I ran across a mention of this site in an article about Lily Tomlin in Time.
The site is for Allee Willis and she is truly a queen of kitsch. She was collecting 50's/60's items back when most of us wish we had started collecting it.
The first link is for her museum of kitsch. The second link is an outside shot of her home called the "house of atomic kitsch". WOW is all I have to say. It is awesome.
http://www.alleewillis.com/museumofkitsch/categories.html
http://www.alleewillis.com/press/images/Ots-back-night.html
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Final Set of Vintage Furniture Postcards
Here are the last 4 vintage furniture postcards that I have.
Here is one of those super heavy sofa sleepers. One arm has a large storage compartment for linens. It is covered in high quality mohair blend frieze by Shelton Mills in Grey, Beige or Green. It folds out to a full size bed and was priced at $259.50.
Here is a cute dinette. The ad has the key features of the dinette.
Solid steel legs for grace and strength
Soft foam rubber seats for comfort
Newest style self storing leaf for convenience
Warm knotty pine plastic top for beauty.
It was on sale for $127.50 I am not sure knotty pine and plastic usually go together but it seems to work on this set.
This is one of the more traditional settings for this set of postcards. The tables and lamps are more traditional. There is a nice fringe on the bottom of the davenport and chair. The ad on the back says the cover is Dupont Fiber E in a smart textured pile, trellis pattern. Fiber E is a tried and proven fabric that has excellent wearing qualities and high resilience that keeps it looking fresh and new. It is completely moth-proof and can be washed or dry cleaned with ease. It came in French Grey, spruce green or persimmon red. It was on sale for $199.50. I a curious what the difference is between a davenport and a sofa. Anyone know?
Despite the beautiful sofa and chairs in the this postcard the ad on the back is for the tables. It is a great assortment of tables. You have one stepped, one corner, and then two matching tables but on different sides of the room. The corner table was priced at $27.50 and the rest were $18.95. It says they are skillfully made of fine oak in a limed finish with smart, new set-back tops. The red chairs in front are amazing and it is interesting to see they mixed a more contemporary lamp with a more traditional lamp.
I hope you have enjoyed these postcards. I thought they were a real find and have enjoyed sharing them. I think it would be so cool to have been able to walk into a furniture store in the 50's and see row after row of these cool furniture sets all brandy new and shiny.
Rebecca
Here is one of those super heavy sofa sleepers. One arm has a large storage compartment for linens. It is covered in high quality mohair blend frieze by Shelton Mills in Grey, Beige or Green. It folds out to a full size bed and was priced at $259.50.
Here is a cute dinette. The ad has the key features of the dinette.
Solid steel legs for grace and strength
Soft foam rubber seats for comfort
Newest style self storing leaf for convenience
Warm knotty pine plastic top for beauty.
It was on sale for $127.50 I am not sure knotty pine and plastic usually go together but it seems to work on this set.
This is one of the more traditional settings for this set of postcards. The tables and lamps are more traditional. There is a nice fringe on the bottom of the davenport and chair. The ad on the back says the cover is Dupont Fiber E in a smart textured pile, trellis pattern. Fiber E is a tried and proven fabric that has excellent wearing qualities and high resilience that keeps it looking fresh and new. It is completely moth-proof and can be washed or dry cleaned with ease. It came in French Grey, spruce green or persimmon red. It was on sale for $199.50. I a curious what the difference is between a davenport and a sofa. Anyone know?
Despite the beautiful sofa and chairs in the this postcard the ad on the back is for the tables. It is a great assortment of tables. You have one stepped, one corner, and then two matching tables but on different sides of the room. The corner table was priced at $27.50 and the rest were $18.95. It says they are skillfully made of fine oak in a limed finish with smart, new set-back tops. The red chairs in front are amazing and it is interesting to see they mixed a more contemporary lamp with a more traditional lamp.
I hope you have enjoyed these postcards. I thought they were a real find and have enjoyed sharing them. I think it would be so cool to have been able to walk into a furniture store in the 50's and see row after row of these cool furniture sets all brandy new and shiny.
Rebecca
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Vintage Furniture Postcards Cont . .
First off I want to welcome the folks that have stopped by after reading about this blog on Atomic Addiction. Brian is the one who inspired me to start a blog so I appreciate the mention on his site.
Here is a great forest green sofa and chair. The sofa back folds down and you can use it as a bed. There is a hidden compartment that holds your bedding. The fabric is a nubby tweed and it came in forest green, rose or beige. It sold for $94.50
There is some great accessory detail in this postcard. If you look at the picture above the sofa it has two oriental shelf sitters with some sort of background to the shadowbox. Each table has a pretty bird ceramic and it looks like there are a few ashtrays laying around as well. The curved supports on the tables are very cool. The blond feet on the sofa and chair go very well with the tables.
Here is a great bedroom set. The postcard describes it as being made of fine grain oak with an easy to care for Limed Oak finish. The chest and double dresser are fully dust proof. I wonder what that means. All pieces were available as a set for $199.75. They don't mention separate nightstands so I am thinking the nightstands are built in. What do you all think? Interesting there is no hardware on the chest or dresser.
