Eva Zeisel "Museum White" dinnerware set
A few years ago, I decided that my motley assortment of mismatched, patterned 1950's dinnerware needed a rethink-- time to replace with a complete set, in solid white.

I found a lovely set in a thrift shop-- off-white porcelain, subtle biormorphic design, fantastic condition. Set was much larger than I needed (70+ pieces, including large serving bowls and platters), but the price was right ($50 for all!). Not exactly the Russel Wright of my dreams, I told myself, but perfectly serviceable.

After owning and using it for a couple of years, I decided to see if I could add some serving pieces, via Ebay. That's when I realized that my beautiful white dinnerware, marked only "Castleton", was a miraculous find-- Eva Zeisel's "Museum White" pattern, worth thousands!

teak armchair
I got this armchair at an auction for two bucks. It has no marks or labels and could very well be American, especially judging by the hideously cheesy acrylic upholstery fabric. I have seen lots of American furniture with fabric like this but not Danish-made. Though maybe it was reupholstered in the 70's, I dunno.

It was a recliner but the mechanism isn't working, which is ok with me. It's very comfortable upright.

Anyway, it was absolutely filthy when I got it---years of grime and body oil and possibly nicotine on the wood, especially the arm rests. We called it the DNA chair. I got the crud off with Murphy's Oil Soap and then rinsed, let it dry, and did a few coats of Danish oil finish.

I replaced all of the padding. I also took the sinuous springs off the seat (one was broken) and replaced them with elastic webbing.

The new fabric is Maharam's Pebble wool in the Wenge colorway (actually darker brown than it looks here). The fabric is sort of a grospoint weave but with wool boucle yarns. It's the kind of thing you want to run your hands over repeatedly---fuzzy and warm and texture-y. I didn't put the headrest back on but I did keep the clips in case I decide later that I want it.

Unfortunately the original ottoman wasn't with it. Maybe I'll get that at another auction someday for two more bucks.

Well...
I just this weekend picked up an original 42" Knoll Saarinen tulip table that is in almost pristine condition for $600. It was just a mile away. I didn't even have to pay any shipping costs :D

yep
Yep, I did it myself. I've done quite a bit of upholstering over the years. Right now I'm re-doing this 8' sofa that matched the 6' love seat (below) that I did for my daughter. We're keeping the big one. I built the back up and converted it to a tight back since I hate loose back cushions. The new fabric on the short one is a heavy wool flannel by Knoll. It was very unforgiving, unlike the Maharam Pebble. Totally flat and smooth so every little pucker shows. Nice fabric otherwise, though! I'm using something different on the big one.

p.s. I have the arm bits. ...

p.s.
I have the arm bits.
when i had it recovered, near where i work, i stopped in almost every day.
They did such a crappy job that i would not let them do the arms.
(they did use original horse hair etc, but the seat was crooked!)
The original footprint is original and i have before photos.

Backrest
Nice find Rockland.

How does the backrest mechanism work? I'm guessing moves in conjunction with the amount pressure applied?

ok truthfully, am I on the...
ok truthfully, am I on the right track? I got these three pieces for free from the web. The sideboards need a bit of TLC but they're solid and simple.
Be honest what do you think.

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...Thank you jesgord ! give...
...Thank you jesgord ! give me a bit of confidence :-)

Original Eames Storage Units
Only yesterday I bought 2 ESUs (circa 1954) from a man selling them on craigslist. I got a 4x2 and a 2x2 for $200. I'd say that they are only in 'fair' condition but they are rock solid and beautiful nontheless. I also got a Knoll desk for $100. It was an amazing sale!

I'm having a heck of a time figuring out what they are worth. I've searched the internet and can't find any for sale.

=/
KMS...if originals, you made a very serious find! I'm speechless to the point of crying. Congratulations!

you must have done something...
you must have done something really good for someone one day, what goes around comes around :-) enjoy!

