Like Mother Like Daughter

I have for years witnessed my mother's own color driven madness, not allowing us to use certain glasses with particular dishes, and oh, cobalt with that purple? She has always been painstakingly color conscious, not to the point of being high maintenance, but always showing a sincere appreciation for melding the right hues and forming a perfect palette. Now it would seem I am following her lead, be it from those past influences or perhaps my own interest in the art of serigraphie, in which color is truly the "medium" from which you create. Either way, the reaches of this obsession have carried over into my search for dinnerware. A $10 collection of small quality thin type glassware in amethyst, aquamarine, vaseline, smoke and amber was enough to start me off. And here now I have just added this set to my collection.

If I Had Me a House...

...then this Ebay pick would make a grand statement in my hypothetical guest bedroom. The paired down boxy shape of this bedroom furniture looks so grand in black lacquer. And the twin beds are, dare I say it, precious as a pair. To me it combines headboards that are traditional in nature, with McCobb style dressers, and then throws in a little Scandinavian homage with the chair. If only me and my hypothetical house had the money and time to drive out to the Bay area and snatch these up.

Greek Key on a Shoe String

As is customary, I spent last Saturday at Scott Antique's Mall searching for a Jere. Well, I did happen to find a couple, two that had been destroyed by spray paint of the black and purple variety, respectively. Sad as I was, I did manage to find a matching pair to my nameless (I think it's Milling Road by Baker furniture company) chair. Or so I thought. I got home, put the chairs side by side, and realized that my chair was not as unique as previously thought, in fact I was looking at a rip off of what seems to me a rather strange design to rip off. I'll post pictures later. But the real find, which didn't make it home with me, were a pair of Greek key benches, gilted gold bronze and covered in hyde. The $1100 asking price seemed fair, I know 1stdibs features the same beauties for somewhere in the neighborhood of $2,400 for ONE. So I did a little bit of research, and found a brilliant knock off--only $223! Add in one leafing kit, a little elbow grease and you're golden. Check it out here, it's the last one, or take a look at Atom Designs

Bookish Delight

Aside from all the pillows I've made, the awesome furniture I've found, and even that continuing search for my own Jere to own, the thing I am truly struggling with is the perfect tableaux. Certainly a pair of attractive bookends would do my living room server some good. Though the search will have to continue because with the professional Ebay bidders and sniper programs, four seconds remaining did not allow me to be the fair recipient of the third pair (signed Jere, of course).

Oh Lordy: Hollywood Rengency converts

Searching through the pages upon pages of Ebay litter, I found this number. Black lacquered veneer & asian style brass pulls present this dual function piece--both server and table. Pull out the outer edges to legs, add the included three leaves, and good god! The overall cleverly hidden functionality alone makes my design hungry head spin. Faring the $250+ shipping fee alone, I might just make it mine.

If Money was No Object...

...then I'd be the proud owner of this Edward Wormley desk. Perfect objectification of Wormley's own words--"modernism means freedom- freedom to mix, to choose, to change, to embrace the new but to hold fast to what is good." Through his collaboration with Dunbar in the early thirties, Wormley swelled from dropped out art student to household name, gaining success for subtly warming the public's admiration for modern by selling styles that fused a myriad of design traditions. It's no wonder that his furniture fetches so much, as mid-century, retro or not, this desk can easily carry itself to the next century. And working with a company that never mechanized their production, hand making every line it put out, the Dunbar name alone adds to the price tag.

My ebay pick of the week

And I Quote "Best Armoire Ever"

I highly recommend, for those of you who never venture to Decatur, or maybe have missed the spot, Victory Vintage. Most of the pieces are of Mid Century decent, i.e. Jens Risom, Eames and the like, but here I found a new addition to my sad little bedroom that is likely of English decent. I subscribe to the store's monthly or so email newsletter and was thus introduced to my future lover. Now, I've posted a couple of pictures of the piece, the same two they hosted on their site, and agree with me please, the piece seems rather large, more or less typical armoire size. Well, this first impression didn't hold as I went to visit the piece and it's actually shorter than I am (for reference I like to say I'm 5'3"). It's hardly two feet wide too. But with my compact bedroom, and three flights of stairs, I cannot contain my excitement. Please check it out : Victory Vintage

Look at me I have a SYSTEM

Well being that I do in fact want to post more regularly, I've decided that with as much time as I spend on Craig's List and Ebay searching for hidden finds (vintage is better remains my personal slogan), I might as well do a weekly or week and a half-ly, depending on my devotedness, EBAY PICK OF THE WEEK or MONTH...or now. And might I add that with people taking the most painstakingly attractive photos of their auction items, I get a very handsome electronic portfolio of 'wants' and ideas. Thank you auctioneers.

Anyway, seeing as how I've recenly switched my focus to my lackluster, more like completely lacking bedroom set, this desk stole my heart. I love that it is asian inspired (that seems to be my current addiction). But more, it mixes chrome and brass...ooOOoo. I've already bid $250 on it, and the reserve hasn't budged. :( Add in shipping and I might just have to continue my search for the perfect desk, but here it is in all its glory.

I Can't Commit

Six months ago I saw this large, hand-carved & gilted convex mirror labeled 'antique' and have been longing for it ever since. It's enormous, heavy and certainly a statement. This lousy photo hardly does it justice. Yet, the $600 price tag ultimately kept it far from my little home. And even after I learned that it is actually a reproduction (Atlanta made in fact) of a regency design, I found an exact replica minus the mirror, but I still am having trouble wrapping my head around blowing hundreds of dollars on a mirror. But I can't get it out of my head! The thought of this beauty against a color background--teal, magenta, plum, you name it!

c. jere

Something happened to me and here almost a month later, it's still kind of hard to talk about. In all my scavenging days, I let the best treasure walk away. I found a very large Curtis Jere sculpture from the 'raindrops' series, signed and dated, $300. Sure it was stunning enough, but maybe it was my buyer's anxiety, maybe it was my cloudy knowledge of the artist(s) that create these brass sculptures, anyhow, I turned to leave the booth. Before my feet had even moved from their spot, a red bearded rascal swapped the beauty. Of course, after a little research, a painful longing for my treasure lost, I see that Jonathan Adler has begun to reproduce this exact sculpture at a steep $1200 while the originals easily reach $2000.