House Beautiful: my own home - II

My last move with in the previous city was into this one bedroom house. I made some amazing friends for life while living in this complex. And also spent the initial days of my pregnancy here before we moved back to India. This home was where most of my furniture came in. I religiously scouted thrift stores and craigslist to find vintage mid century pieces of my choice, So here we go.

Welcome home...

The front door and entryway. 
We had a shoes and jackets closet on the left and a Jack and jill bathroom on the right.

Living and dining room all in one :)

we bought a mid century piece initially and then brought home a Drexel's Declaration dining set designed by Kipp Stewart and Stuart Macdougall. Thats the dining area with the accent wall and a peek into our tiny kitchen.

A peek into the kitchen...The cabinets were very neat and very clean line..the way I like :)

a few more pictures of my kitchen on my food blog's kitchen tour post >> Kitchen Tour 

And back to the living area- a glance at how our furniture collection evolved. I picked up some lovely lamps and accessories from the 50-60s and tried to remain true to the vintage vibe with an addition of our Crosley radio :). Though we let go a lot over time, my husband and I have fond memories of all the lovely pieces we had. 

view of our dining area from the living area.

Mantle decked up with my set of Maparachi dolls and a frame of the embroidered elephant and a few other curios :)

The mantle decked up for Diwali, our festival of lights

clicked from while on the rocking chair. Oh yes I have a thing for rocking chairs :). Read more about the rockers I owned over time > Here and Here 

A few tablescapes :) with our priced possessions

My love for plants and greens indoors :)

The bedroom

 I miss this apartment and the group of friends we had memorable times with :).

Vintage Love : Teak Love, Modular Wall Unit

Item: modular wall unit 

Material: Teak

Designed by : Finn Juhl 

Manufactured by:  Bovirke of Denmark 

Year: 1953

Image: Sothebys

Vintage Love: Multi tasking cabinet!! All Teak and lovely

I came across this beautiful cabinet a few months ago and forgot to share it. Custom made and all teak wonderfully maintained. It has been with a single owner for over 50 years.

Designer: Custom made for the owner (in India)
Time/era: 1960s
Material: Wood and glass
Use: media cabinet, book shelf and curio cabinet

Clean line modernism influenced designers and consumers all over the world. India is where many such pieces were custom made for home owners. And i am glad we can still afford such custom made luxury (if we find the right artisan)

I was in awe when I saw the piece in person. A lovely piece of art!!!

Pics: by owner

Teak and jute chairs ~ awesomeness!

Off late, a local preloved/used goods buy/sell website has been full of surprises. Many seem to be selling their old furniture. And people like me must be doing a happy dance. 

I come across such amazing teak and jute piece, that I seriously wished for a store room :P. (As if i did not have enough stuff already!!)

The ad mentions them as antique Teak chairs. The moment I saw them I knew they looked so similar to the  iconic Harp chairs.  

Local sale: 
details unknown. The ad only mentions them as antique teak chairs

source: seller

the original

 source: architonic.com

source: 1stdibs

country of origin: Denmark
Year: 1968
Designer: Jorgen Hovelskov
Manufacturer: Christensen & Larsen

Dimensions:  h 127 cm, d 117 cm, w 104 cm, height of seat 40 cm. Details:
machine-age.com: "The curved shapes of the legs are reminiscent of Viking boats. These and the tightened ropes provide this chair with an impressive sculptural quality. "
Architonic.com adds "its flag halyard seat provides a unique optical effect."

Remarks:
I am yet to find out if they are original The pictures do not look like the original though.


PS: As I have always maintained that carpenters and craftsmen in india were great in replicating designs. We get to see many such reproductions of internationally known iconic pieces. I have been toying the idea of documenting such reproductions as and when I come across them 

Vintage Love ~ Mersman Tables ~ awesome!

