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Friday, January 28, 2011

Vintage Furniture Love

With all the hustle and bustle of the holidays I remember mentioning that I was going to share with you one of the coolest furniture related items I got for Christmas. I absolutely love the fact that my mother and father in law decided to give me their working antique Singer sewing machine. It is in dire need of a good sanding and restoring but I was specifically told..."if you paint this I'm going to kick your butt." Note taken.


I loooove the curves of it and the little stool is awesome. The seat was recovered, who knows when, but I was told I can recover that if I want. Note taken again and don't think I wont. :)


It actually has all the original pieces to the sewing machine. It's been years since I've actually used a sewing machine so this is going to be interesting relearning how to use it, especially an old one. Lets move on to the next coolest thing(s) I own that will be restyled into some of the awesomest night stands ever!


For all my home theater fans... these are vintage BOSE speakers that I scored for free... *gasp* Free you said? Yes F.R.E.E. from craigslist. I picked up the cutest little free desk from a couple and they asked if I wanted these too. At first I was like, eh..... then I smacked myself and said of course. My husband is NOT happy that I want to gut them, sand them down, paint them and make them night stands. He sees home theater... I see a need for coolness in our bedroom.

And lastly, my mom gave me this cedar chest that she had no room for anymore. I remember her always using it when I was a kid so it's cool that I have it now. Please excuse the stuff on top, I've been in the habit of collecting pickle and Ragu jars. I have no clue why.


The inside is pristine minus the fact that it's missing the little shelf. It was made of cloth and I think some type of particle board and it just got ruined over the years. Plus the back right side is loose, but nothing some gorilla glue can't fix.


For anyone who knows anything about furniture, here is the maker and patent numbers that are stamped on the inside of the lid. I haven't done much research on it, but as you can tell in my sewing machine picture above that I have a lot of furniture I need to do research on before I tear into them.



My question for you guys is... do you think I should paint the chest? Maybe just the top and leave the feet natural? Should I sand it down and re-stain it? I'm definitely going to keep it and use it in my office area in my basement.
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Update: I found some interesting information while searching for how old the chest is....

Cedar Chests
How old is my cedar chest?
Usually Lane cedar chests have serial numbers that are stamped or applied to the bottom of the chests. You can read the serial number BACKWARDS to determine the production date. For example: serial number 753150 would have been produced on 05/13/57. Some chests may also have an extra digit which denotes the plant location. For example: serial number 2557121 would have been produced on 12/17/55 in plant #2. If your model does not have a serial number we will be unable to provide you with a production date.

So my serial date is 268101 which means it was made on 01/18/62. Hmmm... interesting. :)
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So there's just a tid-bit of my retro furniture love. I have a lot more pieces that are special to me that I will be restyling. I honestly can't wait to get my hands on all of them and make them fantastic!

8 comments:

  1. Very cool pieces. Love those speakers and the Lane cedar cabinet is beautiful!

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  2. Thanks! I'm really glad my mom kept it in good shape. I didn't even realize that the speakers were worth anything. They don't work, but just the bases together are worth about $150 in good condition. I also love tulip based anything. We use to have a tulip styled plastic white patio set when I was growing up in the early 80's.

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  3. I love that chest! Do you have to paint it? I like it how it is.

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  4. I don't have to and the more I've thought about it tonight I don't think I should. It does have some discoloration on the top and it's tacky from using dust stuff for years so I'm thinking a good sanding might do it good.

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  5. I found some more info on dating the chest and updated the blog. :)

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  6. Hi! I found you from Simple Home Life, I am your newest follower!

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  7. Please, for the love of all things beautiful, do not paint that cedar chest. Your friend, Dave Gunn.
    Things are looking real good, keep up the good work.

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  8. @the modern cottage... know I'm a little late, but thanks for following me!

    Dave!! Hey man! Thanks for stopping by today! Thanks for the positive words and yes I promise I will not paint the chest. In the last year I've acquired appreciate for pieces that have great finishes, especially the Mid Century Modern stuff. This chest, when I get around to it, will get a good sanding down and a reseal. The grain is too beautiful to cover with paint. :)

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Thanks for leaving me a comment! They make me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside! :)

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