Now that their kids have graduated from drawing on the kitchen table, a family in Culver City CA is looking for a reproduction Stickley #634 (the 5-leg dining table) or similar - a round, expandable-with-leaves trestle dining table.
Know of a craftsperson who makes one? Seen one in an antique store recently? Email the prospective buyer.
And if there's something you've been hunting for, please do let us know and we'll do our best to help you find it!
A very interesting article in today's New York Times explores the apparently shadowy world of antique dealers and restorers. Apparently this reputation-destroying article is the result of a bit of a war of attrition among big-name antiques business insiders:
Michael Smith, a prominent decorator in Los Angeles, was staggered when a friend called from London in early April with the news: John Hobbs, a London antiques dealer known for superb English and Continental furniture, stratospheric prices and wealthy American clients, had been accused by his longtime restorer of selling fakes.
Mr. Smith said he was panicked at the thought that two very expensive mahogany chests of drawers he acquired for a California financier in September — described on the invoice as a fine pair of English commodes, circa 1830 — might not be worth anything close to what he had paid.
His fears might have been justified. Detailed workshop records and photographs provided by Dennis Buggins, Mr. Hobbs’s restorer for 21 years, indicate that Mr. Smith’s commodes were designed and fabricated between 2004 and 2006, using materials plundered from several old wardrobes and a linen press. The cost, Mr. Buggins said, was about $55,000. The asking price was 365,000 pounds ($736,000 at the time), a retail markup of more than 1,000 percent, although Mr. Smith managed to pay $450,000.
Note: the following was a not-particularly well-thought-out April Fools' joke, and is totally untrue. I apologize to those of you who thought it was real news, and hereby retract it as requested by Stickley-Audi. I also apologize for the reference to Mr. Audi. I had no idea he had passed away, as I saw his picture and his name still listed as President on the Stickley-Audi website. Again, please accept my apologies. (I've now deleted the short article, which documented a supposed merger between Ikea and Stickley-Audi, as per Mr. Danial's request.)
Nina West writes at Artfact.com:
A rare Arts & Crafts chair made by Charles Rolhfs and rescued from the trash made auction history last week. Expected to fetch around $30,000, it sold for the record price of $198,000.
Pulled from the neighbor's trash, the chair was given an insurance value of $25,000 by Sam Cottone, president of Cottone Auctions, outside of Rochester, N.Y., 10 or 15 years ago. The auctioneer's advice to the owner was to take good care of it, since its value would appreciate significantly over time. The owner, living in a trailer home, decided earlier this year that it was time to sell the chair.
Cottone advertised the chair with the low estimate of $30,000 to $50,000 in hopes of creating good auction buzz. The battle for the chair among 10 phone bidders and multiple floor bidders was won by a Washington, D.C., antiques dealer. It is unclear if he purchased the chair on behalf of a private client or for his own store inventory.
Given the seemingly endless popularity of the DIY movement, awareness of green practices and recycling as parts of the design/build process and the high cost of new materials, salvage businesses continue to thrive:
and in the UK, where architectural salvage is a way of life:
Andrea Valluzzo, over at Antiques & The Arts Online, has the full story:
Holbrook, MA: It's not every day a Stickley desk like this comes along.
On a recent house call to look at some collectibles, a cannonball, a gun and similar merchandise, Kelley Auctions' appraiser Michael Lynch spotted the circa 1904 desk with original ebonized black finish and rare Grecian urn inlay and asked the owner about consigning it.
The woman, who was selling some of her recently deceased parents' items to finance some needed car repairs, suggested he buy it outright for a few hundred dollars.
Instead, the specially made Stickley desk was consigned to auction and after weeks of presale advertising and building interest, it crossed the block on September 5, attaining $214,500, including premium. The desk, now one of six known examples to exist, was unknown prior to the auction. Each desk is numbered; this one is marked #3.
Plenty of Stickley - some contemporary, some antique, and some needing a good amount of TLC - available on Craigslist this week. As always, be careful that you are buying the real deal and aren't being taken to the cleaner; unless you are confident in your ability to discern authenticity, stick with buying from a reputable dealer.
