The Couch of Dreams

Last week I accompanied a friend to pick up some auction winnings and fell in love with a little couch there.  I know I focus on Mid Century Modern, but I shop with an estate company that pulls from NYC metro and they offer many high end furnishings and décor that are not in my normal sourcing realm.  This said, if you are looking for anything more traditional or ornate, please know I may be able to help you out with this.  So back to the couch of dreams....what stole the show is that it's blush velvet upholstery was in relatively decent shape, only in need of a cleaning.  The cushion has a down insert in it!  So posh!  The style is classic Chippendale but features a very elaborately carved eagle with his talon in his mouth at each arm and of course, the paw feet.  I have found no other couches like this online and it is most definitely the best of it's kind.  They told me it was from the 1920's but I will be picking it up tomorrow so cannot wait to see if there are any more clues.  If you follow my facebook, you may have seen when I posted the picture last Friday with a 'does anyone love this as much as me???' post?  Well, in fact someone does and reached out.  At this point, she is first in line to claim this beauty.  In case she turns it down, it will get listed in my markets.  I will be picking it up tomorrow along with some auction winnings I picked up.  If you want me to have a look at anything while I am on the road, shoot me a message!  I would be more than happy to shoot you pics of items that are for sale and keep an eye open at auction.  The preview for the next week's auction is usually available which is always good to get a look at.  The smalls I am bringing home will probably get listed over the weekend.

Amazing 1920s Camelback Chippendale style couch.  Beautifully carved arms and legs featuring eagles.  This color is so hot right now in decorating trends.  Paired with navy or neutrals, it is sure to look fabulous in an eclectic or traditional space! I am hoping to reveal more clues as to the dating of this piece when I get it home. This is new territory for me so I have a lot to learn and look forward to delving into another era and style!

The eagle is so dreamy! Rolled arms are a common element to a Chippendale style couch.  The elaborate carvings in the arms do not seem to be common, according to my searches! Most later reproductions (the original English Chippendales date to the 1700s) seem to lack the arm carved details to this extent.  

This foot is known as a lion's paw foot. Another popular foot style on Chippendale furniture is the Ball and Claw, which is literally an eagle claw holding a ball.   A note on the shell referring to early 1900s Chippendale reproductions:  Shell motifs carrying over from the Queen Anne period may be present, but are not as prevalent in this style as they were earlier in the 1700s.

So couches may be the thing for me!  The orange couch just sold.  So I will be couchless if the pink beauty gets claimed right away.  One thing I do still have is the beautifully restored day bed.  I would love to find this thing a home.  It is amazing.  I do realize it is more of a specialty piece which makes it a little harder to place.  My home would not be able to accommodate it until I kick a kid out.  :)  If you have any interest in it let me know.  All brand new cushions with just the right detailing.  Super neutral navy fabric from Joybird's pet and kid friendly line.  Make great seating and can accommodate overnight guests.  I would love to see it go to new parents as it would be a great addition to a nursery where you can catch some Zs and lounge comfortably with a baby.  Wish I had something as nice when my kids were babies.....I slept on the floor more than once!  ;)  Of course, great for a den, spare room and more.  All the details have been taken care of!  Delivery in my region no extra charge.  Get an instant shipping quote on my chairish.com listing. 

For my birthday, I found a great little Eames fiberglass side chair featuring an H base.  It was painted so I spent a lot of time stripping it down.  It is so cute and dated 1959.  I believe it to be an early Zenith production and the black finish on the base is original.  Super cute and worth the work to add it to my collection!  Here is a look at the project.  Stripping it took some physical work, but the product did not ruin the original shine at all!  I even got the labels free of paint!  I worked quickly in sections and was careful not to let the stripper sit too long as there were disclaimers on the product not to use on fiberglass.  It had no ill effect! 

There were 4 layers of paint on this chair!  It took some elbow grease and was not the most pleasant job.  I have a full day into it.

