I met Hilary Eklund, owner of Tandem Antiques last year on Twitter.  She and her husband Steve have a brick and mortar antique shop in Hudson, New York and sell on Etsy.  We often exchange good morning greetings and she fills us in on her latest finds.  In addition to their shops, they also participate in antique shows.  Add two young boys to the mix and Hilary is one busy gal.  Having a rare opportunity to post on an “Allison Shops” day, I wanted to share some of the vintage items Hillary and Steve have available.

Above: Set of 6 1960-1970’s era plates $35.00

Various items for sale at shop in Hudson.

Set of 3 vintage Harris G. Strong zodiac tiles $250

Vintage Rochelle Club beverage sign $35.00

More items from their Hudson New York shop

]]> http://www.atticmag.com/2010/07/vintage-shopping-tandem-antiques/feed/ 2 http://www.atticmag.com/2010/06/california-antiques-day-trip/ http://www.atticmag.com/2010/06/california-antiques-day-trip/#comments Wed, 02 Jun 2010 01:30:04 +0000 Jane T http://www.atticmag.com/?p=17327

Celebrate summer in retro style with vintage metal picnic baskets and a 1940’s era metal blade fan from the Pleasanton, California antiques fair

Memorial Day weekend kicked off the bi-annual antiques fair held in the town of Pleasanton, California.  Two hundred vendors lined several blocks of historic Main Street and the assortment of goods was no disappointment.  It’s an old fashioned antiques fair that can easily take the entire day to stroll through.  The temperature was hot and so was the kettle corn but I ignored both and checked out each booth.  I had a great time chatting with the dealers and playing “what is this item” with other shoppers.  I have never walked away from this fair without a few things under my arm and this one was no exception!

Choose your initial from an assortment of old wooden stamps.  Tossed together in a basket, they created a fun display.

A vintage child-size chrome dinette set.

Tables made from vintage sewing machine bases, a child’s tricycle and look to the left of the bottom table and you’ll spy an old croquet set.  The balls and posts are great for creating a display.

This assortment of circa 1930 “Hall’s Superior Quality Kitchenware” might have escaped me had I not recently discovered two (very heavy) mixing bowls while cleaning out my great aunt’s home.  I keep them on the counter filled with fruit.  What a kick seeing the pieces assembled on a matching tablecloth.

With so many TKO (totally kitchen obsessed) fans at Atticmag, I waited very patiently for a break in the commotion to snap a picture of this magnificent restored Wedgewood stove.  It drew a lot of attention and so did the price:  $3,450.

Most of us are familiar with the Miele name, but did you know they produced butter churns?  Yep, it was one of the first products they manufactured in early 1900, the year after the business began.  This wooden oak barrel-type butter churn on a stand has the Miele name stamped in black above the spigot.  Price tag: $675.

An unusual 1880’s New England double seat student desk with Bakelite ink wells.

Clockwise from left: Retro was in high gear with this fun collection of pink Pyrex ware.  Mixing bowls to covered casseroles and mugs looked inviting on a pink checkerboard tablecloth (even the egg slicer is pink!).  A red wooden carryall held an assortment of kitchen tools. The handle colors are often a clue to the era of origin.  Art Deco pink and gold lamp bases glistened in the sunshine and had a real presence on display.  I already have two of these old Pepsi crates and they are terrific for organizing CDs and books.  I liked the smart display technique for maximum exposure.  Did you know Pottery Barn sells these?  I like the history of mine a lot better.  It came from a real Pepsi delivery man many, many years ago.

Here is my score for the day. The Salter brand scale is missing the hooks for hanging and weighing, but it will be delightful, nonetheless, added to my growing collection.  A bargain at $15.  Also, three sweet green Depression-glass footed sherbet cups in the Rose Cameo pattern.  I have a number of antique sherbet glasses but this is my first green Depression glass purchase and the trio was $20.  I also gravitate towards small chairs.  I picked up a cute child’s schoolhouse chair years ago at this same fair but this time limited myself to buying just this small one for $35.  I have makeover plans for this little charmer.

