A look at the many shapes of a Pearsall Jacks Table, plus new projects for spring!

I had an amazing weekend of deliveries!  The wave lounge is happy in it’s new home and the gold velvet tufted set is also loved and moved in.  I have the best clients! Love you guys!  

This piece is happy in it’s new home!  Love making furniture dreams come true! 

So what is next? I know you guys want to know!  First off I was so smitten by that Royale fabric, I just ordered 7 yards in blush.  It will be used on those great little Billy Baldwin style x benches I have. I have one ripped apart and ready for upholstery and will get to work on the second.  I have my pricing and these will be priced at $800 for the pair.  Super labor intensive project but worth the save!   I am thinking of adding a few buttons up top for interest.  I am a few months out from getting these to upholstery but at any time, feel free to claim them! They will be perfect at the foot of a bed! Very sturdy and well made.  They will be tailored and refined, much different than my typical mcm offerings.  

I am also going to collect more of the Craft Associates/Adrian Pearsall pieces that I am buying. I still have the jacks coffee table available which is priced under others in my markets.  There are replicas of this table out there so be careful.  What sets mine apart is that the end piece is not square.  That skew fits in the glass much better and adds more visual interest than the squared up version.  

The catalog page for the piece.  

Love that mine is not squared off but skewed! If you are spending money on this table, make sure you spend time comparing your options!  They are NOT all the same!

Variation. Possible knock off as not in Pearsall Catalog. The only way to confirm authenticity is by reaching out to the Pearsall family,  They will authenticate a piece for a small fee. 

This one is like mine! ☝️ 

Knock off-Reproduction-non authentic.  Whatever you call it, not the real deal.  Awkward looking too!

Not as sexy with this glass.  I suspect it may not be original.  Glass is super expensive to have cut and if you do not have the original shape traced to give the shop, you get this. 

I have no reason to believe mine is not authentic as it comes from a home with many more authentic pieces.  Speaking of that, I am ready to pick up more of these great pieces!  The upholstered goods all need restoration.  I will be taking them for quotes and yardage requirements as soon as I pick them up.  Then I will come up with as is pricing.  You will be able to purchase and arrange your own work.  You also can purchase and I can use my negotiated rates with my upholsterer (at his cost) plus I can help you with fabric selection using my wholesale and trade accounts (you save even more!).  

WANTED: SAVVY SHOPPERS WHO WANT VINTAGE FURNISHINGS CUSTOMIZED AND PERFECTED JUST FOR YOU! 

There is a pair of this model.  I will not be splitting them! You can customize them to match your decor and I can arrange all of the work! 

I also have this piece with the ottoman coming.  It is amazing and you might have to fight me for it.  

This piece will be restored by me for me!  Super excited to finish this for my own living room. I have been wanting the perfect couch to replace our 14 year old sectional which my husband loves too much!  This 10’+ piece fits that bill! I even bought the fabric!  What do you think? 

I am staring an 8 week class this Thursday with Kutztown University’s Small Business division.  Looking forward to seeing where I can take this business next.  I love working with people across the country but I also know that my only way to grow and succeed is to break out with more services locally.  I need to connect to local professionals who would use my services.  I am not at the point where I feel I can support loans for capital and being a bookkeeper for much of my working life with other small business owners has taught me that life is very volatile and honestly, my personal funds cannot support my business so I will be treading lightly through this but excited to knock heads with other like minded entrepreneurs and see what opportunities are out there.  I would love to eventually end up in a retail/work space but I am far from that and overhead is the kiss of death in small business.  I will do my best to keep my response times quick during this but I will be busy!  Our final project is pitching our business to a bank for a loan! My 13 year old told me she’d do my PowerPoint presentation. 😂😂😂😂😂 

I have a few folks considering the orange convertible couch but no commitments yet.  It is so cool that I would have kept it if my husband was not so comfy with our sectional.  I am willing to drive pretty far to deliver so mid Atlantic peeps, take a look.  I need a few days to get it cleaned for delivery but this weekend is wide open for me so reach out!  

Really sexy and comfy, very good original condition with only minor signs of wear, back folds down flat for snoozing/guests, under seat storage.  Very cool piece!  

Have a great week! XO Malissa

Another mass attribution debunked, getting a little crafty.

I follow my gut when I am buying. I inspect a piece to look for telltale signs of 'better maker' construction, crave brightly colored interesting pieces or am looking through the hideous original upholstery and already imagining how to redo it.  Before I delve into my latest research, I'd love to show you these great little X BASE benches I just picked up.  I believe they are redone in this gnarly plaid flannel.  I see them with more tailored accents like buttons and piping and possibly a pillow top.

