Weaving progress, research and Broyhill Brasilia.

Greetings!  Wanted to send a few updates.  The weaving project is coming along.  I have 2 chairs ready, 2 more to go!  

I purchased an early 70s catalog from importer Otto Gerdau of NY.  Success!  My chairs are in there!  

Of course, no reference to manufacturer/design connection but I am convinced there is no correlation to Gio Ponti.  They are made in Italy, hand woven, of course.  There are many furniture pieces in this catalog and I already found a few on the web attributed to folks who probably had nothing to do with them.  I am happy to add this great reference to my library! 

New acquisitions!  I just picked up a pretty set of T back style Broyhill Brasilia dining chairs.  They are currently being rehabbed by my friend, who is out of work and looking for side jobs.  I will be recovering the seats shortly, thinking a cobalt blue tweed but I have options.  Reach out if you are looking for a set of 4 and I can custom cover for you.   

Picked up some plaid coolers too!  I have lots of camping items to list! 

Hope everyone has a good week!  Hopefully I will finish the 3rd chair this week!  I have been binge watching Netflix series as I weave. Ha. 

XO Malissa

Dream Weaver.

Anytime you try something new there are many feelings shooting through your mind.  Can I do this? How do I do this? What if I screw up? You think you prepare by researching and reading but there comes a time when you just have to jump. After hoping to recreate the original weave on the Italian chiavari chair set then not finding any instructions for it, I decided to stop racking my brain trying to recreate the wheel and just do a weave I had instructions for.  Moving forward, I started the first chair.   

Step 1. Fill in the front corners as the chair is wider in the front than the back.  I counted the old seat fills and followed that lead. 

Each string is tacked on both sides in this step. 

Moving on, the next step weaves around the 4 corners.  It is pleasant going for the most part.  When you run out of cord, a square knot is used to attach the next piece.  

Continue going around until about 1/3rd left. 

At this point, triangular pieces of cut cardboard are inserted in the pockets to full out the seat and add additional support. 

Continue weaving until the sides are filled.  Then use a figure 8 stitch to finish off the seat.  

My first chair took about 14 hours.  I hope to gain some speed as I move through the next 3! 

I am happy overall but hope to get faster and better as I go! 

Oh, and did I mention there is no way to prevent the rats nest??! 😂 

I am not sure if I will attempt this for others, but I do have one person in line if I decide to rehab to order! 😂🤘🏼 

Heading out for a one nighter camping trip Saturday but will be available sporadically up until we leave.  Can't wait to sleep in the Vanagon! 🚐   

Have a great weekend! 

Malissa

Hoppy Easter, Berks County Area Thrifting and Shopping Guide.

Have a great holiday to those celebrating!  I had a busy week! The McCobb bench is on it's way to Chicago and the lucite and brass table is packed and being picked up next Wednesday.  That said, we did not ship the 52" glass top and my buyer is replacing with a larger one.  If you are regional to me and need a round glass top and this 1/2" thick beauty will do, $100 and it is yours.  Let me know!  

​Spring shopping here in Berks County and into Lancaster county is picking up and in a few weeks there is a big Extravaganza weekend.  ​You will want to come by Renninger's Kutztown renningers.net for Thurs, Friday, Saturday shopping the weekend of April 27, 28 and 29th, then head to Adamstown Sunday 30th.  I don't find tons of mcm furniture at these events but there are great finds to be had.  Here's some lists of area thrifts in case you can make it to our area. 

FROM 222 heading south

KUTZTOWN:

Once Again Thrift store in shopping center where Weis Market is. 15260 Kutztown Rd Kutztown Pa 19530

Further south on 222: Fleetwood Antique Mall (this is where I have a space) 14129 Kutztown Rd Fleetwood, PA 19522

The Shoppes at Kirbyville who also has outdoor Flea Market on weekends

READING

GOODWILL

3045 N 5th St Highway

reading PA 19605

Opp Shop for Opportunity House

In Strip mall by Checkers, same side of highway as Goodwill

GOODWILL BY THE POUND OUTLET

3001 St Lawrence Ave Reading Pa 19606

GOODWILL

602 E Lancaster Ave Shillington PA 19607

HOPE OUTLET

645 N 6th St Reading, PA 19601

ADAMSTOWN

just south of Reading is Antique Mecca in ADAMSTOWN. Prices are high here but it is worth picking around. I have found deals! Definitely check out Mad Hatter Antiques as there is the most kick ass MCM booth in the back with the most CatherineHolm you will ever see! You can pick up a map there for all area stores. I have never done more that 2 in a day and you could seriously spend days there. In the summer, nearby Shrupps Grove has become my favorite flea market. I think they are closed for the season now.