If you are a fan of old furniture, or should I say, furniture parts, especially those that have been salvaged and reincarnated, there’s an artist in London I’d like to tell you about.

Rupert Blanchard is a craftsman in pursuit of old drawers to repurpose into cabinets.  But that’s not quite the whole story because not just any drawer will do. Scouting through estate, market and garage sales, he’s on the lookout for a very special type of drawer.

“I’ve been collecting odd drawers for the past four years.  My drawers are lost & found, saved & given and sometimes purchased…I ask about the history of the drawer as I have made it my rule to never use a drawer that already has a use in an existing piece of furniture. I never discard a carcass to get the drawers. This is one of the reasons why making a new piece of furniture can take me such a long time.”

“Finding the right combination takes time…hence I have accumulated a huge collection of odd drawers that I stare at daily to try to find new works in…Every drawer has a history; I could go on for ages just telling you about my history with the drawers.”

Take a look at where Mr. Blanchard discovered the drawers used in the piece above.

3 Victorian mahogany chest drawers from Wimbledon, London
6 Haberdashery Shop drawers, oak and glass from Battersea, London
3 Singer sewing machine table drawers from a factory in Shoreditch, London
2 oak fitted wardrobe drawers from Margate
1 very small drawer made from scrap wood by my friend Martin Bates
1 teak fronted 50s office desk drawer from Clapham, London
2 Art Deco dressing table drawers from Clapham, London
1 oak sideboard fitted cutlery drawer from Margate
1 Victorian mahogany office cabinet drawer from Margate
1 foxed mirror from a hall stand from Wimbledon edged with teak from a science lab table from Northampton and a handle found in Brick Lane.

To see more of his creations, visit his blog, Styling and Salvage.  And a special thank you to Mr. Blanchard for allowing me to use his photos and quotes for this article.

]]> http://www.atticmag.com/2010/02/rupert-blanchards-fine-salvage-furniture/feed/ 7 http://www.atticmag.com/2010/01/nantucket-lightship-baskets/ http://www.atticmag.com/2010/01/nantucket-lightship-baskets/#comments Sun, 03 Jan 2010 23:59:38 +0000 Jane T http://www.atticmag.com/?p=11367

A Set of Eight Nesting Round Swing-Handle Lightship Baskets circa 1867-1869 recently featured at Christie's Auction.

First moored off the coast of Nantucket in 1854 in an area known as the South Shoals, lightships (essentially floating lighthouses) were strategically placed around the rocky shores to aid passing ships in navigating around the perilous area.  Crewmen on board would raise whale-oil lanterns at night to guide these vessels.

The Nantucket South Shoals Lightship was established on June 15, 1854.

Spending several months at sea, the crewmen took to basket making to fill idle hours.  Back on land, they would sell their handicrafts, fetching $1.50 for a small basket up to $50 for a set of eight nesting baskets.  These works of art became known as Lightship Baskets.

Rare Labeled Nantucket Basket reads "Made by Thomas W. Barrally on Board of South Shoal Lightship". $2,850.00 from Nauticalnantucket.com.

The weaving process began with a hand carved mold to shape the basket. The bottom of the basket is constructed of solid native hardwoods.  Staves (vertical pieces of wood) provide the frame into which the cane is woven.

Handmade molds from Nantucketbaskets.com

Christie's hammer price on this nesting set of eight baskets (also pictured at top) $37,500

This nesting basket set [left and top photo] sold at Christie’s September 2009 auction for $37,500 and is attributed to Captain Andrew J. Sandsbury (1830-1902) one of the most well-known lightship basket makers of the 19th century.  These baskets would have been crafted during his time aboard the famous Nantucket South Shoal Lightship from 1867-1869.

In January 1994, Sotheby’s in New York City sold a set of six nesting lightship baskets for $118,000 and prices have remained strong, with some sets selling much higher.

For a brief look at the art of lightship basket weaving, take a look at this video featuring a group of women who gather to spend time weaving together.  The video shows the various parts that make up a classic lightship basket.

