FLAME-ing HOT!

I just cannot leave well enough alone….

Last year, I discovered a fantabulous 1920s wingchair at that most delightful of places, Class and Trash.  Actually, it was one of a not-quite-matching pair; while both chairs were of the winged variety, and both were covered in the same VERY vintage seafoam green nylon fabric, the legs were quite different on each.  One had very straight Chippendale-style legs, and was reborn into the world of total FABULOCITY as the infamous White Tiger Chair.  The other, with ornately carved ball-and-claw legs, waited ever so patiently for its own dramatic restyling.  

And behold, in all its glorious splendor:  the Flamestitch Chair!  Do watch the video for the full experience, Dear Readers, oh do!

Chair-ished Friends

On the afternoon of Christmas Eve, I was knee-deep in the middle of my traditional wait-til-the-last-minute-to-wrap-EVERYTHING routine. Of course, I was wired from caffeine overdose, HGTV was on in the background, and the kitties were in hiding so that they might avoid being hit by flying wrapping paper remnants. FA. LA. LA.

BFFs Sharona and Richard had phoned to ask if they could stop by. “Sure, if you don’t mind a frenzy of holiday madness!” At least they couldn’t say they hadn’t been warned. I would not be responsible for any collateral damage.

Soon there was a rapping at the door. In my holiday finest (completely disheveled in baggy sweats), I threw open the door to the sight of not Sharona and Richard, but a Martha Washington-style chair that I had last seen at Class and Trash weeks prior! While I was still dumbfounded by this unexpected vision, Sharona and Richard jumped out with hails of “Surprise!” and “Merry Christmas!”. Turns out, Richard remembered that I had become enamored with the MW chair when he and I had traveled to C&T for the Big Haul . When I had forgotten to claim the lovely piece in the midst of my standard bout of Vintage Vertigo, Richard had arranged with C&T owners Lisa and Kenny to hold the chair til he could travel back to Richmond to claim it as a holiday present for me. (Both he and Sharona insist they had decided to buy me this most thoughtful gift before we had all agreed not to exchange presents….I’ve chosen to believe them on this point, since I’m thrilled to have the chair!)

The chair is truly quite lovely. Of traditional lines, it is sturdy and in fine shape structurally. Although the fabric is a bit worn, the wood is unscarred. Nevermind about the upholstery, however; already the chair is planned to be restyled in some otherworldly combination of fabrics that will most assuredly send it into the couture décor stratosphere!

The chair currently resides in my boudoir, in the space formerly occupied by the pre-restyled 1970s-vintage moderne chair. Kitty Daisy has already claimed it as her own. However, being a stylish girl, when the time comes for the restyling I’m sure she’ll sacrifice her latest perch in the name of FABULOCITY!

The Big Haul

Recently, BFF Richard bravely agreed to accompany me to Richmond to bring back a plethora of vintage treasures.  The part of this effort that required real fortitude:  Richard was in charge of driving the moving van that had been provided by the self-storage company where my ‘warehouse’ is located.  Not having ever driven one of these behemoths myself, I was thrilled when he made the offer.    BFF Sharona had planned to join us, but alas the truck had bucket seats that could only accommodate two persons.  I’d graciously offered to let her and Richard manage the move, but Sharona demurred. 

The truck itself was….well, functional.  It was one of those 12-foot box things, built strictly for utilitarian purposes.  Comfort certainly never entered the equation.  Nonetheless, I positively drooled over the prospect of owning one for The Shop!  However, recognizing my endless trepidation at driving such a vehicle, I’ve decided that one of those ubiquitous white cargo vans is a slightly more realistic target for my eventual business transport needs.

The trip to Richmond was extraordinarily uneventful.   Even with the constant rattling and the bone-jarring suspension, Richard and I enjoyed a quick and easy journey south on Interstate 95.    Since we had use of the moving van just until mid-afternoon, there were only two stops on our itinerary:  Class and Trash (of course!), and my mother’s house in Ashland (a few miles north of Richmond), where I had over the past year stored many pieces of my collection.  Based solely on logistics, C&T was at the top of the short list of stops.  (The fact that C&T’s ever-changing inventory might yield a whole new crop of vintage bounty had absolutely nothing to do with making them our priority!)

