MID CENTURY MODERN WHIMSICAL WINDUP CLOCK

I have no idea as to who made this great whimsical windup clock. I do know that it works when I wind it up. However, the workings need a good cleaning for it to keep accurate time.
On the face just below the Roman numeral 6 it says “German”
On the brass back of the clock it says “made in Germany”
There are no other obvious markings anywhere that I can see.
The face of the clock measures approximately 12” across. The brass finished looping that goes around the face of the clock measures approximately 2” tall.
The brass finished Roman numerals are about 1.5” long. Note the nice crisscross pattern on the face of the clock. The tendrils that appear to come out of the back of the clock are attached to a steel ring. The clock sits in the steel ring. The ring and tendrils are attached to the wall by 2 screws. And the clock is mounted into the ring. For added security the clock itself can be mounted to the wall. The resin balls attached to the tendrils range from 1.0” to .75” to .25” The gold color of the tendrils does not look original. Not all of the tendrils lay flat but they weren’t meant to. The intent was to create relief or elevation. It feels like its lifting from the wall. The whole thing measures 3.5’ tall by 5’ long. I really like this piece. I have only seen one other in my many years of collecting. Now it needs a great place to be displayed.

MID CENTURY MODERN FLOOR LAMP WITH ACCOMPANYING TABLES

Rising a sleek 64” and topped with a 17” tall by 14” wide fabric shade, that’s in great condition, this tall warm walnut and brass finished floor lamp has a sophisticated appeal.  As you can see by the photos it is anchored with a built in white laminate tablIMG_2094 (2) - Copye top wrapped by walnut on the ends. This table is a useful 17.5” diameter and is 22” up from the three legged brass finished base.  The 4 stacking  white laminate side tables are included with this lamp making it a very rare and useful combination.  Where else can you purchase such a modern matching grouping? This just isn’t done anymore.  The designer and manufacturer were thinking outside of the box…ahead of the curve. This grouping is just as fresh and original today as it was 60 years ago probably more so.

GERALD THURSTON DESK LAMP FOR LIGHTOLIER

Looking like it arrived via a time machine from the late 1950’s this awesome desk lamp has been and still is shining brightly with nearly 60 years of cool.  With a newly painted shallow profile 15.5” across shade and a simple, sexy, thin brass 16” stem attached to a 9” horse shoe shaped black metal base it purrs perfection with its simplicity. Gerald Thurston, a respected and talented designer doing business with Lightolier; a quality conscious lighting company, equals quality in tandem. Cool never goes out of style when done by the likes of Gerald Thurston for Lightolier.

ADRIAN PEARSALL, CRAFT ASSOCIATES PLATFORM SOFA

Newly refinished and professionally re-upholstered and always sought after, this 9.5 long day bed / platform sofa is quite an eye full. A new 4″ thick seat cushion insures a firm, comfortable seating arrangement for up to 4 people. The frame is solid walnut and wraps around laminate covered built in table tops. The sleek wood legs are finished with a walnut stain and the ends are finished with brass caps. Use your imagination, this classic piece designed by one the period’s best modernist will enhance any location that it is installed in.

The dimensions are as follows: 104″ long, 31″ deep, 30″ tall; 72″ seating area.

The tables measure 26” by 19”craft associates

Adrian Pearsall was trained as an architect but is best known for his furniture design. He founded Craft Associates in 1952 and achieved immediate success by providing affordable, stylish, quality furniture that incorporated the use of strong lines and unique color combinations. Pearsall is best known for his dramatic high-backed chairs, signature gondola sofas and sofas with attached end tables, of which have become highly valued among collectors.

Vorando Turnabout Table Fan

Today we take for granted the reliable comfort of air conditioning, the mechanics of it often invisible to us.  Adjust a knob or push a button and forget about it for months.  Air conditioning has been around since the early 1930’s but back then it was generally used in movie theaters and department stores not the home. That took a few decades more to become installed everywhere.  In the mean time most of us used table, floor and window fans.   As the times changed so did the styling of these metal rotating creatures. From the early part of the 20^th century they were stodgy Victorian looking iron, copper and wire units. By the middle of the 20^th century they became stream lined stylized steel beauties that reflected the confidence and ingenuity of the times.  One company in particular was the O.A. Sutton Corporation in Wichita Kansas.  They created the Vorando line of window, floor and table fans.  Through my years of collecting I have owned every model they produced from 1950 to 1960.  They are highly prized and are becoming scarce.   The model that really got my attention is the 1955-58c. Vornado Turnabout Table Fan.</p>
The space age “Jetson” style of the Vornado Turnabout Table Fan is exciting just to look at. The black steel base that supports the fan itself creates an open feel while the inlay of the fiberglass table top features a nice one piece tiled surface that makes for easy clean up with a damp cloth. This atomic age fan moves air like its rocket powered and all the while looking cool while doing so. The Vornado ducted design allows all of the air from the blade vortex to funnel out the front. When used in the upright position, the vortex is directed by a cone to push out around the edge of table.