See more New England Baskets in our Collecting section.
Linking to Between Naps on the Porch.

To my mind, having a lot of dishes in the house means I’m always ready for the holidays. And since I’m an out-of-sight-out-of-mind type, I love to have them easy to reach and on display.  I’m not much for closed cabinets, which always seem forbidding.

That makes me an old-fashioned dish-dresser person. Nothing shows off dishes like the open shelves of a hutch and nothing can quite match that type of kitchen charm.  The pine beauty I came upon recently [above], stuffed with animal motif china, includes a couple of cute Staffordshire hens in addition to other gaily striped, dotted and flowered pieces. For me, the best dressers have hooks aplenty for mugs to hang as well. I wish we could see what’s in the long, top drawer. Silver serving pieces, perhaps.

In the Suffolk (England) kitchen of the late portrait photographer Angus McBean [above] is an even more stupendous assemblage of white-ware including pieces by Wedgwood and Coalport. The larger pieces in that collection are stowed on a rather grand ebonized and parcel-gilt table with a shelf. Smaller pieces hang on a far plainer wall-mounted platerack where the hooks display a collection of small pitchers and a lemon juicer along with a few mugs. I love the way the heart-shaped coeur a la crème molds are stuck up along with porcelain strainers and even a rolling pin up to the rafters. Great wall of china, for sure.

This last photo was a real inspiration for me while I was on the hunt for my vintage Swedish dresser [second and last photos on link], which had to be repainted. It now houses parts of a 130-piece auction lot of blue and white Rorstrand china I bought in Stockholm but that’s a long story which will definitely keep until next year.  (Photos via WOI and Mary Emmerling’s Country)

Decorating with a vintage bus scroll.  Photo via Country Living

Vintage graphics are one my favorite forms of art.  Advertising, postcards, labels, I’ve collected, framed and decorated with them for years.  It wasn’t until I was browsing through one of my favorite blogs that I discovered bus scrolls.

Antique dealer and fellow San Francisco Bay Area resident Lynn Goldfinger-Abram’s blog Paris Hotel Boutique has always been one of my favorite reads and her online store of vintage items can easily turn a browser into a buyer.  The San Francisco scroll [above] was one I was especially drawn to because of the red highlighting.  It’s now sold, but the circa 1940-50’s scroll [below] is available on her site.  Made of a cloth-type material, the roll sign features 8 stops in San Francisco and measures a whopping 54.5″ H x 26.5″ W.

Lynn ships her scrolls unframed but you can find them already framed, like the 1950’s London bus scroll [below] featured on 1st Dibs.

Prefer to have your graphics on furniture?

This wingback chair [left] is made to order using vintage Australian-English bus scrolls and black leather.  Find it  at  Atelier Abigail Ahern.

Note: You can also find replica scrolls with a quick search of the Internet.

One of my early jobs after grad school landed me in the Old Master Painting department of an auction house. I had just left a marquee contemporary New York art gallery with live artists and a vibrant scene and suddenly was thrust into the world of paintings by long-dead Europeans based on historical, allegorical, classical or religious themes – areas in which I was highly undereducated.

Fortunately, I was assisting a British expert who ran the department with a special brand of public school arrogance so my duties were mainly taking in art for him to evaluate and learning the business of auctions.  Over the course of my year there, this ambitious but unsophisticated girl from L.A. had a series of discoveries. First: I was not captivated by lost paintings of the Italian Renaissance or fake French landscapes with sheep. Old Masters were a snooze fest.

Second, the inner workings of the auction house were fascinating, particularly the way objects were contractually taken in for sale, documented, priced, and either sold or not.  And third, I was seized by love-at-first-sight for antique furniture, china and porcelain that was left lurking around the various departments waiting to be cataloged.

It has been a lasting love. Today, I enjoy browsing auction sales catalogs online and picking out interesting pieces that look well priced. I like to check back and see how my picks paid off once the items are sold – a bit like playing fantasy baseball, I suppose.