Spotted these on the local C-list. Drooling over the wonderfully sculpted legs and the cool walnut wood grain :)

If only I could bring them home!! sigh

Vintage Love ~ Teak Credenza

Found this amazing credenza listed on the local C'list.

source

seller's desc: 

Extremely rare and large free-standing break-front cabinet designed by California Architect, Richard Thompson and produced by Glenn of California.

Vintage Love ~ Danish Bookcase /bookshelf

Lack of space, else this beauty would have been in my house right now!!

source:craigslist

unmarked, but so well made!..I fell  in love with those legs :P

Movies, Masti and Magic...Hindi Cinema and Danish/MCM

Bollywood and Regional movies showed us credenzas and dressers which were what the film stars could afford!. Notice the eclectic decor in this movie set : Anand Special focus on the 6 drawer at the back everything else which went into making this "home" while enjoying the song.

Did you notice the danish modern Sled leg credenza, the Lane(??) dining set,  hollywood regency style sofa and chairs, the dining table and chairs. The chair in which the Rajesh Khanna's friend and wife are sitting is a cool chaise with the danish modern look.

(Reposting a section of my previous post)

Vintage Love ~Magazine rack

Faulous Studio magazine rack by "Wierd Willy" - lift off tiers and beautifully crafted solid wood frame with hand carved one-piece legs. Signed on bottom: "Another creation from weird willy's wonderful world of wild and wacky wood works"

source: valiantvintage.com

Weekend Wishes

Have a happy and peaceful weekend

Vintage Love ~ Chair!

Something about wood and cane... :-)

source

Brass love!

One from our collection....

Friday Finds ~ French Butter Keeper (Butter Bell)

This week's find is a very utilitarian, antique pot/crock used to store butter  (with out the need for refrigeration :)

French Butter Keeper (or) Butter Bell 

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Before refrigerators came into being, butter was kept in earthenware pots, and sometimes submerged in water. I keep bumping into antique and modern versions of the Butter crocks/pots. The original water submerged  butter crock /bell is said to have originated in France in the Middle Ages. (5th to 15th century)

source

There are two pieces to the crock, the interior piece which holds the butter and the exterior which holds approximately 1/3 cup of cold water. The water works as a seal keeping your butter fresh and spreadable. If used correctly, butter is said to remain fresh for up to 30 days. Cool isnt it!!...Just keep changing the water every three days. Although butter may slip out in higher temperatures, this is better than a refrigerator because the butter is protected from the air, and it remains at room temperature. 

Off late, I see a lot of well known brands reproducing the old style crock. Which one would you want ??

Marble bell

source

Glass 

ceramic or vintage Enamel 

source

ceramic

source

I may end up getting one home soon...funny part - We don't eat butter...lol

Vintage Love ~ Floor Lamp

Came across this beautiful teak floor lamp and had to share it on TDE :). The owner repaired its broken stem with twine thread...and it still looks lovely

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I go weak in my knees when I see wooden lamps. Here is another one (a very detailed view)

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My grandfather made one in the late eighties. It is a simple lamp, but holds a special place in my heart. I lost the original shade but replaced it with a traditional Leather, Hand painted one (crafted by artisans who make puppets for Tholu  Bommalata ( traditional puppet show - Andhra Pradesh)

Friday finds ~ Brass Love - with updates :)

Found this beautiful brass and silver punch bowl (or may be dessert/ kheer serving set :)) 

via Etsy and blog

Exotic isn't it!!!!! The seller described it as a mid century (1950-60) set from India. I am researching on the period and style (looks more like a middle east inspired set to me)..what say?

An update:

Thanks everyone for the love! With so many co-enthusiasts pouring in their comments and ideas, I thought updating this post with some information would be the best thing to do.

This bowl could be from India (according to the seller). But influence is Old world middle eastern/ persian. :). I say this with all due respect to Indian style and handicrafts. We (Indians) cannot deny inspirations and influences we have had from artisans across the world. Most of the etched brass / bidri work etc. , we see in India now, are said to be inspired from work which dating back to mughal empire (1526 AD - 1803 AD) and little before the mughal period( 1200 AD - 1500 AD). During the sultanate (reign), artisans were brought from persia to work and transfer skills to Indian artisans. Hence, the Persian (middle eastern ) influence on our handicrafts (from that period and later).

