Focus on Antiques

SFDESIGN
THIS ISSUE
Focus on
Antiques
FALL 2010
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PANTRY
10
table of
contents
4
6
8
10
President’s Message
A Journey Beyond the Ordinary: Eight
Creative Ways to decorate with Asian
Art and Artifacts
Read how Asian antiques can be included in good
design of every style.
Can the Luxury Sector Survive the
Great Recession of 2008-2012?
Alf Nucifora of the Luxury Marketing Council discusses what’s ahead for the luxury market and the economy
as we emerge from this economic downturn.
The Designer Advantage at Bonhams
& Butterfields’ SoMa Estate Auction
You may be surprised that there are some real bargains
in antiques when buying at auction.
ADVERTISING
DSA Publishing and Design, Inc.
Duff Tussing, Publisher
Mike Watt, Sales
972-989-2208
CALIFORNIANORTHCHAPTER
2 HENRY ADAMS STREET,
SUITE 301
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103
T (415) 626-2743 F (415) 626-0749
asidcan@earthlink.net
www.asidcalnorth.com www.designfinder.com
Dawn Lyon, Art Director
6900 Edge Water Drive
McKinney, TX 75070
972-562-6966
972-562-7218 fax
adinfo@dsapubs.com
www.dsapubs.com
Fall 2010
12
14
on the cover
“A double-overlay glass dragon snuff
bottle, c.1760-1790. Estimated value:
$23,000-$38,500. Source: Bonhams
Hong Kong
Reproductions: Ageless and Beautiful
Learn how really good quality reproduction pieces
offer an alternate to the more expensive antiques.
My sick chair has a split personality!
Read Eric Petsinger’s very amusing and informative
article on antiques with multiple functions.
18 New Members
22 Local Calendar of Events
ADVERTISERS INDEX
BELMONT HARDWARE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
BONHAMS & BUTTERFIELDS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
BUFFALO BILLIARDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
CA HOME & DESIGN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
CALIFORNIA CLOSETS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
CERAMIC TILE DESIGN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
CINEAK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
DANMER CUSTOM SHUTTERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
EPOCA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
GALLERIA SHADES & SHUTTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
HENDRICKSON’S WINDOW FASHIONS & UPHOLSTERY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
HUNTER DOUGLAS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
INTERTILE DISTRIBUTORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
MODERN FEVER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
NATIONAL BLINDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
REBARTS INTERIORS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
SAROYAN LUMBER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
SHADES OF MARIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
TILESHOP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
TULIP HARDWARE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
WINDOWS & BEYOND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Fall 2010
3
PRESIDENT'S CORNER
Dear Members:
It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve you as President, and now the time comes to say
“Thank you and goodbye.”
BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
2009-2010
PRESIDENT
Gerald Jacobs, ASID, CID
PRESIDENT ELECT
Nancy Walker, ASID, IIDA, LEED AP
FINANCIAL DIRECTOR
Vaheed Taheri, Industry Partner ASID
MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR
Raymond Ramirez, Allied Member ASID
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
DIRECTOR
Janice Aherns, ASID, CID
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
Michael Merrill, ASID
DIRECTOR AT LARGE
Claudia Hacker, Industry Partner ASID
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE
Megan Dela Cruz
Thank you all for your membership and contributions, by attending our events, visiting our
offices, and simply for being in the Design trade. I also wanted to thank my Board; Nancy
Walker, President-elect; Michael Merrill, D. of Communications; Janice Aherns, D. of Events;
Vaheed Taheri, D. of Finance; Raymond Ramirez, D. of Membership; Claudia Hacker, D. at
large; Megan Dela Cruz, Student rep; as well as Ruth Mesing, Office manager, and her assistant Nergesh Master; Lisa Jasper, Editor; Chris Shields, Associate; Cindy Hu, Intern. They all
made my job so much easier! Most of them will remain in a new Board that will continue to
serve you even better.