Take the Japanese cache pot [top], Lot 205 in today’s auction at William Bunch in Chadd’s Ford, Pa. With the vivid colors and motif based on nature it looks contemporary enough to be offered as new by the likes of Wisteria or Williams-Sonoma Home and within the $250-350 estimate range. And yet, it dates from ca. 1880!  (12 x 9-3/4”). [Update: this sold for a hammer price (plus commission and tax) of $200].

Fortunately, I’m satisfied with photos and because everything is on the web,  I was able to click through some 2000 lots being sold this week from California to Scotland.  Here are a few more of the best things I spotted.

Having just finished buying new light fixtures for our apartment I can attest to how much even the simplest luminaries cost. Chandeliers are another world. This 20th century painted-wood and brass tone colonial-style multi-arm chandy (32″ d. , 25” h.), made by Lt. Moses Willard Chandelier Manufacturing Co in Ohio, jumped right out at me and screamed “reasonable!” Lot 33B, also selling today at William Bunch, the $200-300 estimate is amazing. If I had a traditional house I’d be on the phone this minute getting a condition report. [Update: the chandy sold for a hammer price of $275].

Gustave Edward Trinkkeller, an early 20th century artist, has a documented piece of ironwork in the Hearst Castle. Having set out those credentials, the handmade quality of this small (24 h. x 26.5 w x 18.5 d.”) wrought iron and parcel gilt side table — perfect sofa height alert — is undisputed.  Lot 1086 in the John Moran auction today (9/29) in Pasadena, Ca. I’d venture a dealer would snap it up for the low estimate of $500 and be able to resell it for more than the $1000 high estimate.

One day I’ll travel to Scotland if only to visit Lyon & Turnbull. I love their stuff although, practically speaking, we Americans are at a great disadvantage with the current exchange rate. There’s a rustic elegance to this late 18th c. (yes, you read that right) Tibetan three-tier painted table (132cm/52-inches high) a piece that can go with nearly any décor and perfect in a corner. Lot  78, in their Edinburgh sale, on Wed. Sept 30, is estimated at 300-500£/$475-$793 with an Indian wooden fragment (not shown) to boot.

Imagine this pair of dramatically carved mahogany chairs as accent pieces in a modern house with white linen upholstered furniture. Or as oddball chairs in a Hollywood Regency entry hall. Add cushions or not. Lot 428 at Lyon, they were made around 1815 and the two should cost £400-600/$635-950. Now price something similar at Ethan Allen.

If this were the right moment (and it’s not) I would try for this incredibly charming, early 19th c. Italian bean-bag game. The hand-painted male jester’s mask would be a terrific conversation piece for a living room or a great room and it’s the right size (59 c h. x 32 c w./ 23.25 x 12.5-inches) to be placed on a table or displayed on the wall. It’s folk art, after all. Lot 513, Lyon estimates at £400-600/$635-950.

Can an antique tea caddy still be used? If so, what purpose (apart from display) could it have today?

While browsing through a sale catalog of nearly 2000 objects coming up next Wednesday, May 13 at one of my favorite houses – Gorringes in Lewes, England – it occurred to me that I could ask the same question about five different objects I found. These are the most interesting though not necessarily the ones I would most like to own.

How could each of these be used now?

1. George III Ivory and Ebony Decagonal (10-sided) Tea Caddy
(with silver escutcheon and horn base, 5-inches h.)
Lot 315A Sales estimate: 700-1000 £, approx. $1000-1500 US

This George III tea caddy was in style at the time of the big American tea party, in Boston back in 1773. Does that make these more or less fun?

2. Chinese Blue and White Tulip Vase
Late 19th Century, 9-inches h.
Lot 718 Sales estimate: 300-500 £ approx $450-750 US

Tulips have been popular in Europe since the 17th century. Is this style vase — used to force individual bulbs – the most attractive way to display them?

3. Victorian Mahogany Collector’s Chest
42 short drawers, 50 x 42 inches
Lot 1085 Sales estimate: 900-1200 £, approx. $1350-1800 US
Am I the only person who thinks a chest like this would be amazing if you had a huge bathroom (and what goes into the bottom drawers)?

