Update

Hello all.  You probably noticed that updates to this place dwindled and then stopped rather suddenly a while back.  Sorry for leaving you hanging, but my father suffered a rather severe stroke and my workplace has been dealing with, essentially, one continuous series of disasters for the last couple years.  It has been a trying time, but I hope that we will pull through. 

Thank you for the kind comments and support.  I hope that you all can forgive my lack of responsiveness to comments and posts.  I wish that I had more time to direct toward my hobbies and this blog, but I've got quite a full plate.

Though I don't have nearly as much free time as I once did, I'm still making progress on the home.  I'll try to get an updated house tour posted once I paint in the Spring, but here's a quick shot of what I've done in the office.

At Least I Don't Have a Garage

At this point, things are looking a little more Grey Gardens than Farnsworth House.  So it is time to do so some clearing out.

Yeah...

What time is it?

By now you should all know what this means.

This is what pickers' dreams look like

So, yesterday was a pretty good day.

Another Day, Another Plycraft

Want to see that second big find from last weekend?  It's not quite as exciting as that super-cheap Birds in Flight, but everybody could always use...

Fakes on film

After sucking down candy, cakes, and roast dinners all winter, it's time to fight the podge and start my bike regimen anew.  The plan this time around is the same as the last: 20 - 30 miles on the stationary bike a day and light weight lifting.

The best part about using a stationary bike is that I can work (OK, more like procrastinate) on the computer and watch movies while exercising.  However, I've exhausted Netflix and the list of decent films coming out of Hollywood in recent years is rather thin.

So, despite my trepidation, decided to give Adam Sandler's Click a watch. I'm not exactly the biggest Sandler guy (the novelty of fart jokes and weird voices wore off around the time that my age hit double digits), but I'd been tipped off by numerous blog posts, websites, and forums that an Eames 670 lounge makes an appearance.  That's as good a reason as any, right?

So I get to the Eames cameo and...

 

... something's off here.  

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

Too many Soft Pads at my pad

More office chairs?

More office chairs!

They may not be retro (made in 1992), but these Herman Miller Soft Pad Management Chairs (EA435), designed in 1958 by Charles and Ray Eames, are still pretty darn cool, no?  

The set of six popped up on the Jefferson City Craigslist a few weeks back and I just couldn't pass them up.  Unfortunately, my plan to break up the monotonous drive with amazing rural picking adventures was interrupted by kidney stones.  I've still not forgiven them.

No matter.  The chairs were quite the steal, and the build-quality is simply amazing when compared to the typical office chair (as would be expected at their retail price).  No plastic or cheap stamped steel here!  Just look at those beefy casters!

I'm not in love with the oh-so-90's upholstery, but might end up keeping one or two for myself.  After all the discomfort that my current cheapo, duct-taped throne has put me through, I think my backside could use some pampering.  The rest are going on Ebay.  In fact, one already found its new home (my first Ebay sale!).

The really interesting part about the chairs is their backstory.  Remember Northern Telecom (Nortel), one of the first big corporations to go bust during the 2000's recession?  Well, they recently went belly-up and auctioned off their assets, including their Herman Miller office furniture.  

These chairs, in particular, came from the Nortel Headquarters in Canada, which was, according to online sources, some kind of wonder of modern office design done in partnership with Herman Miller.  I wonder how they made it all the way to a dusty old town like Jefferson city.

Dining Chairs

Now that I've got this awesome  Herman Miller breakfast table, it looks like I'll need to pick up a couple chairs to go along with it.

 

Naturally, I'd prefer something vintage, but with the price of mid-century dining chairs climbing into the stratosphere, replicas may be the most feasable option.

So I've had a look on Amazon and selected a few sets that might work:

 

Baxton Studios Replica Eames DAW Shell Chair  - $299.99 (for 2)

 Baxton Studios Replica Eames DSW Shell Chair - $149.99 (for 2)

 

Baxton Studios Replica Bertoia Wire Chair - $99

Baxton Studios Replica Bertoia Diamond Chiar - $115.00

Any thoughts?  Anyone out there ever own a replica?  I'd love to hear your experiences and opinions.

Edit: Does anyone know if you can paint the chromed wire chairs?  I might be tempted to do them in black.

Weekend Haul: Part 2

I still can't believe what a haul I brought in last Saturday.  Most of it has made its way up into the attic/master bedroom/mod cave until I get a chance to break out the antique finish restorer, but this little beauty is staying right here.

