Furniture

[Matze]

Realised that we live in a little mess at the moment. ... nothing to fancy but you‘ll get the idea.
Eiermann folding chairs mixed with 12 Euro kitchen table from the 50s.


Bought this finish high board for 140 Euros, it‘s a pain in the ass if you move, but a solid all around item. My girlfriend introduced the Kartell and we have this green lamp, along with 2 componobilis.


Old socialist string like shelf with an Cosme art print. Instead of a TV we have flowers on the sideboard.

[Grind King Rims]

Wow, I think all that stuff is really impressive Matze. Time to buy some candles for those candle stick holders though.

[theSketchLord]

My missus's dad is a cabinet maker so while I don't collect anything all our stuff we custom made or upcycled from salvage.
I do have a really nice retro swivel chair in the study she got me by a local designer but I have no idea who made it.

[sometimeperhaps]

@Matze those string shelves are so nice. I've had those on my list for awhile.

[Yushin Okami]

I have several Eames pieces and a one-off Modernica side shell eiffel chair my buddy designed.

Growing up, something I always remembered in my parent's house was two Percival Lafer lounge chairs (though growing up I certainly didn't know what they were apart from a big comfy chair). It's something I've always wanted in my house and this weekend I was finally able to bring one home (pictured below). It's from the early 60s and the same model my parent's had. I'm hoping to have it for another 50 years.

[Nosferatu]

@Matze the sideboard and floating shelving unit are awesome. I was trying to find more info on the sideboard. I wonder if it is Venesta of Finland? I saw some with similar drawer pulls. That would be $$$ in the US.

@Yushin Okami that's a great Lafer chair and a great backstory to why you picked it up.

So I’m familiar with Eams and vintage Ikea but I am mostly a furniture noob. So I have a few questions...

1. Kinda vague but where do you go to learn about this stuff? One guy posted a photo of 1970s Danish furniture, like how the hell did he know when and where it’s from?

2. Where do you guys go to buy this stuff? Is it mostly thrift, consignment, and eBay...or are there specific places?

3. Also mid century modern is cool, but it’s become a pretty cliche “new money millennial” style of furniture. So what other styles are there? (I guess an extension of question 1)

@Lenny Fatface
1. You pretty much just have to be a nerd. There are a few different places you can look at this stuff and pick up information. I follow a bunch of stores and people on  instgram such as @modernforall or @supertouch_vintage for inspiration. There are probably stores or picker/resellers in your area you can follow too. r/Mid_Century on reddit is a great resource. There is a facebook group called Mid Century Modern Pickers & Identification that is also really knowledgeable.

2. Personally, I enjoy the hunt so I am looking at craigslist, Offerup, garage sales, thrift stores, and estate sales (estatesales.net). These take time, especially if you're in an area that is competitive with other people getting to the good stuff quickly. The faster and more expensive way is to buy through an instagram or brick and mortar store in your area.

3. The trendy move is to buy "mid century" items from west elm or crate and barrel that sort of have the look but none of the character. I would just start out by looking at some of those places I mentioned above to see what speaks to you and then lurk some of those other places to see what's available around you and go from there.


My best recent pickup is a wall unit. Managed to get it from someone on Craigslist for $80.

[Matze]

I know that there's a label on the back of the sideboard, will look at it next time I'll move that thingy. Love your shelf system!

where do you guys look for inspiration online? any special blogs/magazines/etc? yes, I'm bored at work.

[Grind King Rims]

That wall unit for $80 is amazing. How did you move it?

[garry8743]

I worked for a office/school/home furniture business. I did the mounting/fitting for customers. We sell alot of scandinavian, french and italian designer furniture. Often costs more then most peoples car, for just a sofa. What I can say is that you pay 90% for the brand, and quality is often questionable, with questionable solutions. I once delivered a 4 person seater in gold colored velour and gold legs. Price? 25k. And the legs was mounted with 4 small wood screws 

Anyway... I like clean, basic designs. Love to mix veneers, like zebrano wood with more flashy colors like orange for example.

I majored in Industrial Design. In addition, I took some furniture design electives in high school. The furniture classes were more focused on handcrafted items. The ID courses taught us the design process, design skills, and manufacturing methodologies so that we could design anything, including cars, buildings, furniture, footwear, lawn mowers, and so on. My original school was the Philadelphia College of Art, which is now known as The University of the Arts. I'm not sure why you'd want a master's degree in furniture unless you have to be a teacher. In terms of the furniture itself, there is a significant difference between learning how to craft wood furniture and designing, say, an Aeron Chair. If you want to design mass-produced furniture, you should study industrial design.

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

Just started nerding out on it since we got the house built. Nychair rocker from Japan was our latest purchase super comfy! Got a lift foot rest to go with it too.
https://www.nychairx.jp/

[artskool]

I'm not super knowledgeable about furniture, and am not a collector, but do love vintage Eames stuff. I have a number of shell chairs, one of which I sit in for 8 hours a day and really the perfect work chair. I have an Eames desk with aluminum group rolling chair, and a pair of LCW chairs. All cheap craigslist finds spread out over the years. I do have an Eames lounge and ottoman, which is worth more than my car.

A lot of designer furniture really is wildly overpriced though. I'm having a friend built some custom outdoor seating, and for less money you can get something really beautiful and one of a kind.

[Davidon23]

Sorry for reviving this thread, but it's a good one and can't see why it went dead.

I've got a soft spot for mid-century style because it can add a touch of sophistication to any space while still feeling inviting and comfortable. That's why I recently added this mid-century sofa to my living room. I love its clean lines and minimalist design. It set me back around $1900, but I consider it a worthwhile investment in both quality and aesthetics.

[streetmeat]

Guess it could be considered furniture but i have an obsession with collecting aluminum web chairs. Just re-webbed one for my nephew that I got over the weekend, hit it with the 2000 Suburu Outback LL Bean combo. The kid ones are fucking adorable.

[sometimeperhaps]

Those chairs look great, well done restoring them. I have such a soft spot for them. I guess childhood nostalgia. I should really get a couple.

Just started nerding out on it since we got the house built. Nychair rocker from Japan was our latest purchase super comfy! Got a lift foot rest to go with it too.

@Gray Imp Sausage Metal is it worth it? Been eyeing these for a bit and want a lounge chair. Really want the Eames group lounger but have a hard time finding good examples for a reasonable price.

Been on the lookout for an Eames LCW/LCM but they never seem to come up around my way which seems odd.
https://www.nychairx.jp/

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

Those chairs look great, well done restoring them. I have such a soft spot for them. I guess childhood nostalgia. I should really get a couple.

Expand Quote

Just started nerding out on it since we got the house built. Nychair rocker from Japan was our latest purchase super comfy! Got a lift foot rest to go with it too.

@Gray Imp Sausage Metal is it worth it? Been eyeing these for a bit and want a lounge chair. Really want the Eames group lounger but have a hard time finding good examples for a reasonable price.

Been on the lookout for an Eames LCW/LCM but they never seem to come up around my way which seems odd.
https://www.nychairx.jp/

[close]

@Sometimes sorry for the late reply, yes it's worth it but we don't use our too much with the younguns running around. Can you order them where you live?