4. Victorian Copper Jelly Molds
One shaped as a star, one as a cross, tallest is 6-1/2-inches
Lot 387 Sales estimate: 150-200 £, approx. $220-$300 US

If something could actually be unmolded from one of these, could you eat it?

5. Pair of Regency Carved Rosewood Pole Screens
Rectangular panels above a drop leaf, on turned legs and carved scroll feet, with foot rest stretcher, 46-inches h.

Lot 1045 Sales Estimate: 1200-1600 £, approx. $1800-2400 US

Ok, I’m game. Who can explain how these worked then?

We are delighted to have the well-known New York designer, and our friend, Jamie as a guest. We interviewed Jamie in a series on fabric and ways to use it last month.

With the popularity of floating furniture arrangements, the chaise longue has seen an increased interest. While viewing the antique offerings in March at The European Fine Art and Furniture (TEFAF) show in Maastricht, Netherlands, I saw the most divine example of a chaise — basically an upholstered couch in the shape of a chair long enough to support the legs.

These are often called “chaise lounges” in North America, particularly in the furniture industry. This mixed spelling and transliteration of “longue,” French for long, has become well-established and even found in American dictionaries (it’s an example of folk etymology, which Wikipedia defines as “a commonly held misunderstanding of the origin of a particular word.”)

The term also refers to any long chair, even a folding deckchair. Duchesse brisée is similar, but looks like a chair together with a long footstool. And here’s where it gets technical: a chaise longue with a backrest at both ends is known as a récamier, named after the famed, 1800 Jacques-Louis David portrait of Madame Juliette Récamier in the Louvre.

During the early 19th century, it was quite fashionable for ladies to have salons, informal gatherings akin to cocktail parties, where society and politics converged. Great beauties also posed for prominent painters, such as David, in special settings like this one with furniture in the new Greek style of the time.

The Victorians were great revivalists and the récamier gained wild popularity then. Why? For two reasons; ladies wore hoop skirts and a divan allowed them to sit comfortably without the arms of a chair restricting them. And, of course there were those corsets. We also have come to know this piece of furniture as a “fainting couch” because Victorian women were so corseted they could lie down easily when they felt faint from lack of oxygen!

Now, back to my dream piece, an 1810, French Directoire mahogany chaise longue I saw in Holland.

While I wanted it to fit in my imaginary steamer trunk, I also realized that it was 85,000 € ($115,000) at Pelham, in Paris. But it would be so perfect at the foot on my bed or by the large bay window in my bedroom. As many of us do, I also have a “dead” end in my dining room where I could create a small sitting area, just ideal for serving tea or drinks to friends. Since this is really the best example of a chaise I have ever seen outside a museum, I wouldn’t do anything to it to reduce its value like refinishing or upholstery in a fun fabric (the silk upholstery is serious and new. 79” l x 27” w x 36” h; deck 16” h). Leave that to the less valuable models.

Only ten years ago, Brooklyn antiques dealers were giving away Victorian chaises for well under $1,000 and some would even upholster them with your own fabric to make the sale. So I thought it would be a good idea to find some less expensive examples. Now don’t faint – I’ve put them in descending price point order and there are so many different ones, I’ve mixed up the styles, too.

This is a French 18th century Louis XV beechwood chaise from Newel, which may be expensive ($28,000) but will retain a high resale value (83″w x 35″d x 38″h). I wouldn’t touch the carved wood, but new upholstery to compliment the decor wouldn’t hurt its value.

This style has been widely reproduced, especially during the 1950’s and 60’s. The repros are all over the place today and given the new-found love of mid-century furniture, price tags are often in the very favorable $300-500 range. Since it will be many years before any 20th century reproduction would pull down a hefty price tag this surely is a place to get creative. Paint the frame a fun color. Upholster something WILD! When you treat one of these like art, it doesn’t really matter what your decorating style is supposed to be. You want the chaise to stand out.