I've always liked library card catalogs - the old wooden ones with dozens of tiny drawers. Something about the grid or all the little nooks and crannies appealed to me. As a kid, my parents had a wooden filing cabinet, previously used to hold criminal records and fingerprint files, that they had bought at a police auction; it still had a number of old mugshots in it when we brought it home, and I guess the promise of hidden treasure is another reason I like these types of items.
If my house wasn't already crowded with furniture, I'd seriously think about picking up one (or more) of these:
and here are a few on ebay
One thing I've noticed is that even the starting bids on Ebay are far higher than what folks selling via craigslist hope to get. Part of that is that Craigslisters want to sell to locals - they won't deal with shipping, and don't bother asking - and some of the Ebayers are willing to crate & ship. Another, something borne out by my own experience, is that people who use community sites like Craigslist are simply less predatory than vendors on Craigslist.
I don't want to turn H&H into something especially commercial, and the ads that are here are necessary to pay for our hosting and other such stuff. However, I saw this on one of those "all the deals on Amazon" sites and thought folks here might find it useful or interesting.
This table
Plenty of nice stuff out there if you know where to look. Included for your edification, several bits & pieces of Arts & Crafts furniture, architectural salvage and other related items that I've found using the terrific Craigslist search engine Crazedlist.
A few articles on the grand opening of the Stickley museum on the third floor of the Stickley-Audi factory in Manlius, New York.
reader Jen Orsini forwards us a Craigslist advertisement for a signed Stickley Bros. sideboard with mirrored backsplash. The "'Quaint' Furniture" label is visible and in good shape, and the piece looks to be in wonderful overall condition from what I can see in these small images. The piece is located in Santa Ana, California, just outside of Los Angeles. Call Tom at 714.319.0505 if you are interested in this pretty piece of furniture.
Reader Dan Dutra sends us this attractive sofa & loveseat, made by Strictly Wood Furniture and now
for sale on Ebay for the excellent price of (currently) $1225. It's here in my town - Sacramento, CA - but since I just got a new sofa it's not for me, but someone will get a good deal here.
Each piece is in a spindle design and built of quarter-sawn oak, and all the upholstery is a lovely caramel Italian leather. The total for both pieces from the manufacturer today would be just under $14,000, plus shipping.
This January 1999 article by Kristine Carber and Chadine Flood Gong (which includes a guide on tansu shopping) is from Sunset magazine. Read the entire article on findarticles.com.
We see them in bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, and baths - Japanese storage chests and cabinets called tansus. Once found mostly in the homes of connoisseurs of Asian art, the wood chests are rapidly finding a broader market. "Tansus adapt well to the Western home because they blend effectively with contemporary and traditional designs," says Seattle designer Kristine Donovick.
San Jose design partners Patricia McDonald and Marcia Moore agree. "We've been using them for years, but now more clients are asking for them because they are so beautiful and versatile," says Moore.
Most tansus are square or rectangular, but some, originally used as freestanding staircases, have interesting stepped shapes. They began appearing in Japan in the latter half of the 17th century and were used in houses, for storing clothes and cooking equipment, and on merchant ships, to store documents for safekeeping. By the 1800s, they had become familiar furnishings in Japanese homes. Highly lacquered pieces graced the houses of the nobility; simple wood chests were found in country homes.
Since I got so many letters asking for more information on Japanese cabinetry and tansu in particular, I've kept my eyes open for more striking examples (and good deals!) of such items.
pictured: a Showa-era mizuya tansu from Hana Japanese Antiques
Based on an idea from his teacher, master printer Gerald Lange, our good friend Hrant Papazian of The MicroFoundry has developed a unique piece of furniture for the discerning typographer. There's also a Flickr set of the first production model.
Essentially a glass-top coffee table that gracefully accommodates a drawer of letterpress type, the TypeTable nicely exhibits an instance of high craft for discernment by the typographic aficionado, and is itself crafted to high standards: sturdy but elegant construction, to a tolerance of 1/32 of an inch; 1/2-inch beveled glass; and easy movement of the type drawer into and out of the framework, ensuring that the font is not converted into a “museum piece” but instead remains a dignified, usable resource. Note that the purchase of the TypeTable does not include a drawer of type; this must be provided by the customer, although The MicroFoundry would gladly help in procuring a drawer.
