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.