OF TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS - RECENT VINTAGE FINDS

Dear All

Before my last two postings, some of you may have noticed that there was a lack of updates for quite sometime. My regular customers in KL and Singapore were wondering what happened. Have I run out of stocks? Is the business still on? Nothing of that sorts really. Actually, many things were happening, that hinder me to post some of my latest finds.

I was helping my brother, who is introducing a new beverage he canned, at the recent Malaysian International Halal Exhibition 2010 (MIHAS). On our return , our mum was critically ill and we were in and out of hospital daily. We only make day trips to Kuala Lumpur, quick enough to return if something happen.

Sadly, she passed on last week. Losing a mother who has sacrified so much for the family (she outlived my father for 24 years) makes you reflect on a lot of things. There were, of course, the usual religious rituals and services to respect. But life has to go on and work is a consolation. So here am I, with some of my latest finds and some newly restored pieces.

A beautifully restored 1960's solid teak wood divider. Glass panels on both sides, so you can use it both ways. Makes a great divider between living and dining halls. 7 ft in length. When we got the piece, it was literally in black lacquer. I'm sure Ting Hway and Dan who gave us the opportunity to acquire it , must be surprised at the outcome! I know they would love to kept it if they have the space.

A beutifully restored 1960's teak side board, 6 ft in length. Belong to the same set above. Was also in black lacquer paint. Its quite rare to get long teak retro pieces like this, nowadays. Sold to a young couple in Kuala Lumpur.

My favourite recent find. A beautiful 1960's solid teak dresser with 3 bevelled edged glass panels. Unrestored as yet. (L48 x D16 x H28 inches)

A beautiful half hexagon shaped retro 1960's teak dresser which came in 2 days ago. When my runner dropped this at the shop, I was elated. The 3-panelled mirrors are bevelled edge. The glass top makes a nice see through counter, with sliding glasses in front. The 5-pencil legged makes this piece an elegant one. Unrestored as yet.

A rattan dresser table with matching mirror.

A nice standing vanity full length mirror.

A retro 1960's teak chest of drawers, with white formica on top. Unrestored as yet.

A side board cum drawer. One side of the cabinet is usually used for hanging clothes. With a mirror on top, it makes a good dresser too. For those who are space conscious.

A recent find. Art Deco 1950's teak sideboard with sliding glass panels. Love the U-legs. Will be a handsome piece once restored.

Another 1950's teak side board, worth restoring. Already in Malacca with my restorer.

Some of you wondered how a restored piece would look like. The two unrestored pieces above this sideboard, would look like this one, once fully restored. Because, they are of vintage teak, restoration will bring out the natural beauty of the teak wood grains, get rid of the scratches and marks and if taken care of, will last for another generation.

A vintage Queen sized brass bed that have been coated with green paint. Some parts of the paints have peeled off. Some may like the seasoned, rustic looks to the bed. Others may want to get it repainted. Either way, it's a charming bed to have.

An elegant retro 1960's Queen sized bed, of solid teak. The simple, straight lines headboard has beautiful wood grains. The low end wooden bed frame deceptively gives the bed a broader, king size look. Unrestored as yet.

An Art Deco 1950's Queen size teak bed. The end bed frame is beautifully curved in and head board beautifully rounded. Should keep the 2-tone when restoring. A clear art deco piece.

A low teak open book shelf. (L 36 x D12 X H24 inches) We most probably will add vintage wooden legs to it when restoring, from some of the spare parts that we have. It will look much better when raised up on legs.

A vintage 1960's-70 single door book cabinet. (L27 x D13.25 x H57 inches). Seraya wood. Relatively good condition. We will put in the lock.

Vintage retro 1960's glass wardrobe for hanging clothes. For those who love see through wardrobe. Some of the boutiques love this type of cupboards for display of their vintage or formal collections.

An Art Deco 1950's teak wardrobe. One side for hanging and the chest of drawers on one side is useful for small pieces. The round mirror is elegantly perched on a solid teak ledge. Unrestored as yet. As it is , the lacquer work was badly done, appears patchy. Will be beautiful once we restore it in teak natural finish. Already in Malacca for restoration.

An elegant two door wardrobe. 4 feet in length, slightly longer than the normal 2-door retro wardrobes of the same period. ( L48 x D23 X H68.5). Beautiful wood grains. A great substitute for cheap build-in plywood cabinet. A wardrobe made to last. Good condition. Need semi restoration only.

The inside view of the wardrobe above. In very good condition. The wood with beautiful grains, seems relatively untouched

Another elegant retro wardrobe of the 60's. ( L38 x D19.75 x H70 inches) Solid teak with formica doors that are still in very good condition. The top and bottom part of the wardrobe are beautifully curved out. Certainly the works of a fine craftsman. Need semi restoration only.

The inside view of the above formica door wardrobe. Like the earlier piece, the inside is relatively untouched by years of usage and reveals beautiful wood grains.

We had a similar one about 2 months ago, sold to Mohd. This is a new piece that come in on Tuesday. Still at my Singapore shop. Beautiful burmese teak, worth restoring.

This teak piece may appear battered. But we can assure you that it will look handsome once restored. I've seen the wooden panels being substituted with glass to make it into a display cabinet. Or shall we experiment with colourful peranakan stained glass
instead? 2 same pieces available.

European style big square coffee table (29 x29 inches) Comes with thick glass top. 2 pieces available.

A interesting coffee table. Both sides have pull out drawers with beautiful decorative handles. Bevelled edge glass top that allows a see through drawers divided in 4 compartments. Great for magazines or crafts displays. A sturdy, heavy piece. The white marks at the top are masking tapes stains which can easily be cleaned.

A wrought iron coffee table with glass top. Glass not in the picture.

A wooden bench. Not a vintage but great to have in the house or at balcony or patio. (51 x 22.5 inches)

A vintage teak love seat with cane nettings. Unrestored as yet.

A pair of teak dining chairs with beautitul peranakan tiles. Sold to Mr Lim of Glass Culture.

A 2 and half feet vintage kopitiam table. Need repair and restoration. Will come with new marble top.

Beautifully restored kopitiam chairs. Reserved by Azraie

Rare kopitiam chairs, sold to Alexia this morning.

My favourite find. 4 pieces of brass chairs with vintage PVC seats that need reupholstery.

6 cast iron chairs. Will look great once the cushion is reupholstered and the iron frame repainted in white or green. Or keep the original look and just reupholstery the seats. Great with a glass top dining table.

An ottomon with torn leather seat. Sold to Asher who is going to give it some tender loving care.

A pair of rosewood sidetables with brass inlays. Sold to Asher. The set reminded him of his visit to India.

An antique Chinese Opera Chest. Most probably 1920's-40's. 2 holes at the bottom for putting poles and to be carried on the shoulder. I had a wonderful surprise when I opened it. Inside was another aluminium box filled with vintage Chinese opera costumes. I still have the collections with me.

The side view of the chest

The inside view of the chest

A vintage rattan baby high chair still in sturdy condition. Reminded me of my childhood days.

Hope to get more new stuffs this week.

Till my next posting,

Warmest regards

Sharifah
19 July 2010, 6.06pm

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Write by: Dj Ganden - Sunday, July 18, 2010