NEW ENGLAND SHOPPERS!  I have a delivery scheduled in April to Rye, NH.  I will be staying in Nashua for 2 days and then making a stop in Rhode Island on the way back.  If you are looking at something larger and I can fit it in the car with the set I am delivering, I would gladly bring along for you to pick up or I can meet you.  I am tag teaming the trip with a friend.  Please reach out!  I can hold your item with a deposit until the delivery.  This is a rare opportunity to save some shipping! 

ETSY SHOP IS 10% OFF until the end of the month.  MOST ITEMS included but there are a few I left off.  Please stop by and grab some awesome items while they are on sale!  Leaving you with a few new items to check out!  Have a great weekend!  xo Malissa

JUST LISTED: beautiful 21" diameter faceted mirror.  Great for a hall, foyer or smaller wall.  Mirrored glass is mounted on a heavy wood piece and features black painted wood with gold painting trim. 

Picking these auction winnings up Friday as well!  Not sure which items I will be keeping but will be evaluating this weekend and getting them listed.  I love having access to some very eclectic pieces and I welcome you to request weird stuff!  The fun of shopping out of my area is finding higher end pieces!  Reach out if you see something you love as I will let you have first shot! 

Hen On Nest Collection up for sale.

When I first decided to hang out in Antique shops looking for treasures, my kids were very young.  In order to keep them entertained during the exploration of sometimes very large co ops full of merchandise, I decided to bait them into looking for glass hen on nests.  My mom had one my whole life (which ironically she sold at a yard sale prior to us collecting!) and we had gotten chicks that year.  We were consumed with all things chickens.  It was a natural progression to make the hunt a family affair.  Needless to say, I have a china hutch full of them and I decided I would do better making room for something else, like my growing stash of pyrex that does not get a proper display space.  So with that said, I am going to be offering these for sale as this month goes on.  Here is my first grouping, the smallest of the hens, called SALT CHICKS or SALT CELLARS, they are all 3" or less, super cute and the best way to learn about them is listen so I made a little video going through them.  I have a variety of glass makers represented so if you give it a listen, I will go over some facts about them and things I learned collecting, plus discuss any condition issues of the piece, which I figured would be helpful.  Please have a look if you are interested in seeing them.  I think I will be swapping out my booth space to accommodate many of the larger chickens for the holidays this week.  I plan on clearing out many things that have been there for a while.  Of course, I will gladly ship any of these hens and combine shipping for you on multiples.  Please reach out!  I will be posting what I will be taking out prior to that so please act fast as I don't like to cross list smalls that are in the booth.....it gets a bit confusing and would hate to have a disappointed customer.  View the video here (from my facebook page):  https://www.facebook.com/madformodmalissa/videos/799956980142055/

3" and under SALT CELLARS selection.  They are so cute!  Make sure you check out the video above to learn about them and I discuss condition issues, etc.  If you are new to vintage glass collecting, you might find some information of interest about the makers and markings.

Stay tuned to my social media for more listings.  If you aren't following me, here is the run down! Many times, my updates will hit there first.  Also, keep in mind that not all FOLLOWERS see all of my posts!  If you don't want to miss anything, make sure you select to see all posts on Facebook! 

INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/madmodworldvintage/

FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/madformodmalissa

TWITTER https://twitter.com/mad4modmalissa

NEW ITEM!  Herman Miller Eames Aluminum Group SOFT PAD executive arm chair featuring swivel reclining seat, casters and beautiful COBALT blue fabric is really good condition!  Very comfortable making a classic bold statement for your home or office!  Available NOW in my etsy shop....click pic to go there, and almost live in my chairish shop. should you require white glove delivery.  GREYHOUND BUS SHIPPING AVAILABLE ON THIS ITEM!  Reach out for more info!

RESTORATIONS IN PROGRESS

DAY BED RESTORATION.

The day bed cushions and fabric have been dropped off at the upholsterer and will be completed in the next few weeks.  All new foam plus the gorgeous navy blue PET and KID friendly fabric from Joybird.  I cannot wait to see them all done.  In the mean time, I will do some touch ups and clean up on the metal and wood frame.  I do not have the final priced worked out yet, but if you are interested in having first dibs on the finished piece, please reach out and you will get the first information when it is ready!

