Hey guys,
This message board is degenerating!! The topic started weeks ago was the best bargain ever and there haven't been many entries in that recently!! Can we get back to that?
I would like to propose my best bargain which was a modern sofa, designer piece, by B&B Italia. It is a design classic by Gaetano Pesce and I bought it for 25% less than at the local store in NY! It is simply the most comfortable and shocking armchair I have ever owned. I have attached a link to the picture!
http://www.europebynet.com/home_all.asp
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02-Dec-04 |
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COMFORT and SHOCK
seldom do the two meet!Pesces new design work has taken quite a turn do you like it?
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02-Dec-04 |
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Pesce piece
I like it! -- Is the ottoman (?) included, and do I see a tether? Is yours the same color? It looks like it could be comfortable -- and VERY Italian (or French?)
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02-Dec-04 |
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Pesce Piece
The footstool had to be bought separately, but cam together with it, as you can see below. It is attached with a thick black elastic string that means the foostool doesn't go wondering around the room. And yes, it is very comfortable - my daughter practically lives on it!
http://www.europebynet.com/Detail_nn_sku_BBPFF004.html
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30-Apr-05 |
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FPE chairs
just got 2 opaline, 2 red & 2 cobalt blue FPE chairs by ron arad for free.
they were props from a garments retailers. the chain stores were getting rid them after the season and my friend who works there took a picture and asked if i want them thro' e-mail. thinking they were fakes, i replied yes anyway because i was going to get their other wood outdoor chairs.
after i moved them into my office (they fit in nicely), i fliped them and saw the kartell debossed logo!
this beat my other find - 2 rarely used wassily chairs by arrben in a used office furniture store for us $25 each.
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30-Apr-05 |
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Bought a table and 4 chairs i...
Bought a table and 4 chairs in 1956 paid about $400..raised 2 kids..5 yrs later sold chairs to used furniture store, stored table in attic. Five yrs ago while browsing in antique shop was made aware my Knoll table was now a valuable collectible. It is now in my DR, a cherished possesion, which to me is my best buy, tho I wish I had chairs too...and I still have a barcelona coffee table, purchased from Brancusi about 1965..think I paid $200.
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30-Apr-05 |
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bertoia
for me... a harry bertoia kinetic tabletop sculpture mislabeled on ebay for a 200 dollar buy it now.
i sold it at wright 7 months later for 29k.
a good find...
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30-Apr-05 |
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3 modest things I love.
Koen, you are a blasphemer! Alter a 20th c design icon? Mies is surely swivelling in his grave. The nerve of you... I love it.
As for my garage finds? Well they don't really qualify as steals because I bought them from people who knew what they had but couldn't manage to sell at the usual elevated price... but I managed to buy:
2 ion chairs by Gideon Kramer in orange, stamped American Desk 1972 underneath, for $150 U.S. each. They were designed for the Seattle World Fair in 1962. I consider this chair to be one of the most beautiful fiber glass chair ever designed and by far the most comfortable...(now awaiting howls of protest from rabid Eames enthusiasts)
1 Gaetano Pesce "Fish Design" fruit bowl for which I paid $150 U.S. unexpectedly left over at the end of my second year in architecture school. I decided to buy myself something nice since I hadn't in such a long time and this object is still one of my most prized possessions. I approached Mr. Pesce at an interior design show once and told him that story. I brought the bowl with me in a knapsack knowing that he would be in attendance. He was very touched that I shared the story with him.
Oil and Vinegar bottle from Droog Design for 25$ U.S. A very clever object that works on the principle that oil and vinegar separates therefore it can be kept in the same vessel so long as there are two spouts, one placed at the top and the other at the bottom.
I'm going to start a complementary thread to this one about what objects you wish you owned.
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01-May-05 |
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As to
the shape of the Barcelona legs, as mentioned by Mark, above: nothing in any of the literature I have shows any such flattened portion at the floor. What could he be looking at?
I was pleased with a very cheap plastic table lamp purchased in the early 70s at Woolworths -- a translucent ivory hemisphere atop an opaque brown tumpet-shaped base; sort of modern shape/arts & crafts color, bridging my two predominate tastes. I subsequentlly found its mate at a sidewalk sale, 15 years and 3000 miles later, for even less.
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02-May-05 |
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Just luck.
I was walking pass MSG in NYC and found a ticket for Madonna concert that evening. I got in the stadium and my seat was 3rd row front and center of the stage. Few weeks ago, I found an expensive real gold bracelet lying on the floor in a club. It looks perfect on my wrist while I am typing this post.
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02-May-05 |
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And. . .
if YOU lost a gold bracelet in a club. . .?
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02-May-05 |
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.
Four T.H. Robsjohn -Gibbings Klismos chairs by Sardis of Athens circa 1961.
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02-May-05 |
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I once found a ...
rare Lyfa hanging lamp designed by Finn Juhl at a local fleamarket. It was the more rare two-tone blue version, though the lamp is in itself very rare. I almost didn't buy it because it was simply to good to be true when I saw it there on a seller's table. I couldn't believe my own eyes. Anyway, I bought for $45 and sold it at an auction for $800. A good price considering it had bumps, paint chips and some rust.
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02-May-05 |
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Oh, I also once ...
bought two wire cone chairs by Verner Panton (Pluslinje) from an old lady. One chair was painted red and was missing the back and seat cushion. The other was very worn down but with both cushions. They had been standing in her flowershop since the early 1960's and then stored in a basement for 10 years. I bought them for $300 (incl. spiderwebs) and sold them for $1300.
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02-May-05 |
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Best buys....
I think that my Eames lounge with ottman was a good find. An early production,feather cushions, nice soft gently worn leather...beautifully aged.
I paid $800 CAN, definitely not a garage sale find, but for the enjoyment and comfort it gives, I think it is great.
A good bargain I recently picked up is a George Nelson wall clock in original vintage condition. It is the model made with a seat from a Fritz Hansen teak stool. $8.99 US on eBay, the description was "Wintage Clock" (sellers spelling error, not mine).
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03-May-05 |
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Hi Sdr, After a closer...
Hi Sdr, After a closer examination, and sans the cat hair, I now see that there are no flat spots on the barc legs. The bullnose edge of the legs come to a gentle rest on the woodfloors . Sorry!
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03-May-05 |
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Very well.
Now, if we can figure out what Koen finds wanting in the legs, maybe old Mies can stop spinning in his grave!
One does wonder about this chair's ability to dent or scratch a floor; do you suppose there are hidden glides, there?
It's endless, isn't it?
SDR
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03-May-05 |
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Thankfully, mine haven't...
Thankfully, mine haven't scratched/dented the floor (yellow oak). Probably because the steel is so smooth, and the sharp edge on the end of the legs are slightly rounded. The steel on the otherhand scratches real easy. Mine look like they picked a fight with the vacuum cleaner... and lost.
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04-May-05 |
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20 Eames orange shell chairs
Driving past a yard sale in Salt Lake City, I noticed over 20 orange Eames chairs. I asked the young kid (he couldn't haved been more than 25) "How much?" He replied "$1 each"
Needless to say, I handed him a $20, picked them up and pulled away so fast. I checked behind me to see if anyone was looking or if it was a joke. I have given a few away, but I still have 10... sitting in one right now as I type!
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04-May-05 |
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I'm 23. you must think i...
I'm 23. you must think i wear diapers.
BTW - what a great find at a great price.
i foudn 2 barcelona on a porch in the ghetto. after i inspected them they were rusty and worn and i was too afraid to knock!
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04-May-05 |
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04-May-05 |
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for starters there was a...
for starters there was a group of 6 guys across the street doing drugs in the middle of the day. They looked pretty rough, like they might be in a gang......I was ready to leave.