These great little accents are real popular in the interior design crowd.  I will be honest, I only took them on because they were a pair.  Some things are better in pairs....and these will be fantastic with new threads!

They would look great in a bold color like raspberry or teal, but I could also see them in the cream velvet I picked up a bit ago. I am full of refinished goods right now that I already invested into so cannot fund the upholstery work in advance of a buyer.  Here is a great chance to get involved in the project! I will coordinate the restoration for you and you can select your fabric! I started a section on my web page to feature items I have waiting for restoration.  Any of these items can be custom restored for you.  I will take them on myself as my budget allows but if you see something you love let's get it restored for you! 

THE LILY. 

Last week I featured a few new acquisitions in my write up which are listed and ready to go.  The one table, the Gilded gold lily, sent me on a research mission to uncover it's past.  Many dealers including the allmighty FIRST DIBS folk attribute this gorgeous little number to Arthur Court and I was going to try to crack this case.  

Chairish removes the background from the cover pic I send them so all of their listings look uniform.  Because my fees are highest in this market, I prefer to do all sales on Etsy if possible. Chairish has very good white glove shipping rates through plycon, however, so I always price shipping there on my largest or fragile items and would encourage clients to purchase there if that is the best rate for them.

Arthur Court, still around, is known for cast aluminum serving pieces, decor, and other small items for the home.  There are no mention of any furniture in the current inventory.  While this Lily base is cast aluminum, I have no reason to believe Arthur Court had anything to do with it.  One or two listings mention Drexel, so I take that and run.  Being at eBay at the right time led me to a piece of ephemera of interest.  It was a 1969 magazine ad for Drexel's Et Cetera line of embellished furnishings featuring no other than my Lily on the pic! No matter how large I made the pic, I could not make out the text.  There was a lot of text. I bought the ad!  I am a firm advocate of keeping a library of research materials and will splurge on catalogs, books and other items that feature my finds.  I appreciate those who take the time to cut this stuff out and preserve the history. Ads are sometimes the best resource we have to piece together the history of these items.  

a great ad, the back features an awesome Formica kitchen ad! In Orange and yellow mod glory!

The magazine, Better Homes and Gardens I believe, was dated 1969.  I learned that my lily has it's original glass, is definitely cast aluminum and was called a cigarette table.  Small in stature to use next to a lounge chair, and the petit table top to feature an interesting ash tray with enough space to hold your pack, a lighter and a cocktail. As cigarette smoking slowly fell out of vogue, so did the use of the association. Like many trends, they come and go.  There are still those who enjoy a puff here and there and also those who like to recreate that type of space just to keep the era alive.  Whether you choose this piece to accent your nightlife or to bring some incredible lifelike nature indoors, it is sure to charm you and your guests.  

My favorite part about the ad is the official description.  'The Gilded Lily-for real. This cigarette table reflects the originality in Drexel's famed Et Cetera Collection. A bunch of Gilded Madonna lilies bursts into full bloom to hold the glass top.'  💕 

So what about the designer? Well, I figured out the answer to that as well.   The caption under the pic ends in italics 'Designed by Drexel Design Staff'.  Arthur Court, the most tagged company (or person) on this piece.....no way.  Just another mid century modern urban legend. It is great when we enjoy certain designer's work.  I do love carrying highly collectible works from the era's best.  But ultimately, these are pieces you will be living with, passing down or reselling later.  Take the time to delve into the history.  I really try to find out about my items because I am intrigued and do my best to pass that info on.  Misattributed items does no favors to the artists who created them and it certainly is shifty, lazy and no better than a used car salesman. ✌️

On a final note.  I am in the process of stretching some of the amazing Frank Lloyd Wright reissued prints onto canvas for hanging. I figure there are some non crafty folk out there who would like to admire these great designs without having to sew or be creative.  If they sell quickly, I will invest into other prints.  This fabric is very expensive.  On the St Marks Print, I used a large frame as the print repeats every 17".  This way you really can see it.  I love it against my brown wall.  I will be doing the smaller blue print on smaller frames and at a reduced price as I can get more out of a yard.  Look for the listing on the smaller ones (11 by 14) over the next few days! 

Malissa

16 by 20 St Marks Print in natural linen with black print, 1955 reissue Frank Lloyd Wright for Schumacher.  3 are available but I can make more.  Fabric yardage available in 1/4 yard increments at $40 per 1/4 yard.  LISTED IN ETSY SHOP.

Large canvas priced at $75 each plus ship. This is an awesome opportunity to get some yardage or a ready to hang piece of fabric art before the stock sells out!