EAMES SHELL RAR ROCKER.

I have selected the rocker base for the black fiberglass (Summit Production) Herman Miller Shell with black vinyl upholstery.  It will be receiving a ZINC base with NATURAL BIRCH runners.  I think the lighter wood and metals will set off the black on black nicely.  I will be replacing the missing Shock Mounts and have parts and supplies on order with Modern Conscience which will be coming with the base in the next week.  This one (along with the other finished RAR I have available) will make a FABULOUS holiday gift for that special someone!  I will also be posting updates on these restorations via my social media outlets so jump on in if you'd like to see them coming along. 

HOLIDAY SHOPPING.

You may think we are far away from the holidays, but in reality, they are coming quick.  Please note that any items shipping via GREYHOUND BUS will take about 2 weeks to go cross country.  Please keep this in mind when you are ordering gifts or items you plan to use for your holiday décor!  I do my best to get most items packed and shipped within 24-48 hours but delivery time frames are definitely out of my control.  PICK UP of any of my online items can be arranged WED-SUN 10-6 at my booth space at FLEETWOOD ANTIQUE MALL  14129 Kutztown Rd, Fleetwood, PA 19522.  My day availability for deliveries currently is TUESDAYS, WEDNESDAYS and FRIDAYS.  I will gladly meet up or deliver furnishings in the Philly Metro, central and eastern PA, NJ areas and maybe beyond.  Please reach out to discuss!  If I can do anything to make your gift giving extra special, please ask!  My priority is safe shipping so sometimes it is not possible for me to wrap your items, but I would gladly enclose a card or ship directly to your recipient! 

Ecclectic estate finds, dining chair options, and a fabulous new restoration begins.

Fall is in the air!  Many folks are thinking ahead of the holiday season and are getting their homes in order.  Adding a key new piece to your space can change your look without having to redo your whole room.  I have really focused on bringing in some unique items and some design classics in the last month so have a look at all the fun chairs in my stash and see if I can help you brighten up your home!  Some new items I am not comfortable shipping, and that will be noted in the listing and I encourage you to purchase via my Chairish shop.  You can get an instant shipping quote and if you have never shopped there, reach out as I think I can send you a coupon for $20 off your first purchase.  I have priced shipping on my own and their white glove service is easily half the price of what I can get so I feel it is worth me paying more fees on the sale to provide that service to my customers.  I have 3 items still waiting to go live, but they should be there by early next week.  Chairish is not quick to turn around listings.  :) 

Iranian-American metal artist, Bijan

I was invited to a local estate to purchase some items that had to go before the sale of the home.  I found some interesting items including a fabulous acid cut metal sculpture by an Iranian/American artist called Bijan.  Think C. Jere.  I read up on the artist and for sure am keeping the piece.  I am a sucker for tree art!  I also found that the owner had a rug fetish.  I picked up a small woven wool wall hanging.  I do not intend to sell that at this time.  These kind of things I treasure!  The real nice Arthur Umanoff metal and Danish cord chairs I recently listed also came from this estate.  It has the traditional slat board seat.  From what I have found, this particular chair is a harder to find chair.  I think it is great on it's own to add some natural interest to a space but also figured folks who have a few might be looking to complete a set.  It is in great shape overall.  I do think some of the paper cord is off at the ends but I will secure the piece to itself so it stays intact.  I would not opt to rewrap as you will lose the fabulous patina and that, in my opinion, makes this chair dreamy!  I added new plastic feet caps as there were 2 whites and 2 blacks when I found it.  This chair is listed and I could bus ship countrywide.  It is not terribly fragile.  I also picked a small upholstered arm chair, similar to my orange Heywood Wakefield arm chair, that will need a total redo.  Back of the line, but will get to it at some point. 

This Arthur Umanoff chair looks as good from the back as it does from the front! 

