The era of living room cocktails
Before we had dry bars, such as the 1935-1940 Chinese export owned by B.R., we had blind pigs or blind tigers, otherwise known as speakeasies. B.R.’s dry bar — a …
A Display Cabinet in the French Taste
A.M. from the 805 writes me that he has a vitrine that at first glance looks to come from the court of Louis XV. A closer look reveals the metal …
A Revolutionary Table
K.G. from the 805 is downsizing, and writes me that an antique table needs a new home, and, in my opinion, it should find a home that has a great …
The bad boy of midcentury furniture
One lucky guy from Santa Barbara, B.R., tells me that his daughter’s friend in Beverly Hills, upon a visit through a nice neighborhood, found two incredible exotic chairs, obviously midcentury. …
Tosa Hironobu Japanese Screen
E.V. from Montecito owns an old and fragile Japanese screen with a fabulous provenance. The artist signature in the chop reads Tosa Hironobu; Tosa is also a specific style of …
The illuminating history of indoor lighting — and what lamps are worth today
A.S. has a suggestive table lamp that was tested in the early 20th century by Underwriter Labs Inc., as we see on the label affixed to the top of the …
Midcentury modern is sooo last year! Next up: American studio craft movement
C from San Francisco has two wonderful hippie—era cases that he purchased from furniture maker Evert Sodergren in Seattle in 2010. These pieces have excellent provenance, as C has the …
Two Newspapers
D.P. has two bound copies from two illustrious American newspapers, The New York Sun from January of 1947, and The Boston Globe from July of 1929. Newspapers were, in those …
Time Clock by Simplex Time Recorder Co.
As far as “important” watches and clock go, J.J.’s is not so important: a Time Clock by Simplex Time Recorder Co., Gardner, MA. But this clock is connected with one …
New design style: ‘Early brothel’ chic?
C.R. sent me a photo of a piece of furniture for sale at the Unity Shoppe that she has been eyeing for weeks. She is wondering what it’s worth. She …