Finally! I Found a China Hutch!

A beautiful little MCM china cabinet with sliding glass doors.

One of the first things I did was post about it on one of the MCM groups I'm a member of. This particular group was originally started for education about mid century modern design in architecture, furniture, pottery textiles, etc. No kitsch... no clown paintings or chalkware fish and bubbles for the bathroom wall. There was a separate group for that, but I got kicked off of it for, apparently, offending the moderators. I know I didn't break any rules.

Be that as it may, over the months, the MCM design group has seen more and more people join (it has over 20,000 members now) posting more often about their garage sale/curbside/dumpster finds (and some of those finds are quite spectacular ... it's amazing what some people think are junk and will throw away)...  Still, I didn't know if these folks were violating the group's guidelines, or whether the group's very magnanimous moderator was being accommodating. So I issued a disclaimer to the moderators and shared my find:

DC, I beg forgiveness in advance. I'm throwing myself on your mercy, 'cause I'm knowingly and on purpose gonna break the rules of this group. I promise I'll never do it again.

LOOK WHAT I BOUGHT YESTERDAY! An authentic, genuine VLADIMIR KAGAN 1950s china hutch! For FIFTY DOLLARS! Just look at those shapely Kagan legs! Have you ever seen any furniture legs so beautiful?

Okay, so I'm joking about Kagan. And it wasn't made in Denmark or anywhere else in Scandinavia. It's a Stanley, made by hicks and rednecks in North Carolina. I don't care. I myself am a hick-slash-redneck (and proud of it) from a long line of Blue Ridge hillbillies, and I love this little hutch! I've wanted one of these for soooo long; but the only ones I ever found were either (a) too expensive or (b) too big. This puppy is just right! I am soooo excited!

 

This bad boy really was only $50. It's just 3 feet wide and 5 feet tall and will fit nicely in my small dining room. Has some dings in the veneer, but otherwise the finish appears to be in remarkably good shape and will probably need only minimal restoring. The whole thing is very dusty -- I think it has been stored for a while.

A corner of one glass door is broken, meaning I'll probably have to replace both of them. Darn. The area in front of the shelves is too small to serve as a sideboard, so I'll have to get something smallish to use as a console/cedenza. Darn again. But that's just life in MCM obsession-ville.

And those may not be Kagan legs, but they're still awful cute. I can't wait to get it all cleaned and fixed up so I can put my Confederate flag plates and tumblers and my collection of rebel soldier figurines on display ....

JUST JOKIN'!

I don't have any Confederate flag plates and tumblers or a collection of rebel soldier figurines. I'm gonna put my mama's china in it -- not Franciscan Starburst, alas, Syracuse china Old Ivory Nimbus Platinum which is very beautiful and ought to look like dynamite behind those glass doors...

Did I mention that I'm SOOOO excited?!!?

Got some great responses from other group members. I guess I'm a better comedienne than I thought!

This is an Old Ivory Nimbus Platinum dinner plate.You really can't tell how beautiful it is from this picture.

Here are some more pieces of this beautiful pattern at Replacements:  Old Ivory Nimbus Platinum

I have eight place settings of this stuff, and several serving pieces. My mama bought it with S&H Green Stamps in the 50s and 60s. It's mid-century, but not modern. Not like Franciscan Starburst.  But it is beautiful and it was my mama's....

I'll be putting Mama's crystal on display in the hutch, too. Fostoria American.  I have quite a collection of this -- which she also purchased with Green Stamps. I'm not sure why she chose such a heavy, antique crystal to go with her delicate china... but somehow, on her table, it worked!

As for the Confederate figurines, plates, and such, I'm thinking I need to buy some and put them, along with books and plants, in shadow boxes in my writing room... like this, but smaller...

Houses, furniture, textiles, even cars, were so much cooler and more fun back in the day. The two decades or so following WWII were times of optimism. People had something positive to look forward to in the future, unlike today, where the future looks bleak and in decline, for as far as the eye can see...

Found On Craigslist

Several weeks ago, I came across something I almost never find on our local Craigslist, even though I check it often. Danish modern dining room furniture that I immediately recognized as made by Stanley (in North Carolina).  Dining table, four chairs, and a hutch. They had been for sale for an astounding $140 ($70 for table and chairs, $70 for hutch) and had not sold, so the price was reduced to $70 for all.

