French Consoles

Curved Empire Desk & Bookcase Desk: 94" wide x 25" deep x 29 1/2" tall Bookcase: 136" wide x 46" deep x 105" tall Very unusual 19th century French Empire curved mahogany desk with six drawers, bronze d'ore and patinated bronze stylized cheetahs, and leather top. With matching curved mahogany bookcase with open shelves above 4 doors and 4 drawers decorated with bronze d'ore Empire mounts.

Louis XV Desk Signed by "H Dasson" 78" wide x 37 1/2" deep x 30 1/4" tall French 19th century Boulle Louis XV Bureau plat with ormolu mounts and gold tooled leather top. Signed by "H Dasson"

Louis XV Center Table 64 3/4" long x 38" deep x 29 1/2" tall French 19th century Louis XV carved gilt wood center table with contoured marble top

One of a Pair of Louis XVI Painted Consoles 47 1/2" wide x 20 1/2" deep x 35 1/2" tall Pair 19th century carved and painted Louis XVI consoles with marble tops

Painted Regence console with marble top 83 1/2" long x 21 1/2" deep x 36" tall Painted Regence console with marble top

Napoleon III Gold Leaf Console 59" wide x 18 1/4" deep x 37 1/2" tall Beautifully carved Napoleon III gilt wood console with breche violet marble top. Circa 1870

Chinoiserie Chest Stamped "Dasson" 55" wide x 23" deep x 38 3/4" tall Exquisite black laquer Chinoiserie Louis XVI commode with bronze d'ore mounts and Amarillo marble top; stamped "Dasson" Circa 1890

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Mahar Dry Goods Selling Bertie and Owyn!

Robert Mahar, from Mahar Dry Goods, could not be a nicer, more thoughtful guy. I met him on the craft show circuit last year and fell in love with his online retail shop and blog. He's the real deal - a former contemporary art appraiser with impeccable taste in kid gear, toys, furniture and clothing who carefully selects each piece for sale in his store. In addition to his shop and the blog attached to his shop, he runs a second blog called Junior Society which is such a great read! My favorite part are his instructions for the secret membership handshake. That and the fact he calls himself the Grand Poobah of the Junior Society.

I'm proud to announce that both the Bertie and the Owyn are being sold on his online shop, Mahar Dry Goods, as of today!

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Coffee Talk

This was my day today. Check out the coffee from 9:00am this morning on the table saw. I took that shot around 4pm today. You'll be glad to know that the coffee is still sitting just like that in the dark garage...at 10:51pm. Tomorrow I'll have the energy to walk it ALL THE WAY to the kitchen.

** Oon, aren't you glad to see my toes painted?? I do toe painting goods, don't I?

Did I mention I'm not a neat-freak, anal-retentive woodworker? Just the kind that will eventually, after building four or so pieces, suck up all the saw dust with my shop vac. But only after I can literally skate through my garage. Cuz that's just fun.

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Metal Display Shelves

Sturdy and Stylish, Great Shelves That'll Last

Metal display shelves combine style and grace with strength and durability. It used to be that metal shelves were only built to be boring, gray storage units. We've come a long way, though, and today you can find great eye-catching metal shelving units that would look great in your living room or den. Metal shelves have another advantage, though over wood or glass shelves, many models can be put outside as well. Metal display shelves are being used more and more in gardens and on outside decks for decoration and display.

Whether you are interested in all-metal display shelves, or a metal unit that incorporates glass, metal shelves are built to last, and also enhance your home.

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Modern Nursery

Super cool online retailer, www.modernnursery.com, is now selling Mod Mom Furniture! You can even look up furniture by designer. If I'm being honest, it blows me away when I see my name under the designer list. I get a tiny thrill each time I do it. Which is like 45 times a day :). One can never get enough ego boosting- aka, motivation - in between table saw cuts (in a dress).

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Adventures in New Table Saw Shopping...and much more!

Pneumonia! Table saw shopping! LumberJocks!

SO much has happened in the past few days I'm not even sure where to start! So this post will serve as a catch up post and will most likely make little sense and have no cohesion and MANY run-on sentences because I haven't slept much in a week. And here's why...