Our farewell Professional Event will be hosted by Bonhams & Butterfields and will take place
on September 17 at their Auction Facilities - make sure to sign up soon as space is limited.
And absolutely plan to attend our Installation event on September 22nd. This will give you an
opportunity to meet the incoming Board members, say goodbye to the outgoing ones and have
a good time as well.
This issue is focused on antiques. Antiques are wonderful to have around and enjoy, in addition to being sustainable, and we want to welcome the many neighboring showrooms that are
part of our community, and two of them contributors to this issue.
Our four contributors bring a lot of experience and excitement to this issue. Bonhams &
Butterfields the Premier Auction House in the Bay Area has many unexpected events and business opportunities worthwhile looking into, such as Epoca, from discovery to sales procedure,
and I love to shop there; Harmonique is always an inspiration for Asian art pieces; and Shears
& Window brings the reproduction angle, when you can’t afford the real thing or to find just
the right piece to work with you design.
In 2005, while looking for a library table I stopped at Partridges in London’s Bond Street. They
showed me one that had belonged to an English King. It was nice but not the size I was
looking for, nor the price of £980K. When I returned 6 months later it had sold! So they
showed me a pair of half octagon desks but they wouldn’t fit either, yet were less expensive,
about £650K. When I returned 6 months later I asked, had they sold? No there is one piece
in the window and one at the back. “And has the price changed,” I asked? “Yes,” they
answered, “we thought they were priced too low, now they are £800K!!” Partridge’s unfortunately closed down last year!
I tell this story because before the recent economic downturn my clients loved to think that I
would shop for them in this range and also that if they did buy something so highly priced it
might still make them a profit. Those were the days!
Enjoy this issue, and all the activities this Fall.
EDITOR OF ‘SF MAGAZINE’
Lisa Jasper, ASID, CID
Jerry Jacobs, ASID, CID
President, ASID California North Chapter
SF Design • CA North
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Fall 2010
5
FEATURE
A Journey Beyond the Ordinary: Eight Creative
Ways to Decorate with Asian Art and Artifacts
By Patricia Benson
W
hat style is your current
design project? No matter if
the design is contemporary,
transitional, traditional, or an eclectic
mix, a hint of Asia in any of these
settings can add just the right
finishing touch to a room. When
incorporating Asian artifacts into a
design plan the choices range from
simple Burmese lacquer bowls to
dramatic 19th century Thai temple
gongs. Since most items have been
crafted entirely by hand with little or
no machinery to interfere with the
artist’s vision, you are infusing the
gentle ambiance of an earlier age. My
philosophy has always been, see it,
love it (buy it…) and find a way to use
it. Sometimes it’s old…sometimes
very old but no matter the age, have
fun blurring the lines as you incorporate these unique pieces into your
design. Here are a few things that might spark ideas for your next
design project.
Antique wheels from Laos and Thailand are great used now as
art. In one of my recent projects the client’s office fireplace had
an odd niche centered in the brick above the mantel. We covered
the strange void with a lovely antique teak wheel from Laos and
salvaged a $7 piece of lumber to create a rustic mantel to finish
the look. An antique Burmese lacquer tray can be placed on a
cocktail ottoman as a place to display magazines. This lacquer
tray was originally used to carry food to market.
The ancient process of lacquering basketry to make everyday
items strong, water resistant and long wearing has been practiced in most Asian countries for centuries. One particularly
dramatic lacquer item from Burma is a “Hsun-ok”, which is a
footed bowl with a spire lid that resembles the shape of the traditional Burmese pagoda and usually contains several layered interior chambers. These covered bowls are reserved for religious
use in Burma to transport food to a monastery. Today we often
convert these intricate bowls into beautiful lamps for practical
use in decorating or combine a group of bowls in various sizes,
colors and shapes atop a tall cabinet or entry table for dramatic
impact.
Every Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia has at least one handforged, solid bronze gong, as shown in the photo. Temple gongs
are used as a call to prayer or in a healing and centering ritual.