Today the Vornado Turnabout table fan is still a functional piece of furniture as well as an art form from the mid 1950’s.

Some of the Features of the 1955-58c. Vornado Turnabout Table Fan includes:

There is a very interesting web-site the goes into greater detail about the engineering of the Vorando fan system it can be found at http:// www.vornadotrust.com/

New items

Hi Everyone!
We are very happy to say that even though we have been slow at posting here updates about our company here are a few of our newest items available for sale!
Thank you for checking them out at our website www.gre-stuff.com.

A Part of it All

Kofod Larsen was a Danish furniture designer and architect. His mid-century modern furniture designs were popular in his day. His pieces have become timeless and are still relevant and very fashionable today.

I can talk and write about mid century and Danish modern all day.  However, it’s still the hunt, the reclamation, and the return to life of these unique pieces that excite and generate the energy to talk and write about this subject matter. 

Recently, we removed the dull patina of time from a set of Danish Kofod Larsen chairs. As the grime was being lifted from the chairs, the original colors, light and life were returned. Restored to an all original finish these treasures brighten any space they are placed in. 

On a trip through Western Connecticut we rescued a large Danish secretary / desk from an old barn. The piece looked just as tired and weathered as the old building that it came out of. Some of the glue joints in the drawers were coming undone.  Veneer was peeling and an assortment of water rings and stains scarred the tired elegant piece. I swear I heard it sigh as I bent to lift it. The diamond in the rough sat quietly in the back of the van as we returned to Massachusetts.  And for a year it sat quietly in storage waiting its turn for reclamation. A year almost to the day that we rescued the piece we wheeled the patient to the work area where we assessed the damage done by time and weather. We jumped in and first stripped off the dried, flaking, chipped and split veneer. Then we took the drawers apart cleaned the old glue off the joints and off of the former veneered areas. The brass details were just that…details and they too were removed and cleaned. Next with love and care and assorted tools of the trade we removed the stains and water rings from the damaged finish.  Joints were refitted and glued new veneer attached. 

The piece sat for a day trussed up with clamps. And after the removal of the clamps, a rich oil base stain was lovingly applied by hand. Day after day the piece was slowly brought back to life. And day after day the work brought us joy. I believe that the joy was transferred back to the Danish piece as beauty and elegance renewed. Elegance rewarded.

Now this gem proudly stands against a wall and quietly and happily hums all day long.

Pedestrian versus Unique

As defined by the Encarta English Dictionary the definition of unique is “different from others in a way that makes somebody or something special and worthy of note” While the definition of pedestrian, also by the Encarta English Dictionary, means “dull, ordinary, unimaginative or uninspired”

Original owners of American Modern and Danish Modern furniture from that narrow slice of time from the 1950’s through the early 1970’s, have been passing away while their pieces live on.  And here lies the rub. We are becoming over-saturated with the stuff. A mid century modern search on just two of the largest ecommerce sites EBay and Etsy will net you the following, with a search on EBay you will find over 75,000 assorted Mid Century Modern tables, chairs, sofas, dinnerware and lamps. A similar search on Etsy will net you 71,000 mid century modern pieces. Over-saturation like this causes a dulling of the period and of the common product.

 What was once unique and cool is getting close to becoming pedestrian.  The darker side of this dilemma will be a drop in value for what is now becoming the new mundane or…pedestrian pieces.  On the other hand, the bright side of this issue is that truly unique furniture design from the likes of Adrian Pearsall, Charles Ames his wife Ray, Harry Bertoia.  Arne Jacobsen, George Nelson, Paul McCobb, Eero Saarinen, Ib Kofod Larsen and Harvey Probber, just to name a few, will always remain unique, desirable and valuable. I for one will wait for the over-saturation to subside and pick up a few gems from the fray along the way. 

Vorando Turnabout Table Fan

Today we take for granted the reliable comfort of air conditioning, the mechanics of it often invisible to us. 

 
Adjust a knob or push a button and forget about it for months.  Air conditioning has been around since the early 1930’s but back then it was generally used in movie theaters and department stores not the home. That took a few decades more to become installed everywhere.  In the mean time most of us used table, floor and window fans.   As the times changed so did the styling of these metal rotating creatures. From the early part of the 20^th century they were stodgy Victorian looking iron, copper and wire units. By the middle of the 20^th century they became stream lined stylized steel beauties that reflected the confidence and ingenuity of the times.  One company in particular was the O.A. Sutton Corporation in Wichita Kansas.  They created the Vorando line of window, floor and table fans.  Through my years of collecting I have owned every model they produced from 1950 to 1960.  They are highly prized and are becoming scarce.   The model that really got my attention is the 1955-58c. Vornado Turnabout Table Fan.

