Blasphemy

So, I was doing my regular Craigslist crawl a while back and feeling in a total c-list rut.  Things were slow, real slow.  The St. Louis MCM furniture market just isn't what it used to be.  Then I decided to change it up and visit a few of the less-frequented sections and try to ferret out any hidden gems.

I get to the "free" page and, as usual, it's all junk: broken treadmills, used mattresses, tube televisions...

wait, wait....

HOLD.
THE.
EFFING.
PHONE.

A Peek

Ever wonder what's in that Brasilia gentleman's cabinet sitting in the dining room corner?

Sometimes...

Some things just make you wonder.

House Tour (redux)

We've gone through a number of adjustments at the homestead, so I thought it'd be a good time to update the house tour.  The place is really starting to come together and look like an actual grown-up residence.   Considering that I bought my first home and began collecting less than a year and a half ago, I'd say we're making good progress.  Don't worry though.  There's still plenty of work to be done and Mid-Mod finds to share! 

So, without further adieu, here's the grand tour.

Mid-Century Midwest House Tour (1/30/13)

Living Room

Craigslist Sellers

Rule #1 of Craigslist selling: Don't set prices using Ebay listings.

This seller has a dining and bedroom set and has listed each piece individually, with the combined totals coming in at $3985 and $3275, respectively.

I love Brasilia.  I really, really do, and this guy's ads are otherwise OK (multiple clear pictures are a big plus) but those prices are shocking.  Perhaps he's just an eternal optimist, but I have a feeling that he saw the tag on the pieces, Googled the name, saw the crazy figures on Ebay, and set his prices accordingly.

The problem with Ebay is twofold:

*You are viewing the items that HAVEN'T sold.  There is likely a reason for this.  Namely, the price is too high.

*Buyers in the big coastal cities bid up prices on MCM items.  If you don't live in one of those cities, you can forget about getting anywhere near that type of money for your dining room cabinet.  Conversely, you can also get this stuff much cheaper if you are so inclined.

If you're planning to sell, I suggest visiting one of the many MCM shops in the St. Louis area, such as The Future Antiques.  This will give you a baseline for what you can expect, but remember, Craigslist buyers won't be looking to pay retail.

So good luck, Mr. Optimist.  Perhaps somewhere out there there's a buyer desperately searching for a house full of Brasilia and we certainly can't fault you for trying.

Where was everyone this weekend?

Either there was a huge MCM estate sale or everyone was too busy watching World Series coverage this weekend, because the thrift stores in St. Louis were hot, hot, hot!

I didn't make it out all that early and I still managed to score this:

Yes.  This Broyhill Brasilia gentlemen's cabinet sat at the Salvation Army a whole 2 hours before I showed up.  You can imagine my disappointment when I strolled in and saw another customer giving it the once-over with the tag in-hand, but then he left it behind!

Overpriced perhaps?  Nope!  You wouldn't believe me if I told you what they were charging.  The cashier even gave me a discount off of the ticketed price.  "That's a lovely cabinet," she remarked.  Yes.  Yes it is.  In fact, I'd say that Broyhill Brasilia is my favorite mass produced mid-century line, so this was quite a find.  

After checking out, I had a little look around the rest of the shop and found a fabulous mid-century Basset bedroom set with intricate carved wooden handles, a retro ceramic and brass lamp, a svelte velvet sofa, and a few smaller items.  Usually the thrifts are pretty sparse once noon rolls around, but the pickings were equally good at every stop.   It was too bad I had to switch out the van for my sedan early in the afternoon.  I would have picked up all of these mid-century goodies. 

It's hard to tell from the photos, but the cabinet was is in what I'd call "fair" shape.  There were a few small chips in the veneer along the bottom edge, some surface scratches/gouges, and a water spot on top.  Nothing too bad, but it definitely needed work.  I'd intended to get pictures before I applied the Howard's, but as you can see, my excitement got the best of me.  Oops.  This is after one quick rubdown, so I'll post the finished photos later.

It works really well in the dining room with my Kent Coffey Perspecta dining set, as the two look somewhat similar, but the Brasilia definitely has a bit more flair.  Don't you think?

I love it!