Victorian chaises (by that era for fainting) are usually larger and more cumbersome than the 18th century versions. Because of their size they can have a few limitations for use today. Also, many were factory made with veneered woods and awkward carvings so there can be bargains on those. They are still the perfect hall bench or focal point for a sitting area and I would also use one as an art or accent piece. You can sleep well at night knowing you got a funky-style chaise for very little (and dolled it up with unusual fabrics and even silly trims and throw pillows).

Of course, really great late Empire and early Victorian pieces — like this ca. 1820 Swedish mahogany beauty from Grant antiques (60″w X 39″h X 24″d, $7800) deserve respect.

Here is a really great example of the clean, simple lines that began to emerge at the end of the 19th century. American, ca. 1880, this chaise from One of a Kind Antiques and Arts has a rolled head support and mahogany legs (72″ h. x 26 h x 29.25 d, $3975). Check out George Smith, a high end English furniture manufacturer, to see really excellent reproduction furniture in similar styles. Sized to fit today’s homes, these pieces work well as backless couches or as places to curl up in private moments. They can transcend styles from traditional to contemporary, depending on the upholstery fabric.

This tufted piece, upholstered in red chenille (60″ w, 33″ h, 35″ d) from Brookleberrys Antiques looks like it would be extremely uncomfortable, but it’s so great to look at! It will be difficult to place and really needs to stand alone, but for $1,850 it merits a place of honor in most rooms. It is also affordable enough to upholster in a trendy fabric for specialty use — say in the master bedroom or a sun room, where you retreat to read. I’d add lots of small throw pillows and kidney rolls.

If you have a problem with historical styles or a chase with traditional roots of a chaise, then the contemporary Klaussner Solway chaise from chaiselounges.com (66 l x 33 w x 38 h, $588.99) might be a solution. This is definitely not your grandmother’s furniture, but it is far more chic than a recliner for watching TV and there’s no need to leave space behind it since it doesn’t move. A well designed chaise should be easy to get into and out of. I would definitely use contemporary styles for living rooms and bedrooms.

Meanwhile, that antique chaise I saw at TEFAF (the Dutch art and antiques show I attended) has become something of a benchmark (pun intended) for me. My eyes are now open to the comfort, variety and serviceability of the fainting couch revival.

Rare Duncan Three Face Cake Stand. Frosted stem and base. ca. 1878-1886. Source: Seymour Auctions

Seeing Jane F’s Beverly Hills Cheesecake recipe post the other day started me thinking about decorative ways to display desserts. One of the very first purchases I ever made, and certainly the most used, is my cake stand. In addition to cakes, I’ve used my stand for pies, pastries, cookies, fruit and cheese. During the holidays it becomes a pedestal for a striking glass ornament and garland arrangement.

King Arthur pattern glass pedestal cake stand with gold skirting. Duncan and Miller, ca. 1905 Source: All Antique Glass

Both photos above: George Duncan & Sons began in 1865 in Pittsburgh PA. John Ernest Miller joined the company as a designer in 1874 with the company incorporating as Duncan & Miller Glass Co in 1900. The artistry of design, the skill of the workers, and the colors of the glass set the company apart from others of the time. The factory remained in production until June 1955.

Pink trellis cake stand, Smith Glass Co. Source: Replacements Ltd.

Above: L. E. Smith Glass Company began in 1907 and is known for creating the first headlight lens for the Model T Ford and the original glass mixing bowl. Pink, green, amber, yellow, amethyst and cobalt were being made as early as 1926 followed by a formula for black glass that has remained the most collected in the industry. The company remains in production today.

Vaseline Glass cake stand from Fenton Art Glass ca. 1949 Source: Solvang Antique Center

Above: Fenton Art Glass founded in 1905 by Frank L. Fenton and his brother John W. Fenton. Frank’s unusual colors helped to keep Fenton in the forefront of the handmade art glass industry. In late 1907, Fenton introduced “Iridescent” glass, also known as “Carnival” glass. Today the company is still family owned and producing glass known for its beautiful colors and patterns. The vaseline glass shown above is a particular color of yellow-green glass that is made by adding 2% Uranium Dioxide to the ingredients when the glass formula is made.