Oh, Dear Readers, imagine my glee at driving up to C&T with an empty moving van!  It was as if I were a famished infant being offered its mother’s milk-laden breast.  (OK, I’ve officially crossed over into The Land of Bad Analogies.  Mea culpa, mea culpa.)  Suddenly the possibilities were endless (well, the limits of my credit cards did place some restrictions on my impending shopping experience).   For the first time, my choices were not bound by the space limitations of the Passat!  Couches and tables and beds, oh my!

This being Richard’s foray into the land of Class and Trash, he began by idly wandering around the first floor.  Meanwhile, I embarked on my typically manic initial survey of the shop’s current offerings.  As a Soldier of Vintage Fortunes, I have honed my skill at targeting the most desirable items on C&T’s floor within minutes of entering the front door….Dark brown 1960s vintage swivel chairs at 10 o’clock, check.   French-style rectangular dining table dead-ahead -- Roger that.  Vintage Martha Washington armchair on the left, just around the corner…LOCK ‘N LOAD!

Having successfully completed the first round of recon, I escorted Richard to the second floor of the C&T emporium.  Here, Kenny and Lisa allow other vendors to display their wares in loosely bordered areas.  (To a less seasoned C&T shopper, it’s not immediately apparent where one vendor’s space ends and another begins.  I, however, have mentally mapped the second floor terrain, and therefore have a feel for the key areas on which to focus.)

My quick yet efficient survey of the top floor soon yielded one of the most unique curiosities I’ve every found there:  a pair of 1950s-vintage highly stylized porcelain dog figurines.  I literally gasped at the cleverness and artistry with which these canines were fabricated!  Complete with tiny foil labels which declared them as being manufactured by “Norleans, Japan”, I scooped up these treasures before any other vintage décor hunter could claim them.   Richard, who in the meantime had been exploring the less glorious collectibles, appeared somewhat perplexed at my excitement over these objects.  Cretan.

Back now to the wondrous furnishings awaiting me on Floor One.   Mindful of the clock (we had only a few hours before truck return time), I began to feel pressured to select from among the glorious pieces of vintage finery positively screaming to be chosen for my already saturated collection.   Vintage Vertigo coupled with time constraints is a deadly combination!  And, as Lisa and Kenny (and their new comrade Richard) kept reminding me, there was an empty moving van in the parking lot!  All that space, and all these pretty pretty things!  The voices in my head had reached a crescendo!

STOP.  Take deep breath.  Exhale.  OK….now try to think clearly, Howard.  I was able to regain some semblance of control and began to make thoughtful choices from among the delights surrounding me.  The French-style dining table, for its graceful lines and subtly bleached finish.  Yes, that would be the piece for this day (after all, two dining tables, four dining chairs, and an antique farm table purchased on previous visits were already stacked together outside awaiting loading).  But, what about that pair of ‘60s swivel chairs, delightfully covered in dark brown velour?  Aren’t they the embodiment of FABULOCITY?!?  Just as I was about to walk away from these hip iconic pieces, Larry (C&T’s houseman of sorts) innocently asked if the matching pair was to be loaded into the awaiting van.  I broke.  My resolve crumbled.  Witnessing my display of anguish/ecstasy, Larry decided it was best to abscond with the swivel set before I could veer into another lane of emotions.  Yes, Dear Readers, the chairs are mine.

By the time I’d euphorically completed my transaction, Larry and Kenny had loaded up the day’s booty into the box truck.  Richard and I had spent all our allotted Richmond time at C&T (it took him forever to decide on two vintage prints and a frame!), so we decided that it would be prudent to forego the trip to Ashland.  After all, most of the items housed there could make their way to The Warehouse piecemeal in the Passat.  Although, as you can see from this pic, there was room aplenty in the van’s box to fit many more monolithic pieces vintage furnishings.  I showed such restraint, did I not?!?

With the northbound traffic moving uncharacteristically swiftly, we made it back to the storage facility with time to spare.  This allowed us to thoughtfully unload the latest additions to my collection, so as to plan out the most effective use of my quickly dwindling storage space.  Hoping that no other space leasers needed to access the units adjoining mine, we hauled the day’s bounty to the second floor, and lined the corridor leading to my space with a multitude of tables and chairs.  OMG, would everything fit?!? 

Once again, Richard proved his worth by strategically planning how to best utilize the available space.  Pausing to artistically photograph each item before it was placed in The Warehouse, we managed to fit in all of them.  Granted, I’ll need a cherry picker to access some pieces now located in the hinterlands of the storage unit, but fiddle-dee-dee, I’ll worry ‘bout that tomorrow.