What beautiful slipper chairs. We have quite a collection of mismatched but cool chairs. When we run across them it is just so hard to pass them by especially if they are $1-$5.
The postcard describes these as expertly crafted of fine quality material by master craftsmen. They have a back post for extra support. The fabric is a modern nubby tweed flecked with gold Lurex. They came in two colors persimmon and dark green. They suggest you buy them as one or a pair for the many useful purposes around the house - by a corner window, by your picture window, in the front hall, in your sewing or amusement room, as a host chair or for televiewing. I am not sure I have ever heard a room described as an amusement room or the term televiewing. You could purchase one of these beauties for $38.50.
Stay tuned, I have one more set of postcards to post.
Rebecca
Here is a great forest green sofa and chair. The sofa back folds down and you can use it as a bed. There is a hidden compartment that holds your bedding. The fabric is a nubby tweed and it came in forest green, rose or beige. It sold for $94.50
There is some great accessory detail in this postcard. If you look at the picture above the sofa it has two oriental shelf sitters with some sort of background to the shadowbox. Each table has a pretty bird ceramic and it looks like there are a few ashtrays laying around as well. The curved supports on the tables are very cool. The blond feet on the sofa and chair go very well with the tables.
Here is a great bedroom set. The postcard describes it as being made of fine grain oak with an easy to care for Limed Oak finish. The chest and double dresser are fully dust proof. I wonder what that means. All pieces were available as a set for $199.75. They don't mention separate nightstands so I am thinking the nightstands are built in. What do you all think? Interesting there is no hardware on the chest or dresser.
What beautiful slipper chairs. We have quite a collection of mismatched but cool chairs. When we run across them it is just so hard to pass them by especially if they are $1-$5.
The postcard describes these as expertly crafted of fine quality material by master craftsmen. They have a back post for extra support. The fabric is a modern nubby tweed flecked with gold Lurex. They came in two colors persimmon and dark green. They suggest you buy them as one or a pair for the many useful purposes around the house - by a corner window, by your picture window, in the front hall, in your sewing or amusement room, as a host chair or for televiewing. I am not sure I have ever heard a room described as an amusement room or the term televiewing. You could purchase one of these beauties for $38.50.
Stay tuned, I have one more set of postcards to post.
Rebecca
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Vintage Furniture Postcards Cont . . .
Here is a great sofa and chair set. The deep forest green makes the blond wood work of the tables really pop. It looks like they reused some of the accessories in these postcards. The curtains for this set are the same curtains for the yellow dinette set in the previous post. I also think the picture in this and the next postcard are the same.
The cost of this set was a regular $249.50 value but with this postcard it was only $199.50. I wonder if the person that got these postcards ever used one to get a discount. This set came in green, beige and red. It is a mohair frieze material and had premium steel coil springs throughout. No wonder these sofas are so heavy when you find one and try to load it in the car.
This desk was marketed as a Bright Idea for Mother's Day. It has a fine grain lime oak finish, trim set back front styling and modern polished brass handles. The desk was $87.50 and the chair was $12.75. The curtains in this photo are the same curtains from the gray Permalux set in the previous post.
More to come!
Rebecca
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Vintage Furniture Store Postcards
There was this great antique store in Columbus, WI (no longer there) that had lots of great of paper products for a pretty good price. We found vintage magazines (I am trying to collect all Better Homes and Gardens from 1/50 - 12/59) and postcards etc. We found these great old furniture store postcards there. They are from Ted Brening Furniture and Appliances in La Crosse, Kansas. I googled the name of the store and could not find anything so I have to assume they are no longer in business.
The concept was that you would get one of these postcards each month and if you collected all 12 for the year you could bring them in for a 10% discount. I love these because they are just very well put together furniture sets and they are in color. Great vivid color. They are from the mid 50's - 1954 and 1955. They are a great representation of that time. I have 13 of these cards and will spread them over a few posts. Take a moment and really take a look at them. They give us some great info on rugs, wallpaper and various accessories to the furniture itself. Enjoy!
The concept was that you would get one of these postcards each month and if you collected all 12 for the year you could bring them in for a 10% discount. I love these because they are just very well put together furniture sets and they are in color. Great vivid color. They are from the mid 50's - 1954 and 1955. They are a great representation of that time. I have 13 of these cards and will spread them over a few posts. Take a moment and really take a look at them. They give us some great info on rugs, wallpaper and various accessories to the furniture itself. Enjoy!
This postcard was for Christmas. It has one of my favorite color schemes, dark green, chartreuse and red. The wall treatment on the fireplace wall is very interesting. The back of the card lists some of the prices for items. The most expensive is the platform rocker at $69.50. The tables run from $13.95 - $19.95 and the mirror is priced at $19.95. The furniture arrangement is interesting. The coffee table is just out in the middle of things. I love the hassock but maybe just a bit to close to the fireplace.