With the drawer of type removed, the table reveals its attractive lattice midboard, which can be used to exhibit other items (up to 1-1/2 inches in height) making this piece of “typographic furniture” highly versatile.The TypeTable is offered for sale at US$555 (plus delivery costs) and is manufactured on a first-come, first-served basis. Please direct all inquiries (including interest in tables that accommodate more than one drawer) to Hrant Papazian.
My colleague Derek Martin, a woodworker here in Sacramento, was kind enough to review a copy of Aldren Watson's Country Furniture for Hewn & Hammered. The book is a reprint of the 1957 original edition, and includes all original illustrations.
As an avid hobbyist for the last fifteen or so years, I have spent much of my free time focused on wood working. It came as no surprise to me that I would enjoy reading this book after quickly skimming through it to see some wonderful illustrations that would get my immediate attention and spark my interest in reading it as well.
This book not only examined the materials and techniques that were used by master craftsmen of past centuries, but also addressed even the most subtle changes in wood furniture building up to more recent times. Changes to this art form mentioned by Mr. Watson were mainly brought on by wood supply, reengineered tools, and the evolving change in personal tastes.
As a modern day woodworker with fairly modern day tools I now have a greater appreciation for those who developed and made popular the art of crafting wood. I also have a better understanding of how making hand-crafted pieces from wood started out of necessity and not just for the beauty of it’s finished product. All different types of woods from all different places on the map were used initially for their hardness, longevity, availability and then their beauty.
The illustrations in this book alone are worth picking it up for, but just wait until you see and read about joinery that could help you in your next project. I have already experimented with some techniques that I learned in the book and I was fully satisfied with the result.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in woodworking or even collecting antique furniture. I will end by saying that this book was loaded with information and the illustrations were the icing on the cake to say the least.
Sharon Letts had the opportunity to meet & speak with Arcata-based furnituremaker Whit McLeod recently, and The Eureka Reporter published her story on August 8, 2006:
Whit McLeod came to Humboldt County as many have — to attend Humboldt State University.
He graduated in 1976 with a degree in biology with an emphasis on wildlife management. Initially, he worked at Redwood Science Lab in Arcata, but soon found himself building wooden boats with the likes of boatwright David Peterson in a shop behind another wooden boat master, Ken Bates, on Gunther Island.
“I started out making boxes for bottles of wine,” McLeod laughed. “Then I made the folding chair.”
The folding chair is now as well known as the boxes the wine comes in, and is a common sight around town. Built from wine barrels, it’s a little folding chair for patio or beach use and it now makes up anywhere from 40-50 percent of sales for McLeod.
Since the chair, McLeod and his team of four — which includes his wife Kristy McLeod — have created beautiful craftsman-style furniture using the same wine barrels, as well as other types of reclaimed and salvaged wood. The furniture is made the old-fashioned way, using the mortise and tenon joint method.
the full article is available online from The Eureka Reporter
Tim Uli and his son make A & C furniture in San Saba, Texas. Tim has been making furniture for over 30 years, and his work ranges from traditional Craftsman pieces to his own furniture and lamp designs, which he calls a "craftsman / shaker / asian" style. He specializes in a wide range of seating types, and his Morris recliners, chaises and loveseats are especially popular sellers (and check out this collapsable gate-leg table - one of my favorites). His work is done traditionally - steam-bent chair parts, ammonia fumed finishes, etc. - and he builds by custom order only - no inventory is kept on hand.
After ten years making furniture in Maine - he was a member of the Guild of Maine Woodworkers and a founding member of the Salt River Artisans Gallery in Boothbay - Tim moved to Texas and has remained there ever since. His prices are reasonable and his work quite attractive; should you need a custom built piece made anywhere in Texas or nearby, please do drop him a line.
A quick survey of Mission and Prairie-styled settles:
Know of others? Make one yourself? Send me a picture or URL!
by Charlyne Varkonyi Schaub, Knight-Ridder Newspapers
Furniture manufacturers are betting we're so fed up with technology and mass-produced goods that we will want to put our money on the "Simple Life."
This yearning for a vanishing lifestyle has nothing to do with Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton.It has everything to do with the Arts & Crafts Movement that made Gustav Stickley, Frank Lloyd Wright and Greene & Greene household names.