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05-May-05 |
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Jacobsen Swan Chairs
I found two Swan chairs sitting by a dumpster at the University of Minnesota. Later in the day my partner found another near the same dumpster. A few months on we rented the chairs to an ad agency and made $1,500.
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05-May-05 |
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.
Did you partner or you change the others taste . Renting can be lucrative but movie people beat stuff up!Ad people are easy on things...
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06-May-05 |
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My partner and I share a...
My partner and I share a similar affection for Scandinavian modern set in cozy settings. Yes, ad people can beat up props, but, in this case, they were kind.
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08-May-05 |
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Street finds...
I have spent the past 7 or so years paying vast amounts of cash for the perfect design pieces and I never thought the day would come where I'd actually find something for nothing...It was a drizzly British day (aren't they always!) and myself and my partner were trying to find a place to stay dry in a small northern suburb. We ended up standing underneath a fire escape down an alleyway...sitting on the floor next to us was this rather long (6ft) slatted bench with these great Nelson-esq black metal legs. The bench had been completely neglected and was covered in paint and other 'nasty' substances so we figured no one cared for it. Anyway, we drove home already having an clear idea that it was designed in the 50's by one of the great British designers Robin Day. After doing some research which confirmed this at 10pm we both looked at each other and knew this was too good an opportunity to miss, so we drove the 10 miles or so to this alleyway and pulled up down the road from the bench. The bench was then grabbed and popped in our van (luckily we had a van!). After spending a week sanding the slats down and cleaning the crap off the legs we now have a fabulous piece of design for nothing which has pride of place in our sitting room!!I think it could sell for over $1800, but because of the history attached to it, it is priceless!
http://www.designmuseum.org/design/index.php?id=97
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10-May-05 |
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11-May-05 |
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Robin Day
Keinholz -
Wow! I absolutely love Robin Day's work. It is so unfortunate that it is nearly impossible to obtain his designs in the US.
What so you think of Ernest Race and Robert Heritage? Love their stuff as well.
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16-May-05 |
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I, thief.
I, too, worked for a billion dollar company and they were throwing a bunch of furniture away so I called my dad and we toted off a bunch of stuff and this odd little cushy, sturdy, purple chair. And when I got it home I looked it over and it turned out to be a signed Herman Miller. It is extremely cozy and heavy and firm. It was my first piece of designer furniture.
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16-May-05 |
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and...
so began a lifelong addiction.
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16-May-05 |
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Yikes, 420.
Uh, just to be clear, after thoroughly reading 420's post, the Herman Miller chair I found was being thrown away. I didn't steal it, I had to get approval from security to take it off the lot because it was going to be disposed of. I did check my rear view and no one was running after me. I still consider it a find because it was the result of corporate dumpster diving. I am not a crook.(making peace signs.)
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16-May-05 |
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You have to admit...
seeing people in your rearview mirror running after you and your just scored mid-mod icon is a pretty rich image... Remember... A risk a day keeps the Dr. away... I'm glad you are such an upright citizen of these here United States... I like to refer to cost free acquisitions as "rescued items" from those who know or have any comprehension of what they hold... Transferring into the hands of those who appreciate, have fond affection for or LUST after... There, we just went from Nixon to Jimmy Carter...
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17-May-05 |
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That is...
"rescued items" from those who don't know or have no comprehension of what they hold...
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17-May-05 |
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Well, thank you.
Of course there was the time I shot a man over a Mies daybed...
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20-May-05 |
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two saarinen tulip chairs
I really don't know if it was a bargain: I bought two old single piece tulip chairs exact to the ones of Saarinen (not similar or "the same style"). I payed 100 eur for both of them. The foot is also in fiber glass, and a bit thicker (is the only difference). Somebody told me that they were copies, because the authentics were in two pieces (although Saarinen would have prefered to make them in one piece) so I've been looking for other two copies to have four, and I've realized that there is nothing similar anywhere. I wonder where they come from, and how much are they worth. I found them in a 2hand market in Palma de Mallorca (Spain) where, due to some political reasons that kept it cutted off from Europe till 1975, is very difficult to find anything from the middle of century.
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28-May-05 |
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I have my best luck at Thrift...
I have my best luck at Thrift stores. So far I've found a 1960 Eames 670/671 for 35 bucks, a Platner side table for 4$ and a Mcobb Planter group desk for 30$.
Most of the Estate sales in the area are run by pros and it's hard to find a great deal on big stuff. I went to one run by an individual last week and scored a pair of upholstered Milo Baughman lounge chairs and ottoman for 90$. They appear to be some of his early Thayer Coggin stuff.
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28-May-05 |
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28-May-05 |
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Browsing the attics
Being an appraiser I regularly find myself in storages and attics of smaller and bigger companies. Once I found two Paulin Concorde chairs (780). The owner said they where on the nomination to go to the garbage as soon as he had the time to clear his attic. Of course I Offered him a helping hand by taking those two off his hand right away. Being there on behalf of my function, I felt it was my obligation to tell him that these were not your average waiting room chairs. Even after that (or maybe because of that) he decided to give them to me. So you can imagine me driving home with a full boot and a big smile on my face!
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01-Jun-05 |
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thrift store finds...
Couldn't resist adding to this thread... Let's see, so far - it's a four-way tie -- the Haywood-Wakefield M166G Gateleg Dining room table for $30, a three drawer Paul McCobb Planner Group dresser for $75, a Maria Poveka (Martinez) blackware plate for $1, or the latest find - an Eames 670 knockoff by Plycraft with matching ottoman for $50 at Goodwill. ;)
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06-Jun-05 |
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13-Jun-05 |
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best find ever
I was looking at a old chrome
chair at a flee marketand the guy said I will take 5.00 bucks I said o.k. and did not even try to get a better price ,I have been out buying
chairs for the last month and looking at books so I knew the chair was
a Z chair by Gibert Rohde made by Troy sunshade company made in the the late 30's and early 40's the chair is wonderful and it is being reupulisterd
right now in black and white leather
tooo cool for words
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13-Jun-05 |
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.
Yesterday found a heavy gold rope chain(VERY 70S) in of the Haliburton suitcases(IN MOMA DESIGN COLLECTION)from a estate I bought 5 years ago...
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14-Jun-05 |
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This is for Arch who posted...
This is for Arch who posted that they bought a noguchi freeform sofa on thisisfurniture.com....I was wondering how did your furniture turn out? Is it just like the original one?
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14-Jun-05 |
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LRF's
story illustrates the advantages of RESEARCH and study, so that one might recognize that treasure when it appears. See thread "Eames and Wegner era". . .
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15-Jun-05 |
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This web site...
Its free and there are some persons with design smarts willing to share. Thanks.
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04-Jul-05 |
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my three favorite finds that I kept
1. I used to have a vintage store so occasionally people would call with something they wanted to get rid of. One woman called and said she had two "tulip" chairs to sell. I went to her house, expecting to find two Saarinen side chairs (or worse, knockoffs) and she had a pair of Fritz Hansen Jacobsen Swan chairs. The foam was shot in both of them so she gave them to me for $100 for the pair.
2. Browsing around at a local consignment store, I came across a cool little modernist antelope sculpture which I bought for $4. Later I found out it was a Frederick Weinberg piece (and a nice one in that it didn't have that retro kitsch thing going).
3. I was driving past another junk store in town one day and they had three yellow Eames shell chairs sitting out front. I went and bought them ($40 total) and when I got home I discovered the bases were strange and the shock mounts different than normal. I did a little research and found out they were very early Eames shell chairs manufactured by Zenith (although not the rope edge), worth quite a bit more than I paid!