Art and architecture in the Indian subcontinent, prior to mughal reign (1 AD - 1200 AD), belong to various styles for example, Sangam era aesthetics (in the south), and Rashtrakuta (north western and central parts), Kakatiyas, Guptas, etc (in the Gangetic plains and Deccan plateau). Our history is very rich when it comes to patrons of art, crafts and architecture

Indian craftsmen have known to exchange ideas with every civilization existing during their times, all thanks to extensive trade and political dynamics (for example Greek invasion (180 BC - 1AD)- who can forget Alexander), and migrations from southern Siberia into Gandhara, Kashmir, Punjab, and into parts of Western and Central India,Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.

I believe that our furniture, art and architecture have influenced rest of the world as much as we have been inspired.  Hope this information clarifies as to why most of our indian handicrafts look similar to this. . I would definitely like to know more (and feel free to send in corrections if any). 

Thank you for liking the post and stopping by to comment..love to see co enthusiasts share their views and ideas

Friday Finds ~ Movies masti and magic. Indian movies and Danish /MCM inspirations.....MGR style!

I am back with my movies and art direction series...apologies for the long break in posting a song from my folder...So, dont you love all the gooey goodness in this set. What is not to love, wood tones, wall unit, long couch with such pretty side tables, lamps...dont miss the dining set in the long shot (Neils O Moller's teak set. yay!..:)..All set in a beautiful 50s inspired floor plan with a caned lattice screen/room divider and a welded iron room divider (sigh!), embossed wall, and all the beautiful details. I could just keep going.

While you devour all the the decor pieces and the set, enjoy a romantic number with a beautiful and very stylish  Jayalalitha and the evergreen MGR. (I dont mind their occasional jumping jacks)

sing: enna porutham
Movie :Ragasiya Police 115 Directed by B. Ramakrishnaiah Panthulu Starring M. G. Ramachandran J. Jayalalitha M. N. Nambiar S. A. Ashokan Nagesh Music by M. S. Viswanathan Lyricist: Kannadasan Studio Padmini Pictures Release date(s) 11 January 1968

Art in our movies was so classy in the 50s and 60s

View my other posts on Indian Cinema and Danish inspirations..
here

Vintage Love ~ Westnofa from Norway

I have been keeping away from craigslist for a while now. I dint want to get into the temptation of buying something and not being able to get it home for the lack of space. But a week was all I could hold out. (lol)...And found this beautiful set of Westnof teak frame loveseat and chair...lovely isnt it!..a little beyond my budget but whatz the harm in looking right!

Modern Scandinavia has a long line of wonderful designers and wonderful designs to its credit!...Norway's Westnofa has a long history of innovative design and quality construction. This is a classic Siesta chair and ottoman from Ingmar Relling's kitty. 

The famous "Siesta" chair and ottoman are said to capture the true Scandinavian flavor. This elegant chair with its proud profile was originally Relling's submission to the Norwegian Furniture Council competition in 1964, where he won a well deserved first prize. The Siesta is considered the most comfortable chair 

that conforms to your body.

The best part of this deal is that this seller also has a very rare loveseat from the same designer...sweet!

I am not a leather lover..but really appreciate the beautiful piece!

The number of museums this chair is displayed:
Röhsska Museet, Göteborg
Victoria & Albert Museum, London
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne (s. engl. Wikipedia)
Die Neue Sammlung, München
Cooper-Hewitt Museum, New York, (zugehörig zum Smithsonian Institution)
The National Design Museum, New York, (zugehörig zum Smithsonian Institution)
Smithsonian Institution, New York
Nationalmuseum Oslo, Oslo

PS: images courtesy craigslist seller