I love pieces that involve a bit of research. In the past, I have acquired houses, room boxes, and furnishings that just beg for more information--where were they made? when? by whom? for whom? It is certainly fun to speculate on these questions, but even more fun (and rewarding) when they are answered.
This time around, I find myself with a mystery set of metal midcentury-style furniture, purchased on eBay ($22). I love the lines of the pieces, and did not realize their true character until they arrived to me.
These are incredibly heavy and sturdy. There are seven pieces in all: a tulip-style table and two chairs; a lovely Windsor-style bench; a large coffee table with recessed lattice work; and two side tables. The heftiest piece is the tulip table, which probably weighs about 8-10 oz. The material is the same for all of the pieces, a very dense metal with a matte sheen. Everything looks handmade, with soldered joints and well-constructed lines.
As you can see, the pieces have suffered some scuffs and show marks from adhesive price tags, but otherwise they are in really good shape. I have to believe that they are vintage pieces based on the style and the patina, perhaps from the 1960s?
Has anyone ever seen pieces such as these? I checked in all of my dollhouse reference books and did not see a match.
Any ideas on possible refinishing? I am torn...on the one hand, I love the patina, but on the other, I'd like to even out the surfaces. I guess a matte silver spray paint is an option, and perhaps sanding is as well.
Or...I could just hide the flaws
Please comment to share information or ideas! By the way, thanks for commenting for all these years -- I started this blog in January 2009 and it has been a fun ride!
Accessories are Re-ment, The Shopping Sherpa and Lilu Shop on Etsy.
The time it took me: 10 minutes
The day bed reminds me of Ercol from Britain. Or possibly G-plan... Nice find!
ReplyDeleteInteresting! I wasn't able to turn up much about these manufacturers yet, but look forward to learning more. And it is interesting that you identify that piece as a daybed...I had thought of a large coffee table since the legs are quite high. I'm intrigued!
DeleteThey reminded me of Ercol and G-plan too... :D It almost looks like a garden furniture set. Really interested in these.
Delete1. I wouldn't touch the finish until you find more info-messing with natural patinas can really ruin the value of vintage/antique metal work.
ReplyDelete2. Wow, those are neat. :D
3. Maybe they're not even for dollhouses, maybe they were part of some kind of model. Handmade, soldered sheet metal and wire? That's not meant to be a kid's toy.
Thanks, Kyle! Yes, I'm holding off on any changes for now. And I really do like the patina. It could be that they were not intended as toys, although the metal is not sharp at all, and is very heavy-duty. Not sheet metal. There is no wire, just the metal manipulated into curves, etc. BUT, the heft might not make it an ideal playset for kids. You could definitely do some damage!
DeleteNice find! I've never seen pieces like these before. I agree, the patina is nice. The tulip table sort of looks like it could have spent some time outdoors like at a cafe. I'm torn but if it were me, I think I would paint them.
ReplyDeleteI know, it is totally tempting to paint them. I think I will hold off on it for now, though. I'd like to know more of the history first :)
Deletees un conjunto de muebles muy curioso y veo que lo has conseguido a muy buen precio, yo no puedo ayudar con la informacion
ReplyDeletebesitos
Mari
No hay problema, Mari! Voy a seguir para buscar información - que es divertido!
DeleteYou got a really nice lot there! I really like the patina and would keep it at such regardless to it's originality. Very nice.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I am definitely leaning toward doing nothing to them, or just spot cleaning once I've done some research.
Deletethey are very beautitul, I wouldn't touch the patina on them though they could be worth a lot of money.
ReplyDeleteYes, I did wonder about value. I felt I got a good deal for $22, but wonder about the cost of material alone! It's very heavy duty metal.
DeleteSon unas piezas preciosas.
ReplyDeleteGracias, Isabel!
DeleteIf you're set on painting them, maybe you could replicate them? Then you could keep the originals as is, because they are beautiful and might be OOAK. Beautiful minis! :D
ReplyDeleteI think I am now leaning toward keeping them as-is, with some strategic and informed clean-up! :)
DeleteI've never seen anything like these before either - and I've seen an awful lot of dolls house furniture in the past 40 years. My first thought on seeing them was some sort of apprentice pieces - maybe someone at a metal working class made them?
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't touch them, (in the sense of altering) other than very gently, certainly not until you find out more about them. Perhaps a metal worker could give you some information on cleaning them up a bit?
Interesting thought! I also wonder if these were salesman-type pieces, but just in metal instead of wood. It makes me very curious to know why the maker chose this scale and style!!
DeleteI love the patina, I don't think you should spray paint it or do any sanding. It's a better and easier option to cover them up with accessories IMO. Looking forward to seeing what you do with them regardless.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Connor! I hope to play with these soon :)
DeleteI think the finish is perfect! A bit of cooking oil will take the sticky residue right off, but you probably already know that, but just in case you don't, thought I would mention it. :D Now I must stop spamming your blog :D
ReplyDeleteI love these so much, I tried to find out more about them, found NOTHING :D But the more I look at them the more they look like one offs. Either its a trick of the light, or the curve at one end of the sofa doesn't match the other very well, so that suggests it wasn't mass produced. Plus they are all made of the same material. And the lattice part, is just weird, it looks like an offcut of some sheet of metal that had that on it to strengthen it. I have never seen a table with lattice work like that on it. Maybe there was a top on it, hiding that, or it had tiles in it. They sort of remind me of something a grandfather with metal working skills might make for a grandchild. My friends grandfather used to make funny little things like that for her. My two cents on it anyway :D Good luck on finding out more on them, they are lovely.
ReplyDeleteHi, Sarah! Thanks for checking too, and also for the residue removal tricks! I couldn't find anything on the pieces either. I agree they seem like one-offs. Others have suggested the same. It's so intriguing to consider why and when someone made them. The lattice doesn't show that it used to be covered, but who knows. It could have had a piece of plastic too. A bit of a mystery here...!!!
Delete