The space age “Jetson” style of the Vornado Turnabout Table Fan is exciting just to look at. The black steel base that supports the fan itself creates an open feel while the inlay of the fiberglass table top features a nice one piece tiled surface that makes for easy clean up with a damp cloth. This atomic age fan moves air like its rocket powered and all the while looking cool while doing so. The Vornado ducted design allows all of the air from the blade vortex to funnel out the front. When used in the upright position, the vortex is directed by a cone to push out around the edge of table.

Today the Vornado Turnabout table fan is still a functional piece of furniture as well as an art form from the mid 1950’s.

Some of the Features of the 1955-58c. Vornado Turnabout Table Fan includes:

• Dimensions- Height 19.50" x Table Width 22"
• Steel Construction
• Twin Oil Ports for Easy Maintenance Every 3 Months.
• Turnabout Feature Allows the Fan to Direct the Air Horizontally or Vertically
• 3 Speed Operation

There is a very interesting web-site the goes into greater detail about the engineering of the Vorando fan system it can be found at http:// www.vornadotrust.com/

The Heart Still Beats

Everything was just right.  Everything that was meant to mix or line up did so and did so right on time and then…the birth of cool in America bloomed into existence. Like an old winter coat we heaved off the stodgy way to live and wrapped our lives in a spring jacket of fresh ideas that was constructed from everything from art to architecture. From industry to the home everything was re-imagined and re-designed. America was experiencing a cultural enlightenment / revolution and nothing was spared.  In the 1960’s the art world gave us talented creators like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. In the mid 1950’s Architects like Frank Lloyd Wright would give us the beautiful Guggenheim museum in NYC.  In 1962 Eero Saarinen gave us the Dulles International Airport in Northern VA. While 10 years earlier Mies van der Rohe delivered the McCormick House residence in Elm Hurst Illinois.  And of course those modern offices and homes sported great furniture designed by the likes of Paul McCobb, Herman Miller, Adrian Pearsall, and Florence Knoll. 

These artists and architects are only a few of the many who contributed to the enlightenment. Fashion, advertising, aviation, electronics and automobiles all benefited from the movement as well.

Unfortunately, for whatever reason the bloom on this flower of enlightenment began to fade as time marched toward the early 1970’s.  Was it Nixon taking us off the gold standard? Was it imports from Hong Kong and China? Maybe it was the Vietnam War or the breakup of the Beatles!  None the less, the heartbeat of the movement flat lined for the next 30 years. The art and architecture of the period lay dormant.  Some of it became invisible and quite a bit of it was turn down and or thrown out.  So as the movement lay idle for the next 30 years we suffered Watergate, Disco, Abscam, gas lines, high interest rates, recessions and the early days of terrorism.

Ironically the dread and bad habits of the past 30 years were instrumental in the resurrection of some of the elements, some of the dynamics of the beautiful movement.  Unfortunately the majority of the creators of this enlightenment have since passed away and as a result we only have a limited live inventory from that moment in time. I want to believe, I do believe that the success of the resurgence is due to the honesty and purity of the designs and the high prices these treasures fetch today back up my belief.
 

The heart of it all still beats. 

Shipping large Mid Century Modern Items Part Two or Re-inventing the Silk Road

From over the road trucking firms to FedEx, UPS, Uship, Greyhound Express and the US Postal Service, all on line Mid Century Modern dealers must ship their products.  Unfortunately if it’s bigger then a breadbox it’s expensive and quite often the cost of shipping the item costs as much as the item itself.  I know this because I have used nearly every shipping service available to me in North America.  As a sender you want to save your customers money by getting them the best deal on shipping and getting their items to them quickly.  This is what they expect.  When they are told that the product will cost as much as the item they often loose interest.

So what does an on line mid century modern furniture business do?  How do we deal with this new reality?  We could do what many before us have done; we quit or we make the receiving party responsible for shipping their own items to themselves.  As far as I’m concerned both of these ideas are bad ones but I see it happen all the time.  A better choice is to compile all of the general information about the item before hand; such as overall dimensions, the weight and what type of packing materials will you likely use and the estimated cost for them.  Figure these things out before you list or sell the item.  Know your product through and through.  Once you have this information you can consult your list of shippers and because you’re prepared you will find the best deal for you and your customer.

With the cost of shipping / fuel promising to continue to rise; another idea to keep shipping costs down and therefore making your pieces more affordable, would be to create a trading route by bringing multiple items closer to the buying public by setting up at quality antique and mid century modern shows.  In early winter you might travel to New York City, Philadelphia or Washington DC

By Christmas maybe Florida then onto Los Angeles and by spring you’re in Chicago.

This idea is modeled after the Silk Road an idea over 2000 years old that spawned commerce and culture from China to the Mediterranean Sea.

