Oct 25, 2010

Friday Finds - Linen Press

This week's Friday find is a very functional antique furniture piece which was a staple in affluent home in the mid 1800s.
source: amazon

Oh no, I am not talking about an ironing board. :-). What I was to showcase is called a Linen Press. Probably a predecessor to our ironing boards and the steam iron :-)

Linen Press seem to have been a popular utility furniture item in the 19th century. I first saw this piece in a local furniture museum and researched more on the origins and the use of such well made piece of furniture. It looked more like a printer/binding press (I was almost right in guessing its purpose). It turned out that households in the 1800 and early 1900's used them keep their folded linen creases free. Amazing isnt it :-)

source: galenfrysinger(com) 


This is how it must have looked in a room set up


source:oldandinteresting(com)
A little history...

"LINEN PRESS. Poland, Gdańsk, c. 1700. Table-linen presses are of particular importance as examples of Gdańsk richly decorated functional furniture. They are in the form of a table on which the main part – the press – is placed. It is regulated by a large screw, framed by spiral columns. The sculpted figures at the top are personifications of Faith and Hope." source:wawel.krakow.pl




This is a miniature on display courtesy krugercollection


Little more info...
LINEN-PRESS, a contrivance, usually of oak, for pressing sheets, table-napkins and other linen articles, resembling a modern office copying-press. Linen presses were made chiefly in the 17th and 18th centuries, and are now chiefly interesting as curiosities of antique furniture. Usually quite plain, they were occasionally carved with characteristic Jacobean designs. source: 1911encyclopedia

Another piece of furniture which a namesake: a simple Armoire or a cupboard. While reasearching about the linen press I came to know that a simple cupboard was also called a Linen Press.


Quoting wiki

Traditionally, a linen-press (or just press) is a cabinet, usually of woods such as oakwalnut, or mahogany, and designed for storing sheets, table-napkins, clothing, and other textiles. Such Linen-presses were made chiefly in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries and are now considered decorative examples of antique furniture. Early versions were often quite plain, with some exhibiting carving characteristic of Jacobean designs. Examples made during the 18th and 19th centuries often featured expensive veneers and intricate inlays, and were designed to occupy prominent places in early bedrooms as storage closets for clothing.
In modern houses, a linen press is often a built-in cabinet near bedroom or bathroom, for easy access to fresh bed sheets and towels. Analogous terms are laundry cupboard or linen cupboard. In Ireland the term hot press describes an airing cupboard used for storing linen.


source: woodcraft (com)
I recommend this article on Linen Press in the Old and Interesting repository. There is a lot more for you to explore on this site...Do take a look. 

Probable use of a linen press found via an Illustration
note the perfect crease/folds on the table cloth: source: expositions.bnf.fr

Hope you found the find interesting!! :-)

Oct 20, 2010

Votes Please

It feels nice to see a popular fellow blogger being featured by another very popular Home Design Blog- Apartment therapy. (YAY!!!). AT has been running a series /contest called- Room for Colo(u)r Contest and readers votes decide the winner(s). (US and International)


Kamini, who blogs @ Safforn and Silk has her Saffron Sanctuary Bedroom among other international entries. Your vote could help her win. So please take time out and and cast your vote for her entry

More on Kamini...
Kamini is a wonderful artist and an accomplished interior designer. Wanna know more about her..I recommend you read Divya's post - Artist Profile - Kamini on Sound Horn Please and Kamini's home tours on Gagan's blog>of Peacocks and paisleys and on Priya's OUATT

Coming back to the contest....

Link:>>Contest
(pic courtesy Apartment therapy)
And this is how you vote!....
All you need to do is visit Apartment therapy's page with Kamini's entry and cast your vote. It would be nice to see a blogger from Mana Hyderabad to win under International Category :-)..(Dont mind me stressing the hyderabadi aspect, Once a Hyderabadi always a Hyderabadi u c....lol)

Whats in it for you?!!
I will be happy to see a professional Interior designer's Hyderabadi home win the contest.(I know you love to see me happy!!)...and then, if you dint know AT already, I have opened a window to one of the most beautiful spaces in the Cyberworld.

So rush and do your thing!!


