I just picked this up today and didn't even have to get up early! The estate sales lately have been getting too pricey for me to venture out in the wee hours to be first in line, just to find everything overpriced. I did have to break a sweat though...it has finally gotten H..O..T here in the StL.
So before we get to the new Herman Miller / Eames Aluminum Group table check this out.
There was an estate sale this weekend that had a vintage Eames lounge and ottoman knock off
(the kind with the chrome steel bases). I was kinda thinking about going to this sale with the
idea that if the original owners had an Eames lounge and ottoman knock off they might have
some other good stuff. The estate sale sellers don't always take pics of everything that I'd be
interested in. But here's the messed up part: the estate sale company put an ad on craigslist
showcasing the lounge and ottoman with a price of $650!!! And it was missing a button! Do
you think I went to that sale? No. This is how lots of sales seem to be going lately. I stopped
going to them a while back and might have to give it up again. Anyway, I can find lots of good
stuff on craigslist, at the thrift stores, antique malls and flea markets. Who needs estate sales?
This table and chairs popped up on craigslist just listed as a table and chairs. I jumped on it and
had hoped to pick it up before work Friday but the seller told me too late that day that she
hadn't gotten around to checking her email in time for that to happen. Instead we made
arrangements to meet today.
When we arrived at the address we found an estate sale (that I didn't know anything about!)
going on! Well, it was kind of an estate sale light. It wasn't a total sell off as most sales are.
We took a look around just in case there was something else but in the end just packed up the
table and chairs.
The table is an Eames Aluminum Group by Herman Miller with a 41.5" laminate top. I love that
Herman Miller prints the manufacture date on the bottom of these tables. I was just a little boy
when this one was made in 1978. For being 34 years old it sure is looking good! The top is
heavy wood with a seriously durable formica laminate on top. The top is edged in tough vinyl for
protection, which obviously works beautifully. The four star base and the top support is cast
aluminum while the center section I believe is steel. One of the cool things about this table is that
it could be cut down to coffee table height.
But since I've got these four fantastic chrome steel arm chairs, I'll not be doing any such
modifications. I'm making this available as is! The chairs are super sturdy and the chrome is
in excellent shape. The upholstery is soiled and wore through in a few corners so I'd say they
could stand to be recovered. They look like a fairly easy job though. If they don't sell right
away I'll probably be doing them myself and upping my asking for them.
Didn't get around to any other projects today since as soon as I got this home, cleaned up and
shot for the blog and craigslist, we had to get loaded up to head out to the Skyview Drive In.
We had a great time and Nick from Mid-century Midwest met up with us out there to watch a
double feature of Marvel's Avengers and John Carter. I feared that it would be a little
uncomfortable with how hot it was out today but we took the Bertoia Diamond chairs so as to
ensure proper seating ventilation...which worked to also make Nick jealous! But it did in fact
cool off nicely as well. And the movies were great too! Yeah, Weekends! Hope your's is
going well.
Cut down a Herman Miller table??? Get a grip Mr. Mod! Surely you jest? Looks like a great set and well worth the trouble to recover the chairs. Nice find!
ReplyDeleteHi A Mod. I seem to find a ton more dining or conference tables than coffee tables...maybe it would be worth more as one? Who knows?! Don't those chairs look a little Baughman-esqe?
DeleteI saw a plycraft lounge chair listed late last night for $400, was it a caramel colored one? Maybe they upped the price after too many inquiries?
ReplyDeleteWe went to the StlModern open house show in Creve Couer today and only 2 of the 6 houses actually had mid-century tastes or modern design. It was kind of letdown. The other houses just looked like normal suburban homes trapped in a tastey mid-century bodies. One couple had a pair of black leather Plycraft lounge chairs in thier living room that they said they exclusively sit in.
Hi johnny! I saw that too. I don't think it's the same one. The one I saw earlier was linked to the estate sale and specified that there was a button missing. I just shake my head at these cheaper pieces hoping for anything over $200. Not from me. Now...there is a nice Selig on craigslist for $700 that I've thought long and hard about, and if I didn't already have my Mr. Chair....
DeleteI think the StlModern home tour is more about architecture and preservation than furnishings. Going to estate sales you get to see plenty of cool homes as well as furnishings!
True, Mr. Modtomic, the days of estate sale bargains may be over. I am through with getting up at dawn only to find that fifty other people have done the same thing. Then, when we all get inside, we find we've been duped by sellers who think that someone's actually going to pay $200 for a beat up old Lane Acclaim end table. I have not given up completely, though. I have had some good luck with small items lately, and there ARE some estate sale companies who still sell at bargain prices. Prices will come down if items don't sell. Let's hope the sellers get the hint.
ReplyDeleteHi swer37. I too am hoping that by boycotting the sales that perhaps the sellers get the message. I'm not diluting myself into thinking I hold that kind of power but it has to start somewhere. I'll spend lots of my time...but not lots of my money.
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