Of course there are a couple other great finds that I ended up selling (including a free Wormley sofa by Dunbar). It was a good gig!
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06-Jul-05 |
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Garbage day
I grew up in a house surrounded by Artifort furniture. My parents were fans in the last 60's early 70's.
A few years ago on a thursdaynight I was making one of my long phonecalls to my father. During these phonecalls I tend to walk around a lot. At my third round in the livingroom of my apartment I saw the trash outside that was put their to be picked up the next day. Covered by a few garbagebags I saw some black parts of a chair and I recognized the F598 of Pierre Paulin for Artifort.
I hang up immediately to run outside and save this beautiful chair. I cleaned it and used it with a lot of pleasure. A few years later I gave it to my father. Without him I would have never been able to recognize and enjoy he beauty of this chair.
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07-Jul-05 |
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5 Herman Miller/Eames shell chair desks
I just bought 5 of the old white shell chairs with the folding desk leaf(like a college would use. I paid $180 for all 5, they look new and had been stored for years.
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24-Jul-05 |
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thonet for four bucks
..was driving by a little yard sale yesterday and noticed two maple chairs holding up some junk..
stopped and asked how much they were but the woman said they were not for sale-that they were using them to hold stuff they were selling..So I said would you sell them? and she said-I don't know why you want those old things-four bucks for the pair..needless to say I bought them and drove right home..flipped them over and realized they are thonet..bentwood-maple plywood and in great shape..saw some on ebay recently selling for a hundred and fifty each in rough shape. These are keepers-I love chairs..I have a huge house,not much furniture but we always have an extra chair..lol..
this morning we went to some more sales and my four year old son found two molded plasic shell out school chairs but teeny tiny like they are for a two year old..he likes chairs too and after paying twenty five cents for the pair I can see I trained him well
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26-Jul-05 |
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2 mint Van Der Rohe MR loungechairs for free.
Went to a party and saw them sitting under a pile of clothes and almost flipped out. Offered the girl a generous amount and she said "PLEASE just take them!" Apparently she didnt like them. *sigh
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05-Aug-05 |
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my best finds
I have the good fortune tol ive in alabama (well when it comes to design anyway) and people here just don't seem to get it when it comes to modern design. I have founf at thrift stores a Mies brno chair knoll tag and mint for $3, a Mies barcelona table for $35, a 60 inch around burke table with 6 chairs for $50, about 10 or so eames shell chairs for no more than $7 and a florence knoll table with old Art Metal tag for about $9 i think, and oh yeah a george nelson bubble lamp given to me by a customer after i did some electrical work in there house.
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05-Aug-05 |
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California luck
Needless to say that bargains are far and few between in the land of the modern conscious. My best find would have to be a set of 25 (yes 25) eames fiberglass (herman miller) stackable cherry red chairs. This small store was closing down on Larchmont (out of all places) and I went in to inquire if it was available for rent. Then from the corner of my eye I notice multiple stacks of dusty chairs. The woman told me the bank next door was taking over the entire building, I then proceeded to ask her about the chairs, to my utmost surprise she told me she was about to put them out for grabs. In a spree of guilt about what was about to happen I gave her all the cash in my pockets, which amounted to about 120 dollars and started stacking them in my Golf. Needless to say it took a few trips to get them all to my lace. I still retain 8 of them and sold and made gifts for friends and exes with the rest.
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06-Aug-05 |
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Not too long ago ...
a man found a huge, multicoloured Verner Panton 'Ball' lamp in a box at a fleamarket. He bought for $10, had it in his home for a few years and then decided to sell it. It was sold at Denmark's largest auction house for $21500.
Since then I've been looking in ALL boxes whenever I'm at fleamarkets.
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08-Aug-05 |
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Real bargain, not even stolen
Original (not reissue) Michael Lax Lightoliere ball-and-cube desk lamp in near-mint condition: $3.00 at neighborhood thrift shoppe.
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11-Aug-05 |
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70s Wassily
Being thrown out. On a curb in the Bronx by the Bruckner Expressway.
One arm strap needs restiching. Otherwise in good shape.
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12-Aug-05 |
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food for thought
Great stories. Here is some food for thought. What if the curb side finds are there for a reason. Eg. some dude died while sitting in it, and they just wanted to quickly get rid of the chair. Heh heh. I always did say I wanted to die sitting in my Vitra eames lounger.
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14-Aug-05 |
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Irving Morrow furniture set
the best "bargain" I ever had was a set of five pieces, each one of a kind, built by and for the home of Irving Morrow (the consulting design architect for the golden gate bridge). The pieces were given to me for free, as to find a good home for them.
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14-Aug-05 |
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Amazing.
What do they look like? It is said that the "folded-plate" decorative surfaces found on the bridge tower spandrels -- sort of a deco/moderne version of "linenfold" carvings of yore (?), were a favorite of Mr Morrow. The concrete abutments and terminals seen just above the roadway at each end are also composed of these handsome forms. . .
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14-Aug-05 |
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My "Find"
IŽve found two Eames Armshells in a hospital and Five first-series-Panton Chairs on a street in Hamburg/Germany...
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22-Aug-05 |
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I think I've got a pretty good find
Today, I went to this store in DC that specializes in mid-century modern furniture and decorative arts. Found nothing I liked there (although there was a Jacobsen swan chair, Fritz Hansen, in nice shape for only $1200, but I never really liked the chair anyway so I passed).
On my way back, I was walking passed what appeared to be a crappy looking thrift store, and lo and behold, a knoll pollock executive chair for only $53. Not leather, but vinyl, in good shape, with some minor pin holes. And very comfortable. Couldn't pass up the price. Normal vintage is usually around $185 to $250, depending on condition. Does anyone know what a new one, in either leather or fabric, from knoll sells for?
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22-Aug-05 |
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22-Aug-05 |
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02-Sep-05 |
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tons of finds
I went to an auction about 2 months ago where I got the deals of a liftime
goodform desk and chair $3
Heywoodwakfield chairs (2) $5
8 herman miller fiberglass stacking chairs $4
heywood wakefield maple desk $5
2 starburst clocks $7
I also found in the trash street corner in Providence RI last year around the corner from my house 2 herman miller fiberglass chairs the real nice ones one was an office chair with rollers the other metal 4 leg base ladys was setting them out and i was liek is that the trash and she said yeah take whatever.
Hells yeahs
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14-Sep-05 |
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STREET COLLECTING ITEMS
During the last three years i have found a Paulin CM 151 design desk made by thonet left on the street of my city + a vintage PROUVE 1942 armchair wood made, plus an extra vintage standard PROUVE 1950 chair metal and wood made. All of these helped me paying all my taxes (i live in FRANCE).
a warmfull congratulations to designers who made my livin a little bit easier...
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16-Sep-05 |
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a pair of Wassily chairs...
.. or at least a couple of decent knock-offs. They were sitting in my neighbor's trash. He's renovating an old Arts and Crafts home and the chairs were left from the previous owner. Each chair had a broken arm strap so I consolidated the two good ones, reconditioned the leather (it had been dried out by countless years in the attic), and polished up the chrome. Voila! Now I'm off to get the two straps repaired -- hopefully a local shoe guy can do it.