Here is a beautiful sofa and chair. The description on the front says it is a new mohair blend frieze and comes in olive, green, beige and gray and you can get a contrasting black outline if you like. The set was priced at $279.50. The base springs were guaranteed to never, never break. There is a great shared table in the corner with very cool hairpin legs. The lamp is very unusual with the wire frame around the base. There is an interesting pop of color in the lamp shade.
I really LOVE this postcard. Look at that wallpaper. This is titled Shaded Palomino Mahogany. They mention it is an exciting new wood finish which will give your bedroom a feeling of newness and freshness. I had a similar hand me down set of this when I was growing up. I would love to have the set today but my parents painted it white and then gave it away.
The last postcard for today is this great yellow dinette set. They describe it as a popular size drop leaf table and modern chairs. It was regularly $119.75 but on sale in the month of July with this postcard for $99.75. I love the flaired legs of the table. Oh and how shiny is that chrome. We all know the sets we see and would love to have this type of chrome still in tact. The rest of the description says it is stain and heat resistant, the chairs have the newest design with nubby Duran seats and backs that is easily washable. It also carries the Good Housekeeping seal of approval.
Stay tuned, I will be posting more postcards very soon.
Rebecca
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Julius Shulman Film in Madison
I just found out the Julius Shulman film will be shown in Madison, WI for free!
Thursday, 2/25 from 7 - 8:30. The link is below.
http://www.mononaterrace.com/community/all-programs/category/frank_lloyd_wright_architecture_programs#wright_lecture_series
Thursday, 2/25 from 7 - 8:30. The link is below.
http://www.mononaterrace.com/community/all-programs/category/frank_lloyd_wright_architecture_programs#wright_lecture_series
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Spoke to Soon
Well if I am going to post a "final" 2009 Vintage Christmas post, I should probably wait until I have completed my after Christmas Antique Mall shopping. We headed down today to the Rockford, IL area. We have a few antique shops down that way we like to hit around Christmas. I found a few items that I don't want to wait another 12 months to share.
The first find of the day was not a Christmas item. It is a cool green tv lamp (in the back in this picture). I made it a bit more Christmasy by adding some vintage plastic flowers that I found later in the day. I picked up a plastic sleigh for the plastic room, some neat little snowmen, a ceramic snow lady with a muff, a plastic cutout ornament for the aluminum tree, a pretty silver ornament for the white tree, a terrific Howard Holt Santa and a Japan Santa decanter.
The Santa decanter was a great find. His hat has a cork base and comes off. It is in perfect condition. He has four small mugs that have hooks on his side to rest on. Everything was in great condition and I see this piece finding a nice home on our vintage bar. In the background you can see some corrugated "brick" paper. There was a booth with several rolls. I grabbed 4 rolls. They were a $1 each and then I got a 10% discount when I check out. I would have picked up a couple more rolls had I known that.
This Howard Holt piece caught my eye in one of the mall cases. He was low and I could have easily missed him. He is very cool. You can put two candles in the red parts on his hat and then there is also a place to put flowers in the middle of his hat. I love HH pieces. They are truly the most whimsical.
Since I was doing another Christmas post, I thought I would add this as well. As I mentioned in a previous post, I feel in love with beaded ornaments this year. So I searched Ebay and found two NOS kits. I thought I would try my hand at putting one together. So this shot is of the outside of the kit and what the ornament should look like. Below is what I completed. I am pretty happy with it. I did not add the bow as I just did not think I could make that happen.
The first find of the day was not a Christmas item. It is a cool green tv lamp (in the back in this picture). I made it a bit more Christmasy by adding some vintage plastic flowers that I found later in the day. I picked up a plastic sleigh for the plastic room, some neat little snowmen, a ceramic snow lady with a muff, a plastic cutout ornament for the aluminum tree, a pretty silver ornament for the white tree, a terrific Howard Holt Santa and a Japan Santa decanter.
The Santa decanter was a great find. His hat has a cork base and comes off. It is in perfect condition. He has four small mugs that have hooks on his side to rest on. Everything was in great condition and I see this piece finding a nice home on our vintage bar. In the background you can see some corrugated "brick" paper. There was a booth with several rolls. I grabbed 4 rolls. They were a $1 each and then I got a 10% discount when I check out. I would have picked up a couple more rolls had I known that.
This Howard Holt piece caught my eye in one of the mall cases. He was low and I could have easily missed him. He is very cool. You can put two candles in the red parts on his hat and then there is also a place to put flowers in the middle of his hat. I love HH pieces. They are truly the most whimsical.
Since I was doing another Christmas post, I thought I would add this as well. As I mentioned in a previous post, I feel in love with beaded ornaments this year. So I searched Ebay and found two NOS kits. I thought I would try my hand at putting one together. So this shot is of the outside of the kit and what the ornament should look like. Below is what I completed. I am pretty happy with it. I did not add the bow as I just did not think I could make that happen.
Well we are heading to Milwaukee on Monday to scour the Malls for some great Christmas items. If I purchase anything that is noteworthy I will post it. Then maybe we can really call it a final post.
Rebecca
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