Mod UK

Merry Christmas everyone!  I hope all is well.

As promised, I've taken a few thrifting/antiquing pictures from my trip to the UK.

Just look at all of that West German pottery!  That's all at one antique mall!

I think we're gonna need a bigger bag.

Trip

I do have one exciting tidbit for you all today .  It looks like I'll soon be doing some international thrifting!  I promise to bring the camera along and hopefully we'll find some cool foreign thrift treasures such as these, which my girlfriend found on her last trip:  

Going Native

If you all could see the backlog of half-done posts accumulating on my account, you'd never believe it.  I'm seriously falling behind with this blog stuff.

Things come and go pretty frequently and I usually take a few pictures with the intention of writing something up.  Then real life intervenes and it never comes to fruition.  There's a whole mid-mod/retro collection that slips though the blogging cracks.

This is one of those things.

I do love me some Navajo textiles, though I'm fairly certain that this isn't ACTUAL Navajo.  The geometric patterns and bright colors really blend well with the whole mid-century look.  It's a shame that, like most "designey" things, they're usually priced way beyond what I can afford.

That's why, despite all of my complaining, Craigslist always sucks me back in.  This rug was darn cheap!  It fit perfectly into that little nook between the bed and dresser as well.

Oh, and before I forget, the Foundry is running another sale on Mid-mod goodies.  I don't want to sound like some sort of Foundry spokesperson after I already posted a link to their Nelson clock sale a while back, but they really have been on a tear lately.  These are some of the best prices on Control Brand replicas that I've seen. 

The Eames Hang-It-All, in particular, is selling for the lowest I've found by a good margin.  For the next two days, they're priced at $57.  I bought mine a while back for $75 and thought it was a really slick deal.  Hurry while they last!

Here's the link to sign up and check out those deals

Yo Adrian!

We did it!  We landed our first Adrian Pearsall!

I was shocked when, later in the evening as I loaded my find into the van, the seller remarked that I was the only one who had inquired about the chair.  That almost never happens anymore, especially with an item as desirable (and eye-catching) as an Adrian Pearsall "wing" chair.  Yes, the Mid-mod fever has made its way to St. Louis and pieces like this are getting harder to come by.  It's a good thing I got in there while the gettin' was still good.

The organic, euro-inspired style of Pearsall's design certainly is striking when compared to the overstuffed, muted furniture common today.  This chair is a BOLD statement piece.

 The color of the upholstery perfectly matches the turquoise of the couch, wouldn't you agree?  So much for toning things down.

Perfect fagas straps, upholstery, and foam?  This guy must not have seen too many behinds.  I've never seen original straps this nicely preserved.

The tag looks practically brand new as well.  These are almost always missing, torn, faded, or discolored.  It's like this piece came out of some crazy 1960's time machine.

This pick was really exciting for me.  I've had my eye on Pearsall's stuff for quite a while now, but never thought that I'd bring home one of my own.  Now all I need is a gondola sofa and coffee table to complete the set.  Let's get on it!

It's that time again

It's time to stow away the hammock and gather up some wood for the ol' fire pit.  

I'd say it's harvest time as well, but...

Woops!  Not exactly what i would call a bumper crop.  At least I can blame it on the drought rather than my poor garden-tending skills.  Anybody want some baby corns and carrots?

Malm

Welcome to my basement.

As you might have gathered from the piles of crap strewn haphazardly about, this isn't exactly my favorite space.  In a word, it's creepy.  The room is barely lit, casting strange shadows and leaving corners darkened.  Then there's the creaking ductwork, dangling wires, and groaning pipes.  Spend a few minutes down there alone at night and your imagination really starts going into overdrive.

The cobwebs are a nice touch too, don't you think?

Also, I'm fairly certain that at some point a deformed, masked maniac is going to burst from this coal room door and axe/chainsaw murder the hell out of me while I'm folding my undies.  That's why I carry a mini souvenir baseball bat in my laundry basket (Yes, I actually do this.), though I have serious doubts as to whether that will be enough firepower to put down any murderous, coal room dwelling monsters should they decide to make their move on me.

Imaginary axe murdering lunatics aside, there is some pretty cool stuff down here...

 ... like this Malm or Preway-style fireplace that I picked up a while back.

I'm not too familiar with these things.  How does one determine its maker?  There's no flu lever or label on the collar, which I've seen on many Preways, and the base as well as the screen handles look different than the Malm version.  Looks like we have ourselves another mystery piece, folks.

What I do know is that it came in great condition with an electric heater and set of fake logs for an unbelievably price.

One we get things wired up, I'll have to pluck up the courage to move it back up to its new home in the sunroom.  Until then, I'm just getting my laundry done and getting out of here.

What time is it?

It's time to get yourself a sweet knock off George Nelson clock!

I'm always on the lookout for a slick deal on the Kirch/Verichron replicas, as they give you 90% of the look for about 20% of the price of a "real" Vitra reproduction.

Well, this deal is pretty darn hot, with the best prices and selection I've seen out there.  So hit the link below and get yourself a wall full of Nelson!  They've got Spindle Clocks, Starburst Clocks, Turbine Clocks, Eye Clocks, and many more.

Nelson Clock Sale at the Foundry   <<<Link (click here, sign up, and then click on the "George Nelson" sale)

I just picked myself up a 30" brass turbine clock for $89, which I hadn't seen anywhere else below $200 despite months of searching.

Yes, you'll have to sign up to the website first, but believe me, it's worth it.  The Foundry is totally legit and occasionally has other great deals on mid-mod style goods as well, so keep your eyes peeled.  You can check out my review of the Starburst Clocks that I ordered from them a few weeks ago here and here.

source: The Foundry

A house divided

Wall units, bookcases, room dividers - I can't get enough of them (and my attic storage space can attest to this).

I'm unsure of the maker, but these pieces show up on the St. Louis Craigslist with some frequency.  I've always just missed out on that room divider action, but now I've got one of my very own.

It's a bookshelf.  It's storage.  It's a desk.  It's just so darn functional and a real looker to boot!

This piece did need some TLC, but nothing a dab of Howard's couldn't take care of.  Now it's got that perfect vintage patina.

The previous owner obviously didn't notice that the unit is finished on both sides (which is why I believe it is a room divider rather than a bookcase), and added this jankey shelf extension.  The screw holes remain, but when against a wall, nobody will be the wiser.

There it is, all moved in and gussied up.  We've got a serious shortage of nic-nacs around here, so I'm on the hunt for a nice set of Bill Curry jax bookends, brass ram heads, West German pottery, and the like.  Anybody got the hookups?

Green Shag

While I'm completely preoccupied with the non-vintage (though still very, very crazy) aspects of my life right now, I did sneak in a few minutes at the Green Shag Market parking lot sale this weekend.  There's no way that I was going to miss out on that one!

I must say, there was fewer mid-mod items than the last sale, but that doesn't mean there wasn't plenty of treasures to be found.

Those Lane Acclaim tables were unmarked and it took all of my willpower to not ask the vendor about pricing.  I've already got quite the hoard of Acclaim awaiting refinishing upstairs (though none of the rarer double or scissor tables), and there just isn't any room.  No way.  No how.

I got to see the other St. Louis bloggers as well.  Living Analog, Secondhand Hannah, and Mr. Modtomic all had booths and a few others popped by as well.  Each had tons cool stuff for sale.

Unfortunately, I wasn't in much of a buying mood, though I did take home two vintage prints from Hannah's.  She's always got such a wonderful, eclectic assortment of items and I'm in need of pictures to cover up my crappy plaster walls.

So there it is folks.  I'll see you at the next Green Shag sale!