 

Adapt or quit.  

Shipping large Mid Century Modern Items

Packing and shipping our products around the country has always been part and parcel for online mid

century modern dealers.

What was once a charge that was reasonable is now often equal to and often more than the item itself.

Before an item can be shipped it has to be securely packed.  This takes cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, Styrofoam packing peanuts, and packing tape.  These necessities of packing were also once inexpensive. Just a few short years ago (2009) to pack a Heywood Wakefield desk approximately 30” tall by 20”deep by 42” wide would cost $45.00 in packing materials.  Today the cost of packing materials for the same size desk is running approximately $75.00   

Once packed, in 2009 the Heywood Wakefield desk shipped from greater Boston to San Francisco for $270.00.  Today the same desk to the same destination will cost $530.00; this includes the packing material cost.

Why the large increase?  It’s all about the cost of fuel. Nothing gets moved without it.

In 2007 a gallon of diesel cost $2.50. It spiked in 2008 to $4.60.  By 2009 it dropped back down to 2007 levels ($2.50) but only momentarily. During that same year it started to creep back up and by 2011 it was hovering at the $4.00 per gallon mark where it remains today.  From small to large to independent, the fuel increase has impacted all of the delivery carriers, which in turn has affected all of the on-line mid century modern dealers. 

Those of us who are on-line dealers and are passionate about mid century modern pieces will always be looking for ways to predict, stabilize or reduce shipping costs. 

Metal Hairpin Legs

Turning up more and more frequently in my finds are mid century modern selections with slender steel legs sometimes referred to as hairpin legs.  From lamps to tables to chairs to stools, I’ve seen the style show up in almost everything modern.  Well known furniture designers like Paul McCobb, Frederic Weinberg, Arthur Umanoff, and Knoll, to name a few, included this design element in some of their work but so did the  not so famous furniture manufacturing companies such as Daystrum Manufacturing, Wrought Iron Chair Corporation, Chromecraft and yes, Pier One.  What is similar to all of the pieces that these different designers and manufacturers produced is their minimalist feel.  And speaking for myself I believe that what the public shared from this modern styling of the time was the fun, the pop, and the cool of it all.  

Modern for the rest us

During the 1950’s and 1960’s not everyone could afford hi-end design from designers like Paul McCobb, Paul Evans, Harry Bertoia, or Adrian Pearsall just to name a few. However, the furniture companies from the mid century modern era took advantage of the moment and designed affordable modern pieces for the general public.  Today these pieces are still in circulation and still speak style from bye gone days. Below are just a few companies that produced modern lines that are collectible and still affordable.

Daystrom Furniture, South Boston VA

In the 1960’s Daystrom Furniture developed and patented designs in metal, vinyl, laminate and acrylics for the low-end kitchen dinette product category.

The company closed in 1996

Conant BallFurniture, Gardner MA

Products: Cane seat chairs, bedroom and dining room chairs, kitchen, dining room and bedroom furniture in Early American design, and later Modern design. At one time Russell Wright designed for them.  However, the bulk of their Modern Mates line was designed by Leslie Diamond and not Russell Wright
Company closed: about 1990

R-way Furniture company, Sheboygan WI

Closed by 1992 this furniture manufacture produced quality, stylish, modern pieces that are in circulation today. The high quality of R-Way products means that they are still popular with buyers of solid, vintage furniture.

American of Martinsville, Martinsville VA

The company was a prolific producer of modern furniture from the 1950’s and 1960’s. Many of these quality collectible pieces from its modern period are in circulation today. Today American of Martinsville, Inc. operates as a contract furniture manufacturing company. It offers case goods, upholstered furniture, wood seating, and occasional tables, as well as accessories, including folding tables, metal stack chairs, table bases, and table tops. 

LLoyd Manufacturing, Menominee MI

Lots of chrome tubing, Formica and steel and hair pin legs they were a division of Heywood Wakefield and known for metal furnishings like dinette and patio sets as well as school furniture.  The company is no longer in business but the line is still in circulation.

John Stuart update

Update; the rare John Stuart drawer handle from Connecticut has been retrieved and attached.  And while I was out I swung by one of my haunts in the warehouse district of a large town in western Massachusetts where I picked up a couple of vintage Frederic Weinberg statues from the late 1950’s or early 60’s. The statues are now safe and out in the light where they can be re-discovered and appreciated. 

The nightstands need a little touch up but that’s to be expected.  The statues are handsome just the way they are.  As I look at these new pieces I wonder what type of life did they have?  What kind of things sat in the drawers of the nightstands,  maybe books, magazines or a flashlight, maybe a copy of the bible?

And where did the Frederic Weinberg statues rest?  Were they regularly admired? 

I wait for their history lesson to be taught via osmosis… Not this time.  They will remain a mystery to me.