Craigslist Love. Los Angeles.

My wish-list from Los Angeles' Craigslist:

Arthur Umanoff Magazine Rack Side Table  $399 obo

Rosewood Laurel Floor Lamp $1200

Danish Modern Secretary Desk $900

 Danish Modern Teak Settee with Rope Seat $275

Mid Century Modern Coffee Table $600

Danish Modern Sofa $650

Adrian Pearsall Craft & Associates Lounge Chair $600

Mid Century Wall Unit with Desk Top

We scored this on Friday at a vintage sale.  I love the design and the drop down desk top.  I like this piece so much I am considering swapping out my hutch in the dining room. We'll see how it looks in the space once we get it refinished. My husband started the stripping process today.  I hope to finish this next weekend.

I don't know exactly what you call this. I call it a wall unit, but that might refer to something more like a Cado.  What would you call this piece? 

Painting Vintage and Mid Century Modern Furniture.

I recently sold a little cut-out Heritage table locally. I loved it as is but always thought it was the perfect design for a fresh coat of bright paint. Check out what the new owner did with it:

Before

After:

And other painted vintage pieces: 

Hot Pink Mid Century Bookcase @ Fabulous Mess

Painted Brasilia Dresser @ Casa Sugar

Blue Hollywood Regency Dresser @ Custom Nursery Art 

Pink Accent Vintage Dresser @ Project Nursery

Yellow Vintage Credenza @ Mabel's House

Blue Desk Credenza @ Curbly

Yellow Vintage Chair @ Circa Furniture

What do you think?  Are you a purist or open to mod colors on vintage furniture? 

Black and White Mid Mod Style

Check out this awesome little desk and chair set on Craigslist Los Angeles.  I bet it's Cal Style Furniture.  It reminds me of the set I sold last year by Cal Style.   It has that same atomic styling with metal legs.

I just love these mod black and white designs of the 50's and 60's. 

 You don't see them too often.

My Very Own Brasilia

It's a wonderful day for Rhan Vintage.  After coveting and dreaming of my very own piece of Broyhill's Brasilia line for many, many years, I'll get my own tomorrow.

I'll be traveling more than 3 hours one way to pick up a triple dresser, mirror and matching night stands. They are coming to me a mess, from the second owner.  The night stands have been painted black, 2 drawers of the dresser have been painted black and all of the pieces will need sanding to remove years of scratches and water stains.  That's okay though, I don't mind the work.  I'll post before and after pics!  

In the meantime, here are some Brasilia pieces to admire.  And check out my former post on Brasilia furniture here.

Chest

@ Crooked Shmooked

Hutch

@ Crooked Shmooked 

Headboard

@ Mr. Modtomic 

Desk

@ Mr. Modtomic

Triple Dresser - this is what I'm getting! 

@ Furnish Me Vintage

Tall Chest Dresser

@ Modern Mobler

Dining Set 

@ Furnish Me Vintage

Double Dresser

@ Room For Young Ones

Atomic Age Dresser and Desk Set

Check out this funky and unique set from the 1950's!  I purchased this atomic style dresser and desk set this past Saturday from an estate sale.  It was a fun couple of hours.   The daughter of the woman who had recently moved in to an elderly home was the only person running the sale. She was quite a character and so much fun to meet and talk to.  She had stories about every single item in that home.

The house....well if you've seen the show "Hoarders" that will give you a good idea of what some of the rooms looked like in this home.  Fortunately I'm not afraid to dig and climb and rummage.  I actually kind of like it.  It makes me feel like Mike or Frank from American Pickers.

This awesome set was in one of the bedrooms and under feet of books and miscellaneous and dust, inches of dust.  Still, I saw them and knew I had to have them.  They are in surprisingly good condition after cleaning them up - even the white tops!   Made by Cal-Style Furniture Co. Los Angeles, "Nordia" style.

I thought for a minute about keeping the dresser for a future baby/child's room but then I decided to sell and keep the set together. They belong together and I have no need for the rather large desk.

So here they are - pretty fun huh?  and I just love the orange chair!

Mid Century Desk - What a FIND!

I swung by my favorite Salvation Army today "just to see" what there was. I literally can't help myself. If I'm out on a quick errand and there is a thrift store nearby, I'm there. Today was one of those wonderful days when I just quickly dropped in and made a great, unexpected find.

Check out this fabulous long peg leg mid century desk. I plan to begin restoration in the next few weeks.

