Fall happenings.

After a wild week of getting ready and then moving spaces, I am all settled into my new space at Fleetwood Antique Mall! I am thrilled with the new space and everything went together very smoothly. Seeing the day bed set up and looking fabulous has made me love it even more! Try to make it over and see it if you are in the area. I am offering it at my rock bottom price at the mall. I do have another daybed ready for restoration as well, you can find it on my website, madmodworldvintage.com under DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH. Here are some pics of the new space. 

I went with a college theme and I think the daybed is a great accessory. It is extremely comfy with all new cushions. I left a little paper with info on the piece you can read about what was done.  

I have a great selection of Halloween items (not vintage) which I hope everyone enjoys! I love being able to offer fun things locally!  

Lots of new pillows available!  

Next up! I am officially registered as a vendor for Pyrex and Vintage Fest on September 30th in Havre De Grace, MD.  There are about 50 vendors expected to be setting up along the street outside JoRetro vintage shop.  Last year was a lot of fun and I expect this year to be even larger! If you enjoy pyrex and Comradery from like minded old souls, you will be in heaven.  Havre De Grace is an adorable town and an easy drive from PA, NJ, MD and D.C. Here is a link to the event info. https://www.facebook.com/pyrexfest/ 

I will be packing a bunch of pyrex which I think I will be blowing out flat pricing so stop by and see if I have anything you need. I am up for orders so if you are hitting the fest and would like me to bring something for you please message me!  I think I will be bringing the cafe set and afew summer left overs and offering af clearance pricing.  Would love to squeeze some furniture in the van! My bestie will be coming along to help and will have lots of vinyl to poke through.  

Sad day, but I sold my violin that was listed all summer and looking for a new home. That said, I will soon start collecting the Adrian Pearsall items that were offered to me by a friend of a friend. I am excited to dig in there and make them beautiful again! Here is another peek!  

These 4 pieces will probably be my first pick ups. The table glass on the coffee table may need to be replaced but otherwise, they are ready to go with some cleaning and maybe a repair or two.  I love the Havana chair and ottoman. Tempted to keep that one! 💕 

I will most likely ofer AS IS or RESTORED pricing. If you want to handle your own restoration, that is fine by me but I would love to coordinate that for you! 

At this point, I am planning on restoring this couch for my own living room!  Just need to convince the husband it's time to ditch our sectional. 😆 

Speak up if there is something you are interested in as I would accommodate you when I select what's next. Due to my budget restrictions, restorations would require 50% deposit to start, balance due on delivery. None of the upholstered items are usable as is and I have not inspected the strapping supports which may also need replaced.  

Thanks for following along and hope to see some fans in Havre De Grace!  

xo Malissa

X Bench Love and Custom Restoration Info.

First off, wanted to let you know I will be off the Grid in the Catskills next weekend for a camping trip and know I will have little to no service over the weekend. I will respond immediately when I get a signal but no shipments, quotes or measurements while I am away. Also we are spending the holiday weekend at a vintage camping event in Catawissa, PA called Kampers at Knoebels. It is a tradition and attracts many of us VW bus drivers but also other vintage camper types.  Search for the group on Facebook if you want to come camp! The highlight is a caravan to Knoebels Amusement Resort on Sat morning where we all park our vans in a row and hang out in the park. It's a fun old time amusement park where you can bring your own food (but park food is excellent) pay by the ride if you like and have a cheap fun day out.  The ride for us takes us through CENTRAILIA, PA, home of the famous underground mine fires that vacated the whole town. Empty eerie streets of where homes used to be! Have a great holiday everyone!

i am almost ready to work on the sewing part of my X Bench restoration. I have the first Bench in the final steps of disassembly. It really is a beautifully constructed piece and I suspect either custom made for a client or made by someone taking an upholstery class.  That said, there are a billion staples and tacks in it so very slow going.  I am thrilled to get the horrible plaid flannel off and get some cream velvet on!  

Although I am not in love with their fabric choice, they did a great job matching up the plaid! 

it's going to look awesome in cream velvet!  And I have a pair! Perfect choice for the foot of a bed.  

CUSTOM SOURCING AND RESTORATION.  

As you may have read a few posts back, I will do custom sourcing for clients.  This is tricky for me as I do not always have the budget for buying things so if you would like me to shop for you reach out.  Typically, I will be on the hunt for a piece in you interest based on some loose criteria like piece (dresser, chair, credenza), wood or finish type, brand...maybe if I am lucky I can hone in on a specific brand, but if budget is concern this may be a difficult task! I look and when I find stuff that may work I will shoot you pics. In most cases, things disappear fast so it is important to consider as fast as possible. I will provide my opinion on condition and issues and will know what I can clean up, repair and what blemishes you may need to live with plus dimensions and other info you need to check your space.  If you agree to the piece, I may ask for a deposit upfront, especially if we have not done business yet. I will purchase and get to work cleaning it up and getting it ready for you. In many cases this takes me a few days of work.  We set up a delivery date if you are in my region or if shipping, I will set up a listing for you to pay the balance owed which you will need to do before I ship. You will get pics and stories along the way because I am just as excited to be working on the piece for you as you are to get it in your home! I really love working with clients and helping you get a piece you will love!  Any upholstery or fabric seats can be swapped out by me at this time too! I have a stock of some fabrics and could purchase to order as well. I have trade accounts with Joybird and Schumacher and would gladly order what you need. 