Many, many thanks to Richard for all his assistance.  And, I’m sure all the other I-95 travelers that day praised him for keeping me from behind the wheel of that big ol’ butch truck!  Howard driving a moving van….What a frightening thought!

The Weak....In Review.

Your fave addict experienced a serious bout of acquisition mania last week.  The onslaught of a nasty cold, combined with dreadful weather, must have put me in a particularly weakened state.  The defenses were down, and I was especially susceptible to the wiles of vintage furnishings.

Saturday:  This prolonged episode of Vertigo started with a trip to that bastion of vintage booty, Class and Trash .  Godson "V" accompanied me on a chilly and rainy morning on the trip south (godson "D" had a soccer game – in 43 degrees and pouring rain!  What madness!).  Actually, in my defense, I had a legitimate reason for visiting C&T (as if I need an excuse!):  a fantastic ‘30s vintage Chippendale-style wing chair that I had asked Lisa and Kenny to hold for me awaited a redesign.  Armed with a bag full of fabric, I was on my way to label the chair with swatches as a way of informing my upholsterer Blanca on how to proceed with turning the chair from frumpy to total Fabulocity!

Upon arriving at C&T, Vidic and I were greeted by Lisa and Kenny’s assistant Tammy – and a most interesting table that was sitting just inside the store.  I swear, Kenny placed this delightful and unique (though a bit marred and scarred) item right where I would immediately become enamored with it (he’s so evil that way).  Of course, in typical C&T manner, there were many other pieces of décor sitting on and around the table, requiring me to engage both Tammy and godson in unearthing the beckoning relic.  Upon digging out my find, it still presented a puzzle; while it initially appeared to be simply a console table (with wonderfully carved legs ending in perfectly intact and beautifully detailed ball-and-claw feet), it was apparent that the table somehow was meant to expand into something more.  Perhaps a game table?  After flipping the top, we discovered that the two halves actually pulled apart; the two leaves sitting nearby belonged to this amazing piece and, once the hidden support legs were unfolded, could be easily inserted to convert this console into a dining table sufficiently large to seat six!  Needless to say, this treasure was claimed in the name of Howard.

Wednesday:  Having driven back to and around town for four days with the aforementioned console/dining table in the back of the Passat (clearly visible for all the jealous gawkers), I was still flying from the high of my discovery when I ventured into the virtual ghetto of Craigslist .  No sooner had I started perusing the day’s offerings when I happened upon a listing for a “Queen Anne Desk” available in Capitol Hill – for a seemingly quite reasonable price.  Although the picture included in the ad was of an intriguing piece of furniture, it most certainly did not show anything resembling the Queen Anne style; nonetheless, I felt compelled to inquire into the availability of the piece.

After some email traffic between me and the offeror, I finally succumbed to the Siren’s call once again, and arranged to stop by the Cap Hill home to visit the desk on my way to have dinner with Sig-O and family.  That evening, before venturing into the Hill, I had to stop in Arlington to unload the table from C&T to make room for the impending purchase.  (You see, although I had not overtly committed to the desk, I knew that I would be too weak to say ‘no, thank you’ once I had it within my grasp.  I am nothing if not insightful.)

I was greeted at the door of the desk’s residence by the husband of the lady with whom I had negotiated via email.  A most affable man from Kentucky, he told me a charming tale of finding the desk during one of his many antiquing trips around Manassas, Virginia.  Well, dear readers, I guess I was in a particularly weakened state; I agreed to purchase the desk for the asking price, although upon close inspection the desk appeared to be neither Queen Anne nor antique.  Indeed, I would not be surprised if the item was actually made in a high school woodshop (though perhaps by someone’s now elderly father, which I suppose would at least make it ‘vintage’!).  Ah, but still it is a lovely piece, and I’m sure I can find a place for it among my collection.  I’m discriminating, but hate to discriminate. Oh well, perhaps I was expecting too much honesty from a Hill politico.  And, perhaps feeling a bit guilty for attempting to lead me astray with his tale of antiques, the seller did throw in a non-vintage yet lovely sconce as well as a large wall map for the godsons. 

