Large Rosewood Credenza by BL of Denmark

I continually proclaim my love for Brazilian Rosewood and with every piece I find that love is confirmed.  The rich color and mesmerizing figuring in the grain takes the furniture made with this wood to another level.  This credenza is no exception.

I wasn't able to find much information on the maker, BL of Denmark.  However a quick inspection reveals the expertise of their designers and craftsmen.  The case "floats" above solid rosewood legs that are octagonally sculpted and jointed with nice finger joints.  The case itself is constructed of rosewood veneered hardwood plywood, not mdf or particle board.  Solid rosewood edgebanding is used instead of veneer edgebanding.  The inside of the case is also veneered with rosewood instead of the often used mahogany.  The back panel is finished in real rosewood, so this piece can be used as a room divider.  The shelves on the inside are finished on both sides with rosewood and use adjustable "blind" hardware, so the shelf supports are not seen.  The small pull out drawer "trays" use solid rosewood boxes that are dovetailed.  The unique pulls on the doors and drawers are machined from solid rosewood.  The veneers on the 4 drawer fronts are matched and have a "gradient" color effect that is a natural part of that particular veneer.  This newly refinished piece is eye-catching from every angle and will be a focal point in any room that it resides in.

Dimensions:  78.5"W x 33.5"H x 17.5"D

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Uchida Leather Sling Lounge Chair

This is one of those pieces I'm having a hard time letting go of.  This low-sitting lounger has great casual modern appeal that is timeless.  The original was designed by Suekichi Uchida in the 1960's and utilized canvas for the sling.  It was reproduced later in Korea using heavier gauge tubing and high quality saddle leather.  This is the Korean version.  The leather has a great patina that looks warm and inviting, like you are sitting in a catcher's mit.  There are a couple of 1" sections of stitching that have worn but it doesn't compromise the strength of the chair and could probably be easily repaired at a good tack shop.  With leather sling chairs being all the rage right now this is a great, unique find at a fraction of the price of new.

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Le Corbusier LC1 Basculant Chair

The Bauhaus movement of the 1920's is considered the start of what we now consider modern design.  It produced many of the great modernist designers who, in turn produced many of the iconic chair designs that are still reproduced today.  Mart Stam's s34, Marcel Breuer's "Wassily" and Mies van der Rohe's "Pavilion" (aka Barcelona) chair are all chairs that modern design enthusiasts recognize and were originally designed in the 1920's.  Also amongst these was Le Corbusier's LC1 or "Basculant" chair.

Like the aforementioned chairs, the LC1 used leather slings on a bent metal frame, in this case chromed tubular steel.  The LC1 has the smallest footprint of these and has a unique feature of a swiveling back that moves with the occupant as he changes position.  The leather loop armrests are supportive yet conform to the user's arms.  The thick saddle leather seat and back are tensioned with springs for forgiving support.  It is a design that has been borrowed from often.

This particular chair has no markings, therefore is not a Cassina reproduction.  However, it is a high quality piece with thick saddle leather (not vinyl or leatherette), heavy gauge steel tubing frame with smooth quality welds and good chrome plating.  The armrest tubes are capped with the correct conical shaped caps (not flat as with some reproductions).  I don't know the date of production on this chair but previous owner said his parents had it "as long as he could remember", so was likely made in the 1960's or 70's.  The surface of the leather shows some cracks but is still in sturdy condition.  A classic design such as this really can work well with almost any decor style, not just modern.

Dimensions: 24"W x 25"H x 26"D

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Eames Aluminum Group Lounge Chairs

The Eames name is synonymous with mid-century modern.  So many of their designs are well known and many continue to influence modern design today.  If longevity is a mark of success, then the various chairs from the Eames Aluminum group are amongst the most successful of modern furniture designs.  Designed in 1956, they have been in continuous production for almost 60 years.  Their stylishly simple and ergonomic design has been copied by many producers.  The 4 available chairs are the lounge chair version from the aluminum group.  Despite their minimalist design they are very comfortable.  The thick, textural wool fabric is suspended in the aluminum frame and conforms the the body whey you sit in it.  These chairs do not recline but do revolve on their bases.

Most of my restorations are case pieces and nearly all have wood components.  These chairs took me back to my roots.  Before I was a modern design junkie and furniture restorer I was a cyclist.  Back in the day, when I was starting out as a cyclist, the finest bicycle components came from Italy and were made of aluminum.  I used to take every piece of my bike apart and polish it until it gleamed like chrome.  Every bolt was removed, even the insides of parts were polished.

It took a few weeks to restore these.  The aluminum frames and bases were oxidized and pitted.  The arms of the chairs originally had a clear plastic coating on them.  When I acquired these the coating on the arms all had cracked, some only had about half the coating on them.  I removed it all and polished the arms as well as the frames and bases.  The fabric was quite dirty but other than a little loss of color saturation is in good shape.  They have been returned to nearly their new glory.  The tags remain on 3 of the 4 and show a 11-8-80 delivery date.  They have not been used since I finished restoring them.

The current retail price of these is about $1800 each from Herman Miller with this fabric.

I will only sell these in pairs.

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I have a problem......

Its a new year and we traditionally review the past year and resolve to change aspects of our lives that we are dissatisfied with.  For me, I have a furniture problem.  Chairs.  I love chairs.  From a furniture prospective they provide a designer with an opportunity to express creativity and interpretation of the human form, unbounded by utilitarian necessities such as creating storage space or a work surface.  The great modern chair designs are as much a piece of sculpture as they are a functional piece.  My problem is, when I find one that I like, I buy it.  Not because I need a place to sit but because it is like having a great piece of art.  We now have more chairs than we have butts to fill them or space to use them.  Its time to start paring down. 