Not my best bargain find...
Not my best bargain find ever....but certainly the best today. Was out hitting the yard sales this morning, found this great Nakashima style slab bench. Great freeform shape, beautifully peg jointed legs. Not bad for $135...I was stoked! Sorry about the poor iPhone pics :-( they don't do it justice

Wood
My best guess is pine from the pictures, but its very difficult to tell without knowing the weight of the piece, or whether the color is the wood or a stain. But the graining and more-so the knots make me think pine.

Heath, have you got any thoughts?

Bought an oak Hans Wegner W2...
Bought an oak Hans Wegner W2 chair the otherday on ebay for $4.50! I felt sorry for them though so gave them about $40 which is obviously still a great deal.

good on ya Nick! Any...
good on ya Nick! Any pictures ?

Pretty good sofa find
Saturday-morning estate sale. Sleek Scandinavian-looking 7-foot sofa in the garage, heaped with cartons of old Christmas decorations. Very simple, crisp, low slung, Florence Knoll kind of lines, black leather, loose cushions. Straight legs, apparently teak, levitate it neatly off the floor. House and contents c. early 1960s. Sofa: $25.00.

Silver sticker on base reads:
Bara en Kvalitat
Den Mistra
[logo in red letters: "Fre"]
Industri Antiebolag
Skillingaryd
Made in Sweden

Tag stapled to bottom fabric says:
Winston Palisade Base

Anyone have a clue about date or origin?

Thanks.

Geo... I've never heard...
Geo...

I've never heard of a furniture manufacturer named 'Fre', but there is one called 'Ire', which was founded in Skillingaryd in 1939. I don't know what designers they were working with earlier, but today most of the sofas are designed by Carl-Henrik Spak, who is also one of the current owners of the company.
http://www.iremobel.se/english/om_oss_historia.htm

Thanks to Alexandersforum (sofa)
Brilliant! The "ire" logo on my piece is rendered in cursive with a swoopy capital I that I mistook for an F, apparently predating the current all-lower-case signature. My couch looks a lot like Spak's "Epoka" model, and -- get this -- the company offers replacement upholstery covers, which could solve my spouse's issues with the moderately distressed cushions.

Your input greatly appreciated.

Sirlampsalot--
You're the embodiment of every thrifters' most cynical suspicion: a collector who volunteers to organize church bazaar charity auctions. Conflict of interest!

Excellent Scandinavian finds
I live in Finland and you mostly find Finnish or Swedish stuff here but occasionally you stumble upon international finds as well.

I started a blog post of some of the things I've found over the years. There could have been much much more but there is simply no more space..



http://designofthecentury.blogspot.com/2008/01/i-will-startl...

I enjoyed looking at your...
I enjoyed looking at your blog Jef.
Neat chair Jaxon, looks super comfy!

C. Jere Table Sculpture
$20...best find ever!

George Nelson kangaroo chair 150.00
Best find George Nelson kangaroo chair 150.00
Eames aluminum group sofa made for one year only 700.00

i still have my original...
i still have my original knoll tulip table purchased in 1960..got the tbl and 4 tulip chairs, new, for about $500..got rid of the chairs after 5 yrs, and only found out about 6 yrs ago that my tbl was such a collectible.
kick myself every so often for ditching the chairs...who knew?

Maybe not spectacular..
..but I thought it was a good deal.

I was browsing at my local thrift store and ran across this floor lamp.

The tag on the inside of one of the shades identified it as a "Laurel Lamp Manufacturing Co. Newark NJ" product. I loved the tulip shaped base and brought it home for a few bucks.

I agree--
very nice looking floor lamp!

(...and Laurel lamps go for a fair amount of money.)

$45
for a signed and numbered Charles Harper lithograph.

Van Der Rohe MR 20
I bought 2 van der rohe mr 20 arm chairs at the goodwill $7.99 each in good to very good condition last week. I believe they are by Thonet

nice table, have one with a...
nice table, have one with a similar top.

Original Isamu Noguchi IN-20 Rudder table
Found it for free on the sidewalk about six blocks from my apartment in San Francisco about four months ago.. Photos can be seen via the link..
http://jacksmodern.blogspot.com/

wow Jack's
That is freaking AWESOME.

