My Buddy Lane

As mentioned in an earlier post I have a fondness for Lane furniture. Launched in the early 1960s, the Acclaim series was America's competition to Danish Modern. I recall a conversation I once had with an older gentleman at an antique mall in the East Bay who mentioned that his first apartment in the late 50s/early 60s was furnished by Lane. I assume Lane's combination of affordability and durability made it the perfect choice for this fellas bachelor pad back in his hay day.

A while back, David & I found this gem at the Alameda Flea Market. With David's gift for haggling, we were able to get the dealer to reduce the price by $50. Not a huge savings but enough to make this purchase a little easier on the wallet. After a weekend spent touching it up, it looks almost new.

Here is what others are saying about my buddy Lane.

Long Live the Lamp Fetish

Of all the lamps we own, this one ranks top on my list. With its green Asian-esk porcelain base and textured lampshade, I fell in love the moment I laid eyes on it. Purchased at Alameda flea market (seems to be the best place in the Bay Area to find vintage lamps at affordable prices), this particular lamp has an art deco meets mid-century modern feel to it. The most impressive component for me is that the lamp shade remains in perfect condition for its age.

It is so common that most vintage lamps for sale are shadeless. I understand that fibers wear with age but it can be frustrating when only the base is for purchase. Whenever I stumble upon a lamp with its appropriate lampshade intact I often buy it solely for its rarity.

Homage to Captain Kurt

I was having good karma the day I found this lamp at the Alameda flea market. Not only had I found my nifty 50s floor lamp, this space aged beauty was waiting patiently for a new owner. The design of this lamp reminded me of the Enterprise crew's uniforms. This beige and gold porcelain lamp with fiberglass shade screams atomic. The best part for me is that the original shade is in perfect condition; a rarity these days.

50s Era Lamps

It wasn't like we needed another lamp but when I spotted this beauty at the Alameda flea market a few weeks back I found myself gravitating towards it. Not only was it clearly from the 50s, it had a bit of splash that made one stop and notice. The design of the fiberglass shade appears vaguely leopardish, which for me represented the playfulness of the era. In contrast, the atomic metal decal serves as a reminder that this was the age when bomb shelters were fashionable. And even though its base is pink, there is enough masculinity that I would imagine Frank Sinatra nodding his approval.

The 50s represents a time where appearances meant everything. This floor lamp demonstrates for me that elegance could be whimsical. That practicality could be beautiful. And most of all, that furniture did not have to be dull.

Warning: Make Sure it Dismantles Before Buying

We seem to always do this. We fall in love with a piece of furniture and rationalize if it fits in the car then it is ours for the keeping. So it happened again. This past Sunday at the Alameda Flea Market David and I spotted these awesome grey kitchen chairs from the 50s. The chairs' original vinyl seemed to be in perfect condition and in a pattern I had never seen before. Although not part of a set, the same dealer happen to have a pink and grey Formica table for sale that seemed to almost belong to these chairs. (Side note: David & I have been talking lately about replacing the Formica table I inherited from an old college roommate many years ago so spontaneously buying a new table didn't seem odd at the time.)

Sounds like a match made in heaven, right? Well, it would have been if the legs of this table were removable.

Living in San Francisco has many perks. Living in a Victorian 2nd story flat isn't always one of them. For those who have not experienced this type of dwelling, imagine for a second opening your front door (after climbing several stairs to your front door that is) and right smack in front of you is the steepest flight of stairs you have ever laid your eyes on. Yes, you have arrived at our apartment. No, it isn't like climbing Mt. Everest but it can feel like you just worked out on a stair master if you go up and down them a few times. So fitting our new table into to car was not the issue. Carrying it up our damn stairs was. With superhero strength and the magic of spackle, we were able to transport the table up the stairs, down a hallway and around a few tight corners before situating it in our kitchen. The good news is that it fit.

Note to self - must buy stock in spackle.

I'm Seeing Stars

During one of our recent Alameda Flea Market hunts we noticed a couple holding this extremely cool chrome mirror while in the midst of an intense discussion. The mirror was so striking that both David & I simultaneously commented that we wished we had seen it first. As I continued to make my progression down the aisle David suddenly made a u-turn making a bee line back to the previous stall. He was almost sprinting. The next thing I recall is David walking towards me with a huge grin on his face holding the mirror in one hand. Assuming that the root of the intense discussion between couple was financial I nervously asked David how much he spent. $20 was his answer. Baffled that a $20 purchase at a flea market could create so much debate I am delighted at the thought that there are people stingier than I.

Sadly, I have not been able to uncover any interesting tid-bits about our find online. At that cheap price I even question whether it is truly vintage even though the mirror itself appears to be old. But in any case, it looks fabulous on our living room wall. And frankly for $20 I just don't care.