Change of plans

I mentioned my less-than-gorgeous early 50s sofa and chair set in yesterday's post. I'd had it on Craigslist for a couple of weeks with only one inquiry that didn't pan out, so I had decided to keep it and find a chair that would work with it.

My SIL and I loaded up the boys and drove to BFE to get the striped chair and ottoman yesterday afternoon. The seller was asking $100, but my SIL worked his magic and talked her into taking $80. I sat in the truck with the boys, because at this point, he's a much better judge of furniture than I am...and a much better negotiator.

He came back to the truck waving a $20 bill, and when he got in, he said, "Good call! That chair is definitely vintage and definitely great quality." He said that, judging from the tilt of the ottoman, it might even be Dunbar, but he'd have to look it up to be certain. He assured me that whatever it turns out to be, it was a great deal at $80. The upholstery is predominantly gold (almost orange) and cream stripes, and while I don't think I'd go so far as to say I like it better than I thought I would, it's fair to say I can tolerate it better than I expected.

We got back to the store, I grabbed a lamp I wanted to buy from him, and I headed back home. As soon as I walked in the door, I noticed that I had an email about the sofa and chair on Craigslist. Sure enough, someone wanted to know if they were still available and if he could come get them right away.

I called my SIL and told him to hold the turquoise daybed in the warehouse for me...and to bring it with him when he drops off the boys on Wednesday. He said he would, so I immediately emailed the person who inquired about my set and told him to come right over.

Since the sofa situation has changed drastically, now I'm doing the room in shades of turquoise, dark teal, green and gold. Maybe just a few bright colors here and there for good measure, because I love them so much. Here are some mood board hints:

Goodbye, Salt 'n' Pepper

Our blogger friend Mick came up with her name, and she quickly won hearts at the store and on the blog. A real grande dame of a sofa, she was manufactured in 1957 by the Valentine Seaver division of Kroehler and looked a fraction of her age.

She was a one-owner old gal, and we figure she must have been pampered, because she had almost no signs of wear and tear. We were all tempted to adopt her, but a customer fell in love with her and swept her away last weekend. We bid her a fond farewell and hope she will be happy in her new home.

In case you aren't familiar with Valentine Seaver, it was a furniture company on Chicago's northwest side that was acquired by the Kroehler Manufacturing Company in 1927, when Peter Edward Kroehler decided that he wanted to enter the high-end furniture market. The division maintained its own logo and ads. Interestingly, many of the mid-century ads featured a black toy poodle...not the breed, but a real plush toy.

ebay.com - leix38

ebay.com - americanartarchives

ebay.com - americanartarchives

In the store: A little old, a little new, a lot fabulous

For the past couple of months, we've been clearing out all our merchandise at the old location and stocking the new store. My SIL has made some stellar purchases, and Hank Tosh and Rene Martinez deserve a huge round of applause for the incredible restoration work they've done on a steady stream of pieces.

I could talk about all the new things for paragraphs on end, but I think I will let them speak for themselves.

Floor piece from the C. Jeré Birds in Flight series...over six feet tall

Need I say more?

Rare John Keal mahogany magazine table for Brown Saltman

Four beautifully reupholstered Saarinen Executive chairs and a black Tulip table

Grete Jalk sofa and coffee table with Raymor and Jens Quistgaard accessories
with a Gus* Modern Timber table and George Nelson cigar  lamp

Vintage cork and teak lamp on a Drexel Declaration table by Kipp Stewart
teamed with a Gus* Modern Atwood chair

Vintage black and white Fisher stereo with Gus* Modern I-Beam acrylic tables

Newly restored Danish credenza with sculpture by Oklahoma artist David Anderson

Gus* Modern Annex cabinet with vintage art glass bowl

Vintage X-base chrome coffee table with Gus* Modern sofa,
Dino Martens bird and vintage Austrian triangular bowl

Artichoke style lamp

Crystal Starlite lamp

Sheaf of Wheat side table with travertine marble top

 Vintage sofa with pristine original upholstery by the Valentine Seaver division of Kroehler
and a newly restored Drexel Precedent desk by Edward Wormley in the background

More from the store

When my daughter, SIL and the boys moved out of the apartment behind the store and into their wonderful new loft right after Thanksgiving, the wall dividing the two areas came down, and it was necessary to fill that extra space with lots of new merchandise.

Yesterday's post featured all the new teak case goods we've added. Here are some of the new sofas, chairs and tables.

Kroehler sleeper sofa

Milo Baughman lounge chairs

Russel Wright slipper chair for Conant Ball (1 of 4)

Baughman style lounge chair

Paul McCobb Planner Group side tables

Parsons style coffee table

Contemporary metal/wood/glass coffee table

Adrian Pearsall table bases awaiting glass tops

Mystery no more

It's been a little over a year since I started trying to identify an upholstered chair in my living room. I had just about given up on ever finding out who manufactured it, but I'm pretty sure I found the answer.

My SIL sent me a link to a site that has tons of old furniture ads, and there it was in a 1963 Kroehler ad. My chair.

It looks as if the chair in the ad had floral upholstery, but it was alike in every other detail.

1963 Kroehler ad
vintageadbrowser.com

Everything looks right...the angle of the legs, the slope of the arms, the curve of the back, the height of the back cushion. It even looks as if the other pieces in the group have three rows of buttons, like my chair has. I think we can safely close the case on my mystery chair. 

My Kroehler chair.