The sound that resonates when you strike the center of the gong
SF Design • CA North
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with its leather bound mallet radiates
around you then gently disappears
and drifts away to silence. In a traditional San Francisco home we
enclosed and lighted a formerly uninspired interior window well with
cherry wood to create a special backdrop for a gong. It now serves as an
enchanting, totally unique and
welcoming door bell.
Asian furniture is at home in both
contemporary and traditional settings,
but we like to use it in unexpected
ways.
A former Chinese medicine
cabinet can make a beautiful statement in a contemporary entry. The
many drawers originally contained
Chinese herbal medicine and still bear
the characters identifying the contents
of each drawer. Often this cabinet is
topped with a time-worn teak pole
salvaged from a river in Thailand, which becomes a beautiful piece
of sculpture.
An interesting Qing Dynasty demilune table is
smashing when converted into a power room vanity in a contemporary setting with a white vessel sink. If possible, we leave the
patina of the years as a juxtaposition to the contemporary added
elements of our modern lifestyle. In one project, a 1940’s Berkeley
cottage remodel, we repurposed an antique Japanese Mizuya tansu
as a dining room buffet and
storage cabinet by splitting the
two sections, mounting the upper
section on the wall and installing a
mirror behind to connect the
pieces.
In another photo an
antique bronze rain drum from
Vietnam makes a stunning statement in this monochromatic living
room when used as a side table.
These are just a few ideas, but let
your imagination run wild and add
a bit of Asia’s rich past into your
next design project.
About the Author:
Patricia Benson is the owner of Harmonique Home, a retail
store with 2 locations in Berkeley, offering Asian antiques as well
as custom furniture designed and built made exclusively for us
by Asian artisans. Harmonique is pleased to offer special design
trade consideration.
CHAPTER NEWS
2010 Award Winners
It is my great pleasure to announce those who have received National awards from ASID. They are:
• Joseph Horan, FASID: Honorary Award for Life Membership
• Martha Thompson: Honorary Chapter Medalist Award
• Bruce Goff, FASID: Chapter Medalist Award
These outstanding people were nominated by our California North chapter of ASID, with Camille Fanucci, ASID chairing the
committee. What an effort! In addition, Camille will continue to chair this committee, along with Maloos Anvarian, ASID,
our upcoming President-Elect, who have now put together our Design Excellence Award program.
Congratulations to our three very deserving recipients of these awards!
Jerry Jacobs,
ASID CA North President
Fall 2009
7
FEATURE
Can the Luxury Sector Survive the
Great Recession of 2008-2012?
By Alf Nucifora
F
or the first time in recent history, the luxury market took a
serious body blow. Most categories including retail, travel,
hospitality, real estate and services saw dramatic year-to-year
revenue and profitability declines, some in the range of 30-50%.
We’ve been told the recession is formally on its way out, this from
the same academic and think-tank geniuses who were assuring us
in late 2007-early 2008 that any recession, should it occur, would
be mild in its impact, a brief case of the sniffles in contrast to the
fully-fledged economic pandemic that the country continues to
battle. So what should we expect going forward?
The late fourth quarter of 2009 saw an upward tick in luxury
spending as the affluent, fearful of appearing indulgent to friends,
neighbors and staff, opened their check books to activate dormant
remodeling projects and gratify their delayed desires for various
high-end baubles, bangles and beads. The numbers in the first half
of 2010 show a continued return to spending by the super-affluent.
But the trend is erratic and hardly reliable for any luxury marketer
plotting survival strategy and spending decisions. So what are the
canaries in the mine?
1. Watch the DJIA: The magic number is 10,000, the on/off switch
so to speak. When the Dow rises above that number, they begin
to spend. When it drops below for a sustained period, the
spending spigot gets shut off. It’s all psychological, of course. The
truly affluent have the money, but they feel poorer when their
portfolio balances drift downward.