For the past three years, the sprawling Spring Pier Antiques and collectibles show occupied a trio of enclosed piers at 12th Ave. and 55th St., in New York City, requiring a shuttle to ferry shoppers between the immense exhibition spaces.

Yesterday, recession era collectors encountered a highly condensed version of the popular two-day bazaar, reduced to sharing space with jewelry and clothing booths formerly housed in a satellite building.

“We’re not seeing as many decorators,” said Rhode Island dealer Alan Bernhard, co-owner of Antiques II at 4 Corners, who also noted the absence of numerous colleagues who had been regulars here for many years. “Some dealers are getting shy about doing too many shows.”

First day attendance seemed brisk with crowds clogging booths, examining merchandise and seeking bargains. By 3 p.m. on Saturday, Mark Kaplan, of Long Beach, N.Y., had a “Sold” tag hanging from the latch of an elegant, ebonized Chinoiserie demilune chest from ‘60s (above), which sold in Craigslist territory for $475. Kaplan, who specializes in lighting from estate and tag sales with his wife Marie, estimated that prices had dropped by 30 percent.

“A year or two ago, $1500 wouldn’t have been out of the question,” he said, gesturing towards a pair of tall, mid-century Murano glass lamps on a nearby table (above), tagged at $925. “A year ago I sold a pair of similar turquoise Murano lamps from the ‘50s to a decorator for $2500 and then he marked them up.”

In some of the stalls, prices seemed to be holding fast. On a display of green jadeite in Joseph Keller’s vintage china booth, an ordinary platter (above, bottom right) was tagged $75. Sphere Gallery’s Gaspare Asaro was asking $3300 for a charmingly reupholstered 1890’s French Rococo style chaise longue (below).

Furniture such as the stunningly sinuous $6000 Pierre Paulin Ribbon chair reupholstered in vintage Pucci silk (below) was “not flying out” of the Pre-View booth, according to Ft. Lauderdale dealer Stan Chaman. “People are being more careful,” he said.

Nor did the $4500 antique Herve tile stove (below) offered by the Mercantile Gallery of Brooklyn, seem in touch with the down-to-earth three-figure prices for these antique kitchen ranges that we’ve been tracking for some time.

Stopping to admire the iconic orange Jacobsen chair at Vertu (top photo), produced an invitation for more to test-sit. “Why don’t you try it?” the dealer asked. Settling in, over the $1450 price tag, I found Arne’s Swan both comfortable and surprisingly fun to swivel. Considering the cost of a new one — $3133 on sale at dwr.com — the 30 percent solution in play at the Pier might convert a few designer-hungry furniture browsers into buyers after all.

72 Drawer Wood Card Catalog via Vintage & Modern, ca. 1950-1960 $590

They were the hub of the library. Dozens of small drawers just large enough to hold an index card awaited each patron that entered the building. With paper and pencil in hand, we stood thumbing through the listings ready to jot down the coded typewritten numbers from cards that would direct us to the precise aisle housing the book we were searching for. There was something oddly gratifying in flipping through those index cards. Unlike today’s online catalog’s, we had to rely on old fashioned human brain power to lead us to the correct author or subject title.

Various vintage card catalog drawers via flickr.

Old card catalogs, now replaced by computers can be found at antique shows, shops and auctions. Part novelty, part sentimental and often just plain useful, they are finding their way into homes. The style is so popular you can find reproduction pieces designed for cd storage. Ironically, as cds are being replaced with ipods, even the reproduction pieces are becoming outdated. But that’s ok, something tells us those cute cubbies will continue to provide just the right sized storage for sewing supplies, crafts, trinkets, nuts and bolts, postcards, pictures and….much more.

Drawers used for crafting & sewing notions.

(L) Reproduction Library Cabinet:Victorian Trading Co. (R) Media Cabinet: Improvements.

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