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18-Sep-05 |
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best finds
I am a starving student (20 yrs old) so pretty much ALL my finds have been the best bargains, otherwise I could not have afforded them. I have come across the usual eames shells for free, but the best deal by far was 8 brno flat bar chairs for 4 dollars each at a thrift store. granted some are upholstered in blue and some in a light purple fabric, but I plan to recover them. My uncle's company went down in houston and hooked up my older brother and I with two brno tubulars for 40 dollars each, all in really good shape with fabric upholstery. my older brother found a harry bertoia diamond chair - the larger one (diamond lounge?) in chrome for 15 dollars. The only bad thing about it was whoever owned it spray painted the orange fabric cover black! thankfully they did not damage the actual chair.
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19-Sep-05 |
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.
Good stuff ! EIGHT flat-bar Brnos for a total of $32 is some kind of record, surely. . .!
Keep em coming, folks -- this topic has been a hit. . .
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19-Sep-05 |
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ENRONs
sinking has flooded the resale market with high end classic modern in Texas(mostly knoll from what Ive seen)...
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20-Sep-05 |
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Free Frank Gehry
A neighbor's house built by Frank Gehry that I get to look at every day from my window! (does that count?).
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21-Sep-05 |
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Robin Day
I can source English design for you. There's a few other designers you'd be interested in also. I'm based in London and it's rare in the UK so I would have thought almost impossible in the US(slatted bench in alleyway excluded!). Shipping wouldn't be too bad because of the way most of it is designed.
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24-Sep-05 |
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Today I live in New York,...
Today I live in New York, but I grew-up in Memphis, Tennessee.
My greatest find requires a little back story.
In 1949, a Memphis department store named Lowenstein's opened its newest location at the North-West corner of Polar & Highland. At this time, the intersection was considered the edge of the city. They spared no expense, and made the largest department store in Memphis into an cutting-edge Art-Deco gem. Most of the fixtures, fittings and finishings were custom made.
On every counter in the cosmetic department, there were matching chrome Art-Deco lamps- a heavy rectangular slab chrome base with two 1/2" extruded square rod chrome legs of about 18" height supporting a downward facing chrome shade in the shape of a half-cylinder on its side. I hope that is descriptive enough to visualize.
When the department store finally closed its doors in the mid 80s, the employees famously looted the store blind of it famous fixtures. These particular aforementioned lamps were the most coveted pilfer. I've only ever seen one available for sale in excess of $3000 (that was in about 1990). On Central Avenue there is an excellent furniture store that specializes in 50's retro pieces. To this day they have two of these lamps on their jewelry counter with tags that read "NOT FOR SALE." (see link below)
So...
In around '92 or '93 I was in this huge antique store on South Front Street in Memphis named Galleria of Antiques. The store specializes in Southern Antebellum antiques. Deco was out of their element. In the back room on the third floor was a "junk pile" of unpriced items (chairs with broken legs, old luggage, odds-and-ends, misc. bric-a-brac). The left over detritus of otherwise fruitful estate sale purchases, literally thrown in a big disheveled pile on the floor. There, sticking out of the heap, I saw a shiny chrome cylinder. I carefully removed the completely unscathed, impeccably maintained (and rewired) authentic 1940s custom made Lowenstein's cosmetic counter light fixture and asked, "What do you want for this?" With barely a passing glance the reply was "$35". I gave them cash and walked out the door. I still own that lamp.
-----
FYI-
This is my first post. My wife and I recently purchased a new home, and we're still looking for a few more pieces to complete our furnishings. That is how I stumbled across this site. I'm an Art Director who works in advertising. My educational background is architecture. I have a feeling I will be coming back to this board again.
http://www.flashbackmemphis.com/
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16-Oct-05 |
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A few finds
Picked up a white Stelton Magnussen vacuum jug at Planet Aid in Cambridge, Mass for $1.50. Washed off the coffee stains and it's as good as new.
Just today snagged two Knoll Pollock chairs, blackish/bluish leather (depends on the light), for $45 a piece at an office supply warehouse in New Hampshire.
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16-Oct-05 |
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17-Oct-05 |
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(2) vintage Bertoia 420 chairs
I got 2 Bertoia 420 side chairs (white) with seat and back cushions (blue) with original Knoll tags for $5 each this weekend at a yard sale. I think I got a great deal! I haven't been able to find much information on the 420 side chair with full cushions (which is what I think these are). They are in really good shape with minor knicks/marks.
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17-Oct-05 |
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Bertoia diamond in the rough
Sorry for the cheezy tag line
My younger brother Jacobo (he was about 8 yrs at the time) found a Bertoia large diamond chair with the orginal cover for $12 at an antique store in Dallas. He didn't know what it was (he's not a genius), but he told my dad "hey, Dad look at this cool chair, you should get it for Charles"
I still owe my little bro dude for that find
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18-Oct-05 |
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24-Oct-05 |
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saarinen tulip/swivel chairs and table
i was in mexico camping near a poor farming village this weekend. I went to have breakfast at a place that had a letrine for a bathroom. Inside, was a set of 4 saarinen tulip chairs with original upholstering. The owner said that in the early 70's a guy came around selling used furniture and she bought the entire thing for about $20 back then. I asked her if I could buy one of the chairs and she said "you can have the whole thing!" She said that the chairs weren't good for her kids because during meal time they wouldn't stop swiveling in them and tilting over. I felt really guilty about taking the chairs (the table is at her son's house)and so I only took one (I couldn't help myself), but I expect to go back to pick up the rest (and the table) if I ever go back there. I will make a donation to her restaurant, though.
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28-Oct-05 |
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My mouth is watering...
..I've been reading this thread and can hardly wait until the next flea market in the area, but I do not have near the knowledge of all these wonderful design addicts. Can someone please point me in the directions of a good, all encompassing book that lists these types of furniture pieces? I'm not in the industry, just someone who is slowing feeding the "design fire" the last few years and would love to be able to recognize pieces like you all have been describing.
Thanks-you!!
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28-Oct-05 |
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My mouth is watering...
..I've been reading this thread and can hardly wait until the next flea market in the area, but I do not have near the knowledge of all these wonderful design addicts. Can someone please point me in the direction of a good, all encompassing book that lists these types of furniture pieces? I'm not in the industry, just someone who is slowing feeding the "design fire" the last few years and would love to be able to recognize pieces like you all have been describing.
Thank-you!!
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28-Oct-05 |
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Vicky:
Shame on you for breaking up a set ! Now get right back there and get the whole enchilada (so to speak). A donation would be a lovely idea. . .
Nice score. SDR
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29-Oct-05 |
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Model 670 lounge chair and Model 671 ottoman
I just got these - which may be a reproduction. I have no idea how to tell. I saw reproductions selling for about 3K on line. If these are a 1956 or 1960 model what are they worth?
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29-Oct-05 |
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29-Oct-05 |
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In the same Research and...
In the same Research and Development Center where I got my Eames sofa for free a friend and I just rescuds 5 more cool sofas before they were thrown out.
Two are modular units like the George Nelson seating. One is a 3 bay with all seats and one is a 3 bay with two seats and a side table. It was made by the Troy Sunshade company. Not Herman Miller, but it looks great. I also got 3 Steelcase Knoll type sofas with the cushions stitched in a square pattern and with chrome legs. Not bad for free! They look nice.
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30-Oct-05 |
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Just curious
Whitespike, was the R&D center from which you just scored all that neat contract furniture ever operated by a corporation with the initial "W?"
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31-Oct-05 |
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.
The one with the famous "mask/face" logo by Rand...
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31-Oct-05 |
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Flokati, plus question about Barcelona chairs
My best bargain: a nasty dirty 8x10 white flokati rug at a garage sale for 10 bucks that washed up nicely.