I called as soon as I saw them and asked if I could visit to measure the hutch. It looked like it would be too big for my small dining area, but you can't really tell looking at an image online. I also messaged with another MCM fan in town who's on the same Facebook groups. She really wanted the hutch, but didn't need the table and chairs, so we agreed to a joint purchase. She had to work that day, and I'm a retired ol' broad, plus I have a pickup truck... So I arranged to go get the booty...

Unfortunately, circumstances kept me busy and I didn't get to the seller's house  until about 2 p.m., and she had sold the hutch. She was anxious to get rid of the table and chairs, though, and she took me up on my offer to buy them for $30.

Stanley dining table and chairs -- and the hutch that got away.

So now I'm the proud owner of TWO sets of Stanley Danish modern chairs. I really like best the ones I already had, so I will keep them.  I will sell the new ones, and since the table is too big for my space, I will sell it, too.

But first, I'll do some improvement.  The tabletop is laminate, and in great shape, but the legs and apron could use some Finish Renew. The chairs are wobbly and need to be reglued. The chair seats have been (poorly) covered with black vinyl. That needs to come off. If the original upholstery fabric isn't salvageable, I will recover the seats in an MCM bloucle, if I can find some that won't break the bank. Color? As close as possible to whatever is under the black vinyl.

My other chairs also need to be re-glued, and completely refinished. I bought them for next to nothing at a junk shop on T Street several years ago, and they are truly lovely.

Beneath the blue linen-like fabric, the original seat fabric is a heavy-weave yellow. I'm not sure I want to replicate that closely, however.  Not sure what color I'll use.

The table I bought to go with them, however, is not MCM or DM, though it's a beautiful wood thing. It needs refinishing -- and then replacing, if I go with these chairs. 

And once the newcomer set is finished and sold, if I can't find a Danish modern dining table small enough for my space, I want to see about building one.

One like this.

A Ventura table.

You might not be able to tell from the picture, but the legs of the blue-seat chairs are rectangular, not round like the new ones. And a Ventura table would look perfect with them.  What's a Ventura table? Here's a pic:

Here's a picture of one in use at Houzz:  Ventura table

Those rectangular legs would look great with my blue-seat chairs, wouldn't they?

Since all the Ventura dining tables I've found online are like $1,200, I will try to persuade my husband to help me build one.  I've been checking online for woodworking plans for a Ventura table, but if I can't find any, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out ourselves. Standard table heights, leg fasteners, info on all this is available online.

Any table we built would not have the surf-board top like the one illustrated above... but many I've found online have flat, rectangular tops, and some of them are a bit clunkier that this beauty. The advantage to building one, aside from the satisfaction of it, and the money saved, is that it can be built to measurements that fit comfortably in my dining space.

In addition to the two sets of walnut Stanley Danish modern chairs, I also have this really groovy set of MCM chairs made by Chromcraft (in Mississippi -- I do love Suth'n modern furniture!). If memory serves, I paid $36 for this dinette set at a junk shop in Warrington around 2006 or so. The table doesn't match the chairs (you can't see them in this pic, but the legs have Spanish "wrought iron" curlicue braces). On one of the chairs, the small decorative screws that fasten the back to the metal frame are missing, and on another the laminate on the back has chipped off in one corner.  These should be easily remedied/repaired -- and I have a set of tapered metal legs that are just waiting for some metallic brown paint and a new tabletop -- I'm thinking beigy Formica the same color as the chair seats...

What am I gonna do with three dinette sets when I barely have room for one? Well, like I said, the newbie will be fixed up and sold. Then I'll have to decide between lovely walnut DM chairs, or groovy laminate chairs ... and tables to match.

Cool, Hep Fifties Flooring...

If you're into Mid Century Modernism, chances are you love the cool designs of the vinyl asbestos flooring from the era, like these:

But people go ape these days when they hear the "a" word. Besides, it's not available anymore.

You can get some sort-of vintage-look flooring these days -- there's been a revival of linoleum, which has a look I love, but few vintage patterns are available. Linoleum has gone "uptown," I'm afraid. In any case, I'm also looking for projects, so making a vintage-look floor myself fills the bill.

