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Saturday, October 22, 2011

In the store, Part 1: Good design

The Bertha Schaefer sofa, the Baumritter chairs, the Broyhill Saga and Barney Flagg Town and Country Flair bedroom suites and the Hansen credenza all sold within a few days of each other, leaving the floor empty, so my SIL brought a few things over from the warehouse and set about doing some serious buying.

He won a Peter Proztman desk and chair at auction. Designed for Herman Miller in the early 60s, these pieces are still in pristine condition. The chair is upholstered in a beige and white check, and the desk is exotic African wood with two pencil drawers and a smoked Lucite-sided file drawer.

On a trip out of state, he got a gorgeous Danish table and six chairs by Hornslet Mobelfabrik. The table has sliding leaves and extends to 106" in length. This is probably the nicest Danish dining set we've had in the store so far.

He met a local architect who sold him a chrome and glass André dining table, which was designed by Tobia Scarpa. The interesting thing about this table is that it comes with a smoked glass top, as well as a clear glass top.

The same person sold him 8 Cesca armchairs by Marcel Breuer. These are in amazingly good condition, without any damage at all to the caning, and he's selling them at an unbelievably low price. I predict that these will be scooped up quickly.


Chrome and African wood Herman Miller desk by Peter Protzman

Close-up of African wood grain

Herman Miller chair by Peter Protzman

Danish dining set in teak by Hornslet Mobelfabrik

André dining table by Tobia Scarpa

Cesca chairs by Marcel Breuer and André table by Tobia Scarpa 

11 comments:

  1. I'll be honest, while I love the desk, this style makes me think of bank offices or some place not as cool as some other designs. Of course, current designs make me think of... nuthin'. Just function no fun, so keep showing us what real style looks like.

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  2. @DearHelenHartman: We'd better get busy and take another shot of that desk, because we apparently didn't capture its true spirit. In person, it's the wildest head-turner in the store. The pattern of the veneer is totally insane, and the see-through sides of the drawer are too.

    I agree with you completely about today's style. I can't figure out why designers today keep cranking out such blah pieces. How could the mid-20th century produce so many amazing things while 21st century designers seem completely uninspired?

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  3. Now that close-up shot of the African wood grain is quite something. Lovely.

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  4. @chairsmith: Apparently exotic woods were Protzman's claim to fame. Another store in town has a zebrawood desk similar to the one we have. The grain is similar, but it's lighter and more yellow. I've also seen some that were much darker red than ours.

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  5. Wowser, I am completely drooling over that Herman Miller desk. The African wood and chrome combo is just exquisite! And I am a big fan of minimalist desks with a lot of "airspace" underneath.

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  6. @I dream lo-tech: Our photo simply doesn't do it justice. It is a stunning piece.

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  7. Just so happens I have the Herman Miller Peter Protzman Zebra Wood Suite... I have the Desk, Credenza and Book Shelf.
    They are in GREAT condition and have loved them...I would be willing to part with them if someone has an interest...

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    Replies
    1. We loved that desk when it was in our store. I haven't ever seen the other pieces.

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    2. Hi, I'm very interested in the desk! Please let me know if you're still looking to sell.

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    3. Jeff, this post was written almost three years ago, so the desk has been sold for a very long time.

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    4. Sorry, I meant to respond to user "Two Wheeling"'s post on April 12, 2014.

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