​You could say I just shared my shopping secrets with you, but I assure you, these days I am shopping estate sales and people are connecting me to others selling so no worries, they are no secret! 😜✌️ 

i will be headed to Maryland once again for the MidAtlantic Pyrex Swap near Baltimore.  Had a blast last year and looking forward to seeing folks I know, fellow dealers and make new friends.  It is a fun trip and hope to find a few more snowflakes I need for my collection, make some trades and come home with some fun stuff.  ​

Our Saturday space at Columbus Flea in NJ last weekend. 

A friend and I just sold some stuff at the Columbus Flea Market in Columbus, NJ near Trenton.  It was a huge market, Sunday being the better day.  If you are in the region it is a great day trip.  ​

i have tons to do today so off I go.  Reach out if I can help you with anything! ​

XO Malissa​

Debunking 'Attributed by', auctions and estate sale finds.

I had a crazy week! First thing's first.  I picked up some amazing items this week bidding on some online auctions.  It is exciting and fun.  I watched a great pair of Adrian Pearsall for Craft Associates sculpted arm chairs go for $1000 and they needed foam work!  But lucky for me, my competition on MCM must have blew their load on the chairs so I was able to get a few very nice high end pieces for a good price!  First off, I won a fabulous Danish bookcase/hutch by Poul Hundevad. It is 2 pieces with a lower cabinet that features a sliding felt lined drawer and maple adjustable shelves.  The exterior is teak veneer and has adjustable open shelves.  It is tall and has a lot of storage.  Perfect for a pyrex display or other collectables or just housing your books.  I do not typically have access to a lot of Danish so this piece was very exciting for me!  It really is a great utility piece and useful in any room of the house.  It is very large though and the top only fits in my Vanagon so delivery will be limited to the local region.  I can help price freight companies and this will be listed on chairish by mid week most likely.  Their rates with Plycon are usually very competitive.  Here's a look!

Beautiful teak utility piece!  Available now!

The next amazing item has me stumped for now.  It is a smaller glass top dining table perhaps a game table.  Perfect for a smaller room or nook.  It has a 1/2" thick glass top which sits on 3 1" thick lucite supports and three brass cross bars or sorts.  It is beautiful and really high end.  Most dealers attribute this to Charles Hollis Jones, the king of Lucite.  CHJ was a pioneer in using lucite in his designs.  All the big dealers are attributing to him but I want to see it for myself. It turns out that MR CHJ is very much alive and has a web site.  I contacted him to see if I could solve this dilemma.  Mr CHJ is a total sweetheart!  I think he was pleased that I asked and he did confirm that this is NOT a CHJ design.  SO, sadly, it is still unknown.  Perhaps it belongs to Alessandro Albrizzi, who also was doing amazing things with Lucite in the 70s and does have some similar looking pieces.  I have yet to crack it.  I will say that this is a very high end piece.  Lucite gained popularity especially with the wealthiest folk as pieces were not blocking a view.  So when you had a home full of windows overlooking the ocean, you could, in effect, see right through the furniture and enjoy the outdoors.  Pretty cool concept and this little piece has opened my mind a little further.  It is a smaller table so seats no more than 4.  For the right spot, it will be a charmer!  Regional delivery is available, and it will be showing up in my chairish shop with shipping by Plycon later this week.  Do not forget that if you are in Deliveright.com service area (mid atlantic states, south eastern states) I may be able to quote them for you as well!  Here is a look at this beauty! 

So in my correspondence with Charles Hollis Jones, he told me that is he currently featured in an exhibit at the Museum of Art and History in Lancaster, CA entitled 50 YEARS 50 CHAIRS.  Pretty cool.  I am trying to purchase a copy of a book about him from the museum for my resources.  A very sweet man, it was very nice that he was cordial and I do think he was even pleased that I bothered to ask.  Can you imagine seeing your name all over a bunch of things you did not create?  Many of this era's iconic designers have already passed on and perhaps a family member is carrying on their legacy and offering insight to those who are still admiring their works.  It was amazing to be able to correspond directly with one of these persons.  This right here is one reason that I take time to research.  Maybe I cannot determine it's origin, but crossing someone off the list is also progress!

I spent all day Wednesday picking up my winnings.  2 trips to the auction house, one in my Honda van and one in our VW Vanagon!  It was a great day for a drive and I got to meet up with my friend, who had also won some things.  We planned to get together on Friday to pick up some other winnings in North Jersey and hit some estate sales.  It worked out great and not only did we have a great day, we probably were at 7 sales and I found a bunch of awesome items!  If kitsch is your thing, I have got some!  I am still listing things but got through a lot in the last few days.  I will add some pics here.  All are currently available in my etsy shop, chairish listings are processing.  It was a very exciting day!  