Almost :) My hands were shaki...
Almost :) My hands were shaking carrying it home! Definitely on the top of my list for best finds.. up there also is the Greta Grossman desk shown in the one photo at the bottom of the page. A $200 find on Craigslist about 5 years ago.

George Nelson kangaroo chair 125.00
I purchased a near mint condition Nelson kangaroo chair at a garage sale abou5 5 years ago. It was in orange hopsack fabric. Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4 Nelson pedestal tables
I got 3 Nelson pedestal coffee tables and 1 pedestal side table for $12 total at a county surplus auction. These had the polished aluminum bases and 28.5" white laminate tops. Only a few minor chips to the side of the tops, which you don't see unless you look for them. The laminate tops were in great shape on 3 of them. The 4th had a few light marks from someone one scratching the word NO on it.

About a year ago, I got a Florence Knoll 80" T-angle walnut bench for $40 at the university surplus store. It had some gouges in the top from a microwave that someone indiscriminately shoved around on it. I refinished the tops and it looks great.

fm

Couldn't do it
I think I reached my rock bottom low last Saturday. I went to an auction of an elementary school that was closing. The few pictures that the auctioneers posted online showed about 5 rooms crammed full of institutional type chairs and desks which could have been something or nothing, I couldn't tell. So I drove an hour out into the countryside and the only thing that was worth bidding on was this couch and I got really excited. But then I flipped it over, (believe me, the farmers and countryfolk at this auction were all staring at me turning all of the furniture upside down--I'm sure I will be the talk of the local diner for days to come), and on the bottom was a sticker that said "Property of the South Carolina Department of Corrections. It came out of a prison. And I just got weirded out and I put it down and left. Like, everyone who ever sat on that couch was sad, you know? I couldn't even picture putting it in the back of my truck, let alone my house.

That's the first time I ever got juju vibes off of a piece of furniture and I still can't stop thinking about it, two days later.

I hope the picture comes out and all of you tell me that it was nothing anyway and not to lose any sleep over it.

Best Finds...
My best finds seem to come in Ohio... people here now don't appreciate Mid-Century Mod ~ a shame really, cause there is plenty of it popping-up.

1) Got lucky today! At a thrift store I spotted a Herman Miller Eames Fiberglass Shell Chair. Having been on the look-out for these for years, I was ready for the usual disappointment ~ you know, convinced myself it was a cheap copy. I think I was numb, lol ~ first I noted the heavy fiberglass pattern, then the quality swivel base. Still, I must be wrong, no? I nearly passed out when I turned it over and saw the mounts and the Herman Miller paper label. After researching it this eve, it's worth even more than I thought because it's an early Zenith. Whew-hew! I paid $5 for it and couldn't get it out of that place quickly enough...

2) Heywood Wakefield Sculptura Nightstand with X-base (could sell it tomorrow on eBay for $500.) Got it at a Pop-up Flea Market in a field. I pulled my car off the road and ran to it! I sat on it till the owner had time to get to me. It was $10, but I talked the owner down to $7. Probably won't ever part with it. It's solid northern yellow birch ~ a dense wood and it is quite heavy! Beautiful, beautiful piece!!!

3) Heywood Wakefield Sculptura Twin Beds (2). Found at same field flea market listed above. Went back for them ~ paid $10 for them and sold them a month later for $200. Worth much more, but it's hard to value out of twin beds.

4) Creative Playthings Rocking Beauty Hobby Horse (it's an icon ~ look it up!) by Gloria Caranica 1950s/1960s. Found in another Ohio thrift store for $15. I kept it for nearly a year, then sold on eBay last month for $300 ~ bargain basement price as it's value is between $900 ~ $2200. I need a new car...

5) Majestic Z Lamp found in Ohio Antique store for $50. Sold it on eBay for over $300.

6) The item that started my Mid Century obsession long ago ~ a beautiful Thonet Bent Plywood Chair. Bought in a Pittsburgh, Pa Antique store in the mid-90s for $45. I thought that was a lot of money at the time, but the chair is beautiful and worth a lot more. I still have it today.

