To chic or not to chic?

Charming, wooden dining table and 4 chairs.
Queen Anne styling with a sweetly curved apron, cabriole legs, and scrolled feet.

The world is divided into 2 camps: those who divide the world into 2 camps and those who abhor such over-simplifications!

Still, there are definitely 2 distinct attitudes about painting furniture, and folks do seem to line up in one camp or the other: those who paint wooden furniture, and those who see that as sacrilege. 

With furniture like this, I think it's ok to go either way for these 3 reasons: the light fruitwood does not have a particularly memorable grain, the current finish is quite worn, and the structure is decent. An excellent candidate for a shabby chic transformation, which could, however, be scrubbed up just a bit and enjoyed as it is.

The chairs were made by Lenoir Chairs, which was a mid-quality furniture mfg.
started in 1926 by one of the Broyhill brothers and later merged into the Broyhill brand. These may be from the 1960s, judging from the flecked finish. They were re-upholstered about 6 months ago.

The table is 43.5" diameter plus two 18" leaves. The table, which has no manufacturer's tag, and the chairs have subtle differences in style, and may have been purchased separately,
although the pieces do go well together.

For current pricing, availability, please see the craigslist ad.

For more views of our eclectic inventory visit our gallery
Click here to see all our CL furniture listings, or search CL's FURNITURE listings for "kenmore consignment".
Click here to see all our non-furniture CL listings, or search ALL CL's listings for "kenmore consignment".

Please mention the CL ad to secure the CL price! Thanks.

Crate & Barrel, Italian-made dining table for big gatherings of any nationality!

Big and beautiful! This warm and glowing wooden dining table was made in Italy for Crate & Barrel.
The woods used for the inlaid veneer pattern are Italian walnut, cherry and ash.
Measures 44" wide x 84" long, 30.5" tall.

Over $2000 new, it's here for $995. UPDATE: SOLD

If it's spring, it's time for leaves, and they're here!

When this sweet, mid-century teak dining table was consigned, it came without leaves. But--good news!--the consignor remembered where they were stored (behind the piano, of course), so now we are good to go.

With the recovery of the leaves, it has just grown in potential from 4 seats at a 42" rectangle, to 8 seats at a 42x78" rectangle.

Made by Drexel in the 1960s for their Parallel collection, this table shows usual signs of use, yet retains its glowing beauty. During our off-and-on summer, doesn't this look like a cheerful setting for yummy meals and lingering visits with family and friends?

We're over-full at The Living Room, so our come-and-get-it price ($425...$375!) includes the 4 matching chairs, 1 same-style side chair, and a twin that needs repair.

The first of the summer months is here! Break out the hot tea!

Yes, June 1st, mild and rainy. A good day for some hot tea.

The Living Room is about as packed with cuteness as it can be. Please come and bring a friend who has yet to experience The Living Room; enjoy a cup of Davidson's organic fine in our eclectic surroundings.

Here's a recent consignment: a 3-year old, espresso-finish, dining room ensemble:

Oops! That's something smaller. How small? About the size of a breadbox. Wait, it is a breadbox. Which for the record is as big as 16" x 12" x 10". Oak, priced $22.

OK, back to that dining room set from Klaussner Furniture's Mocoa collection. $895 for all: china cabinet with hutch, table with extending leaf, and 6 chairs. This is a great price because we need to move it out to make room for new consignments coming:

54" wide x 18" deep x 80" tall.
China cabinet base sits on black metal legs &grid.
Hutch features mirrors, lighting, stemware racks.

6 oversized, microfiber-covered chairs

42" x 60" table with 18" leaf

Weather worth waiting for. New consignments inside, as well.

Glorious clouds over Kenmore, April 2011

Waiting in the doorway to wave in a consignor who was finding us for the first time, I was blessed by the beauty of the April sky. Amazing that a little camera can capture such a good representation of this glory.

Meanwhile, back in the shop, we're pushing things around, as usual, to make room for items coming and going. Here are some of the new "comings":
(Sorry for the spacing; properly editing the html with these photos is eluding me.)

Two chairs from rather different eras:

Antique wooden armchair with beautifully done needlepoint back and seat. $125. SOLD

Mid century lounger in striped yellow upholstery. $95. SOLD

A "Retro-terranean" dining set. No, not a dinosaur, but a 60's china cabinet, dining table and 6 chairs with a Mediterranean/retro look:

1960's china cabinet is 47.75" wide x 16" deep x 69" tall. $325. $175

1960's dining table is 42" wide x 62" long, with
3 leaves extending to 8'2". With 6 chairs, $215. SOLD
Bundled with china cabinet, $485.

A bevy of small tables:

Beneath all this cuteness, a Queen Anne occasional table,
24" diameter x 28" tall. Finish is aged. $160.