2. Watch the Consumer Confidence numbers: The Conference Board
publishes them regularly. We were doing well there for a time,
hitting the 60’s in May versus the dismal 40’s earlier in the year
and the fatalistic 20’s in early 2009. And then in June it plunged
again, indicating a frustrating resistance to confidence building
on the part of American consumer who continues to worry about
job security, declining home values, rising healthcare costs and
an existing debt load that has to be repaid before credit cards can
be reactivated. A purloined quote says it best. “Confidence grows
at the rate a coconut tree grows. It falls at the rate a coconut
falls”. With the American economy driven by consumer spending
to the tune of 70%, consumer confidence must rebound before
the economy can fully recover. Right now, consumers are
spending less, saving more and reducing credit…the very
prescription for continued economic woe. Notes economist
Michael Lehmann, “When people feel good, they borrow and
spend. When they feel lousy, they repay and cut back”.
3. Watch the three time bombs: In order they are, 1.) The unemployment rate, 2.) The residential and commercial real estate
markets, and 3.) Credit card debt.
The stubborn unemployment rate remains key to the recovery. As
long as it hovers in the 9% range nationally (closer to 17% if one
includes those who have opted out of the job market or
SF Design • CA North
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involuntarily transitioned from full-time to part time employment),
any hopes of a significant or hastened recovery are out the question. The unemployed don’t spend. Equally corrosive, they act as a
constant reminder for those who are gainfully employed that destitution is one capricious employer decision away. There but for the
grace of God, go I.
The numbers on residential real estate remain anemic with housing
starts and new home sales fluctuating month-to-month and 20+ %
of mortgage holders “under water”. Until U.S. banks and lenders
flush out the 2.5 + million additional foreclosures on the books for
this year, the prognosis remains poor. On the commercial side,
between $800 billion and a trillion dollars in assets reside in the
at-risk column. A prowl down the streets of most U.S. cities, our
own Union Square and Financial District included, will attest to the
fact that the plethora of “For Lease” and “For Sale” signs are a
prelude of difficulties to come.
With the American consumer holding an average $8000 in credit
card debt, the national credit bill totals $900 billion, with approximately $400 billion of that at risk or loss during the next five
years. And we wonder banks have reigned in their once profligate
lending practices and why consumer credit spending continues to
contract, wholly un-American behavior based on historical
patterns?
The bottom line
The economy will recover, but at its own pace. Look for a very slow,
protracted recovery that will demand rebuilding of consumer
coffers as well as confidence. 2010 is still a year in search of
economic stability, as most likely will be the bulk 2011. But we can
survive and succeed in the interim. At the high-end, there will be
pent up demand that has to be met. Homes will be purchased and
remodeled. Cars will be traded in. Vacations will be taken and the
lifestyle practices of the Bay Area affluent and wealthy will be
resumed, albeit in a quieter, more introspective, more European
manner. That means less extravagant spending on garish Rolexes
and more investment in bespoke quality and family lifestyle
enhancement, that long overdue kitchen remodel or room addition,
for example.
For the opportunistic marketer it’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to
capitalize on the fear and hesitancy of others and carve out market
share while aggressively pursuing new clients and customers,
“marketplace Darwinism”, so to speak. The one thing a recession
guarantees is that strategically-smart risk-takers get richer and that
competitively-driven marketers make their mark at the expense of
the meek.
Alf Nucifora is the Chairman and Founder of The Luxury Marketing
Council chapters in San Francisco, Monterey Peninsula and Las
Vegas. The Luxury Marketing Council is a global organization representing more than 1000 of the world’s leading consumer luxury
brands.
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Fall 2010
9
FEATURE
The Designer Advantage at Bonhams &
Butterfields’ SoMa Estate Auctions
By Christine Skinner
B
onhams & Butterfields is well known as San Francisco’s
world renowned premier auction house specializing in
high end art and antiques. What many may not
know is that Bonhams & Butterfields’ monthly SoMa
Estate Auction provides a comprehensive
offering of furnishings from all periods,
styles and tastes at mid range prices.