7) Two different original 1972 Kenner Blythe Dolls. First one was part of a $12 doll lot bought on eBay in 2001 for $12. That doll took a lot of work to bring back, but I sold it later for $2000. Another Blythe had bad photos on eBay, but I could see it was primo. I got it for $400 and sold it a year later for $2000. Sometimes you just need rent money.

A lot of the time, I don't know what these pieces are, I just know I like them. It's a learn-as-you-go process, lol. I consider it an honor and kind of a duty to rescue Mod pieces! I clean them up, repair them if needed and love them! Even if I don't keep the pieces, it's great to pass them along to people who appreciate them and who will honor and remember the people who designed & built them and the people who loved them in the 50s and 60s!

~~Therese

Ode On a Modern...
Ode On a Modern Settee


- to negative capability and Keats, with apologies to truth



Beauty is value, value beauty.

Yes, the midwest is hot. ...
Yes, the midwest is hot. But so is NY, LA, Nebraska, Florida, Arizona/New Mexico, Texas...really it's hot everywhere=)

I'll play...
besides the Good will Eames finds, I'd have to say my BEST is probably a Laurel Floor Lamp at a garage sale for $10.

Found a white Sonneman orbit lamp-near mint
at Sally's(Salvation Army).It was behind the counter,not even on the floor yet.I asked the clerk how much-$20.00-Sold!It's a beauty-White base,handle and globe!

Um. ..
Not to be contradictory, and I know the point you're making, but... the Eames pretty much got their big break designing for museums. Specifically MoMA. Like, with 3 separate shows: Organic Home Furnishings (1938) Low Cost Furniture (1948) and New Works by Charles Eames (1945)

miniature 1:6 tulip chair by by eero saarinen, vitra
just got this for us $15. it's still brand new in the box!

Just picked up...
a Saarinen Executive side chair with metal legs off Craigslist for $20!

DANG POACH...
sounds like there ARE advantages to growing up in Michigan!

O K poach..
1. Flock of Butterflies (Nelson) clock - $25
2. Flexwood clock (Nelson too)- $125
3. 4 Nelson Steelframe sofas- $6
4. Paul Frankl cork bench -$70
5. Jose de Rivera sculpture- free!
6. 2 Knoll Barcalona chairs $100
This is just some of my good fortune from 25 years of collecting. Missed some really good things too (Like the Nelson Bird Cage clock and the Tynell chandileir). Would love to exchange pics with you. Especially any Nelson clocks you have. I have over 50 different vintage models.

New at this!
AS the title says I am very new at this. Just got a divorce 1.5 years ago and did not even know what Mid Century Modern or Danish furniture meant until recently. Considering I live in Ok I have not had much exposure to this style of decorating. Long story short I have been collecting paintings of and on the past 5 years on a budget so everything I have was a good bargain. Today I learned that the floor lamp I bought for $120 out of a warehouse in OKC was designed by an Italian by the last name of Guzzini. I new it was 60's vintage when I saw it but had no idea that it might be worth something. I talked to a nice lady in NYC today that had one listed for $4K. Seriously?? Can anyone back this up? I'll put a pic up in the next couple of days.

Eric

Re
DudeDa,

It's funny you mention OCD. A couple of things haye not helped this situation, one is the divorce itself I can now design the way I want too, the other is my roomate just moved out and left me with an empty living room. In the past month I have spent 5-7K on some really cool stuff. I had to buy a few repro pieces only because my budget doesn't match my taste. I have never had this much fun in any other hobby I have had. Today my living room has a repro Goetz sofa, repro Eames Lounge and Ottoman, an eckornes stressless lounge, a nagutzi (sp) coffee table, the lamp mentioned above, and several pieces of artwork. I bought a Paul Maxwell Stencil Work out of the same warehouse I purchased the lamp. My OCD is not even in question. :)

Yes,love it-the fish that got away!
I can start with the black McCobb bedroom set at Salvation Army.Missed it for $200.!! Also,missed a Nelson Bench for $220 in the CL,and my latest lament,a huge Ligne Roset tv/shelving system for a mere $20.!!

I just bought a vintage...
I just bought a vintage non-folding butterfly chair frame for 20 bucks!