READY TO RESTORE. 

When I see a piece I would love to restore, I buy it. That said, budget and time does not always allow me to transform it quickly.  I do many repairs myself but some upholstery projects I prefer to use a professional.   I have posted on my webpage MadModWorldVintage.com many of these pieces that are here waiting for their day to shine. If you love one, I can work with you to make it your own! After we discuss where you would like the project to go, I will work up a firm quote based on fabric choice, upholstery cost, etc. I enjoy coordinating these restorations and knowing it will go to a loving home right away makes it better. I think hard about my color choices but when things sit in my house for a long time I wonder if I made a bad decision. I would much rather have someone choose what they want and I just get it done. Pop in and check out my ladies in waiting periodically and see what you like. I have a beautiful Adrian Pearsall wave lounger right now I cannot wait to attack with new fabric. 

REFERRALS WELCOME!  

Not in the market but know someone shopping for furniture? I know you know that vintage is better than new!  It's hard to compete with all the reproductions out there. Even Target is launching a line of mcm themed items this fall.  That's all fine when you are in college or your first apartment and all you can afford but in most cases, a quality restored piece will last the rest of your life and is often not much more of an investment.  I take the time to really inspect what I buy, clean it well, replace anything sketchy and do my best to watch out for hidden issues that crop up so they can be remedied before you get it home.  Sure you can thrift your own deals, but I hear horror stories every day of saggy chairs, hard foam and God help us....bugs.  Yes friends, these stories are real. There are dealers out there that don't care about this at all. Trust is a big thing for me and something that I try to build with all my clients. I have been getting some referrals for repairing items for people which I will coordinate if I can.  I work with a shop full of master woodworkers and many of them do side jobs so if something is over my head, I've got people. 😂✌️ Please send your friends to me if you think I can help them fill their home with glamorous Mid Century items. I also work with interior designers around the country and provide them with amazing items for their clients.  I love what I do!  

Always thankful, Malissa 💕 

Take A Magic Carpet Ride

I hope you enjoyed the vacation blog. I figured it would be a nice change of the usual stuff and if you are outdoorsy, might help you plan a trip.   I always hope that you find my posts informative and useful and try to share my experiences sourcing, cleaning and evaluating. If I can help just one person I feel like it was a worthy post! I understand that most of us get slammed with junk mail all day (the Gap sends me no less than two emails per day) and I always wonder if my one a week or so emails annoy people. If anyone has any complaints, critiques, please comment!  

Anyway, Just before I left for vacation I won some things at auction. I am only now going through them, cleaning and evaluating and listing things. There is a great set of teak nesting tables by Bent Silberg Mobler which I will be tending to shortly. I also picked up 3 fabulous rugs.  

Just listed! https://www.etsy.com/listing/541370161/on-sale-antique-persian-hand-knotted

I have been researching my finds. Rugs is one thing I have interest in but is new territory for me so each purchase is really a means to learning more.  I know enough about textiles growing up with a mother who sews, quilts and does alterations. This knowledge is super helpful when seeking vintage textiles. It really honed my ability to quickly identify quality workmanship and materials. I have a special love of wools and natural fibers so rugs just seem like another place I wanted to be.  I have been doing some auctions online without seeing the goods in person. It can be risky. Always assume the dealer is not an expert and has not disclosed everything!  If you keep that in mind and have the know how, resources and determination, you can usually repair most of them.  The little mat above has many issues but in the cases of antique rugs, they are best kept with their flaws and wear intact, it is personal preference to the user, but patina on a rug is not a bad thing at all.  Finding a 60+ year old piece with no issues will not happen often.  I delve into researching. This rug is definitely a hand knotted rug.  I find some sources online telling me how to spot machine made rugs like Karastan over hand woven and study up.  Then I think the size may lend to being a prayer mat. I research religions and although I thought some Jewish sects used prayer mats, my research showed Muslims are the only religion which would consistently use one. The wear on this one, to me, could be from kneeling.  Having dealt with an estate in the past that I knew the man had lived in Israel for some years and was a rug collector.....I mean he had rugs on top of rugs and although I only took one textile home, i did take an acid etched piece home that was from an Iranian artist, Bijan.  So right away, I am thinking Iran. They are known for rugs.  My searching showed me that most Muslim prayer mats have a definite top and bottom in the design. Many are similar to the shape of a Mosque, like a key hole. This rug depicted flowers and not other typical patterns that were on prayer mats. Not that is was not one, but I found no florals without a center medallion like most of the oriental rugs depict. Iranian rugs were the closest to what I had but to date it, or even confirm that is just pretty hard for a novice.  Rugs from the region in which Iran is located typically are referred to as Persian so I knew that is what I had but I also knew there was more to the story.  Turns out that I have a colleague who is a rug specialist and without me asking, he told me I had a Sarouk rug (which is a region in IRAN!) and he dated it to the 1930's. It is a real treasure! The quality of rugs in this sale was good. I could tell by viewing the lots that these were fabulous antiques. It is always nice to get validation that my hunch was correct! This beauty is listed and ready to ship. I would definitely keep her in a low traffic area to prevent further age related issues. I will discuss care in a bit.