• Pneumonia! Grace was showing signs of pneumonia last Monday so we, as good parents who didn't take the other son to the doctor until he had full-blown pneumonia, decided to take her in right away on Tuesday. The doc told us she didn't hear anything and that we probably brought her in too early and that it was probably a virus. Cut to Friday when we haven't slept all week and she's worse so we headed to an Urgent Care. The Urgent Care doc couldn't hear anything in her chest either but did listen to us when we said we'd just been through pneumonia with our son. He ordered an x-ray and sure enough, FULL BLOWN PNEUMONIA. She's getting better but sadly, is not sleeping well. So sadly, neither are we.
  
• Table Saw Shopping! I'm in the market for a new table saw so I've been researching like crazy. Yesterday, I marched into three different stores to hopefully take home a saw. Apparently, having boobs and wearing a dress make it difficult for anyone to answer your questions about table saws with smart answers. The condescension in the air was palpable. More later on this one, I'm sure....
  
• Check out the cool site I just joined -- http://www.lumberjocks.com/! It's a great place to get advice on woodworking. I'm now a LUMBERJOCK!
  
• Nikki from Ohio wrote a very kind post on her blog "And Audrey Makes Three" on Friday. http://hudsonnews.typepad.com/baby/2008/05/friday-feature---mod-mom.html
  
• Confession. I cut wood yesterday on my old, falling apart, table saw in the same dress I wore to shop for saws. I just couldn't be bothered to change clothes. No heels, though.
  

Whew! Ok, gotta run Noah to school. I'll be back with another post because I'm waiting for the world to wake up before I crank up the table saw again. This time, not in a dress.

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Perf Boxes

Designer: Eric Pfieffer

Flexible storage made nice! Stack two to four rotating boxes "Perf"ectly. A permanent item at the SFMoMA and defining contemporary furniture.

Description:

A flexible solution to your storage needs, these finely crafted Perf boxes stack and rotate independently and are free from hardware. It is birch plywood and available in two, three, and four stack towers with casters.

Fits books and LPs too!

Materials:

Birch plywood

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Ideas for shelving 2011

Designer: Plushpod

The Float wall shelves are wall mounted shelves with no visible hardware or brackets. They are thick and substantial and define "less is more" - a pleasant design element!

Description:

The modern floating wall shelves are a fantastic design solution for modern shelving needs. These shelves hang off the wall and create a floating impression and are very pleasant to the eye being 2 inches thick and quite substantial. The shelves are available in 3 different widths which allows you to create your own personalized shelving space. It is very simple in design and yet very functional.Float modern floating shelves consist of a metal bracket that is anchored to the wall with screws.

The brackets stick out and the shelves slide onto this bracket and holds very firmly.

Materials:

wood with wood veneer and metal interior brackets

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Domino Shelving Units

Designer: Plushpod

The Domino shelving units are functional, stacking, and modular shelves that stand alone or can stack at varied heights and width to create unique shelving units and versatile configurations.

Description:

The Domino Shelving Units from the Tema Collection are modern shelving units with one L shaped unit as pictured above on the rightside thumbnail. One Domino measures one domino: 63" long x 27" high (at the highest point) x 17" deep - this may be layed on its side or stood upward. Stack 2, 3, 4, or more to create varied room-scapes to house your shelving needs. They are priced per piece below and in general configurations. You can create a regular shelving unit with varied compartments or a space for a flatscreen and other media components. This is modern versatility at its best. Clean lines and minimal design create a modern atmosphere in any living space.

Materials:

wood veneer on fibre board

Options/Finishes:

Cherry - (natural light brown), Wenge - (dark chocolate brown), White - (true paper white)

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Conceal Bookshelf

Designer: Miron Lior for Umbra

Hey dude, are your books floating? No, it is just a unique and attractive wall display called the Conceal Bookshelf!

Description:Conceal bookshelf in powder coated steel. Your books will appear to be floating in mid-air, because this bookshelf is invisible behind a stack of books.Screw the Invisible Bookshelf into a wall stud with the included hardware. To stack your books, place the back cover of the bottom book between the bottom of the shelf and the small lips beneath the shelf, then organize the rest of

Materials:

Powder coated steel

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Convertible Sofa Beds

Frustrated with typical futons? Wouldn’t you rather have one that is less insipid in styling and even functionality for that matter? Sofa beds are the perfect alternative. Think about it. Ever seen a really contemporary looking futon? Sofa beds, on the other hand, can feature retro-contemporary styling. When sofa beds are in their sitting position they are indistinguishable from a typical sofa. Once you remove the pillows and pull out the sleeper, their true nature of versatility is revealed.