My best one
1 oval Saarinen white tulip side table at Salvation Army for $15.00. It's a real one. The edge needs repainting and the bottom is a bit rusted...but whatahellavadeal.

some of the best
Well over the years in dealing with antiques I have had some fun stuff come across and have kept some of the really neat stuff for my house. So let's see

Eames Room Divider 300.00
Eames Lounge Chair and ottoman 150.00
early swan chair with tilt 200.00
Paul Evans cityscape chrome canopy bed 50.00
Kagan rosewood side table 7.00
Platner Knoll side table 20.00
Bertoia bird chair and ottoman 10.00
Eames zenith armshell 3.00
grete jalk teak armchairs 150.00 pair

my favorite of the morning was a Noguchi Herman miller coffee table for 145.00

I love my area and it's always fun when stumbling across stuff.

Probably
Black leather or vinyl.

I'm jealous, Lucifersum!
You know, when I first started amassing modern furniture-- before I knew Hans Wegner from Hans Christian Anderson-- I owned either this chair or a knockoff, which I eventually got rid of, to make room for something else.

I try to reassure myself that mine was undoubtedly a knockoff. I try to forget that mine did indeed feature those impressive finger joints.

Ah, youth.

My best find...
I found this Time Life chair for $5 at Goodwill one day on my lunch break...I had that fluttering feeling in my stomach, mind racing... "OMG I've gotta act fast, how has no one else seen this, why is it still sitting here!!??" It isn't in perfect shape, but it makes me happy, that's what matters!

Gunner Nylund Rorstrand Bowl + $2 Dorothy Thorpe Double Candleholder
This weekend at the yard sales, $1 Gunner Nylund Rorstrand tray (same as $249 one pictured below on Ebay) and a $2 two armed Dorothy Thorpe lucite candle holder

hudsonhonu..
I am getting envy bends at you getting Wallace's Infinite Jest in a first. You lucky bastard! What a book!

Pretty happy with my $75 buffet and china cabinet
I got two (or three, depending on how you look at it) pieces of Broyhill Brasilia a couple of months ago. We got a 54" buffet and 56" base and china hutch -- in very good condition, too! I know it's not high design, but we like it.

$30 for Cassina Miss C.O.C.O chair by Starck
The picture in the ad looked all weird, kind of purple, but for that price I figured it was worth a look and they were in the neighborhood. The nice old woman explained it was a gift from her daughter years ago, but not so comfortable for her and her husband anymore. In reality, the ad colors were just the result of bad lighting, it was standard starck yellow, circa late 80's/90's. Not a gorgeous piece but worthy of picking up and ebaying if I changed my mind later.

This Teapot
It's signed ROLF SINNEMARK and numbered...one of my FAV finds...
10 dollars at a bazaar.

two b&w lithographs, 8 by 12...
two b&w lithographs, 8 by 12 or so, by Fairfield Porter; early 1960s, nice simple wood frames. $3.99 each at a Salvation Army in Somerville, MA. the frame job caught my eye first, so I grabbed one out of the bin, looked, double take, triple take.....it was fun to walk into the Harvard library with them both in plastic grocery story bags and match them up to the illustrations in the catalogue raisoneé!

Found Object
At a funeral for an old friend, I admired this lamp that sat long-unused in a spare room. The son had used it as a drafting table lamp in the '50's, and gave it to me, for which I'm eternally grateful. I've never seen another like it.

It resides now on a Bernhard Pedersen & Son Sideboard/Buffet that I inherited from my folks who lived in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

It matters not the value (of any of it, for that matter), as I'm only the current caretaker, but they are most pleasing to live with.

TG




http://i711.photobucket.com/albums/ww118/BuickBoy57/BernhPe5...

I'm
busy coverting your Quistgaard tray.. beautiful!

I bought this lot for £30. Th...
I bought this lot for £30. The seller was very excited about getting £30. I wasn't really sure what was going on.

This chair...
No idea of brand, nothing. But it was £15!

And a huge crockery set for £35

Paul McCobb
Paul McCobb Origami Chair: Free on the side of the street

Free is great! Only topped...
Free is great! Only topped by gift, which is the bestest of the best.