Right now, I'm collecting vintage 'fifties design ideas off the internet...like these (which were no doubt unearthed after being covered with other flooring, carpet, etc., and show damage that's only to be expected after 60+ years of wear and tear):

My plan is to stencil the design on economical vinyl flooring, either sheet or tiles. Since the flooring will be the background for whatever design will go on it, it needs to be somewhat subdued. Here are a couple of designs I like from a big box store.

Whatever retro design I choose, it will be stenciled onto the flooring. I'll need to lightly sand the area where the painted design will go ... and hope that the finish polyurethane will bring the shine back. This will be something to research and test before actually doing it. However, it shouldn't be an insurmountable problem, as floor stenciling has been a craft project for DIYers for years.

My first step, after preparing the floor, will be to cover adjacent walls, cabinets., etc., with a drop cloth because layer one of the design will be gold spatters, and spattering goes everywhere. This will take some advance practice to get right. Here's a tutorial on spatter painting.
http://www.howdididoit.com/home-garden/spatter-paint-a-floor/

I might consider a darker spatter pattern first, then the gold. That might be more in keeping with vintage designs. In any case, once the gold flecks are thoroughly dried and cured, it will be time to paint the pattern.

There were some quite intricate "atomic" designs in those days, though most were found in textiles. My idea is to keep the floor designs as simple as possible.

Once the design is decided upon, it will be stencil-making time. There are numerous tutorials online about making stencils.  Here's one: http://www.sawdustandembryos.com/2012/04/tutorial-how-to-make-your-own-stencil.html  After stenciling the floor, it's sealed with either a sealer made for vinyl floors, or good ol' polyurethane.

Here's how an MCM pattern in my colors (at least, for now) might look on a contemporary floor. The  problem with doing these designs in a computer graphics editor is that they are so precise. No subtle variation in color, no slightly wavy edges. But at least it gets the idea across.

Since floors are the last thing to do in room fix up (and only the baths and kitchen will have vintage look flooring) there is plenty of time to research more designs and create the final version.

In the bathroom, a new tub enclosure is on the agenda, which will involve tearing out the current ceramic tile, installing new furring strips on the outside wall, adding backerboard, etc. After which comes reglazing the tub itself. We will DIY that using ultra thinned oilbased enamel applied with an  ultra-fine foam roller, in many coats with sanding between. (More on that technique in a later post.)

In the kitchen, as already discussed, we're looking at cabinet and countertop refurbishing, plus general fix up (wall paint, new range hood, stuff like that).

So while necessary but more mundane projects are underway, it'll be nice to have this fun project to look forward to.

Getting a Handle on the Design

Early ideas for the living/dining area. Already have the gen-u-wine mid century sofa and step end tables, the corner cabinet and other things. Just seeing how it might look when it starts coming together.

May have to re-think the cafe-au-lait walls...mid century walls were all over the place -- chartreuse, yellow, turquoise, orange...  Earth-tones weren't real popular, but I like them. So we'll have to see....

 

One thing's certain. I want a classic, flying saucer "pulldown" light in the dining room.  What people ask for them on ebay is insane. Will have to hope I luck out when I go thrifting.

Ditto the drapes.  Got to have MCM atomic print drapes with white sheers beneath and a varnished wood cornice or pinch-pleated valance. And they have to reach to at least the top of the baseboards -- but floor-length would be better.

Lots to think about...  And try out on the computer. Great way to avoid costly mistakes!

 

Silk Purses From Sow's Ears?

This is my mom's corner cabinet. It was "antiqued" decades ago, perhaps in the 70s. It belonged to me and my husband for a while. Then we gave it to my MIL, and then it returned to us several years ago.

Style-wise, it's sort of generic country/traditional.

But making it sort of Danish modern shouldn't be too hard. Just replace the doors and strip and refinish the cabinet.

Here are some images of Danish modern corner cabinets. Most stand on short, tapered legs, but some of the taller cabinets, like mine, are flush with the floor. Works for me!

The images I've done here show a photoshopped woodgrain, probably walnut. I have no idea what kind of wood the cabinet is made from, but I'm pretty sure it's not walnut. You can see a tiny bit of the woodgrain looking at the back of the upper doors, through the glass, where the antiquing wouldn't reach, and the grain looks pretty.

There are two refinishing projects ahead of the corner cabinet. A traditional bureau and the Stanley dining chairs.

Then we'll find out what kind of wood grain the cabinet has, and how it will look stained and varnished.