What else I found in that musty, moldy basement was instant love and I knew I had to take her on..........a fabulous metal frame with hairpin legs MCM daybed/studio couch!  I will tell you, after an hour or so of being in that basement, there were definitely moisture issues and I am not sensitive to it myself, but I make all restoration decisions for the benefit of those who are.  With that said, this beauty is getting all new cushions.  Foam and upholstery.  I will not be doing her myself as I felt this was a great opportunity to use my beloved upholsterer in Reading and still be under budget.  Although he has not given me a firm price, he said he WILL GIVE ME A GOOD PRICE (in his thick Spanish accent).  hahaI already picked the fabric, Bentley Indigo, from Joybird and ordered it the other day.  As soon as it shows up, the cushions will be on their way to be used as a pattern.  I expect to receive the fabric next week, possibly the week after.  This couch should be ready to deliver before Thanksgiving.  Please reach out if you would be interested in welcoming her into your home!  The fabric I choose is a textured velvet so it will be nice and soft for lounging AND it is from Joybird's PET AND KID FRIENDLY choices!  I am super excited to watch this restoration come to life!  As much as my mom and I would love to have done the work ourselves, my time is needed elsewhere right now so this just happened to be a great way to support a small local business and still get the work done.  Stay tuned for updates as she moves along! 

This day bed will be totally redone in Bentley Indigo fabric from Joybird. 

1968 classic Eames for Herman Miller in fabulous Cobalt upholstery! 

Just really cleaned up the Eames set and boy am I in love with them!  I decided, to keep the price user friendly, I will be selling AS IS, with the stacking bases.  Hopefully, the buyer will decide to invest in the repro dowel bases by modernconscience.com.  They are $130 each plus $20 shipping, I do not have a special arrangement with them so me buying them for you is just limiting my potential buyers and really, you could add them one at a time as budget allows.  There are some really cool things I learned about this set.  They are dated 1968.  They are MED BLUE fiberglass which was only available to contract customers with a 200+ chair order.  I am leaving the IBM sticker on the back of the one chair it is still present on because I think where they came from is freakin awesome!  The dawn of the computer age!  IBM's nickname was BIG BLUE, so kind of cool they choose these chairs to go with their image.  They are in pretty incredible shape.  No fiberglass issues and only very minor issues in the vinyl.  A few small pin holes, but no big tears or eyesores.  Also of note, the foam is SOFT!  These are in great working order.  I have seen enough trashed shells and have a well trained eye, I can spot the listings with the upholstery issues that no one talks about.....seriously, there is a lot of crap being sold online.  I assure you these are just lovely in every way!  They are the 'scholastic' or 'wide mount' so the only option of bases is the dowel base in choice of metal and wood.  I cannot attest for other repro manufacturers as I would personally buy from the company that Herman Miller refers their customers to for vintage restoration, and that is Modern Conscience. 

If you choose to add these modern conscience dowel bases, you can choose from walnut or maple wood and chrome or black powder coat metal.  Very well made and worth the investment.

Another choice of dining chairs I have is the finally complete Broyhill Brasilia chairs.  In gorgeous walnut finish and all new foam and upholstery in Pure Water by Joybird, they are stunning.  All structural issues have been repairs and a new shellac finish added to protect the wood.  These would look great in a more traditional setting if you are not an mcm purist.  They have real tall backs and make a formal statement.  They are ready to ship or deliver.  I can pack these for bus shipping nationwide for $100 or less in most cases.  

This blue really pops!  Mix with greens, blues even yellow and golds!   

I am generally available Tues, Wed and Fri for meet ups and deliveries in the region, occasional weekends. Please reach out if you want to meet me in eastern or central PA, NJ, NE MD areas and save on shipping! ✌️

Don't forget to order your MADMODWORLDVINTAGE T SHIRTS!  This limited offer is available NOW and for the next 24 days!  Pop over and reserve a shirt or 2 while you can!  $20 plus shipping.  http://madmodworldvintage.us12.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=e96eb7c7d54050652d89e7da9&id=8aeb144ed0&e=1907f1ceac

Thanks for listening!!!  Local peeps, stop by and shop local at Fleetwood Antique Mall!  XO Malissa

Just added!  Red vinyl Viking Artline slipper chair!  Priced at $50!  Take me home WED-SUN 10-6. 14129 Kutztown Rd, Fleetwood.