I KNOW, I KNOW-- I DIDN'T INTEND...........

It would be a huge understatement to describe the last 6 weeks as tumultuous...........so I won't go into the gory details. But I did come out on the other side with my two feet firmly planted and not too much the worse for wear.  I did miss blogging, but simply didn't have enough energy to have a creative thought.

Now on to the good stuff...
I didn't buy anything for about a month--jut too busy with other stuff and since business was a little off, there really wasn't any point. But this past month has been great; so I'm once again "on the hunt"---which means auction time. My first week back to auction, I laid low with my bidding. There is a definite rythm to bidding and if you are off your rythm, it's best not to bid until you are back in the swing of the gladiator/arena contest.
But Thursday (I preview Wednesday and spotted a couple of things)--I had my eye on this little beauty. (I had been looking for a Renzo Rutili for Johnson Furniture credenza for about two years.) And here was this little beauty sitting pretty. I would have preferred a longer credenza, but this one worked. The condition of the gold leafed door panels is excellent; however the lacquered top has suffered a bit. In the past, I've always sent the piece right off to be restored; this time, I think that I'll wait a bit. Angie (and I agree) thinks the the crackling of the black lacquer gives the piece authenticity and character. Plus, because of the the California EPA standards being tightened a couple of months ago, it is almost impossible to obtain the products necessary for a lacquered finish.......... (always something).
So here is my little Renzo Rutili credenza just after I bought her at auction--she measures just 50"--but those 50" pack a punch. 

Lorenzo (Renzo) Rutili (1901-1966) was born in Donora, Pennsylvania. He studied at Carnegie Institute and for several years continued his design studies in Europe. Rutili worked for Johnson Furniture (Gran Rapids, Michigan) for over 30 years. Subsequently he worked for Tomlinson Frniture Co. of North Carolina for three years.

Rutili was the only designer to incorporate gold leafing to this extent--although his designs were incorporated into the design vocabulary of several different furniture companies of the period.

I pulled a few photos of similar Renzo Rutili pieces from 1stdibs.com. None are quite like the piece that I just purchased. (Sorry about the spacing of these 1stdibs photo--couldn't crop them)

These are definitely New York, high style pieces, but since lately most of my items are going back East, I definitely am shopping for this look. And besides, Chinoiserie is starting to make a come-back. And to honor this resurgence, I acquired (spent way too much money) on this pair of gorgeous Italian Chinoiserie lamps that I believe were created by Paul Hansen in the early 1960's.

The carved detailing of the porcelain is exceptional--they are a little over the top to pair with the credenza, but they'll find their spot. And last up is this mid-century lamp with it's original shade. I believe that the pottery is Japanese Studio Pottery--you can see the form the fingers took on the potting wheel and look at the large cut out which is difficult to maintain during the firing.........but what really gets me is the gorgeous glazing of the pottery. The shade was custom made for the lamp with that little filet of color exactly matching the rich blue of the lamp. 

Well, we are off to celebrate Kaia's birthday--I made brownies (Kaia doesn't like icing) and guacamole......

Happy Memorial Day to all--especially in remembrance of those that have given their lives for our freedom.

Blessings!!

Mary & Jones & Cole.

EARTHQUAKE COUNTRY

I was just sitting down to start this post and deciding which photos to upload...............and I think you can guess from the map above what hit.

I think that my house is about 2 to 3 miles from the epicenter....so this guy was quite a shaker (we had another strong aftershock just a couple of minutes ago). Jones is so brave--he barked at the quake for about 10 minutes and MiniBeast is probably under the bed for another 2 days.

This is just one of the pluses of living in California...fortunately, this 5.1 quake was relatively mild when compared to the Northridge earthquake of about 20 years ago.

And I needed a little shaking up....my son's house is only about 1/2 mile from center, fortunately they weren't home--will have to wait to see if there was any damage.

Treasure Hunting and Life Goes On...............

I have been on the hunt. This week, Thursday proved to be quite an adventure. When I previewed, I spotted this mid-century Renzo Rutili credenza/sideboard

  

  

I know that it doesn't look like much now (but it was very pricey--there was another bidder who just wouldn't stop....he probably thought the same thing about me). The credenza measures over 100 inches and has two cabinet sections and a four drawer section. Flavio will pick it up in a couple of weeks--the case will be lacquered in a high gloss black and the doors/drawer fronts will be lacquered in ivory. It is a pity to lacquer over the book-matched veneers and curly birch, but at the moment and for the foreseeable future, plain wood is not in favor and the black and white contrast will make the piece really handsome. I do have the option of separating the three sections and creating new stands for each chest--we'll see what Flavio thinks. One of the items that I look for in mid-century furniture is the quality of the hardware and both the drawer pulls and cabinet pulls are top notch--they just need a bit of polish.

Here is a close-up of the ormolu on the period French Empire daybed that I bought a couple of weeks ago--so beautifully detailed with traces of the original gilding remaining.

  

Pillow Update

These are the pillow created from vintage c. 1950's Fortuny that I pulled off the back of a sofa. I love the how the Maori pattern textile has acquired a rich patina and mellowed into an almost ice-blue.

I've been trying to live in the moment...the earthquake has reminded me, once again, that so much in life in out of my control. Suspending expectations and assumptions sounds so easy...I wish!

I guess we need to be more like dolphins--going with the flow (and my guys are looking pretty spiffy, aren't they?)

Flavio is F I N A L L Y bringing back the Secretaire Abattant tomorrow and I am so excited to see her--I'll post photos tomorrow night.

Be well--

Mary & Jones & Cole