Look what followed me home.

I was minding my own business, and this Danish desk from the 1960s followed me home from the store yesterday. I hadn't really planned to buy a desk, even though this one really intrigued me when my SIL found it. Several customers looked at it seriously, and I found myself secretly relieved when they didn't buy.

It's made of teak and has brushed nickel trim and pulls, and the drawers seem to float underneath the top surface. That's enough to make this desk desirable, but the thing I really love is that the top slides left and right to reveal hidden storage on both sides of the desk.

I was lucky enough to get a great buy on a Herman Miller Aeron chair recently, so it seemed only fitting that I own a desk that is equally nice...and now I do.

Finished on both sides, so it can be free-standing

Three drawers and plenty of work space

Brushed nickel pulls and trim on "floating" drawers

Hidden storage underneath sliding top on both sides of desk

Oh, I almost forgot to show you a really sweet part of the desk. The drawer bottoms are turquoise Formica!

Fall is finally in the air

Fall doesn't come quickly to North Central Texas. Our blistering hot summer lingers for as long as it can, so when we finally awake to crisp air, it's cause for rejoicing. In celebration of cool autumn mornings, I thought I'd share photos of items in harvest colors that we have in the store now or have already sold...great for creating a cozy seating spot or a beautiful fall tablescape.

Fall Color Things for Sale in the Store

Swag lamp

Leaf dish

Gold Murano art glass vase

Root bowl

Brown sommerso vase

Brown art glass bowl

Jens Quistgaard Kobenstyle fondue pot

Italian vase

George Nelson lamp

Baumritter Danish style chairs

Fall Color Things We've Already Sold

Blenko decanter

Swivel chair

Danish chairs

McCoy vase

Velvet daybed

Art glass bowl

Danish chair

McCoy Unipet bowl

Carter Brothers scoop chair

Bowl, Italian

Richard Schultz for Knoll daybed

Crazy Craigslist bargains

From time to time, I cruise Craigslist to see what kind of bargains are out there for the taking all around the country. Sometimes I'm amazed at the prices I find. A layer of foam to fill out stretched upholstery, a quick steam cleaning, a coat of paint, a rubdown with Restor-a-Finish or vinegar or just a gentle hand wash, and these pieces will look great. (We should probably tell them that they could ask more if they'd clean them up and take better pictures...but, nah...we'll take their "junk" off their hands and clean them up ourselves.)

Danish rolltop desk - $95
craigslist.org - Albuquerque, NM

Kroehler sectional - $250
craigslist.org - Albuquerque, NM

Tropitan rattan set - $150
craigslist.org - Albuquerque, NM

Danish lounge chair - $50
craigslist.org - Austin, TX

Pair of bullet planters - $60
craigslist.org - Austin, TX

Arc lamp - $25
craigslist.org - Dallas, TX

Jens Risom credenza - $180
craigslist.org - Dallas, TX

Tiki bar - $20
craigslist.org - Dallas, TX

Pink and silver Sascha Brastoff dish - $20
craigslist.org - Dallas, TX

Milo Baughman chair (with tags) - $99
craigslist.org - Denver, CO

Bench - $50
craigslist.org - Denver, CO

Sofa - $150
craigslist.org - Denver, CO

Danish sofa - $200
craigslist.org - Los Angeles, CA

Hanging ceramic clock - $85 obo
craigslist.org - Los Angeles, CA

Chrome chandelier - $49
craigslist.org - Palm Springs, CA

Update: Here's a picture of the Milo Baughman chair in our store, after a little TLC...and a long trip to Dallas from Denver.

Indulging my inner bibliophile

I come from a long line of unapologetic book hoarders. I was one too till I bought this house and sold all my precious tomes to Half Price Books before I moved...in an effort to simplify, simplify, simplify. I readily admit that I had every literature textbook I ever used in college, plus copies of out-of-adoption teachers' editions for every literature class I ever taught, not to mention the hundreds of novels, both hardback and paperback, I thought I could never let go, even though I rarely read fiction twice.

Since I started writing this blog, my taste in print has tended toward reference books, and I just bought five more a few days ago: Danish Modern by Andrew Hollingsworth, Collector's Encyclopedia of Metlox Potteries: Identification and Values by Carl Gibbs, Jr., Fifties Furniture by Leslie Pina, Blenko Catalogs: Then and Now by Leslie Pina and Blenko Glass: 1962-1971 Catalogs by Leslie Pina. Three of the five have already come in, and I just have to share some of the great images with you.

A must for any Metlox collector

 Freeform shapes: California Freeform, California Mobile, California Contempora

The fourth Freeform shape, Aztec

Navajo/Tempo shape

A feast for the eyes of any Danish Modern lover,
the cover showing a Niels Moller armchair and Arne Vodder coffee table

A unique sofa in burled walnut by Alfred Sjkot-Pedersen

Hans Wegner's CH318 table, Czech designed chairs
 and a Robsjohn-Gibbings chair

Rungstedlund sideboard and coffee table by Ole Wanscher

A Blenko collector's companion

Amazing blues

Spectacular decanters

Stunning simplicity

And the good news is that I still have two more books to look forward to...