Mapping the Fix-up

Here's my photoshopped rendition of my dining alcove goal. I still want a smallish Danish modern china hutch, but the ones I find are huge and expensive, so I guess I'll have to make do with my mom's corner cabinet for a while longer. She "antiqued" it green. (I know. I know. And long before the chalk-paint craze, too.) I'm going to strip and refinish it, and make new doors, for more sleek, modern look.

The credenza I designed is too wide for the space, so if I do build one, it will be smaller, to fit under the window.

My nice wood dining table is from the 1970s, I think, but not really modern, and it's also too big for the space, so I drew a little minimalist table in the illustration above of a style/size that I'll be on the lookout for in resale shops and on Craigslist.

The clock is just one mid-century design I'm considering. There are numerous others.

The wonderfully nostalgic, kitschy mod/atomic curtains will be a lucky find, if I manage to find them. Like these. (The ones in this image are what I photoshopped into my dining alcove image.)

You come across them on e-bay sometimes, but they're outrageously expensive. My first choice would be shiny fiberglass like this. And this. My second choice would be barkcloth. But if I can't find what I'm looking for, I'll design an abstract atomic motif, stencil it onto a painter's dropcloth (all the rage in decorating now) and make some pinch-pleated drapes myself. I may even have a couple of traverse rods around here somewhere.

My chair

I just found out my Danish modern dining chairs I bought several years ago ($25 for all four) were made by Stanley.  Stanley is located in North Carolina. They are SOUTHERN Danish modern chairs! The finish is in sad shape, and the armchair needs the joins reglued, and I would reupholster the seats -- in either black or bone vinyl, or a vintage-type wool boucle...

Here are a couple of images online showing how gorgeous they are when they're refinished...

Stanley chairs 1

Stanley chairs 2

Stanley chairs 3

Alas, I don't have any atomic table china to display in the corner cabinet.  But I do have my mom's Syracuse "Old Ivory -- Nimbus" china (that she bought with S&H Green Stamps) which is very minimalist, will look great in a mid-century modern-ish dining alcove...  Photos don't do it justice. It's actually beautiful...

The rice paper light fixture is temporary, until I can find one of these I can afford (except I want all-brass). E-bay sellers want outrageous sums form them:

So, okay, I have sort of a blueprint. I have a habit of changing my mind, as new options present themselves, but this is good for a start. 

First stop -- Lowe's, to buy paint stripper for the corner cabinet.

Is This MCM?

Big discussion on one of my FB MCM pages about what belongs in the group. That particular group is supposed to be about mid-century design -- mainly architecture and furniture design, but sometimes fabrics, cars, appliances, pottery, etc. -- and not about "I found this at a thrift store for $20 bucks!!! Is it MCM?" Or, "Can you believe this? I found this Broyhill Brasilia hutch ... in a DUMPSTER!" "This is on my local Craigslist for $20. Is it worth it? Should I buy it? Is it even MCM?"

I pretty much know what's MCM because I was alive in the fifties and sixties, and I remember it. But a lot of enthusiasts are from later generations, and they simply don't know.  Simply wanting to learn, though, is different from a thriftshop/resale shop entrepreneur needing to know whether they can describe their merchandise as MCM (it is, after all, a craze, now) and the most they can ask for it.

Anyway, what follows is MCM -- at least, in design style. I posted this in two of my MCM groups and got some great (positive) feedback:

I'm thinking of building this, unless I happen to get extremely lucky and find a $2,000 MCM credenza with a few scratches on it in a dumpster somewhere... We had a nice discussion here several weeks ago about building furniture and it's been on my mind since then. This looks a little clunky instead of sleek and beautifully balanced... but that's what you get with an amateur project. At least it'll hold stuff....

Here are the dimensions. I drew this first, then used it to photoshop the "finished" console shown above.

I can make pretty much the whole thing, except for the brace across the bottom and the tapered legs (which I already have) from a single sheet of 3/4 inch cabinet grade plywood. Will need 3/4 inch pine or MDF for the drawer interiors and 1/4 inch pine for the drawer bottoms and the cabinet back.

Finally, something for my room full of power tools to do besides gather dust!

I don't know when I'll be able to get to it. I have waaaay too many irons in waaaay to many fires right now. Alas.

But isn't it sweet?