Cool Stuff: Iconic Furniture

I've written about B+N's Iconic Panel line before, but the Bay Area company has just expanded its stylish sunken-relief surface concept into a collection of striking modern furniture featuring a variety of subtle textural motifs and warm walnut accents that I couldn't resist sharing.

Screens

Dressers

Credenzas

Beds, Headboards, and Nightstands

Tables

Mirrors

Each piece is available in a choice of materials and surface patterns. See the entire collection right here.

House in Progress: My Grandmother's Dresser

After my grandmother passed away last year, this petite chest of drawers was the only piece of furniture I took from her house (my mom, aunts, and cousins, of course, divvied up the rest). It had sat in her entryway for as long as I can remember, and of everything she had, it somehow symbolized her home -- where I'd always felt loved and welcomed -- the most for me.

The little dresser dates from 1939, not long after my grandma and my long-deceased grandfather were married, and it followed her through their many turbulent years together and their many cross-country moves -- from Chicago to New Jersey to Boston to Pittsburgh, back to Chicago, then to sunny post-war Los Angeles, and finally, to the Bay Area. It's not a particularly fine piece, but it's solid and useful, has a bit of 1930s-'40s flair with its chunky Asian-style brass pulls, and just reminds me of my grandmother in a fond way.

Its olive-green paint job had seen better days, though, and I wanted to update the chest with a splashy new color. I totally could have stripped, sanded, and repainted the thing myself, but I knew it would take me five years to get around to it and, truth be told, I'm just not all that meticulous about these sorts of projects. This is a special piece for me, and I didn't want to mess it up. So when I heard that Johnelle Mancha, the proprietress of Old Oakland's Mignonne, was offering a new furniture-refinishing service, I was all over it.

After consulting with me about the look I was after, Johnelle carefully stripped and refinished the dresser in a happy, glossy apple green that's a nod to the original hue but that gives the piece a more modern and surprising feel. (We literally matched the paint to a Granny Smith apple I'd brought from home.) I couldn't be more pleased with the results.

The cheerful chest now sits in my own entryway, where I've topped it was some of my favorite little treasures (like a vintage globe and wooden spool from eBay, a porcelain skeleton key from the Curiosity Shoppe, a ceramic-and-wooden apple from Relish at Home, and an Aida Dirse candy bowl from Rare Device), and where it reminds me of my beloved and dearly missed grandma every time I pass by. Thanks so much, Johnelle!

eBay Find of the Day: MCM Dresser and Desk Set

I love the white louvered drawer fronts on this matching midcentury desk and dresser -- they lighten up what could be a dark and slightly heavy style, and add a lot of verve.

The Formica-and-wood set was made in Sweden, and its compact size (the chest is 31.5 by 30 inches, while the desk measures 46 inches wide by just 18 inches deep) make each piece really versatile and great for a smaller space.

Current bids: $21 for the desk and $12 for the dresser. (Hurry -- the auctions end Monday evening, August 4.)

That's Random: God, I Love Craigslist

Last night while I was reading the Paris Hotel Boutique Journal, I saw this picture of a vintage moderne-style lowboy dresser that Lynn has in her wonderful shop -- and I just about fell out of my chair.

Not just because the $2,100, circa-1930s brushed-metal dresser is beautiful -- though it certainly is -- but because I own it. Or at least, I own a pretty close approximation.

It was one of those finds that you aren't looking for and don't really need, but that you know instantly you must have, and drop everything to grab it.

In my case, I was casually perusing the "for sale" postings on craigslist one day (in an effort, no doubt, to avoid doing something productive -- please note the name of this blog). Five minutes and one rushed phone call later, I was tearing out of the house to pick it up some 25 miles away.

The woman from whom I bought the dresser was moving to some seaside paradise in Mexico, and hastily selling off everything she owned. (Was she escaping the memories of a bad breakup? Running back to a vacation romance that had unexpectedly turned serious? Or simply acting on a nagging desire to live a simpler life? I was dying to know, but restrained myself from prying.)

I could tell she was sorry to let the dresser go, and she told me over and over how much she loved it. But she was making a fresh start and a clean sweep -- so go it must. I was happy to take it off her hands. The grand total: A hundred bucks.

Today, it sits in my home office, where it holds assorted packing and office supplies -- and glams up the joint a bit. Granted, my dresser doesn't have the original mirror that makes the Paris Hotel Boutique piece such a showstopper. And let's just say it's a bit more aged. (I simply adopt a haughty accent and call it "patina," darlings.)

But still, $100? You gotta love that -- and I do.

eBay Find of the Day: Faux Bamboo Dresser

Whether it's for an entryway, a little girl's room, or a grown woman's boudior, this vintage Thomasville faux bamboo dresser will add a feminine and sophisticated touch, plus lots of handy storage.

Current bid: $10.

Cool Stuff: Godar Furniture

San Francisco woodworker and furniture designer Justin Godar creates pieces that -- in addition to their good looks and skillful construction -- have a sly sense of humor lurking under their deceptively simple exteriors.

Take the colorful chest of drawers, above, whose mitered drawer fronts reveal a geometric cross that's both structural and strongly graphic. (His furniture company, Godar takes pains to point out, "has no religious or political affiliations.") The dresser is available for $2,000 in any high-gloss hue you choose -- though in my opinion, the red-and-white combo is beyond perfection.

Or consider this bar stool ($600), with its back forming an open frame. Slide in whatever strikes your fancy -- an enlarged photograph (as shown here), a piece of wallpaper or colorful fabric, a mirror -- anything that can stand up on its own or be mounted to foam core or sandwiched between thin sheets of clear plastic is a candidate for display. And you can switch it out as often as you like.

This little table ($650), constructed of solid walnut or whitewashed ash, calls to mind a jigsaw puzzle while also providing practical -- and handsome -- display and storage surfaces.

And this U-shaped occasional table ($450) is elevated from the ordinary thanks to its clever construction from contrasting strips of wood, giving it a subtle but striking striped effect.

Godar can make custom furniture and cabinetry designed to your specifications, as well. Email him for a price quote. Bonus: The lumber used in his designs is Forest Stewardship Council-certified, and he opts for environmentally friendly water-based finishes whenever possible.

Check out Godar's entire furniture collection here.

(Thanks for the tip, Ramona!)