Danish Brazilian Rosewood Credenza

I don't know the date of manufacture of this Rosewood credenza by Interform, but would guess late 1970's or 1980's.  The design isn't as spectacular as pieces from some of the notable Danish designers.  However the Rosewood veneers used on the doors are beautiful and if you are a fan of Rosewood like I am, its hard to pass by a piece like this.  I imagine this was originally intended as a piece of office furniture.  However it would make a great media or TV stand with all the open storage.  Each section has one adjustable shelf.  The 2 outer sections have a small drawer in each.  This piece is finished on the back so could be "floated" in a room.  The inside is all finished with Mahogany, which is typical for Danish pieces made with Rosewood.

As I mentioned in my previous post today, all the pieces I have been working on have thrown me some unusual challenges.  For this piece, it was the stripping.  I think the original finish was a conversion varnish or some kind of catalyzed finish.  It was a bear to strip.  It took multiple applications of stripper, letting it sit overnight and wire brushing the finish out of the grain to get the old finish off.  That challenge is multiplied by the fact that Rosewood veneers are perilously thin, leaving no margin for error.  The new finish is not toned red like the original, so the natural color of the Rosewood can show through.

Dimension: 71"W x 30"H x 18.5"D
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Lane Olive Ash Burl Armoire

This armoire is part of the "Alpha II" line from Lane that has been attributed to Milo Baughman.  Judging by the use of Olive Ash Burl and the otherwise very orthogonal lines and lack of visible hardware I'm guessing that attribution is correct.  One of the other pieces of information I discovered as I researched the piece is that it is said that Lane used Persimmon wood veneers and solids for the casework.  This is not something that I had heard of before, so I researched further.  Persimmon wood is more common than I realized in furniture making and is most notable for its use in making wood golf club heads.  It is also know as "white ebony" because it is of the same genus as other true ebony woods.  It is the only ebony that grows in North America.  As I sanded and "worked" the wood, it reminded me the most of monkeypod wood but really didn't look like any other wood I have encountered.

For this piece I opted to warm up and darken the color a bit from how Lane originally finished it.  As it came from Lane, the case was very similar to Birch in color.  That light blond, yellow toned color isn't particularly popular today.  The color I used matches some of the darker coloring in the burl and still allows the figuring of the Persimmon wood to show through.  This piece originally came with a pedestal style base, which had been broken through its years of use.  I replace this with low, substantial chrome feet which look appropriate for a Baughman designed piece.  The other thing I like about these is they reflect the floor that they are sitting on and almost look like a part of the floor, which gives a sense that the whole piece is floating.

With 2 large drawers on the bottom, 2 half width drawers in the middle, a wide drawer hidden behind the doors and divided open space on top this piece offers great capacity as well as style.  It would work well not only in a bedroom for ample clothing storage but I could also envision it as a dry bar in a den or dining room.  Either way it would be a hip addition to a mod decor.

Dimensions:  42"W x 57.5"H x 18"D

sold

Finally some new content

No, I haven't taken off the last month from my restoration duties.  I've been working on 4 different pieces, the first of which I'm finally ready to debut.  I have a habit of putting aside pieces that require more lengthy repairs or more challenging work.  All of these pieces have had issues that have required some time to manage.  Hopefully with these out of the way I'll be able to complete new pieces more regularly.

This dresser is not available for sale.  I often talk with customers about other pieces they are looking for.  On occasion I find an appropriate piece that fits the request.  The customer who purchased the Loewy cerused chests was looking for a larger piece that would go in the same room.  Those were designed and built in the late 40's and have a deco styling to them.  This Drexel Precedent dresser by Ed Wormley was also from the same era.  It had been relegated to garage duty during the latter part of it's life and the top had been painted.  I knew I would not be able to keep the original color and finish because of this.  I opted to stain the piece with the same base color as I had the Loewy pieces.  The brass plated pulls have been polished down to their zinc base to match the aluminum ones on the Loewy pieces.  Overall the piece required a fair amount of work but it was a good match for a customer and something from a designer as important as Ed Wormley deserves the attention.

More pieces to come later today or tomorrow!!

Broyhill Forward 70 Mirror

I'm doing a little housecleaning.  This was originally paired with a Forward 70 triple dresser I posted last year.  The buyer didn't want the mirror and it has been hanging around since.  The frame is solid pecan and had been refinished.  It has a unique shape and can be hung horizontally or vertically.

Dimensions: 42" x 22"

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Lane Walnut and Cane King Headboard

As much as I hope to keep bedroom sets together, sometimes pieces get orphaned.
Beds and headboards are the most commonly orphaned pieces.  Sometimes they don't fit in a room or the buyer doesn't have a matching sized mattress.  This is another orphaned headboard.

This walnut headboard by Lane has a unique feature that I have not run into before.  It is reversible.   One side is beautifully figured walnut with fine groove detail running along its perimeter.  The other side also has beautiful walnut but with a cane panel along the top half.  The cane is in great shape with only one small break in one row of the weave.  Both sides are freshly refinished.

I don't always love the headboards that come with the mid century sets.  To me they seem to be the most dated looking of the pieces.  The simple design of this headboard makes it much more timeless and suitable for use in a mid century bedroom or a more contemporary.  It looks very similar to a design by Paul Mccobb, whose designs are highly sought after because of their timeless style.  The headboard would have originally been paired with a simple steel bedframe.  I'd look for a platform frame to pair it with that would contemporize the design even more.

Dimensions:  80.5"W x 40"H (18" to bottom of headboard panel, you'd want the top of the
                                                 mattress to be about 18"-20" from the floor)
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Lane Walnut Bedroom Set

I can't believe it has been over a month since my last post.  Weather, holiday schedule and out of town guests have taken their toll on my work schedule.  I have been making some progress though.  I know there are a few people out there that have been patiently waiting for me to post the "right" pieces for them.  Unfortunately these won't help.  Our next door neighbors had mentioned they were in the market for a new bedroom set and wanted me to keep an eye out for them.  He helped me unload these from the van when I brought them home and laid claim to them before I even started working on them. 

This set by Lane is one I've seen little info on or even pictures of on the web.  It has a number of the little details I like when I'm shopping for pieces.  Mitered case joints, nice figuring and coloring to the walnut veneers, matched veneer flitches on the drawer fronts, "thin edge" case detailing.  These also have a somewhat unique faux finger joint detail on the top edges of the dressers. 

Because these were already sold I didn't spend my normal effort with the photography but the pictures adequately document the set.  Not pictured is a matching mirror and a king headboard.  The headboard will be posted separately and available for purchase.  It is unique in that it is reversible.  One side is walnut with a small groove detail outlining the headboard.  The otherside has a cane panel that runs the full length.  Both sides have very pretty walnut veneers.