Let’s take it a step further and consider innerspring convertible sofa beds with storage. Talk about incomparable versatility. Here's one example:

Convertible sofa beds, like the one pictured above, are so easy to use. If you want to store items such as pillows, sheets, or blankets, you effortlessly lift the sitting part of the convertible sofa bed to expose storage underneath. To put it back into sitting position, simply undo what you just did. To make it into a sleeper, lift it up to reveal the storage and keep pushing it until you hear 2 clicks. Slowly let it go down into a sleeper position. It’s so simple.

Innerspring convertible sofa beds like the one pictured above are very different in construction compared to typical futons. We all know what an innerspring mattress is. The innerspring itself acts as a shock absorber. It allows the mattress to move up and down. The foams and fibers that surround the innerspring construction offer support as well as comfort. Now, imagine all that stuff that goes into a typical mattress inside of a sofa bed.

If you really want a retro-contemporary looking sofa bed, slap on some funky color of microfiber on it. Microfibers are 100% polyester synthetic fabrics that feel like suede to the touch and since they are synthetic they are inherently stain resistant. If you pour a liquid over it, you will actually see it bead. Even if the spilled liquid seeps in you simply take a mild solution of soap and water to clean it. This characteristic is great if you have kids or pets. Talk about being family friendly.

So to retain the stain resistant capabilities of the fabric I would suggest staying with 100% polyester synthetics. All polyester synthetics don’t feel and look like microfiber. If microfiber is not you thing, there are chenille synthetics. Just stay away from cotton. Ever seen an old sofa when you can actually see the imprint where someone sat there for years? Cotton will do that. Synthetics will never do that.

To purchase these sofa beds go to FOWfurniture.com

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Convertible Sofa Beds

Frustrated with typical futons? Wouldn’t you rather have one that is less insipid in styling and even functionality for that matter? Sofa beds are the perfect alternative. Think about it. Ever seen a really contemporary looking futon? Sofa beds, on the other hand, can feature retro-contemporary styling. When sofa beds are in their sitting position they are indistinguishable from a typical sofa. Once you remove the pillows and pull out the sleeper, their true nature of versatility is revealed.

Let’s take it a step further and consider innerspring convertible sofa beds with storage. Talk about incomparable versatility. Here's one example:

Convertible sofa beds, like the one pictured above, are so easy to use. If you want to store items such as pillows, sheets, or blankets, you effortlessly lift the sitting part of the convertible sofa bed to expose storage underneath. To put it back into sitting position, simply undo what you just did. To make it into a sleeper, lift it up to reveal the storage and keep pushing it until you hear 2 clicks. Slowly let it go down into a sleeper position. It’s so simple.

Innerspring convertible sofa beds like the one pictured above are very different in construction compared to typical futons. We all know what an innerspring mattress is. The innerspring itself acts as a shock absorber. It allows the mattress to move up and down. The foams and fibers that surround the innerspring construction offer support as well as comfort. Now, imagine all that stuff that goes into a typical mattress inside of a sofa bed.

If you really want a retro-contemporary looking sofa bed, slap on some funky color of microfiber on it. Microfibers are 100% polyester synthetic fabrics that feel like suede to the touch and since they are synthetic they are inherently stain resistant. If you pour a liquid over it, you will actually see it bead. Even if the spilled liquid seeps in you simply take a mild solution of soap and water to clean it. This characteristic is great if you have kids or pets. Talk about being family friendly.

So to retain the stain resistant capabilities of the fabric I would suggest staying with 100% polyester synthetics. All polyester synthetics don’t feel and look like microfiber. If microfiber is not you thing, there are chenille synthetics. Just stay away from cotton. Ever seen an old sofa when you can actually see the imprint where someone sat there for years? Cotton will do that. Synthetics will never do that.