My question (for anyone): I have "first dibs" on a pair of black Barcelona chair "knock-offs" (no ottomans). They are obvious knockoffs because the cushions are vinyl (not leather) and kinda dull (not shiny) and the bases are "lightweight" (aluminum?). What is a fair price to offer him? I haven't a clue. What could he "get" for them if he sold them to some other local person, but not on e-bay (he hates e-bay and fooling with shipping etc.). Help???
Tina E.
bjrmdlg@yahoo.com
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31-Oct-05 |
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I am not really sure. Our...
I am not really sure. Our Research and Development Center is now our Institutions for Higher Learning. I don't really know much about its history other than the fact that the building was completed in 69-70.
A friend's mother used to work there then. She said the place had nelson benches lining the entire huge glass wall expanse. They were full of arm shells, DCMs, side shells, Steelcase and Herman Miller sofas, etc. Most of the items were given to employees as they replaced them. I asked one older worker about it and all he had left that he hadn't thrown out was an old DCM covered in paint from the last time he repainted his barn. He used it to stand on.
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31-Oct-05 |
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I did find a pair of black...
I did find a pair of black diamond chairs with yellow vinyl pads in great shape last year. I don't have them yet. It was in the old library I used to go into as a kid. I visited my old town and remember mod looking stuff being in there but wasnt sure. They said after the new library is built they will give them to me. That will be in 5 years! I'm not holding my breath.
They also have 2 sofas which appear to be Knoll. Unfortunately they recovered them and I would have to get them and do some research to identify them. You'll never guess what they upholstered it in. A terrible floral pattern in black and pink. YIKES!
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01-Nov-05 |
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01-Nov-05 |
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Yeah, their pathetic attempt...
Yeah, their pathetic attempt to 'update' this piece produced a very awkard visual. This beautiful clean lined sofa with it's metal credenza-like base with a floral upholstery treament is quite a mutt.
Nothing a friendly addict couldn't resolve however.
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01-Nov-05 |
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Pardon the digression: Paul Rand logo
azurechicken:
Maybe this is another thread. I was never one of those who saw a face in the circle-W (right away, anyway). A lightning bolt, a wiring diagram, a crown?sure. Alas, Rand's influence was brief; the strong but short-lived graphic/product design culture of the 70s was brushed off by swaggering philistines.
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01-Nov-05 |
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i found
i found a straight flush on the river for a 2200 dollar pot.
ohhh snap!!!!
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04-Nov-05 |
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kukkapuro's ateljee 5euros
a few years back my mom bought kukkapuro's haimi ateljee(with headrests,black leather and in great condition) at a fleamarket for five euros. needless to say, the story has turned into a living legend in our family.
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04-Nov-05 |
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Finally
I finally have something to add here. I am now the proud owner of a brandi-new "real" Knoll custom-upholstered Saarinen Womb chair and ottoman for, and here's the good part...$1200USD. I feel good. That's a good price for the quality of the pieces. List is $4500USD and that is just wrong.
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04-Nov-05 |
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05-Nov-05 |
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05-Nov-05 |
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06-Nov-05 |
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HeatherJ wrote:
> Can...
HeatherJ wrote:
> Can someone please point me in the direction
> of a good, all encompassing book that lists
> these types of furniture pieces?
The History of Modern Furniture
by Karl Mang
http://www.digmodern.com/product/1877
This first one is mandatory. This is "THE" book. It's used as a course book in the curriculum of many design schools (I was first introduced to this book by a former student of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe).
1000 Chairs
by Fiell, Fiell and Philippi
http://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/books/design/all/facts/01822.htm
This second book is a bit trendy, and for being so thick, it can be a bit thin, but it's fun, and looks hip sitting on your bookshelf.
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10-Nov-05 |
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Thank-you!
Thank-you so much for responding to my question--I know it wasn't in the correct post, but reading all of those finds got me to thinking that I haven't educated myself near enough.
I already have a lead on the books.
Thanks again!
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15-Nov-05 |
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a friend of mine found an...
a friend of mine found an lcw from 1952 i believe on someones porch, he bought it for $15. its in awsome condition too.
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15-Nov-05 |
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17-Nov-05 |
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Eames
I'm a french speaker, but i'll try to write in english.
It was the day before my birthday. I was going to throw some waste with the dechettery. I specify that for a few months, I had sought everywhere a rocking armchair of Eames, on ebay, etc, not too expensive. So, I go at the dechettery, and there I see a hull of eames. I open large my eyes, I cannot believe it. I jump in the container, and there I see full with other hulls, full... I take them all, like insane, the other people looked at me oddly, kind "it is insane it is ugly". In short, I take all, and quickly, I leave. Arrived at home I realize that in precipitation, I did not look at the box if the feet were there. The next morning, I turn over to the dechettery, and I see the employee started to want to empty the containers. I shut to leave in place. There I see H bases, and the employee helps me to go up them. I see that there remain some hulls in the container and I take all. While arriving at the house, I count how much I have some. There are 32 of them!!! Fortunately the old propriaries unscrewed the feet of the hulls, I could never very have taken differently. I have thus 30 to armchair black, out of glass fibre, at home. I did not pay anything. I miss screws, and here in Europe, one does not find them. I don't how old, when they are, no mark, if it is not the logo Herman Miller on the shock mounts. They have no marks !!! Ten have marks, but nothing... The following day, day of my birthday, my friend had bought a Vitra armchair of Eames. Useless to say that it was brought back...A fabulous find...so fabulous...
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17-Nov-05 |
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17-Nov-05 |
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18-Nov-05 |
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You know, a lot of people sai...
You know, a lot of people said me that ! They have chance ! Why they can't give for it a Yanagi's butterfly, a Eames's LCW or something else like that ? I want to "troc"...if somebody is interested...
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18-Nov-05 |
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"Wow!" and "Eh?"
In my opinion that's one of the best stories in this thread. 32 armshells and then black! - that's quite a rare colour, you know. Simply unbelievable! ... but when you write "troc" in your last reply, do you then mean trade?
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19-Nov-05 |
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19-Nov-05 |
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email.
can you list your email so we can get in touch regarding trades?
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20-Nov-05 |
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22-Nov-05 |
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25-Nov-05 |
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Saarinen Table
Just found last week, Knoll Saarinen Coffee table $15.00 Canadian. Found it at a thrift store just down the street from my place.
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02-Dec-05 |
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*giggle* Pollock Executive Chair
Today I was bummed.
The people across the street are moving. Left a bunch of stuff in the driveway. Asked the neighbor, "Are they giving that stuff away?" "Yup. Talked to them yesterday, and I'm taking the office chair." "Darn! I really need a decent chair for my office. That $19.99 Ikea is breaking my bxtx." "Well, I saw another chair back in the alley about 3 doors down. It looked OK."
So, bummed that I opened my mouth rather than assume the obvious...I said thanks and said, "OK. Anything's gotta be better than that plastic thing I sit on."
Today is trash day. Down the alley I go and within a minute spot this beee-yu-ti-ful looking chair. Black leather. Arms. Chrome. Clean. This is awesome. Picked it up and was glad I worked out. Geesh.
Carried it home, turned it over. Wow. Looked it up on the web. Thank you very much dear neighbor for turning your nose at this wonderful Knoll Pollock Executive chair. And I thank myself for keeping a good attitude.
PS: My bxtx is quite comfy now :-)
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02-Dec-05 |
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*giggle* Knoll Pollock -- pt 2
Just found an original magazine ad listed on ebay for this chair. My chair matches the 1976 ad, so I figure it's from that era. Don't know much else about it...but I'm still grinnin' like a Cheshire cat :-)
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05-Dec-05 |
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I bought a starburst/spike...