Thursday:  Less than twenty-four hours later, and with the Hill desk having taken the place of the C&T table in the cargo-hold of my Passat, I found myself in one of our local hookah bars toasting Sharona at a Happy Hour fest wishing her well on her new job.  About an hour into the festivities, I receive a text from Diana, the Lady D; the message only contained a picture of two massive wing chairs and a matching ottoman!  I immediately ran outside into the cool, quiet night to call Lady D.  Visiting a local Falls Church thrift shop, she had come upon these items and of course had to signal me of their presence.  After some detailed descriptions, we finally decided that I must at least have the ottoman; Diana handled the transaction, and offered to transport the ottoman in her vehicle for me to pick up the next day at the office.  Diana also felt that I really should see the chairs, so I eventually excused myself from Sharona’s fete and rushed to the thrift store in hopes of not becoming instantly enamored with two large chairs which I would have no way of transporting.

Upon arriving at the shop, I quickly homed in on the objects of my search.  They were indeed as large and enticing as the Lady Di had described!  Although not terribly vintage (mid-‘80s?), they appeared to be in good structural condition, and the upholstery, though a tad outdated, was pristine.  The Queen Anne-style legs (yes, REALLY Q-A style this time!) were ornately carved, and the winged sides included unique armrests.  However, the handwritten tag attached to each showed a price significantly higher than that which Diana had quoted over the phone.  A quick call to her revealed that the shop’s workers had apparently decided that the chairs were more valuable than originally thought.  And, since the ladies manning the store during my time there seemed less than willing to discuss the chairs with me, my disgust overwhelmed my interest and I chose to leave the shop sans wing chairs.

By the end of the next day (Friday), Diana and I had successfully completed our ottoman transaction.  Now, days later, I have (1) an “antique Queen Anne” desk and (2) a chairless ottoman being transported hither and yon in the back of the furniture-weary Passat.  Both my wallet and I are drained by my extended bout of Vintage Vertigo, and I can’t bring myself to carry yet another piece of furniture into my already cramped home.  Yet, the Lady D called me earlier to inform me that the thrift store has assured her they would (probably) honor the original quoted price on the massive wing chairs.  Damn.

Happy Days at Class & Trash

The Fifties are fabulous (both the decade and the age…I have to include ‘age’ since I’m on the slippery slope myself!).  A recent trip to Fave Source numero uno, Class and Trash, resulted in lots of retro and reminiscing:  not only did I come upon some fantastic vintage ‘50s pieces, but also reconnected with high school sweetheart Debbie (yes, believe it or not, I had an actual GF-of-the-romantic-kind at one point in my life….!).  And of course, fellow trash diggers and C&T owners Lisa and Kenny Waldrop were on-hand to entice me with their shop’s wares.

While Debbie and I caught up on each other’s lives (we hadn’t had a face-2-face since Sig-O and I attended Debbie and hubby Rusty’s post-wedding shindig at sister Lou’s delightfully quirky house in Ashland, seven years ago!), I dragged her through the labyrinthian mounds of marvels that always greet me at C&T.  Within minutes, I happened upon on a fun retro barkcloth fabric remnant that simply defines ‘fabulocity’!  This atomic boomerang pattern is so iconic, with colors of pink, turquoise, lime green, black, white and metallic silver on a charcoal gray background.  Imagine this funky fabric on a black mid-century double cushioned slatted bench….Now where might I find one of those?  HHhmmmm…..

Thanks in part to Kenny and Lisa’s assistant Tammy, C&T always has a wide selection of retro California pottery.  I’ve often admired the pastel colors and stylized patterns typical of vintage California dinner- and serving-ware, and on an earlier C&T excursion fell in love with two pieces from Tammy’s offerings.  The oblong serving platter is by Winfield Pottery in their Dragon Flower pattern.  The pink and brown design depicting a desert flower works incredibly well among my vintage hodgepodge!  The round divided relish dish is embossed on the bottom: Lane & Co. Van Nuys, Calif. USA with the number 3060.  From my internet research, I’ve discovered that Lane & Company is another of the prolific California pottery houses of the 1950s/60s.  There are many collectors of Lane pottery items, especially their cookie jars.  The gold, brown, and green designs of this relish dish were airbushed by hand.  Both items are in flawless condition, and are eagerly awaiting their debut in my next garden party (or, for the next time Richard and Sharona stop by for an impromptu happy hour!)

Debbie and I had so much fun trawling the treasures at C&T.  I even managed to convince Debbie and Lisa to pose for a photo among the (other) vintage items (oh, boy…I’m going to be slapped by one or both ladies for that catty comment!  I’ll try to redeem myself by dubbing them “the Class among the Trash”. )  As always, my trip to C&T was sufficiently stimulating as to invoke another Vintage Vertigo attack.  My retro acquisitions were just the right antidote!