Over 850 lots of fresh-to-market property
including artwork, rugs, furniture,
lighting and decorative accessories hit
the auction block, allowing Bay Area
designers and dealers to source unique
and one-of-a-kind items at affordable
prices within the $500 - $3000 range.
For those not necessarily looking for the
contemporary lighting, seating, coffee tables, bookcases, cabinets,
decorative accessories and much more.
antique, the SoMa Estate
Auctions have recently
Here are some tips for shopping at SoMa Estate Auctions: for
introduced a new category
those who have never bought at auction before, the process is
of offerings which include
quite simple. The online catalog with images is posted 2 ½
contemporary designer
weeks before the sale. Previews are held 2 days before the sale
furnishings (think McGuire,
for physical viewing. It is extremely important to take extra care
Michael Taylor Designs
and inspect each piece closely, as items are sold as-is and are
and Orlando Diaz Azcuy).
non-returnable.
Sourced mainly from
private West Coast
Looking for something in particular? Take advantage of Bonham's
estates and
search feature when you sign up for an account. Simply type in
consignors, the
the item you are searching for and Bonhams will automatically e-
idea is to offer clean,
mail you when one becomes available at auction. What could be
pristine furniture, still
easier?
'current' in design.
SF Design • CA North
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These include custom
We love to answer questions. There are so many details regarding
upholstered sofas,
antiques, and especially regarding the auction process.
FEATURE
Specialists are always on hand to provide answers about provenance, condition or any other question you may have about an
item.
Be sure to register online or in person at least 24 hours before the
start of sale. You may attend the auction in person, leave an
absentee bid or bid via telephone. If bidding in person, please
note we auction approximately 100 lots an hour. Large Items,
denoted with a ‘W’ next to the lot number, must be picked up 3 or
4 days after the date of sale, as noted in the catalog.
The next SoMa Estate Auction is scheduled for September 19. For
more information, please visit www.bonhams.com/soma
Christine Skinner began working for Bonhams & Butterfields in
2002, spending time both in the Furniture and Decorative Arts
Department as well as the Fine Arts Department. For the last 5
years she has been the Director of the monthly SoMa Estate
Auctions.
Fall 2010
11
FEATURE
Reproductions: Ageless and Beautiful
By Greg McIntyre
W
hy buy a custom reproduction
cabinet or chair when you can
get a fine antique or a great
bargain from a retail furniture store?
I have been in the business of dealing
with high quality, custom reproduction
furniture—from traditional to modern—
for over two decades. Here’s my answer:
Ageless. Often using classical designs
that have evolved over centuries, wellmade reproductions have the look and
feel of times past while being made with
the modern engineering and flexibility
that allows for uses unimagined long
ago. You can see it in the patina, the
sheen on the surface of a table or
console. It’s obvious in the grace of a
finely carved chair or cabinet. Furniture
that speaks of elegance and timelessness, whether a single piece
for accent or a houseful, is easy to spot and stands out in any
setting, and serves to make the setting more special. And it
doesn’t have to be old or cost a fortune to be wonderful. Good
reproductions can blend easily into any style, accenting the latest
trends, while having a lifetime that runs generations and survives
changing tastes. A wooden table top, a bronze chandelier, an
aged iron base for a glass top table can have that specific look,
touch and glow that suggests ageless beauty.
Green. Quality reproductions can be the ultimate green furniture. Made to order by craftsmen, often using updated, cutting
edge techniques and materials sensitive to our environment yet
replicating old world craftsmanship, they can last and serve for
generations, becoming the antiques of tomorrow. What could be
more green than that?
Custom. Let’s say you discovered a set of four beautiful antique
dining chairs, but you need eight. And these are a little small.
It’s hard to find matching antique chairs in the quantity and size
you want for today’s modern lifestyle. However, with quality
reproductions you can customize a piece to get whatever you
want, any size you want, in any finish you want, in any fabric you
want.