Adorable 3 pc cafe set with original vinyl sunflower upholstery!  Made in Bethlehem, PA by Crestline Industries.  Super cute for a covered porch or deck, sunroom!

UPDATE SOLD!  Very long framed print for Turner Wall Accessory.  Signed Mato.  This are not high end but are in demand.  This print is entitled NEW YORK HARBOR SCENE.  It is blue-green hues and the frame is stained blue.  A real nice piece.

A very pretty pair of Empire era accent chairs.  These date to the late 1800s and have such great lines, I can see them blending well in a mixed era home.  The red velvet is a recover and in ok shape but that can easily be changed out to match your decor.  Condition is shabby, some chips and age related wear.  One has a repair on the back.  This vintage is best left untouched.  They are charming!  I picked up the rug as well.  It will not be for sale at this time.  

I was recently involved in a discussion regarding Mid Century fake plastic plants.  They are not easy to find to when I saw this one, I grabbed it! Amazing bamboo cemented in 8-9" blow mold plastic pot. stands over 50" tall! It is amazing! 

This was the bulk of my large finds and I have some cool smalls that will be listed soon.  Reach out if you need more info about anything!  Have a great week!  

Xo Malissa

Web site redesign launched!

I fell down a rabbit hole last week adding myself to Houzz.  I went to add the button to my web page and then decided to completely redo it entirely!  Please pop over and check it out!  I have hopefully made it better to navigate and used a different layout, which I really like.  I am still adding things, so not all of my customized pieces are logged yet but hope to get to that this week.  I also added my blog sign up form to page one instead of a splash page.  I had a few people express that they did not like it and I get it, but generally speaking, people won't sign up unless it is in their face!  ;)  Please reach out if you find something not working or something is just awkward so I can tweak it!  xo Web page link

I ordered some caning/weaving books which are coming today as I am having trouble figuring out how the weave was done in my dining chairs.  Hopefully one of the 3 books coming will address it.  If not, I will pick one that is in there and go with it.  I am anxious to get moving on them so they are ready to list.  

I just ordered chair glides for the 40/4 stacking chair set I have.  I know I lost a sale a while back because of the glide issue and I also did not directly deal with the customer or I would have bought them and sent them.  So I sourced the parts and will be installing them so they are ready to go and will not scratch floors.  If you like the commercial/industrial look, need a solid heavy and sturdy chair set for home or office, give them a look!  The chair has great history and is in fact the chair that all subsequent stacking chairs have strived to be like.  An ingenious design and a sleek look, the matched set of 4 will make a great add for your seating needs.  Check them out here:  40/4 stacking chairs by David Rowland

I am very happy to move a few items that have been here for a while over the last week. (and 2 bus shipments that have once again reminded me how REASONABLE it is to ship a chair across the country on the bus!!!)  I am also gearing up for a few auctions ending today that I plan on bidding on a few things so will see if I end up with anything.  I have a friend who is also interested in buying so I am able to spend the day on Friday hitting some sales with her in North Jersey.  I am very excited and it will be a fun day.  Maybe I will even come home with some cool stuff!  Keep your eyes on my social media!  

Looking for something?  With all of these sales I am hitting, let me know if you are looking for something specific!  I will certainly look for you!  It's hard for me to keep buying on my limited budget!  Regional and local peeps, this means you!  haha  In an effort to expand my regional presence, I have been mailing postcards out to Interior Design and photography pros in the area.  If you know of someone in Berks, Lehigh, Montgomery, Bucks, Lancaster, Lebanon areas who may rent furnishings for shoots or staging or even someone who may just need to keep my card on file in case something comes up in the future, let me know!  Working with professionals in my own area is a goal of mine for this year.  I love servicing the nation, don't get me wrong, but I feel there may be a need for my services here as well if people know about it. 

NEW TO HOUZZ!  Click the widget below and visit my page!  I'd appreciate if any of my past customers would leave me a review to get me started! xo 

MadModWorldVintage Featured on Houzz

Thank you for your time and enjoy your week!  xo Malissa

UPDATE!  I had success at my auctions last night! The following will be available when I get them picked up!  

Danish Teak open bookcase! It is amazing! Can you see an awesome collection displayed here?! 

Another amazing piece! Glass top dining table featuring lucite legs and brass details.  27" tall by 52" diameter. 

I also got a cool champagne ice bucket on a stand and some mod serving pieces from another sale that I will be picking up on Friday!  I have a great north jersey picking adventure with a friend this week! Totally looking forward to it!