Craigslist Finds - What I'm Loving Today

I love-love-love to surf Craigslist Los Angeles for mid century pieces (and pretend like money is no object - yeah right). I'm always amazed at the incredible things I find. Here are my favorites for today. I could easily become a mid century hoarder!

Mid Century Danish Lounge Chair with Slat Back. Simply gorgeous!

1950's Black and White Television. Look how small the screen is! Too cool.

Lane Coffee Table. I have the small circle version of this...and it wants a partner! I love Lane's beautiful lines and curves.

Bright Yellow Vinyl Retro Rolling Office Chair. I just love the pop of color. This would look fantastic in a white room!

1950's Mid Century Multi Color Desk. Too cute! I love fun, varnished pieces. Check out that radio!

Mid Century Modern Rocking Chair. Yes, I'll take the whole room please.

My Desk Restoration - Finished!

I finished restoration of my 1950's Mainline desk and I am so proud of it! Final product is pictured above. I'm now sitting at it as I type this! I'm amazed at how pieces can come back to life with a little (or sometimes, a lot..) of effort. Surprisingly this one wasn't too bad - I thought it would be worse.

I got so excited to start this project that I forgot to take a "before" shot. Stupid! But I did take one after it was stripped (below) The desk was covered in a brown shiny lacquer and had a lot of scratches, dents and chips. The hardware was faded and in general, the whole piece was pretty beat up.

Here was the process (if you want to try a restoration yourself):

1. Strip it:
Pieces from the 50's and 60's are very commonly covered in a lacquer or shellac. Test the finish to determine which it is. Shellac and lacquer are both clear finishes like lacquer but it's hard to tell which it is just by looking.

First apply Denatured Alcohol (available at Home Depot, Lowe's, etc.). If it liquifies it's shellac and you're good to go in wiping it off. If not, next try Lacquer Thinner (again available at any home improvement store). Let it sit for 5-10 seconds, then wipe with a clean cloth or steel wool. If the finish wipes off it's Lacquer.

Continue with the stripper you need to dissolve the finish. Fine Steel Wool works very well in removing finishes without damaging the wood. Make sure you get almost all of the finish off before moving to sanding.

2. Sand it:
Once your piece is stripped down to it's wood it's time for sanding. You can always smooth over your piece by hand but a sander makes life so much easier. There are really small, comfortable hand-held sanders for around $30 these days. If your piece has light marks in the wood use a fine sandpaper to lightly remove them. Start with a medium grade sand paper for deeper scratches and finish with a fine sandpaper.

Deep cuts might require a wood filler. There are many color options to choose from. If you plan to stain your piece dark, look for a filler that is close to the stain color or a light colored filler that takes stain. Always sand the filler down flush with the wood before staining it.

3. Prep the wood:
Once your piece is smooth you'll want to make sure there are no dust particles or pieces of dirt, etc. on the surface. Run over the wood with Tack Cloth (available at any home improvement store). Tack is a sticky cloth that will remove any surface residue.

Next, condition the wood. This is an important step that you should not skip. Apply a coat of Wood Conditioner (again, any home improvement store) prior to staining. It will sink into the wood and prepare it to absorb the stain more evenly for a beautiful color.

4. Stain and Seal:
Almost done - this is my favorite part because you see all the hard work you put into stripping and sanding pay off! Choose the stain of your choice. Apply according to directions. Always apply with the grain of the wood. I like to use staining pads for an easy, nice application. I always apply stain and then swoop off the residue with a clean cloth. You do not want extra stain sitting atop your wood. It won't absorb evenly. I like to do at least 2 coats. Apply as many coats as you like to get the desired color.

Once the color is achieved and your piece has dried completely, apply a sealer to protect the finish and give it a lovely sheen. There are many varieties of sealer to choose from. I like to use a semi gloss which gives it a very low sheen. I applied Polyurethane on my desk pictured. I did 2 coats to make sure all areas were covered and the wood was protected well. I use a very fine brush to apply my sealer and spend a lot of time to do it right. The last thing you want is to make it all the way to this last step then rush it and have streaks.

Voila - your piece is done! If you have hardware that needs cleaning use Brass-O or Silver Cleaners to buff them.

Last piece of advice: Wear gloves during any stripping and staining. While sanding wear a mask and goggles!

Feel free to write me with any questions about this process. I love to refinish and inspire others to try it!

Pictured below is the desk after I stripped it (and did one test run of sanding).