I bought a starburst/spike wall clock in walnut a year ago off ebay. Instead of being listed as a spike or starburst clock, the seller listed it as something like a spikey-looking clock. I just thought it was a Nelson knock-off, but it looked in good condition and was cheap(like $9.99) so I bought it for my brother-in-law's Christmas present. With shipping, it was still less than $20. Anywho, when I got the clock in the mail, it turned out to be the real deal. The person obviously had no idea what they were selling. The clock was in almost pristine condition and would definitely have sold for several hundred bucks...and I got it for less than $20. Needless to say, my brother-in-law got something else for Christmas because I kept that baby for myself :)
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15-Dec-05 |
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Chu Teh-Chun Painting
My apologies for posting this story(twice) in the wrong area. My ABSOLUTE BEST FIND was late this autumn. I found a 1962 Chu Teh-Chun painting at a local thrift store. I am selling it through Sotheby's this April in Hong Kong. It should bring a small fortune.
I STILL can't believe my luck on this one!
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16-Dec-05 |
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Cassandre Normandie Poster
I found either a very good vintage litho of the A. M. Cassandre, Normandie poster or, possibly, the original airbrush maquette.
In a junk store in San Francisco...for $35.
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01-Jan-06 |
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rare Danish cradle
Hi, all--new here but have been collecting awhile.
I go to a lot of local auctions and have gotten some real finds. Probably my best ever was a rare cradle by Danish designer Nanna Ditzel. It was at a really snooty, somewhat shady auction house that I don't normally patronize but happened to go this once.
I spotted the cradle in the back with garden junk piled in it. There were some dealers there who buy mod stuff so I didn't want to look too interested init. I looked as closely as I dared for a mark but didn't see anything. The lighting was bad and the thing sitting in it was heavy and too hard to move, plus those jerks didn't like patrons messing up their precious displays!
Anyway, they started the bidding at $30. I just assumed that I'd have to pay at least $100 for it, so I said OK. But then no one else bid! I got it for $30.
I paid my bill and took the cradle outside (someone else bought the garden equipment). There under the foam mattress was the "Made in Denmark" sticker. Woohoo!
Went home and looked it up---Nanna Ditzel. The only mention I could find on the internet was on the mobelkunst.dk site and they didn't even give a price ("on request"). I wrote and asked and it took awhile for them to get back to me, but it was worth the wait: US$3600!
My older daughter saw it and said, "mom, you can't sell this!" And she's right, I can't. She is a fan of good mid-century design and just got married and they plan to have kids. I can't NOT let my grandchildren sleep in this cradle, even though we could really use the money!
A few other auction finds:
Saarinen tulip table & two chairs, $5 (condition kinda rough, but still)
very thick, long flokati rug, 6x9, $3
Arteluce 3 arm chrome globe lamp, $80 (not dirt cheap but I love it dearly--I THINK it's Arteluce)
Nessen table lamps for $2 each
Arabia art pottery bowl, $5 (sold for $375 or something like that)
several Saarinen tulip dining table bases for very cheap - they have the exact profile of the Saarinen ones but I've never been able to tell if they are real or not (not that I care much)
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02-Jan-06 |
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o well...
You've got the chair and that's it
Congrats- I like this chair as well
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02-Jan-06 |
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Damn, Spaky
... as a huge fan of the work of Nanna & Joergen Ditzel, I really envy you. I've only seen this cradle myself twice, at Dansk Moebelkunst' showroom (www.dmk.dk) and at Kolmorgen's showroom (http://kolmorgen.com) further down the street. It's a quite a rare find so please promise you'll take good care of it :)
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02-Jan-06 |
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Spanky, that is ...
Oh, and Happy New Year to all of you ... may it bring many more wonderful stories of your great finds and bargains :)
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04-Jan-06 |
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no prestigious labels, but
My best thrift-store "score" ever was a Saarinen-esque couch that I found in Eugene, Oregon, 10 years ago for $11, in very good condition, made in Sweden. The best part is that it's extremely light, and the aluminum legs come off very easily, so it's very easy for one person to move (which is good because I've had about 6 addresses in the past 10 years). Another cheap thriftstore item that I enjoy having around is a knock-off Eames wire chair with a rocking base and a bright orange cushion -- $5. I shop at thrift stores fairly often and those magical "scores" seem to be more and more rare in recent years.
Also, a Thonet bent plywood chair, vaguely similar to the Eames LCW, which I got for free through my work. Not in great shape but it came from the set of the movie ALI, so it's sort of a conversation piece.
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05-Jan-06 |
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M_Andersen
I will take good care of the cradle, I promise! One thing that bothers me about about---there is a lightly soiled area where hands rocked it. It's maple, I think (been awhile since I looked at it--it's stashed in a corner of the attic) and it doesn't seem to have any finish at all. Maybe a very light oil finish but nothing that really seals the wood. I know patina is desirable but this isn't really patina, it's just on one end of one edge and it looks....well, dirty. Eventually I'd like to find out how to clean it up a bit but not with any solvent that will leave stains itself.
I would love to get a Nanna Ditzel high chair, too. They're a bit easier to find, fortunately.
Are you talking about showrooms in Denmark or just online? We lived in Denmark (Fredensborg, about 45 minutes north of Copenhagen) in 1996-1997 for a year and got around a fair bit but I don't remember seeing these places. I've also been there as a tourist four or five times.
(We were nearly broke and I wasn't so into Danish design when we lived there, otherwise I woulda stuffed our container FULL for the trip home. But stuff there is not cheap, as I'm sure you know. Living there is what got me into this, though. HUGE influence.)
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05-Jan-06 |
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Maple?
Ok, the only two examples I've ever seen in real life, were made in oregon pine. But I can't really find any add. info on this cradle. As far as I could tell, they were only oiled slighty, nothing else. They were intented to be used and affordable for most families. The choice of wood, oregone pine, confirms this as it's a cheap sort of wood. However a few examples in maple might have been produced to be bought at a higher price. It was not uncommon for designers to have the same chair or table produced in different kinds of wood.
I actually knew Nanna Ditzel and she invited me to her house for coffee a few times shortly before she passed away. I wish I could ask her about this cradle. She would have loved to show me her original drawings and provide interesting info. I wish she was still here among us. God, I miss her.
Anyway, Dansk Møbelkunst lies in the middle of Bredgade, that long road that begins right by Nyhavn and Kgs. Nytorv. Kolmorgen has a small showroom in the same street, right at the start.
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06-Jan-06 |
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Pollock chairs
Saw your message re: picking up Knoll Pollock chairs at an office supply store in New Hampshire for $45.
I'm in the Boston area, I would be interested in contacting this store to see if they have any more. Can you indicate the name/number of the place?
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06-Jan-06 |
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a few
10 Arne Jacobsen Swan chairs, $75 CDN each, from a folk club...
Egg chair $250, from an aunt of a friend..
Teak Finn Juhl sofa $20 at a yard sale
20 Eames side chairs for $100
a friend just bought 40 Iitalla glass peices, many different, for $75 CDN at an auction..
last one, I just found a product I designed at Goodwill for $4 - one of the proudest moments of my career.
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11-Jan-06 |
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"and Eames chairs"
I was advertising for a utility trailer in texas, and the lady taking my ad for the neighbor newsletter said; 'you have three more words'- so I said, " and Eames chairs". I had to drive back to Texas three weeks later when I got the call. Two knockoffs, 350$
with ottomans; my fanny don't know the difference.
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14-Jan-06 |
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Oregon pine
You're right, the cradle is Oregon pine. It's about the color of maple and that's all I remember from the last time I really looked at it, but now I recall that the grain was not maple-ish.