Uber Cool Walnut Brown Saltman End Table

For all these mid century pieces there is a story.  Whether it is a story of the designers or the travels of the piece and its previous owners or the acquisition of the piece.  Its part of what makes these pieces interesting.

I picked this end table up while I was buying another unrelated piece.  I hadn't seen one before but saw the Brown Saltman label and noticed some of the details and figured it was a worthwhile purchase.  When I got home and began to research the piece I quickly became disappointed.  Although I could find very little information on it, what I discovered was my piece was missing the coolest part.  The piece I had had very uninteresting brass pendant pulls on the drawers.  The few pictures I could find of the piece showed that it came with some very cool spade shaped pulls.  I knew that for a piece of furniture so rare I could hardly find pictures it would be even less likely I could find the hardware for it.  I scoured ebay and etsy looking for something even similar to no avail.  I began digging through hardware suppliers hoping to find something that would give it the same cool feel as the originals, but nothing.  I put it aside in hopes that someday something would come up.  A few months later, I had just finished helping my buddy MidcenturyMike source some pulls for some pieces he had.  I jokingly sent him picks of the pulls I was looking for and said if you ever see these....  Literaly a day later, an ad popped up on craigslist from one of the local vintage furniture dealers of the same end table.  But this one had been changed.  I think the nice little legs and base had broken off and someone made a clunky pedestal base for it.  It had also been stained dark brown.  But...it had the cool spade pulls!  I quickly called and had them hold the piece.  I'm sure this is just part of the story of this little table's life.

The table, as typical with Brown Saltman pieces is very nicely made with many small details revealing the consciousness of the designer.  The small angled legs, dowel stretchers and case edges are all made of solid walnut.  The drawer faces are bookmatched and have nicely curved corners.  There is always a question of whether or not to refinish vintage pieces.  Most mass produced pieces do not have the cache' to justify preserving the original finish unless they are pristine.  The lacquer finish most of these used does not spot repair well and is subject to yellowing and crazing as they age.  This piece however, is pretty rare, is in very good original shape and has the advantage of having an oiled finish.  Oiled finishes do not protect well but they do repair well so don't always have to be stripped and refinished.  There are a few small scratches on the top edges in the solid walnut and one very faint water ring on the top.  This is a piece that I think has added value if the finish is original.  I don't know which of the design luminaries of Brown Saltman penned this piece, I suspect John Keal but cannot confirm.  I do know that I'm not likely to see one again.

With its size it could be used as either an end table or a small coffee table.  In either case it will bring some cool into your living room.

Dimensions  27" x 27" x 18"H
sold

Drexel Composite Bedroom Set

As I began the process of putting finish on this set I faced a design dilemma.  A test of my regular finish in an inconspicuous area revealed that the mahogany and pecan used in these pieces would end up a light, somewhat golden color.  I'm pretty fierce in my adherence to the philosophy of not adding pigment to finer materials such as walnut or mahogany but felt on these pieces the color I was getting with my normal finish would detract from the overall look.  I also didn't want to lose the great "movement" that mahogany is known for.  No, mahogany doesn't shake or vibrate.  Some woods, because of the way the growth rings form, change color or tone depending on the angle they are viewed from.  Mahogany is a species that exhibits this well.  However, opacity in the finish can lessen the effect.  Opacity can come in the form of pigment particles.  After testing various stains I found something that did a great job of adding color to the finish without hiding the nice banding and striping in the mahogany.  The resulting color is somewhat deeper and warmer than the original finish on the pieces.

After I acquired the set, I was able to find very little information on the line.  Date codes on the pieces showed they were manufactured in late 1961 and early 1962.  I have yet to uncover the designer of the Composite line.  John Van Koert would be a likely candidate having designed the Counterpoint and Profile lines in the same time period.  But with other luminaries such as Kipp Stewart and Stewart McDougall, Ed Wormley and Barney Flagg also having designed for Drexel in the 50's Van Koert isn't the only candidate.  Actually with the sled style base of the credenza and the use of mahohany and burl that are more reminiscent of deco period pieces I see the influence of Paul Laszlo in these.

The set is very nicely made with details that don't show up on "department store" quality pieces from the era.  The cases all use mitered joints to eliminate edgebanding and for a cleaner look.  The front edges of the cases are all solid pecan.  This front edge is rabbeted on the dressers to reveal a smaller profile from the front view.  This technique was also often used on Danish furniture.  The rung of the sled base on the credenza has a subtle curve on its top edge.  All of these details were deliberate and subtle and added expense to the manufacturing of the pieces.  The hardware is also noteworthy.  The drawers use a heavy brass D-ring on an inset escutcheon.  The hardware on this set arrived with a fair amount of wear and oxidation.  Although I love how patinated metal looks, it didn't fit with the freshly refinished wood, so I cleaned them up and they are now shiny brass with a light patina.  All the original drawer dividers are intact and the jewelry storage trays are in both dressers.

For about the same money as you'd pay for a Furniture Row bedroom set you can get a unique, well made set of American furniture with far nicer materials than the Furniture Row pieces.  Although the Drexel set has already been around for 50 years, if I had to bet on which set would still be around 50 years from now, I'd bet on the Drexels.

Dimensions:

7-drawer low dresser    62"W x 31"H x 20"D
7-drawer upright chest   33"W x 50"H x 20"D
2x nightstands         20" W x 23"H x 16"D
 king headboard       82"W x 39"H

 
Headboard for $195.   All other pieces are sold