Sunday, April 18, 2010

a day in sydney

today i picked up the the chairs that i had left an absentee bid on at Mitchell road auctions , they are fantastic , Cintique Milano 1960s very original , made from coachwood with cane inserts they have have a very long seat and are one of my favourite ever chairs made in australia .the timber frames are in mint condition but have been badly upholstered so will have to get some neutral fabric to finish them off ....we decided to grab some vietnamese in hurstville and then to venture home , council cleanup was on in sylvania and we got quite a haul , including a casala chair 2 yellow retro mirrors an art deco mirror , an italian lamp base . 4 timber kitchen chairs and a few other small items , yippee i love garbage throw out .......a quick stop off at sutherland vinnies late and i grabbed a small laddreax shelving unit for $5 , my lucky day ........

Friday, April 16, 2010

noritake & g plan


theres nothing like visiting my partners father in the southern highlands , he s a great old character and and highly entertaining , whats almost as good are the op shops nearby and the local tip shop ....after a delicious lunch with lu lu and ring in stella we ventured off to find some treasure , wow whats this a beautifully styled bureau from the 50s with great little handles , dovetails and great retro appeal ...nooooooooooooooo it has that dreaded red sticker that all avid op shoppers fear its been SOLD , i take a closer look and see that its 1 month since its been sold and even better a phone number , i take a chance and ring the number , hi alison are you still going to buy this old piece , "well im actually having trouble with transportation you may as well have it "..."YIPPEE, we do some fast talking with the shop keeper , " gosh you must be desperate to go to so much trouble " no i just like it we reply in unison ...our little timber bureau/ cabinet turns out to be an english made G PLAN, fantastic not bad for $60 and well worth the effort , it will need a little tlc but not much , we grab a few other smalls and leave satisfied ......the last op shop of the day is having a sale 60% off , this particular shop has been so spoiled over time thats its hardly even worth visiting , we spot a couple of interesting Noritake figurines , " no they have already been discounted replies the old grumpy volunteer" ," i dont think so says my partner , it says every thing in the counter is discounted , i leave the shop knowing trouble is approaching , three managers appear , yes it appears that they have falsely advertised their sale, we grab the figurines and head off into the sunset happy to have beaten the old bags at their silly game .....noritake is now listed and the g plan cabinet is in the operating room having some improvements done.......