SF Design • CA North
12
Durable. Mass produced furniture is
often intended for a limited lifetime.
Styles change. Why spend the money
manufacturing something that will be
outdated in a few years? And antiques,
as beautiful as they may be, are sometimes delicate. Having a chair, sofa or
table that is durable and that you can
actually use in today’s busy lifestyle is
important. Quality shows and lasts the
test of time.
Value. I have an elegantly shaped
walnut eighteenth century style secretary in my living room. It looks Venetian.
A showstopper, it’s also a reproduction
that cost less than ten percent of the real
thing, assuming you could even find the
real thing. Reproductions by craftsmen
and talented designers can last for generations and are a rare bargain when you look at cost and decades of
use. Mass produced furniture, sometimes offering the immediate
thrill of bargain prices, can often disappoint, making the value
questionable in the long run.
Good Company. I love well-designed modern furniture—sleek or
angular, smooth or rough, sometimes startling, sometimes in
dramatic finishes and materials. Often that look is complimented and enhanced by the presence of a classically styled
reproduction that whispers elegance even while its young neighbors shout 2010. A good reproduction piece is excellent
company in any setting, always respectful and enhancing.
A great interior designer can create magic. And the skilled staff
of a custom furniture and fabric showroom can be invaluable
behind the scenes. For the end customer, it’s not always about
money, but style, pride, selection and good investing. For them,
what’s more priceless than hearing from their guests—“Wow!”—
when they see the new home or redone space for the first time?
How about when company comes back and wants more information on the special world their designer has created?
Greg McIntyre is showroom manager at Shears & Window at the
San Francisco Design Center Galleria. He can be reached at
gregm@shearsandwindow.com or (415) 621-0911.
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FEATURE
My sick chair has a split personality!
By Eric Petsinger
A
few years back on a buying trip through France, one of my
favorite dealers in Lyon invited us back to her apartment
for one of those ever-so-simple, but deliciously wonderful
French meals. You know, pick up some pork chops from the
neighborhood butcher, swing by the green grocer for fresh
haricot verts, with a final stop at the bakery for that heavenly
crunchy French bread, and of course a sinfully buttery tarte tatin
to end the meal. Of course, I always consider myself lucky to get
these invitations, not just for the food and generous hospitality,
but to go behind the scenes to see just what that particular dealer
surrounds themselves with at home. I guess I’m a true voyeur at
heart and love seeing just what it is that people want to wake up
to everyday, and what objects make them feel all cozy and comfy
when they return home at day’s end.
Leaving the summer heat outside, we enter Bea’s apartment
building and begin our ascent up the wide, cool limestone
stairway. The large walnut door opens and we enter Bea’s
spacious flat with high ceilings and tall windows. She flings open
the drawn drapes, thrusts open the hinged windows and a warm
breeze blows past us.
“May I show you around?”
Absolutement!!
Leading us into the quietly-elegant, lived-in sitting room, Bea
points about the room, “ziss table belonged to my great-great
grandfozzer. It is made from, how do you say… It eez small and
round and you coook it in zee ooven. Ah oui, chest noot!” (ah yes,
chestnut!)
Before leaving the room I notice that, sitting next to the wellused Louis XVI marble fireplace is an over-scaled Regence open
armchair with a well-worn gray painted finish that only 270 years
of dutiful service can achieve. “Love this!” I blurted out. “Do you
know what ziss eez? Bea asks? (Is this a trick question, I’m
wondering?) “Une chaise?” I answer in my best third grade
French.
“Mais non monsieur!!
C’est une chaise-demalade!” (A sick chair, I
think to myself. Hmm,
who knew?)
Not quite, but almost. It is a chair that converts into a daybed and
was used for someone who was convalescing. I loved this ‘sick
chair’ and had to have it, so I asked if it was for sale. “It eez quite
rare. 15,000 euros.” At that moment, I could have used a chaisede-malade. Oh well, no sick chair for me, but it did make me
curious to learn more.
