Wall unit update

I've acquired a pretty long list of furniture for this house from Craig's List. It would be hard to pick a favorite (well, maybe my orange chairs) but the wall unit on the back wall of our living room has to be near the top of the list.

A few interesting things have happened since my original post about this piece, so I thought I would post an update.

I had tagged my post with the manufacturer's name (Kopenhavn), and as a result attracted some attention from other's searching the internet for these wall units, most of them looking for additional parts or sections for their own wall units. 

One reader contacted me looking for extra sky hooks, the metal hooks that attach the units to the wood brackets that are mounted to the wall. I didn't have extras (she was able to have new ones made at machine shop), but during our correspondence she offered to send me scans of an original brochure for the units she had in her possession. Here are a few of the pages:

It's fun to see the configurations offered. And those prices!

Then, more recently, I received this comment on my original post:

Sarah 4 months ago 

Hi,

The designer of your Kopenhavn wall unit and the miniature furniture maker are indeed one and the same person. Noral Olson is my grandfather. :)

And she responded this to our comments in return:

Sarah 3 months ago 

Hi Joellyn and Debra,

Thanks so much for your comments. It does make me proud that he has designed something that will be used and loved well beyond his lifetime. I can't believe that it's only recently that I have come to know and appreciate his talent (he had already retired from the furniture design business before I was born). You should also check out some of his miniature pieces - they are true works of art, featured in collections around the world - not your everyday "dollhouse" furniture :)
I will pass on your kind words. I know he will especially enjoy your story Debra and be so happy to know that what he helped create was used and enjoyed as I'm sure he meant for it to be.

--Sarah

So even though I already loved this piece, I must say it is even more rewarding to know it has a real and tangible history. 

I would buy this

Hello blog readers! That is, if there are any of you left. I am hoping so because I am planning a bit of a blog blitz to catch up. As I write this, I am downloading "after" photos from my camera of our bathroom renovation to share with you. Soon! 

Until then, I felt compelled to share a few Craig's list treasures with you—since I can't justify buying them myself. Even in our small little town of Great Falls we have a few things great things pop up. And far less purchasing competition. If you don't live around here, well, maybe you'll be inspired to find a few treasures of your own somewhere else.

First up, this vintage green sofa.

I like the low arms and tufted cushions. It's difficult to tell, but if it has a skirt, I would remove it to reveal more of the legs. Not bad for $75, if the upholstery is in decent condition.

Green Vintage sofa, $75. Here, while it lasts.

Next up, I am completely tempted by this sectional:

Yes, obviously it would have to be reupholstered in some crazy amazing fabric. The ad says you could get it done for $30 yard plus fabric, but I'm not sure about that. I was recently quoted more than double that for a chair I looked into having done. Should I be shopping around? What do you pay in your area? There would be a ton of yardage here and it would cost a fortune even at $30, but not nearly what it would cost to buy a piece this size new. 

I think this scale of this could be amazing in my living room, but I'm not 100% sure the look is right. It might be a little too much retro with my orange chairs, even in a different fabric. What do you think? I am ALL for retro pieces, but I do think they look best mixed with a little modern also.

70's sectional, $200.

I have a thing for antique beds (both Eva and Sarah have them), and if I had a boy I would buy one like this and paint it a fun, bright color. 

Vintage steel full-sized bed frame, $120.

Sarah's Chandelier

I've been shopping on Craig's List again. It's a bad habit of mine.

Actually, I take that back. When I look around my house at all the things I have thrifted, I am quite pleased with them all. So let's just call it a habit. Nothing bad about it. In fact, just recently I have sold our old kitchen cabinets, an armoire in our guest room to make way for a chair, and our old stove and microwave. We are delivering the latter to town tomorrow and I am hoping to bring home a $20 set of bookcases for our storage room (from another seller). Win win!

Although Sarah's room hasn't been on our target list of projects yet, I have had in mind to buy her a chandelier. She is my princess, after all. Through all the light shopping I've done for the kitchen I have kept my eye out for a good deal. This listing recently popped up on Craig's List:

Genuine Crystal 8-Arm Chandelier, $250

I took note but moved on. It was more than I wanted to spend and a bit traditional.

And then, a week later:

Genuine Crystal 8-Arm Chandelier, Price Reduced! $100

This time I bit. I pulled out the measuring tape to make sure it wouldn't clock us in the head when we walked through her room, then offered $75. It was ours!

I was a little unsure at first. It was covered with that dusty/greasy grime that all things accumulate when they are over 50 years old. I laid it out on the kitchen table and spent several hours cleaning the entire chandelier and every individual crystal.

It sparkled! It was worth the effort.

And after putting it up in Sarah's room I was even more sure of the purchase.

Fit for a princess.

As with any thrift purchase, it is fun to try to find out if you scored a good deal or not. The chandelier bore the mark of Palme&Walter KG, which we identified as a German chandelier maker. However, the only lead we could find on its value was a listing on eBay for another Palme&Walter chandelier (which looked very much like ours) that had rare Strass crystals on it. Apparently those crystals had signatures in them which could be seen with a magnifying glass. This chandelier sold for $6,000. Ahem. Needless to say I got out a magnifying glass. But I couldn't find any such signature. And the likelihood of a chandelier of that value ending up in an unknowing Great Falls citizen's home? Yeah, right.

In any case, although it would be nice to have a better idea what the value of this fixture is, I'm confident either way we scored a good deal. And Sarah is ecstatic.