Empire Redeux

The Empire returns. This time in the form of two dressers. The first, and ready for a new home, is a four drawer mahogany beauty that is in very good condition. The grain patterns are striking and the shape of the top drawer and detailing is classic Empire period. The second dresser, arriving sometime later this week, is a more unusual piece. This will surely merit before and after photos! Be sure to stop by to watch the work in progress.

Our 6 month anniversary celebration was a huge success! Thanks to all who came by. Many of our larger pieces now have new homes. As a result, the Redeux Spa is working overtime…and then some. Many of your requests for certain pieces have been found and I’m getting these up on the shop floor as soon as possible. In no particular order here is what is available now or will be before weeks end:

Trunks. We now have two available. One is a whimsical decoupage, stencil and hand-painted with rope handles. It would make an excellent end table or coffee table. The second is a rather sturdy fellow made of oak and most likely made late 1800’s to very early 1900’s. Great condition!

Coffee tables. We now have a really nice mahogany table with uncommon (bird) claw feet and a protective glass insert top.

Sofa table. A table that might also double as a writing desk is ready. It has a nicely sized top drawer.

Accent tables. Our Tailor’s table is a rare find. Made of oak it is surprisingly lightweight and has folding legs held in place by a unique wood bow-strap on the underside. It would make a striking lamp table.

Muffin Table.  A three- tiered wood display piece, thus named because of its round, muffin-like shelves. But, I suppose some freshly baked muffins would fit nicely, too!

We also have some unusual accent pieces that will be coming up soon. Great for gift-giving or for treating yourself. Finally, the Ranch Oak desk and corner piece have been finished and are awaiting a new home! Both pieces have loads of hand-detailing and a newly restored rich, warm natural finish. It is pictured at right as our "Featured Item".

Ask and ye shall receive! We have been asked numerous times to find really nicely scented, quality drawer liner paper. While I sometimes find it hard to believe, not everyone is especially fond of the smell of turpentine or wax. Well, Redeux has done it again. We have located a manufacturer that makes wonderfully scented drawer paper that will make everything smell great. And, like everything at Redeux Vintage Furniture, these liner papers are made in the USA! They should arrive sometime the week of October 19-20.

We are getting in more scented candles, too. The response to our line of JeT’aime candles has been terrific. Long lasting, great scents…made in the USA, of course.

Watch for our holiday hours which will begin in November. And, for some very special events!

Thanks, and hope to see you again soon.

Bill

Party Animals!

Party Animals. Yes, that will be us at Redeux Vintage Furniture this weekend. And you’re invited!

Redeux is celebrating our “first six months anniversary”. And very successful months they have been…thanks to all of our customers, now new friends.

Starting this Friday, 9/30/11, 3:00 ‘til 7:00 P.M. (just in time for all you teachers to stop by after school!) and continuing Saturday 10/1/11, 9:30 – A.M. -5:00 P.M. we’ll be celebrating, enjoying some great refreshments and having free drawings! We’ll be raffling some pieces of art, some of our very special scented candles, and gift certificates for discounts for any in-stock item of your choice! It’s our way of saying to each of our customers and visitors to our shop, "thank you, thank you very much”. 

It will be a fun weekend. You can meet “The Redhead”, meet fellow Redeux fans and enjoy a little knosh!  

You will also be able to see our new pieces ready for Fall. Maybe you’ll even win a gift certificate!

We’ve added so many new items to our inventory these past two weeks or so it feels like a new store. We’ve got several very nice side tables, including some writing tables/desks.

A lovely hall console and mirror would make a striking and practical entry way set.

We’ve found some really wonderful vintage smaller items that will be great accent or conversation pieces, including some made–in-New York, hand painted toleware. Vintage pottery, glassware and some very interesting metal items are also now in the shop. Many of these pieces were made long ago right here in Connecticut.

Our lighting collection has grown. We now have several very interesting table and floor lamps. The painted “Sight Light” floor reading lamp (not yet photographed), made in Deep River, CT 60-70 years ago is the perfect den lamp!