I came to discover that these oddly-curious, transformers of
yesteryear are known collectively as metamorphic or convertible
furniture, or that uncomfortable sleep sofa that we’ve all spent
sleepless nights on – today’s version of metamorphic furniture!
(albeit a last place finisher by comparison to its antique
brethren)
Why was metamorphic furniture needed? What was its purpose?
In Europe and Colonial America, most people had small living
quarters and found it necessary to conserve space. You guessed
it! Dual-purpose furniture began to appear on the scene. The
table/chair , trundle bed, drop-leaf table and even the folding
chair (still used today at every Thanksgiving ‘kids’ table.
Remember?). Even Thomas Chippendale, in 1750, took a stab at
creating a stool that morphed into a ladder for his wealthy
clients’ private libraries. Not a successful model but its successor
was not far behind.
Practicality ruled the
day until the mid-18th
century, when an enthusiasm for cleverly
constructed mechanical
furniture began to
emerge. Ingenuity was
embraced
and
an
intrigue in dual-purpose furniture took hold. Where Chippendale
left off in 1750, the London cabinet makers Morgan and Sanders
patented the first convertible library chair in 1811, during
England’s Regency period. What appears to be a form of domestic
furniture, opens easily to steps allowing access to the upper
shelves - perfect for the manor house owners whose newly
amassed book collections needed a specialized room for safekeeping. Thus emerged the private library where the efficient use
of space was essential but quirkiness was embraced.
In a New York Times article entitled, “Antiques: Much More than
Meets the Eye,” by Wendy Moonan, Mr. Ballinger, Manager of the
Bridge to Design • CA North
14
Philadelphia antiques shop Alfred Bullard Inc. said ''These were
toys for rich men. They were costly when they were made. They
were always of the finest materials and craftsmanship, because
only the rich had libraries. I have never seen a library chair in a
secondary wood or done with second-rate craftsmanship.''
It goes without saying that the cabinet makers also enjoyed the
handsome profits they gained from providing the privileged with
their toys.
In the late 19th century, eccentricity and the unusual were a
common thread in dual-purpose furniture. People now lived in
larger dwellings so conserving space was no longer the driving
force behind metamorphic furniture design. The wealthy
delighted in these mechanical oddities and clamored for
more. A desk could become a bed; a chair turned into a
bathtub. One of the most unusual metamorphic objects is a
Piano Bed made in Boston in 1865 (see the video online
www.video.yahoo.com/watch/187678/1732523
Another online example, this one from the Antiques Roadshow
archives, is a Victorian Reclining Chair produced in 1876.
www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/archive/200903A34.html
So next time you’re sleeping on that pull-out sofa bed, remember
that metamorphic furniture is not a recent development – it goes
back centuries to when someone probably placed a plank of
wood on two supports to make life a bit easier. Convenience and
space restrictions made dual-purpose furniture necessary until
the mid-18th century when the wealthy became fascinated and
amused with mechanical furniture. The early 19th century
brought the invention of the library chair that opened in to steps
so the manor house owners with their new libraries could have
the convenience they needed while being delighted with its
eccentricity. By the end of the 19th century, the more eccentric,
the better – think of the Piano Bed!
• Custom-tailored with quality materials
• Independent DUAL motorized control
of foot & back rest
• Automation through control systems
[contact closure & IR]
• Recliner and incliner [wall-saver] steel frames
• Ergonomics: articulating headrest & lumbar support
As for me, in the end, I did find my chaise-de-malade at a New
Orleans auction house and have
it on display in my shop – a
beautiful Louis XV example of
metamorphic furniture. It
brings back great memories
every time I admire it.
Eric Petsinger is owner of
Epoca, a source for fine
antiques in San Francisco.
He can be reached at
eric@epocasf.com or (415)
864-6895.
Bridge to Design • CA North
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