Mod Lane Walnut and Oak Bedroom Set

When I asked my friend Midcenturymike to help me get these, he questioned my judgement.  They don't really look mid-century, which is really his thing.  I like mid-century as well as more current modern styles (mod, pop-art, brutalist, etc.).  What I really look for is unique, nicely designed, nicely made and good materials.  So, when I saw these I really wanted to get them and restore them.

To me the best way to describe the style is pop-art retro.  They aren't really something that you would see from the 50's or 60's, so not really "mid-century".  Although the block-y design is similar to brutalist, the legs are too whimsical and give it a much lighter stature than brutalist.  They look more like something that Alexander Girard or Verner Panton would have penned.

The cases are all walnut veneer on a double layer construction to give them a chunky, weighty appearance.  The front edges of the cases are solid oak and the applied blocks are oak veneer on hardwood.  There is a lot of material in these so they are heavy.  Had I left the oak its natural color it would have been very blond and would have had too much contrast with the walnut.  I chose to dye the oak a color that ties to the lighter sap wood color in the walnut.  This gave the pieces nice visual continuity while still providing contrast between the two materials.  As is typical with Lane pieces the walnut is beautifully figured.  The walnut used on the drawer fronts of the highboy is a bit lighter than most and looks similar in color to the oak.  It also has a "sunburst" or "sunrise" figure to it.  The 9 drawer low dresser and 5 drawer highboy offer large capacity and would be perfect for a master bedroom.  The king headboard has 2 padded cushions with a neutral brown textural fabric.  These cushions easily unscrew from the back and could be recovered without sewing, the fabric is just wrapped and stapled.  You could use a couple of king pillow shams and tie the design into the bedding.  Or I would consider using a fabric like Maharam's "Letters" to make it feel even more mod.  The nightstands offer open storage on the inside.

This set is unusual, it wasn't until more than a year of owning them that I was even able to find a pic on line.  I did see a listing for the low dresser on 1st dibs that had a price of $4300, but it has sold.  That piece had been lacquered in a chocolate brown and hid all the nice materials.

 https://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/storage-case-pieces/dressers/brutalist-sculptural-chest-drawers/id-f_945640/

If you are looking for a unique, nicely made, mod-styled bedroom set with lots of storage space, this one is awesome.

Dimensions:

9 drawer dresser:  68"W x 30"H x 18"D
5 drawer dresser:  38"W x 52"H x 18"D
Nightstands:          26" W x 21"H x 16"D
Headboard:            80" W x 45"H
Mirror:                   29"W x 50"H    attaches to back of low dresser

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