I must say, the Mid-Century Modern breakfast table was an elusive quarry, but with the help of Kristina  and Michael at Rocket Century, I finally bagged one.  And what a prize it is: a 36" Eames Aluminum Group by Herman Miller in white laminate.

It looks  a million times better than the craftsman-style set that was a holdover from my grad school days.  Wouldn't you say?

If I had my druthers, I'd have gotten the dark wood-grained laminate version or, in an ideal fantasy world, a Saarinen tulip table with a marble top.  It'd go a bit better with the dark-stained cabinets and counter tops.  Beggars can't be choosers though, can they? 

Still, this table brings some much-needed MCM style to the kitchen, where it was seriously lacking.  I can't wait to gussy it up with a set of chairs and some suitably modern decor.

Another Craigslist find

 Well, look what I drug home on this dreary Saturday morning.

A little late-night browse on Craigslist turned up a listing for an "Mission retro table."  However, as any MCM fan would recognize, it isn't Arts & Crafts at all.  It's a Herman Miller by George Nelson Platform Bench, or at least a fairly decent replica.

The Herman Miller website has the following to say:

"Introduced in 1946, the Nelson platform bench remains a landmark of modern design. The clean, rectilinear lines reflect designer George Nelson's architectural background and his insistence on what he called "honest" design—making an honest visual statement about an object's purpose. The bench serves as a multipurpose display and resting place in offices, public areas, and homes."

Personally, I prefer the natural wood finished tops, but for the price I can't really complain.  In the end, I offered double the listing price, because the seller already had a buyer lined up and I wanted to get the first crack at it.  Still, 2 x practically 0 = not much at all.

Even with the double offer, I thought that I'd lost out at one point.  When I showed up, the seller mentioned that someone had called and offered her $200(!) for the bench.  Obviously someone out there either REALLY loves George Nelson or has cash to burn.  Turns out, she refused because she thought that it sounded suspicious that someone would give her so much for a bench.  I'm not sure if I would have been able to resist an offer like that. What's a little kidnapping/serial killing if you can bring in that kind of dough?

I didn't notice any tag or mark, so I thought that it might just be a replica, but the more I look at it, the more I think that it might be an actual Herman Miller.  The angles, shape, and dimensions (14 x 18 1/2 x 48) are certainly correct.

The construction is what really has me convinced.  The originals used dowel rods to connect the slats along the ends...

source: Design Addict

... a doll rod at each side and a row of nails in the middle...

and phillips head screws to connect the base

Generally speaking, The best way to tell a replica apart from the real deal is to take a look at how it is is put together.  Most replica-makers used inferior materials and methods, taking short-cuts or deviating from the original in some manner in order to lower production time/costs.  For example, they might use screws instead of doll rods in a piece such as this.

I cant be 100% sure though.  I'm pretty fresh to this MCM stuff and I'm certainly no expert.

Overall, the condition is fair.  I'm not sure what the correct carpentry term is here, but one of the crenelations along the side had chipped and cracked a little.  Other than that, there's just the usual scuffs, scratches, and dirt.  I was thinking about giving it a fresh coat of paint or perhaps stripping the top and putting a natural finish on it, but since this might be an original, I think I'll leave it alone for the time being.  

While I was in the living room, I also took the time to rearrange the Plycraft lounge chairs.  The chartreuse one has a few scuffs on the back and I really wanted to show off that replica Eames Lounge's sexy rump, so this works much better.

Here comes the sun. Here comes the sun, and I say it's alright.

Whenever anyone visits my home, two pieces always seem to elicit a lot of questions/interest.  The first is the Sputnik chandelier, and the other is this sunburst clock.

This little beauty comes courtesy of Target and is "inspired" by the designs of George Nelson (although  target.com gives him zero credit).  The "spikes" are slightly less elongated, the color scheme is a bit off, and there is that irritating logo on the face, but other than those few small differences, it remains pretty faithful to the original design.  If I ever feel up to it, I might get out the spray paint and gussy it up a little.

I've seen a few original Nelson spike clocks pop up on Craigslist recently and reproductions are available through Vitra, but they all cost hundreds of dollars.  That ain't gonna happen.  While I understand the draw of originality and designer names, I'm just looking for the maximum style + value per dollar.

With coupons, my total came to $35.63.  The next cheapest knockoff I could find was $178 and Design Within Reach wants an absurd  $327.25 for a Vitra repro!  Sure, nobody will ever mistake this clock for a Nelson, but with a savings of $291.62, I think I can live with that.