Wednesday, October 5, 2011

"X" marks the spot

A few weeks ago, I stumbled across a Craigslist ad for this retro living room set.  It didn't contain any of my usual keywords and country isn't exactly my style, but something in the pictures caught my eye.




See those faint "X"s on the end table?  That could mean only one thing: American of Martinsville!



Unfortunately, the set of two side tables aren't an exact match.  The finish on one has a slight yellow tint to it, while the other has a bit more red.  The difference isn't really noticeable at first glance, but it's annoying nonetheless.  I'll likely have to refinish them at some point to satisfy my obsessive-compulsive desire for symmetry.  One piece is also missing the inlaid aluminum "X"s, which just so happens to be my favorite detail on this line.

I was thinking about only getting the one or negotiating lower when the seller, a very nice older woman, started telling me about how her mother recently passed away, all of her wonderful childhood memories of the tables, and how she was so glad that they were going to a great new home together.  Damn those heartstrings!  How could I split them apart now?  Oh well, they were still a great looking set of tables at a very reasonable price.

So, I know that these are American of Martinsville, but I can't seem to find any information on this particular line.  Any one have a clue?  Most sites attribute the design to George Nelson, which is highly suspect.  Don't believe everything you read on the internet folks!


1 comment:

  1. The real question... Will there actually be space for me to stay this Christmas for all of the step side tables?...

    ReplyDelete