Gleaming, white writing desk, 50"x26", with separate organizer. $150 together. SOLD

Marble-top plant stand, 15"x28". $135 SOLD

Ethan Allen console table, French styling, charming floral pattern on
creamy base.38"x14.5", 28" tall. $135. SOLD

Rhomboid on a tripod. Unusual and cute!
23" long x 20" at widest. 25" tall. $68.

Handmade in Italy by Florentia. Little, gilded side table.
~30"x21" oval. 20" tall. $85. SOLD

Glamorous 24" glass on 20" gilded and silvered
sheaf of wheat. $175. SOLD

Solid maple gate-leg, drop-leaf side table.
12"x26" plus 12" leaves. 27" tall. Aged finish. $125. SOLD

Wooden demi-lune entry table
by Hagerty Cohasset. 36x18x28.5" tall. $135.

Showing off our new entry area. A few more tables can be spotted in this view, as well.
Come see all the rest that I don't have time to include in today's update!

                            

Playful, faux marble dining table and china cabinet

Some people are not afraid to bring in consignments during a sale! In the rain! From such people we might expect the unexpected and we would not expect in vain.

A 46" x 78" dining table on 2 rotund palm tree pillars, constructed of wood and fancifully painted. And equipped with a removeable, crunched corner:


A 61" wide x 21" deep, wall-hung china cabinet in two pieces. You have to imagine the piece with the doors sitting atop to piece with the drawers, since I can't install it in our shop:


This theatrical set is looking for a very fun home to live in.

What the van brought in...

Here's a quick peek at why we should subtitle our business "Ado Annie's Consignment", although unlike Ado Annie, we believe we are only saying yes to quality offers. It's just that there's a lot of quality furniture out there to be consigned, and sometimes, we "cain't say no":

   
Doesn't everyone want a 7' tall silk corn cane plant in their entry? No need to water, just dust it off every so often. ($68)
We also have two of the ever-popular IKEA-style, white melamine cupboards. These have cheerfully colored door handles. 30” x 15” x 48” tall: lots of storage in there! (UDPATE: 1 left, at $75)


And for those of you wanting more room at the table, here's a dining room set worthy of your consideration: 

6' x 44" table top with sort of a frontier style. Two 18" end-additions make plenty of room for the 10 (!) handsome Windsor chairs included in this set. ($750)
 


Are 10 chairs just a scosche too many? Here's a beautiful trestle table with carved, beaded accent and 8 sturdy chairs for your friends and relations. Rounded rectangular top measures 72" long x 42" wide, plus 2 leaves stored under the table add 12" each. ($825):
  




    
Charming reproduction cheval mirror, 5' tall in its oak swivel stand ($48), and classic wingback/ottoman pairing ($125). (UPDATE: both mirror and chair set sold.)

    
Genuine Thonet bentwood rocker (now half-price at $125), and little girl's dream canopy 4-poster ($199).

That's just part of what's new at The Living Room, with more coming tomorrow. Hope you will come by soon for tea and treasure!

Jacobean tables and family dinners

We have received a beautiful dining room set, a reproduction of the English Jacobean style. We're guessing the set is walnut. What do you think?

The consignor remembers going as a child with his father, a Latvian immigrant, to purchase it from a secondhand dealer in Seattle's Belltown in about 1950. This handsome ensemble has since graced decades of family gatherings, but now it needs a new home.

The table extends from 44" wide by 5' long up to 6', 7', or 8' long. There are 5 dining chairs and 1 armchair for the head of the table, or the guest of honor.




Most impressive to me is the capacious serving buffet. With its inlaid and carved wood, it is beautiful piece for serving, storage, and display.



The (presumably) walnut veneer is accented with just a touch of birdseye maple beneath the crest of the backboard.


The original brass hardware is intact, with one casualty over the years --see buffet door on viewer's left, below; the escutcheon is still here, kept in a drawer of the buffet, but the pendant is missing:


The buffet is 68" long x 22.5" deep x 38.25" tall.
I've never seen one with a bottom drawer like this, that extends the full width. Great for holding tablecloths or treasure maps:


These pieces are all solid wood, very well constructed (e.g. dovetail drawers), and sturdy.

The finish shows its age on all pieces. The table has been refinished with an oil rub that brings out the grain beautifully, but probably needs a refresher coat.

(There are table pads, but they are quite worn.)



Click any photo to see more of our inventory in our flickr gallery.

Available at The Living Room ~Consignment Gallery & Tea~
Open 10-6 Wednesday-Saturday, and by appointment
Closed Sundays -- Tuesdays
6524 NE 181st, Suite 10, Kenmore, WA 98028
In Kenmore Plaza, by the new Post Office.
425-877-1074
www.thelivingroominkenmore.com

We accept Visa, MasterCard, and PayPal.