We have also just gotten up on the shop floor an especially nice five-drawer oak chest. A small, pine chest, stained and painted red is really stunning.

There are just so many new and very interesting pieces that you’ll have to come down to the shop this weekend and see them in person.  And have some fun, too!

I’d also like to mention that our building, "Quarterboard Row”, has a new shop opening up this very weekend.

Saks Thrift Avenue is a new funky, eclectic, wonderful clothing and accessory shop. Very different from anything around,it will have a great NYC, SoHo look and feel… at very reasonable prices! Colleen O’Toole will be managing the shop. Her mom, Mary, also owns the Designer Labels shop in Westport. 

Saks Thrift Avenue will open for business this Saturday, October 1^st.  

With Redeux Vintage Furniture, Maureen Buckley’s FrameMaker’s picture framing and art gallery and now Saks Thrift Avenue, plus other great stores, developer Joe Formato is making Quarterboard Row a great shopping destination for everyone.

Looking forward to seeing you all at this weekend's Anniversary Celebration at Redeux: Friday 3:00 til 7:00; Saturday 9:30 til 5:00!

Landstrom Desk arrives at Redeux

Summertime, and the Livin’ was Easy.

Well, summertime is certainly over at Redeux. The Redeux Furniture Spa is working overtime readying some of the nicest and most interesting pieces we have yet had.

Just arrived and ready are a mahogany Landstrom Furniture ,pre-1950, pedestal desk and a charming oak Mission style desk / writing table. We have been trying to keep up with the demand for interesting, quality pieces for your offices and homes and these two pieces are excellently made and beautiful to look at.

 Also new to the shop is a pine chest. Painted a mustard yellow, this is the "real deal". The piece appears to date from the late 1800's and the paint has plenty of age to it so is most likely original. It's a real beauty and is both functional and great as a display. Perfect for a guest room. 

A Victorian spindle rocking chair is also ready for you. This would be a nice addition to a bedroom or a quiet nook where you can read Jane Austin or Edith Wharton and easily imagine yourself back in that era. 

For another step back in time, a folk-painted vintage school chair with iron base will make a great conversation piece or very different occasional seating.

Our lighting selection includes several interesting items, including a 1950’s Eames style floor lamp in bright yellow. It’s on display now in our front window. We also have gotten in two art-deco table lamps.  The pictures of these will be posted on our web site ASAP.

Original paintings, signed prints, lithographs and vintage pottery are also now in. When it comes to art, The Redhead has spotted some rare finds.

Coming up this weekend is a wonderful John Wanamaker round, saber legged side table. This piece is very elegant and graceful. You'll be able to see this piece at Redeux even before it is photographed and the pictures posted.

All in all, Redeux is working at full steam to bring you the best authentic American vintage furniture and art.

Welcome back from vacation. Stop by soon!

Bill

Florence Griswold and the Twisted Sister

Knowing what we should do is very often just as important as knowing why we should do it.

 

A few weeks ago the Redhead and I, along with friends Joe and Mary Lou, made an excursion to the former, turn of the century, Connecticut Impressionistic art colony in Old Lyme – the Florence Griswold Museum.  Situated on the Lieutenant River, the museum consists mainly of a modern gallery building and the original mansion that served as the incubator for the Connecticut School of Impressionistic Art starting in 1900.

Art and beauty take many forms. The natural beauty of the Griswold riverfront property served as the inspiration for the beauty created by the many artists that took up residence there for a season – or longer. The mansion provided both inexpensive lodging and facilitated camaraderie for the artists. The hospitality shown by Florence Griswold to her guests was legendary and at some point each decided to return something to her – a piece of art, most often painted on the very walls and doors of the home. While touring the home one can view these paintings and stand in the rooms, largely furnished as they were in 1900, and imagine the conversations that those rooms once held.