Next win was a slightly larger Turkish flat weave kilim rug.  These rugs have no pile like a knotted rug. They are more similar to the style of weaving you learn as a kid in art class, but a lot more intricate. This rug is also wool. Unlike the thicker knotted rugs, these are very pliable. I have a few throw pillows that were made from cut up rugs and they are so fabulous, the never got listed. This look is very boho, tribal and honestly looks great in all decor. It is classic and sophisticated. Investing in an old rug is very much like investing in quality original art. They can hang on walls, used as room accents interspersed with furnishings and repurposed into pillows, not that I ever recommend cutting up a rug.  Sometimes the damage involved may warrant it. This rug does have some holes but it generally is in pretty good shape.  I cannot determine age but I would guess that it came from the same home as the others which could be 30s-50s era. Shabby rugs are trending right now too!

Beautiful Turkish Flat Weave Kilim https://www.etsy.com/listing/527579136/on-sale-turkish-wool-flat-weave-kilim

The final rug I bought that day makes me feel like I won the vintage lottery! There was a picasso rug that got higher than I could spend so I concentrated on one signed Leger. It reminded me of 80s pop art. I won it. Fernand Leger was a French cubist who pretty much inspired the 80s pop art movement and so many other artists we know and love. His style was so cutting edge, it was in the 1930's when he was doing this stuff! He died in 1955, by the way so his stuff is pre mid century. Some great reading on Leger can be found here, a preview to an exhibit that was showing his work at the Philly Art Museum. He was involved in early television and his art pieces sometimes were referred to as cartoons.  It's fascinating. https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/leger-modern-art-and-the-metropolis-at-the-philadelphia-museum-of-art/2013/11/14/0faa43f4-4c87-11e3-ac54-aa84301ced81_story.html?utm_term=.6888ca2d8627 As awesome as he is, I found out more on my rug that is equally as awesome! Meet Marie Cutillo, an Algerian who spent her life reviving a waning Algerian art of rug making! She purchased original art from the great cubists and had her newly trained rug makers replicate their designs in textile form. She collected the original art and eventually donated her entire collection including many Picasso's to the largest art museum in France. Her fashion house, Maison Myrbor, was who sold the rugs in Paris and the clothes and rugs: haute couture. Art collectors world wide were purchasing them for their collections. I could go on but I am still learning things. The research continues!

My rug does have some issues. I am doing some cleaning today. Delicate stain work using a watered down dis solution. I suspect there was moth activity although I found nothing to lead me to believe there is an active infestation. Moth larvae does horrible things to rugs. I plan on taking this to a rug cleaner and restorer in Philadelphia in the coming weeks. I have found comps ranging from $7500-35000 for this design. So definitely with investing into. I also am considering adding casings to wall hang. I am worried that the  damage has weakened the structure that it would not be feasible to use in a floor situation. The other concern is always preservation.  I am hoping to get some quotes in a few weeks for cleaning, restoration work and possible casings, but I think I can do that myself. There is a book on Marie Cutillo, however it is in French. I may pick it up though. My boss is fluent. ✌️Here's a pic of this lovely piece. I will share more as I work through getting it ready to sell. This piece is definitely a collector piece and I am so lucky I could obtain it! It is a pleasure to be able to help it connect to a new home where it will be preserved! 

Shadow from deck rails and a plant but you get the idea. I am getting ready to steam it.  Steam will kill any moth activity and eggs. Leaving in a hot car for a few days will help as well. this is just one more reason to trust your dealer. Insects can be a problem with vintage goods.  Bedbugs, moths, etc. I am very careful to inspect and clean everything that I sell. I spray all wool and non washable fibers with Cedarcide, a natural insecticide. I will invest in a pro cleaning on this piece after it is professionally evaluated.

Hope you enjoyed leaning about rugs!

xo Malissa