That's wonderful that you knew Nanna Ditzel. That's one of the things that impressed me about Denmark and Danes, that it's a small country and celebrity isn't hyped the way it is in the U.S. I was recently telling a Danish friend about a Peter Hvidt table I got at auction and it turned out that she had dated one of Hvidt's sons in high school or college and spent a lot of time with the family. I think Danes live in a pleasantly small world.
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22-Jan-06 |
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Robin Day Club 3 seater
Have been wanting a black 1962 Club 3 seater by Robin Day ever since Loft started producing them again in 2002.
http://www.architonic.com/1012956
However at £2880 I have been waiting around for sales with nothing happening - until today.
And in Copenhagen (where I am from prior to moving to London) it cost even more...
However - This afternoon I walked in to a London store where they had a display model sitting priced at £1780, which I managed to bargin further down to £1500 - an absolute steal and I cannot wait for it to arrive next week.
Sometimes life is fair afterall :-)
Peder
http://www.architonic.com/1012956
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24-Jan-06 |
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24-Jan-06 |
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You're talking to "OP SHOP QUEEN" here!!!....
I am an op shop/garage(yard)sale, trash & treasure market, 2nd hand store ADDICT!!! I can't drive pass these exciting, wonderful 2nd hand heavens!!!
I found a Kartell magazine rack (as the one pictured on the home page) in an op shop for $2. AUS. I also scour the demolition yards for unwanted house fittings where I've found numerous atomic spaceship light fittings, I've purchased for my house. I also found a dusty, but sensational 6pce dining setting there too with turquoise vinyl seats, matching atomic patterned & gold flecked laminate topped table with chrome pointy legs! 60's S*E*N*S*A*T*I*O*N*A*L Give me the smell of moth balls any day , I'm there!!! As the classic saying goes- "One man's trash is another man's treasure" or "Seek & you will find" I think the reward always outways the challenge, as I face another opportunistic day of rummaging through someone elses trash to find the elusive "find" & place it in a loving home to be enjoyed & loved forever & a day, AMEN. Sorry, I got very philisophical & carried away there! but you get my drift, cheers, Michelle x
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26-Jan-06 |
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05-Feb-06 |
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togo x2 for £10
I got a Togo 3 seater and a 1 seater for £10.00 from a women who no longer used them and since then they have appeared on big brother I'm sure they are worth quite a bit more.
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09-Feb-06 |
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09-Feb-06 |
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Miracle on 34th Street - Saarinen Chair in Trash
I had decided to walk home after work instead of jumping on the subway. Don't know what possessed me but I decided to take 34th Street heading east - this can be best described as something akin to salmon swimming upstream, but it was a steady stream of "Working Girl" extras coming at me. A building was being completely gutted for renovation, and there it was sitting with a pile of detritus... A Saarinen Executive Chair with arms in electric blue. NO ONE was interested in that crowd so I hoisted it up over my head and carried it home!
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26-Mar-06 |
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Eames DCW Ebony
My first piece was 2 years ago. I found an Eames Dining Chair wood in the loft of my dads barn. I asked for it for christmas and was disappointed to notice that it wasnt in the house when I came home. I mentioned it to my father and he said "oh.. the chair in the barn? Oh yeah just take that..."
Apparently he had found it at the town dump and he thought it was too ugly to leave there. Sadly the backrest had been snapped off the shockmounts and redrilled (shudder) twice. And it was painted black. Next summer I'm planning on restoring as much of it as I can back to its former glory.
Other good finds: In two weeks I found two near perfect lemon yellow shells for 100$ each, and yesterday I bought 8 academic base shells for 150$...for the lot! 20$ a chair aint bad!
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27-Mar-06 |
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28-Apr-06 |
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3 mcarthur aluminum folding chairs, free
arts department at my university had three red folding mcarthur aluminum chairs in original condition. i was giving my (philosophy) students' exam in the art history lecture hall when i saw them. i asked the chair of the art dpertment if i could have them, and she sais, "sure, in 3o years i've never seen them touched." Toal cost: $0.00
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29-Apr-06 |
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A pair of white Overman AB chairs
listed w/o a gallery pic on eBay. $20 for the pair and I was the only bidder! Also got a 5x7 vtg. zebra rug for $19 that had been miscategorized. Love the thrift stores too - my 70s arc lamp, faux-tortoise lucite trash can, Peter Max fabric panel, and most of my decorative things are courtesy of local thrift stores. I'm a student, so all of my finds are bargains!
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04-May-06 |
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13-May-06 |
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4 at the Thrift Store.
Just found 4 Off White Eames Shell chairs for $6 TOTAL!
I will be listing them on ebay soon, but I have a question. They all have the Herman Miller Patent Tag on the bottom, and are all stamped April 11 1960. However instead of the usual Herman Miller Logo on the bottom they are marked with 2 triangles (one inside each other) Does anyone have any idea what this means???
Thanks, Tom
Tfrack@aol.com
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13-May-06 |
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Also......
Also, When I list them should I list them with the H bases on them (They have some rust) or without. I noticed alot of people asking other sellers if they would sell them without the bases. It would help with the shipping cost.
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13-May-06 |
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I know
a lot of "mixing and matching" goes on with Eames bases -- and of course we're only in this for the money -- but most collectors, including museums, would much prefer to have the ORIGINAL parts intact, not just CORRECT ones. What is the point of separating the intact components of a valued and valuable object, either for momentary convenience or financial advantage ? Metal parts can be replated; let the buyer decide what to do with the object(s) purchased. . .
if you ask me.
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13-May-06 |
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Thanks
Thank You for the input. Any idea about the triangle marking on the bottom, or where I might info on it?
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17-May-06 |
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today
A free banana yellow Eames Time-Life chair.
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15-Jun-06 |
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Best find of my life
My best find ever was a orange eames rocker at a local thrift store for only $12. I though my heart was going to stop...I immediately lunged for it, paid and ran for the door before they could find out what they had just sold for pennies on the dollar.
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15-Jun-06 |
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A Josef Hoffmann "Cubus"...
A Josef Hoffmann "Cubus" sofa and chair- they were like six months old and perfect- 700 bucks. Of course my girlfriend hates them, so I have to sell them... anyone lived with a Corbusier petite or grande confort sofa? Are they comfy for stretching out with someone for a movie?
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15-Jun-06 |
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19-Jun-06 |
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Triangle Man
Rogue - the double triangles are the mark of one of the companies that manufactured the shells for HM. Im not able to recall which at the moment, but i saw a thread recently in the forum. You can also check out Eamescollector.com Are they side shells or armchairs?
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21-Jun-06 |
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21-Jun-06 |
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21-Jun-06 |
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I'm sure this will upset the label whores...
But I recently picked up a very well made barcelona-style sofa, 80 inches long, and in terms of quality, it rivals the Knoll bark chair I have... full very high grade leather, it even has tufting on the back of the cushions- even under the seat! The frame is polished rather than chromed... brand new, with an ottoman I paid 799 US.
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25-Jun-06 |
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Le Corbusier book
Just bought a vintage book on Unité D'habitation at a very good price, and when I unwrapped the Cristal paper cover...found a note on the first page, by LE CORBUSIER himself "à Mr Grumberg avec toute ma sympathie, LE Corbusier juillet51."
the shop didn't see it....too bad!
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26-Jun-06 |
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two early eames 670's at goodwill
the parking lot was full at the goodwill, so i reluctantly drove to the back area of the lot where the donation station is located. there i saw an old lady asking the young latino guy to be carefull with these chairs because they are real herman millers and not forget her donation receipt. as the youth unloaded the second chair i told him these are mine, i'm buyng them and to hold them for a short while. i only had $80. in my pocket and was certain i would need more. so i raced to an atm and withdrew $400. when i came back he told me to hurry up and pay $25. each for them because everyone was asking about them. after i paid for and loaded them, i tipped the young man $40. for his help. he thought i was crazy but thanked me. as soon as i unloaded them at home i started a victory dance, which led my mom to question if i was drunk or something. yeah mom, drunk on rosewood and down filled cushions!