The most repeated mantra at the International Home Furnishings Market that ended here Wednesday was the simple lines and fine craftsmanship of Arts & Crafts and Mission furniture. Nearly 25 percent of the manufacturers introduced this style at the market, according to a Furniture/Today and Home Accents Today survey. Among them are Hooker's Simply American, Magnussen Home's Oak Park, Copeland's Prairie by Frank Lloyd Wright and Stickley's additions to Pasadena Bungalow and Historic Mission.
Just got a postcard in the mail advertising Greene Design Furniture's new Doza line. Looks like a neat mix of contemporary Japanese elements and Craftsman design, with a real emphasis on the low wide lines of the Prairie movement - the seating is especially spacious. The armrests are carved from a single large piece of cherry, and then pretty dark walnut is inlaid. The cushions, however, look more mid-century modern than Craftsman, but work surprisingly well with the rest of the designs. A downloadable PDF describes the measurements of the pieces a bit better, although it doesn't look like pricing information is available yet.
by Christopher Murther, Boston Globe
The velvet rope - usually only employed to protect Anna Nicole Smith, Ashton Kutcher, or Sasquatch from an overzealous public - sits imposingly in front of the moss green wall. Behind the rope and the wall lives the superstar of this year's High Point International Home Furnishings Market: The premiere home collection from a designer who passed away nearly 50 years ago.
Despite the small matter that Frank Lloyd Wright designed his Prairie collection at the turn of the last century, his pieces were some of the most innovative on display in the acres of furniture at this year's High Point Market. Wright's collection was just the beginning of the Mission-style explosion at High Point, the biannual market where the country's leading furniture makers premiered their newest offerings for buyers and journalists.
By preternatural coincidence, a half-dozen furniture makers rolled out lines this spring that incorporate elements of Arts and Crafts and Mission styles - furniture that is marked by fine wood and simple lines. While several of the mammoth showrooms looked as if they had been assembled by followers of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, less clear was why a show that is intended as a harbinger of living rooms and bedrooms of the future was looking back 100 years at the Arts and Crafts movement.
read the rest on the Halifax Chronicle-Herald site - the Boston Globe doesn't allow free access to its archives.
Bits and pieces of mostly Stickley furniture from both coasts and in between:
Lots of good stuff on Craigslist all over the country this month. Here are a number of items I found interesting:
Last night I picked up a great A&C sideboard (pictured) in Carmichael, courtesy of a nice fellow in a '70s modernist home who was remodeling to fit the house a bit better. $400 - what a bargain!
But there are plenty of other bargains out there if you can sort through all the junk ads for faux-Mission dining room collections and cheap Chinese-made junk. So - here you go - I searched so you don't have to:
and several nice tansu:
Lots of neat stuff on Ebay right now, but for the love of God, please people, stop trying to get hits on your old junk by suggesting that a hammered-copper cowboy hat ashtray may be Roycroft when you know perfectly well that it ain't. Or something named as a "Stickley magazine rack" that certainly isn't (further down the seller says 'no marks to suggest that it is but it certainly fits the styling...' - sure. We call this kind of misleading labeling "hit whoring," and it's not a very honest or nice thing to do. This guy even admits that it's signed "K&Co." but insists on labeling the auction "Roycroft?" - how kind.
but nice A&C furniture and decorative items don't need to be signed or big-name to be pretty.
There's a very good thread over on ask.metafilter today regarding the relative valuation of antique furniture and the best way to sell unique and high-priced items - it's a good place to start if you're inexperienced and find yourself with something you'd like to sell.
Can anyone name a cabinetmaker / woodworker / furniture seller who makes & sells something like this small endtable? I like the design an awful lot and could really use something like this, but I also know that Home Decorators Collection sell mostly junk, and their idea of "hardwood construction" is often fruitwood with an oak veneer. I'd much rather buy from the maker or at least someone a bit closer to the maker, anyway.
It's December, and you're looking for that perfect gift, maybe a piece of furniture or a lamp or something for the Craftsman aficionado in your family. You don't have time to wait for shipping - you've gotta find something nearby. So you visit craigslist.org, fire up your home city, and find...
The Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust is now selling a line of furniture (mostly mirrors so far) in typical Wright Prairie designs. A baby-sized barrel chair and adult-sized bar furniture in the same design; a