History. The history of a time, a place and the people that made it surrounds you. In the dining room a piece of furniture caught my eye: a sideboard/server, made of mahogany. Nice enough, but what really caught my eye was what should not have been there. A large, black water mark, most likely caused by placing a water pitcher on the furniture and leaving it there for a while, was very prominent. And it’s been there for one hundred years. Who would have done such a thing to a beautiful piece of furniture? Was it the landscape artist Henry Ward Ranger? Or perhaps William Chadwick or Matilda Browne? Maybe it was Florence Griswold herself or one of her kitchen helpers.  No one now knows. But what fired my imagination was thinking of who it might have been and how it had happened. This imperfection, this mistake, told a story. And thankfully, I think, no one “fixed” it. Which brings me to The Twisted Sister.

This past Spring I found two sisters in an upstate Connecticut junk shop. One was rather tall, slender, dark complected and had borne her years with grace. The other was shorter, a bit stout and with a ruddy complexion. But, she had great legs. Two sisters. Close in age, but having very different looks.  The taller one required only short stay at the Redeux Spa. The other had had a life of some misfortune - certainly with a few hard knocks. Her legs, once elegant, were now all askew – twisted. Her top was stained with age and water spots. What to do, what to do? Setting  her straight was, of course, the first thing.  Giving her a new protective coat of varnish and some color highlights (I’m told girls really like these!) were also easy decisions. But what about the stains?  Some would sand her until not a trace remained of her blemishes.  This was probably the best way to make this sister new again. But, she isn’t new, I kept thinking. What to do?

Thanks to an afternoon with dear friends, in the company of the spirit of Florence Griswold and her artist house guests, the answer came. History is often told through the wear and tear on both people and things. How each bears its scars, blemishes and imperfections helps determine its true value.  I think Twisted Sister looks just beautiful.  Spend a few minutes with her and you’ll likely agree – and maybe invite her to your home.

Redeux has added to its vintage paintings collection with a charming still life of fruit and also a pair of small landscapes. One is reminiscent of the Griswold river estate. Also available is a vintage bird cage that would make a great plant holder, especially an ivy that would wind its way through the wire cage grill work. We have, too, some very handsome floor lamps each having touches of Bakelite and fancy metal work.

With the Fall season now approaching, the Redeux Spa is in high gear. Lots of goodies are queuing up for their turn in the Spa. Thanks to everyone who has stopped by during the summer. Your encouragement, appreciation for what Redeux does and your suggestions have been wonderful. Thank you! 

Looking forward to seeing you soon.

Bill

Lone Star

Say,"Vintage furniture" and the usual image that comes to mind is either turn of the century to mid-century traditional or 1960’s retro. At least that’s what most Easterners might imagine. But what does Western vintage furniture look like? That’s right, Pardner, Western Vintage.

August Brandt immigrated to the United States from Germany and opened a furniture shop in Fort Worth, Texas around 1900. Using skills brought with him from Europe and later having his line of furniture standardized by his son and successor, Paul Brandt, the A. Brandt Ranch Oak furniture line was born. The furniture incorporates old-world craftsmanship like hand detailing (hewn and chiseled areas on each piece), doweled joints and American oak. I have never seen this type of furniture before and likely won’t again. Redeux is proud and delighted to have several pieces of this 1940-1950 era A. Brandt Western vintage Ranch Oak furniture in our shop. We have a large, office-sized desk with drawers, a corner cabinet, an end table and a very interesting three-piece sectional style couch.

These pieces will soon be given some minor Redeux Spa attention. To preview these pieces I suggest you do so soon. Once they have been given the Redeux Spa treatment these pieces might not stay around too long. So, “Giddy up, Pardner”!

Just about through with the spa treatment is the drop-leaf kitchen table and chair set that was pictured in our last blog. A sneak preview of the chair color is above. The table will be painted our “Redeux White” with an added surprise accent. This kitchen set has a great “cottage” look and feel to it.

Finally, the shop has a new layout. The counter area is up front and the furniture is now displayed in room-like settings. Also, by popular request, we have extended our week day hours until 6:00 P.M. and until 7:00 P.M. Thursday's. That will make it easier for some of you to stop by after work. So, stop by to see the changes and to say hello - or, “Howdy, Pardner”!

Hope to see you soon,

Bill