Henry Link "Mandarin"

One of my newest discoveries is the Henry Link "Mandarin" collection.  I found this piece on Craigslist and originally thought it might be a Dixie collection, you know they like to do the exotic inspired pieces like "Shangri-La" and "Campaigner."  It seems that there is not much in the way of photos from this set but I think it's hardware is some of the best that I have seen.

 

Sorry, terrible photo, just lacquered this dresser mint green.

 

Nice before and after I found.

 

Cute little chest.

The funny thing about this is that every piece of Henry Link "Mandarin" is exactly the same size as a piece of Dixie "Shangri-La"

So I decided to put together two single nightstands from each set:

 

EXACT same size, Henry Link on the left Dixie on the right.  So we lacquered them the same color so someone can use them as a similar but quirky mismatched pair.

That made me really happy.

 

 

Swivel Chairs Before and After

Remember the pair of white swivel Milo Baughman chairs we had at the shop?

Look what our customer did with them...

Don't they look great!

I'm also digging her use of David Hicks' "La Fiorentina" on her d-room chairs and the liberal use of gold.  Also, I think that child's artwork makes the space.

 

GIVEAWAY: 2nd Debut and Margaret Turner Designs

Some days I just can't.  I've had a lot of those days with the move and the store and life lately, but let's get back to blogging shall we?  What better way to start it back off than with a GIVEAWAY, and one that I'm particularly coveting given that summer is around the corner.

A beautiful vintage shell necklace from 2nd Debut and a crab print scarf from Margaret Turner Designs!

I picture these with a navy and white striped tee and white shorts and it's like all this bad spring weather never happened and we've fast forwarded to summer.

2nd Debut Vintage is headed by Raleigh native Emily Cutts, who after working for Tory Burch has now taken her talents to up and coming denim juggernaut Raleigh Denim.  She views vintage jewelry the way I view vintage furniture, with passion and an eye for pieces that stand the test of time.  She puts all of her pieces on her website and her facebook page.

Margaret Turner Designs  is the creation of an avid beach girl.  Born and raised on the coastal shores of North Carolina, Margaret's designs represent her passion for the outdoors.  Margaret's first collection is inspired by shells she has found along the North Carolina coast.  You can check her out on facebook and her website.

One lucky winner can win this sweet little summer pick me up!

The Details:

- Giveaway is only open to US Residents

-To enter you must "like" both 2nd Debut and Margaret Turner Designs facebook pages (follow the link)

-Comment saying that you have liked both of their pages as your first entry

-Additional entries possible by commenting to tell me which of their other products on their websites (2nd Debut, Margaret Turner) you liked most.

A winner will be chosen on May 10th at 5PM!

GOOD LUCK!

Meet Intern Kendell

She is amazing, and organized, and currently a design student who will start taking over my bitness' this summer.  If you see her responding to e-mails or blogging or generally doing things for me tell her hello!

Before and After: Vintage Chairs

 

Quick little before and after....

We basically kept the shape the same but did away with the skirt since the chairs had nice legs and I wanted to modernize them a little bit.  Also, my upholsterer had the idea to add an extra stripe of piping at the bottom to break up that huge expanse of fabric on the bottom since we were taking away the skirt.  

A little nautical,  fresh and ready for summer!

What pillows would you put on there?

BURL-wood

I celebrated this Easter by picking up this piece:

Beautiful vintage burl-wood bureau by Drexel

I know that I paint a lot of furniture...but I think that any space in your home needs a good dose of natural wood furniture in there too.  I also think that if you're going to go for a wood piece, it should be pretty wood, and for me it doesn't get prettier than burl-wood.

So that begs the question, what IS burl-wood?

A burl in a tree occurs when the tree goes through some sort of stress and a growth will form in a bulbous shape and is essentially a deformity filled with buds and grain abnormalities.  Most burls will form on the roots and aren't discovered until the tree dies or falls over.

I could go into some inspirational spiel about how stress and abnormalites form something of beauty...but let's not.  

I will say that the burl-wood is super durable and is prized by furniture makers for both it's beauty and strength.  

Here are some great examples of burl-wood pieces...

 

 

 

 I think the last one is my favorite.

What do you think of burl-wood?

 

Blue Willow and Its History

I just picked up some blue willow plates and saucers to put in the store, and it got me thinking about this blue and white pattern that I grew up with.

True Blue Willow was actually created in England by Josiah Spode and dates back to as early as 1790. Spode created the pattern with a little known and seldom told love story.  The story is that Hong Shee, a beautiful Asian girl, fell in love with her wealthy father's butler, Chang.  The father forbid their relationship, and the two lovers escaped to sea by boat.  The boat sank in a storm and both lovers drowned and are said to be reincarnated as two birds flying high in the sky in the pattern.  The story is well represented in the pattern and you can even see the father in the temple in hot pursuit of the escaping Hong Shee and Chang.  Some stories have it that the three men on the bridge are part of an army that the father sent out trying to catch the two before they got away.

Now when I find Blue Willow pieces I always look for marks on the back for pieces made in England which are usually, but not always, of a higher quality than those made in the US or Japan.

The set I found this week was made by Allerton's of England which dates the plates as far back as 1942.

Hopefully this was somewhat educational...I try for more than just pretty pictures  :)