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26-Jun-06 |
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07-Jul-06 |
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yikes!
Two rosewood Eames lounge chairs and ottomans for $50?! I'd have had a heart attack and died before I could get them into my car!
I nearly had a heart attack last night at an auction where there was a modern rocking chair that i wanted. No visible marks but it looked good and my daughter had asked me to keep an eye out for one for when they have kids someday. (She's the one who will be the first to use the Nanna Ditzel cradle that I got for $30---I think I posted about it in this thread already a few months ago.)
Anyway, some guy started talking to me and I couldn't get away but I did keep a close watch on the auctioneer. I thought they had another row of stuff to do before they sold the rocker but when I looked again, they had it up in the air and the auctioneer was a split second from saying "SOLD!"
I yelled "HEY!!!", which any auction-goer knows is not the typical bid call but I was so startled and then panicked that it just popped out. The auctioneer laughed and no one else bid and I got the rocker for $15! WHEW.
Got home, looked it up---Hans Wegner J16 in lacquered beech with the woven cord seat. I had no idea! The mark is probably under the cord somewhere. I am a bit embarassed that I didn't recognize it at the sale but oh well, it's mine now and I know what I've got!
I will either lend it to my daughter or will find her another modern rocker. I'm not giving this one up!
http://www.danish-design.com/images/items/J16-1.jpg
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09-Jul-06 |
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you rocked!
nice rockin! but i only got the lounge chairs, no ottomans. i'm trippin on the guy that got the Bertoia sculpture on ebay!
the best is yet to come!
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09-Jul-06 |
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ponti
the bertoia was a good deal...
i have a client who in march, pulled a ponti chandelier for 600. worth 30-50k.
now thats a pretty good find! lucky bastard.
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29-Jul-06 |
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29 Blue Eames Side Shells
Bright cornflower blue. Same sort of "OH MY GAWD" heart attack-like reaction. Total cost was 97 dollars, 3 dollars per chair. Thank you Salvation Army.
Also 8 Gustav Stickley chairs in an"overflow" barn at an estate sale. The woman provided the most fantastic answer to "do you have anything else?" when she took me to the back. Five dollars each.
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30-Jul-06 |
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A little story ...
Since I started this thread, I might as well help keeping it alive and breathing.
Early Saturday morning some weeks ago. Man, was I tired. The evening before I had read that there was a small fleamarket in the town of Virum, about 10 min. from where I live. So I layed on my Hvidt & Mølgaard couch considering if I really should go or sleep another hour or two. I decided to get dressed and went to the station to take the train.
The fleamarket was nothing special, just a small road where people brought out their old junk and sold it from the sidewalk. I walked up and down a few times but got bored. Nothing interesting or particular valuable. Though since I had made the trip, I thought I'd walk back and forth one last time.
On my way back I saw an old couple laying out some carpets on the small grass strip in front of their house. I though they looked oddly familiar but I couldn't remember where I had seen them before. I talked with the old folks about where the carpets were from. They got them from a old friend, a former actress, who had bought them at a exhibition in the late 1960's. I thought to myself that the carpets look like something Verner Panton had once designed early in his days as a designer. The carpets themselves were nothing special and there wasn't a lot of people visiting the fleamarket so I took the chance by taking the bus (5 min. journey) home and looking through my auction catalougs and Vitra's huge book about Verner Panton - and there they were! The carpets were indeed "Omega" rugs designed by Verner Panton in 1965 for Unika Væv. I've been collecting fabrics by Panton for several years and his carpets are very rarely seen. But these Omega carpets are as rare as it gets. I only know of three others in the world. 2 were sold at an auction house in Denmark in 2002 and 1 was sold at Quittenbaum in Germany last year (largest version, sold at 5000 Euro). OMG! I raced as fast as I could down the stairs, sweating and with my heart beating violently, right over to the station and the busstops. It's the end for many busses and I had ran so fast up and down to my flat that I actually jumped on the same bus I had just go out off a few minutes before.
I'm not that familar in Virum so I got off two stops before I should have. Again, I ran like Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump. When I got to the fleamarket the carpets were still there. Phew! The price? $25 for both. SOLD!
One is in a small size not mentioned anywhere (44 x 220 cm.) so perhaps it's a sample. It was never used, just rolled together and stored since it was bought so the condition is pristine. The other carpet meassures 88 x 220 cm. and has been used but still looks great. I've kept the smaller carpet for my bedroom. I'm gonna sell the other. It's the same as one of those sold in Denmark in 2002. It went for $2000.
Man, am I glad that I got out of bed that day. I smile every morning when I look at it and again when I go to bed.
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31-Jul-06 |
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Wow!
That's a great story about the rugs! At that price, you could have bought them first and worried about the pedigree later!
I went to a few small-town flea markets when we lived in Denmark but it was before I was very interested in the good stuff. I would LOVE to be able to go again and bring big things home. Now it's only what will fit in my suitcase.
I got six Børge Mogensen dining chairs at an auction last week for $40. They had woven rush seats that were in very poor condition with a lot of mold, too. The chairs also had some metal screws added to the back posts which I didn't even see until after I'd gotten them, but I will remove the screws and add dowels instead.
These aren't the most famous Mogensen chairs but they're nice. The link below is to the Roxy Klassik shop's page. I have three arm chairs and three side chairs.
http://www.roxyklassik.dk/stort.asp?selbinr=29798
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21-Aug-06 |
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Lax Lamp
I bought one last week for $3.50, and yawned.
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22-Aug-06 |
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22-Aug-06 |
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.
Spanky, those chairs are sweet.
Will you have the rushwork replaced? Will that be terribly expensive ?
SDR
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22-Aug-06 |
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22-Aug-06 |
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SDR
I already re-wove all the seats myself. I used the same type of seagrass cord as the original and they turned out well, though the first is not quite as neat and tight as the rest! The new seagrass has a greennish cast that looks great with the teak, which is quite dark from age. The green will turn golden brown with time, which will also look good.
Weaving seats is easy, mindless work once you get the hang of it. I've done a bunch of the N.O. Møller dining chairs with the twisted paper cord in the basketweave pattern. Those are really easy to do and they look so good when done. The materials don't cost much and around here the going rate is $125 per set to have it done. I'm too cheap to pay that!
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22-Aug-06 |
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oh damn!
Yesterday I learned that my uncle that I have not seen in 12 years passed. Since he did not have a family of his own he left everything to my immediate family. We went to his doctor's office only to discover 7 Nelson Coconut chairs in near mint condition. 2 are in red, 2 in yellow, 2 in Millerstripe and one in green. Along with that he had 2 eames compact sofas in orange. My brother and I are the only ones interested so we each get a compact and 3 cocnuts and we plan on selling the remaining one. Since he only had one clock we are selling it as well. It is an original Nelson spindle clock.
The worst part of all this is that I am kidding.
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23-Aug-06 |
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23-Aug-06 |
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28-Aug-06 |
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28-Aug-06 |
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Unused Eames
I just bought a pair of bright orange eames side shells sans legs. The seller had found them stacked in a warehouse - with the original kraft paper between the shells - they have never been in circulation!!! Now the question is what kind of base do I put on? Low rod? Eiffel? (dont even suggest rocker - the sides with the rocking base look lame)
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28-Aug-06 |
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