PS: you have to register (for free) to vote...it only takes a minute...(hardly!!)...so rush and vote

Oct 18, 2010

Love - Craigs(list) and I

Read more about my Craigslist love (Oh! as if you dint know ;-)...On my other blog >> HERE


Oct 17, 2010

Friday Finds - Propeller table & An Artist Showcased

I came across Damon's work via flickr. It was great to find a very talented sculptor and artist who loves to turn scrap metal and found objects into pieces of art. One such creation is his Propeller table. I am glad he agreed to be featured on The Design Enthusiast.

This Propeller table is what triggered my interest to feature his work under Friday Finds.
About the table..
Damon says - "The table is made from salvaged junk from my local scrapyard. The base is made from a spun stainless steel half sphere..I found two of them but have no clue what they were from. The section on top of the base is ceramic originally was used at a power station. it is also from the scrap yard, and the propeller fan blade, plus there are some auto transmission parts and a few other scrap yard parts. The glass is a new addition from the smaller one seen in the first pics, it was found at a salvage store"


Details...




The table in use :-)..doenst it look like a great Atomic / Sputnik kind of piece.


He has a Sculpture company called Atomic Junk Show and is passionate about turning scrap and salvaged parts into art forms! (yes, even the furniture pieces are art forms in every sense).

About Damon:

Damon started welding back in the 80's and owns a sculpture studio is in Akron Ohio. He seems to find some amazing junk/scrap locally, which inspire him to create more amazing things!

To see what I mean, here is a peek into his world>> Flickr 

He says
"My studio is filled top to bottom with ton's of cast off scrap, that can be transformed into what you see in my picture's...there is nothing better than taking something no one want's and transforming it into something people are willing to pay good money to own it." I find his style is very industrial and sci-fi (I cannot help it, its the stainless steel love in me talking)....:-)

He is all set to open a store called The "Bomb Shelter" in Arkon, Ohio. He plans to showcase his work and fill the 10,000 square foot store with cool vintage, antique, retro, industrial and new pieces.He is a regular at local scrap yards and drags all kinds of stuff home to create found object sculptures...

Damon says - "it's truly unbelievable what people scrap! I love the vintage scifi movie's and just about anything that relates to old science fiction, so a lot of my work is influenced from that. "

I loved his work. Isn't it is nice to see people find beauty in everything around them. Such people are really inspiring and I secretly envy their creative skills..:-)


All pictures courtesy :Damon

Oct 1, 2010

Friday Finds : Mammy Rocker

I have a thing for rockers, I have written about the ones I have in my earlier posts. :-)..HERE and HERE

And this friday, I dedicate my post to a very funky looking rocker which was designed to suit an entire family. It is called the mammy rocker. I had it in my folder for a while, and when another one of these vintage furniture pieces came up on the local craigslist, I remembered the one in my folder and decided to make it this friday's feature.

These bench rockers were said to be very popular in the mid 1800's and until the late 1900's.

General Description: source: worthpointantique
Style: Early American; Type: Rocker/bench/settee; Time line: 1800- early1900s 



what's so special about this rocking bench?
A removable wooden spindle/plank shaped bar to rock a baby while you rock :-). This may be a common feature but I loved it and thought it was a design innovation born out of an ingenious necessity (still researching on the who and why?)

Fixing a bar/handle/plank makes it baby safe (at least looks like it)

image source: craigslist

Other super cool models...

Black painted wooden bench-style baby rocker with gilded painted floral design and safety enclosure.
 source: Provenance: Gemini Antiques, Bridgehampton, NY.


This one is a miniature with a drop down spindles
source: libx.bsu.edu
Mammy Rocker; Artist / Creator: W.P.A. Project, Indiana.
circa1939

Found another with a higher baby guard / railing
source: ecrater.com

Seller described it as:
Nice early, rare (mid 1800's) mammy's bench with its' original surface. Railing lifts out if you want just a regular bench all the way across. Dimensions are 48" long x 27" high and the seat is 16 1/2" deep. 



Before I say adios for now, here is another very unique mammy rocker 
source: ebay classifieds
Seller says: A rare mammy bench with a wooden childs' rocker for the child to sit / sleep in. A child could place her baby doll beside her to rock it. This would be great for a childs' room, or a nursery at church. 

Beautiful isnt it!!....

adding pinterest script 3. Changing the Position of the Pin it! button The cool thing about this code is that you have some freedom over where the Pinterest button for Blogger will go over the image. Take a look at the code that you just copied and pasted into the HTML for the word 'center'.