To purchase these sofa beds go to FOWfurniture.com

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Antiques Bedroom Furniture

Victorian Birds Eye Maple Bedroom Suite ca 1890

The wardrobe has a moulded cornice above two small cupboard doors (the interior has one removable shelf) and three small over one large deep drawer. All the drawers have original brass rococo handles. The piece has its original bevelled full length mirror, the interior has a brass hanging rail and hooks, and the piece splits into four sections for ease of removals. Height 218cms/86inches Width 150cms/59inches Depth 59cms/23inches

The chest of drawers has a rectangular moulded top above two over three graduating drawers with original brass rococo handles, stands on beautiful shaped bracket feet and has original backboards, unusually the piece splits into two sections for ease of removals. Height 102cms/40inches Width 107cms/42inches Depth 47cms/18.5inches

The dressing table has a shield shaped bevelled mirror above two jewellery drawers and central shaped shelf. The lower section has a rectangular moulded top above a central drawer with kneehole, flanked by two smaller drawers and all have original brass rococo handles. The piece stands on four tapering lags with spade feet and original brass and porcelain castors. Height 170cms/67inches Width 122cms/48inches Depth 56cms/22inches

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What is That Piece of Furniture Called?

by Bob Brooke

Do you sometimes get confused with furniture names? If you’re a collector of antiques, you probably have found that the same name can often refer to several different kinds of furniture. If you’re just starting to collect antiques, you’re probably just downright confused. Furniture was named in two ways: After its use or after its maker or manufacturer. Knowing that will help you in purchasing older pieces that may have names that seem strange to you today, for over time many furniture names have changed through use and have become part of the vernacular of English.
For instance, Lambert Hitchcock of Hitchcocksville, Connecticut, created the first mass-produced chair which today bears his name. The Boston rocker originated in a cabinetmaker’s shop in Boston. The davenport, a small desk with a hinged lid that opens out for writing, was originally made by William Davenport. Later, a large sofa which sometimes converted into a bed also became known as a davenport.
In colonial days, a bed meant a featherbed or mattress. The frame was known as a bedstead. Mirrors were known as looking glasses. A chest with four or more drawers was known as a high-daddy.
One of the oddest pieces of furniture is the commode. Initially a French chest of drawers on legs, later called a chiffonier and moved to refer to a movable washstand, with basin, waste pipe, etc. to a piece of furniture containing a chamber pot. Finally, the name became a pseudo-intellectual name for the common toilet.
Sofa, couch, love seat, or divan–all refer to the same type of seating. Or do they? A couch was actually a bed, from coucher, the French word meaning to lie down. A settee was an elongated armchair that accommodated two or more people. Developed in the 17th century, it was often upholstered.
A love seat was and still is a long seat consisting of two seating cushions and intended to accommodate two people. Anything with more than two cushions was called a sofa.
The sofa’s origins appear to stem from the French day-bed, referring to any type of elongated seating, including the chaise longue, or “long chair,” designed for resting rather than sleeping. It usually had a raised end. While most early sofas were upholstered, springs weren’t used in them until the early 19th century.
An ottoman was an upholstered footstool or low bench without arms or back, named after the Turkish influence of the early 18th century.
Case furniture, that is furniture used for storage, came in all sorts of forms. The trendy armoire was originally a large mobile cupboard or wardrobe featuring doors and shelves for clothes storage. A German variation was known as a kas. A more modern version, also containing drawers, came to be called a wardrobe.
Chests also came in many varieties. Originally a piece of squared furniture with drawers, it became known as a commode to the French. A variation used a desk, featuring a fall-front, a cylinder front or a tambour (roll-top) was called a bureau. A low English chest of drawers on long legs was known as a lowboy and later as a dressing table. By mounting a chest of drawers on top of it, it became a highboy, from the French haut bois which means "high wood."
Dining rooms had a sideboard, a table with a wide drawer at the center flanked by drawers or cupboards on the sides and made to be used against a dining room wall for storing and serving food. Sideboards began as credenzas, a serving table with a cupboard below the surface, in the 15th Century. In the 16th Century, an upper, recessed tier was added. This was also known as a “dresser,” where dishes were dressed before serving. Today, this piece of furniture is commonly called a buffet, based on its use as a vehicle for self-serve dinners.
Today’s china closet was originally called a vitrine, a cabinet with a glass door. The sides and top were often also of glass, and it was designed to store and display china and curios.
Lastly, to keep milk and freshly-baked pies protected from flies, simple cupboards, known as pie and milk safes, with doors fitted with decorative, pierced tin panels to let the air circulate through them, were popular from the 1820's to after the Civil War.

To read more articles by Bob Brooke, please visit his Web site

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Antiques Bedroom Furniture

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