Black Chutney

Temptation comes out of the blue sometimes. I recently received an email from a woman whose mother is downsizing and would like to sell 74 pieces of Russel Wright American Modern in black chutney, which is considered a high end color in the AM line, along with cedar and seafoam.

I have to tell you that I thought long and hard about buying it for myself, but I have 55 pieces of Iroquois Casual listed on Craigslist as we speak, simply because I don't have room to store it, so I finally had to admit to myself that buying 74 more pieces wasn't a good idea, no matter how enticing the offer. (Trust me, the price she's asking is more than fair!)

The owner bought the set in 1953, when she was a newlywed. According to a daughter, it wasn't their everyday china, so it's in good condition.

If you're interested in buying it for yourself, you can contact Marla at azmama@cox.net. (You do realize that I gave you that email address grudgingly, don't you? The lug bowls alone are still calling my name.)

I love a good trade

Back in February, I posted about my collection of Iroquois Harvest Time by Ben Seibel that I'm mixing and matching with pieces of granite gray American Modern by Russel Wright., and I mentioned that I might need a larger cabinet to store it in.

Yesterday I traded my SIL the blond glass front case it was in for a teak corner unit by Nathan. Almost all of the furniture we have in the shop is teak, walnut or rosewood, and we've been talking about setting up a small room vignette with blond furniture. Hence the trade, about which I'm saying yippee and other expletives of delight.

The cabinet fit perfectly in the corner of my dining room, and my china looks so much better in it than in the bookcase. I guess that's because, as the name implies, the case is for books...not china.  Here's the before picture:

Before

Now check out the after photos, and you'll see why I'm so happy with the trade. I finally have a proper place to display the china collection!

After

And more after

And a close up of the china in its new home

From the ridiculous to the sublime

At the front left is the tiny box used by the careless seller of the salt and pepper shakers. Behind it is the huge box and the two smaller ones...yes, three of them...that the seller of the samovar used, along with more than ample peanuts and bubble wrap. Granted, the salt and pepper set is much smaller than the samovar, but it was clearly too large to ship in that tiny box, as the sad picture in an earlier post proved. On the other hand, the seller of the samovar promised to be ultra-cautious and was. 

So, yes, the samovar is here, and after holding my breath till I was sure it arrived safely, I placed it in the preeminent, first-thing-you-see position atop the cabinet that contains the rest of the Iroquois Harvest Time by Ben Seibel and the granite gray Steubenville American Modern by Russel Wright. And if you look behind the glass, you'll see the recently repaired salt shaker, a reminder that these lovely pieces of history are too precious to take for granted.

The beginnings of my collection of Harvest Time and American Modern in granite gray.
I think a larger cabinet may be in order very soon.

Russel Wright

Russel Wright (1904-1976) is considered by some to be the Martha Stewart of the mid-century era.  His affordable designs could be found in almost every middle-class home. Always ahead of other designers, he was the first to design a portable radio, a radio/record player console, sectional upholstered furniture, stove-to-table cookware and dishes and spun aluminum accessories. His wife Mary (1904-1952) helped with marketing, coming up with the term "blonde" for light maple furniture, suggesting to her husband that he sign his pieces, and co-authoring Guide to Easier Living with him in 1950.

Wright was the first to use rattan, hemp rope or wood in informal serving pieces, and his blonde wood furniture became a model for modern design.  He also pioneered the use of aluminum blinds, stainless steel flatware and Melamine in informal tableware.

His Steubenville American Modern china, followed by his Iroquois Casual china, have remained so popular that Oneida manufactured a Russel Wright reissue a few years ago.

I never tire of talking about Russel Wright.  I collect Iroquois Casual china in ripe apricot and avocado yellow, and I can get really passionate discussing it. (I know, I know...I really need to get out more.) I'd love to hear from you about your favorite Wright designs, about things you already have and about things on your wish list.

From The Man Who Was Martha Stewart Back Before She Was by Grace Glueck and Collector's Encyclopedia of Russel Wright by Ann Kerr

Rattan tea cart with spun aluminum canisters
antiquehelper.com

Conant Ball lounge chair
treadwaygallery.com

Conant Ball sectional sofa
1stdibs.com

American Modern china
ephemerascenti.com

Iroquois Casual china
antiquehelper.com

Spun aluminum floor lamp
decorumsf.1stdibs.com

An eBay find...not marked.

I got this spun aluminum lamp on eBay for next to nothing.  I did my homework and found out that some of the early Russel Wright lamps were not marked.  Do you know anything about this lamp? Could it be an early Wright?