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.

Looks like I'm a little late to the Brasilia party

I'd planned on posting this the other day, but there's just not been a single minute where I could sit down and write up an entry.  I've been a busy boy.

See, Mr. Modtomic and I went halfsies on this striking Broyhill Brasilia bedroom set and I've been selling like mad on Craigslist and Ebay.  Grueling work that selling is.

I've already got one of these gentlemen's chests, but you have no idea how hard it was to part with the rest of it.  I've set my heart on a roomfull, but it'll have to come another day.  There's bills that need paying, after all.

The buyer just moved into an amazing mid-century home (with a freakin' stream running under it and a huge sunken living room!) that I hope to feature sometime soon.

If you want to hear the details on this rather convoluted flip, head on over to Mr. Modtomic's place.  It's always a pleasure, Mr. Mod.

Also, for the Tom Waits fans among you, click this link.  It's mesmerizing.

Lesson learned: The day that you write a long, in-depth blog post will always be the day that the power goes out at work right before you hit "publish"

So, lets start over and I'll keep it short.

A few days back, I stumbled across this Brasilia gentlemen's chest at the Salvation Army and it was love at first sight.  What a beautiful piece of furniture!  However, as with most thrift store finds, it wasn't in the best of shape.

The whole thing was worn and covered in small scratches, nicks, gouges, and chips.  While I'm not opposed to  using well-loved furniture, something needed to be done.

Here comes Howard's to the rescue!  I'd heard about Howard's products through several MCM collectors, one of whom referred to it as "Jesus Juice."  So, I thought I would see if it lived up to the hype.

First, I began with a coat of Howard's Restore-A-Finish ($6.00 - Home Depot), which comes in several shades to match a variety of finishes.  After cleaning the piece, you just dip a lint-free, soft cloth (or fine steel wool if it's looking particularly mucky) in a bowl of Howard's and wipe it on with the grain of the wood.  About 30 minutes later, go back with a clean cloth and wipe off the excess.

Though it doesn't completely cover up missing veneer and, obviously, won't remove deep gouges, I will say that I was pleasantly surprised by the results.  Many of the smaller discolorations and marks completely blended away and the others became far less visible.

After about an hour of drying, I moved on to the Howard's Feed-N-Wax ($7.00 - Home Depot), a wood preserver that contains carnauba wax, beeswax, and orange oil.  You'll go through the same process here.  Just wipe it on, wait, wipe off, and let dry.  After the Restore-A-Finish did it's part, the Feed-N-Wax really brought out the wood grain and, after a quick buffing, gave the finish a pleasant satin sheen.

I'm impressed.  Though it's no panacea for torn-up wood furniture (you will need to refinish for pristine results), the Howard's combo delivered and my Brasilia is looking super fine without the pain and hassle of a full sand-down and refinish.  For that, it receives a solid recommendation.

A few tips:
*Test these products on an inconspicuous area first
*Wear gloves.  I didn't and this stuff is oily and hard to get off of hands.
*Let coats dry before reapplying.  I did two coats of each.
*Give everything a thorough rub-down (preferably several) to remove any residue before using the furniture.

Source: Amazon

"Things without all remedy should be without regard. What's done is done."

Ahhhh.  Cold medicine, antibiotics, and a full night of sleep were just what I needed.  Never underestimate the power of a Saturday lay-in to cure what ails you.

Unfortunately that lay-in meant that I missed what was probably the greatest estate sale weekend of the last few months.  One sale alone had a Broyhill Brasilia bedroom set, Brasilia dining set, and an American of Martinsville bedroom set.  That's practically a whole house-full of my favorite mid-mod furniture right there.

Ok, so I may have made a mistake.  Surely I could have dealt with one more day of ickyness and sleep deprivation if it meant a chance to get in on the action.  Oh well.

Also, congrats to the St. Louis Cardinals on their World Series win!

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!  

(Potentially) Big News!

So, I may have accidently stumbled across one of the greatest mid-century treasure troves ever.  I can't give out the details yet, but I'll give you a hint:

BRASILIA!

This could either turn out to be the score of a lifetime or one huge disappointment, but I'll keep you posted.

Estate sale madness

Over the years, I've been dragged along to a fair few estate sales, but always came away thinking that they were over-priced and full of junk.  Turns out, it takes a fair amount of dedication, persistence, and sleep deprivation to get the good stuff.

The kind gentleman who sold me the Danish sofa introduced me to estatesales.net and my mind was blown.  All of these years, I'd been relying on Craigslist or Ebay and this site was chock full of mid-century goodness.

I'd spotted the goods.  I'd printed out directions.  I'd arrived early.  I'd brought provisions.  Everything, however, did not go as planned.  It seemed like every week, the piece that I'd waited for was snatched up by a mysterious goateed man.  Coincidentally, or so I thought, the same pieces were appearing on my favorite blog, Mr. Modtomic.  Once this happened a few times, I put two and two together and realized that this WAS Mr. Modtomic!  Talk about salt in the wound.  I'd lose out on all of these great pieces and then have to read about what a great score they were the very next day.

Then came what I thought was my day.  I'd scoped out a Broyhill Brasilia bedroom set on estatesales.net and woken up at the crack of dawn (actually, way before it), but once again I was soundly beaten and left to stare longingly at the now tagless pieces.  If any of you have ever seen Brasilia, you'd know how heartbreaking such an encounter can be.

After that disheartening experience, I thought that I was done with estate sales.  However, on the way home from dropping the girlfriend off at the airport early one morning, I made a last minute decision to stop by a sale where I'd spotted a couple Lane Acclaim coffee tables (another of my favorites).

And there in line, right in front of me, stood Mr. Modtomic.  He'd done it again!  I decided to wait it out anyway, as I was 6th in line and might still be able to grab a few things, but it looked like slim pickings if what could be seen through the windows was anything to go by.

When the doors opened, I watched as the others made a mad dash for the dining room and bedroom.  They were after the Kipp Stewart dining set and the tension pole lamp.  This was my chance!  I quickly made my way to the basement, as I'd seen concrete in the photos, and snatched the tags.

It was a small victory, but victory nonetheless.

Afterwards, I even got a chance to speak with Mr. Modtomic, who seemed like a genuinely nice guy.  He congratulated me on my find and we talked for a while about mid-century design and exchanged emails.  Since then I've tried to forward tips on any pieces that I know he's been looking for or that might interest him in his way.  Maybe there is room in this town for the both of us after all.

Click the link above to check out his blog.

Nothing to see here

This weekend, I managed to comb over 16 antique malls/thrift stores as well as 2 estate sales. Despite all of the legwork, I ended up coming home empty-handed. It was a bit disappointing, but I did come across a few treasures, including a Selig sofa, Brasilia headboard, and Sputnik lamp. All were more than I was willing to pay, so I left them for someone else to enjoy. However, my luck may have turned, as I'm (hopefully) bringing home two new additions this afternoon.

In other news, I need a new camera to document my finds.  Borrowing the office camera just isn't cutting it.