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Uhl Toledo Metal Furniture Company Drafting Chair

Continuing down the path of acquiring classic, industrial furnishings I located this week an exceptional example of Toledo Metal Furniture Company’s iconic drafting chair. This beauty came to The Purple Moon via a friend of a friend and is a great addition to the industrial collection now available in our gallery.

The Toledo Metal Furniture, Co. began as a bicycle maker in 1897 and was founded by the brothers Joe and Clement Uhl in Toledo Ohio. After the dawning of the automobile, with bicycle demand dropping, the Uhl’s began producing furnishings for commercial and industrial use in about 1910. The company later became a division of Banner Metal, Inc. in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. The Uhl brothers designed many of the furniture pieces now associated with the “machine age” and which are now highly desirable by those seeking the industrial chic look for their homes and offices.

This drafting stool, with fully adjustable seat and back height and a pivoting base, is made of heavy steel and wood and was designed to withstand weight and frequent use. As functional as it is expertly designed this stool is a classic of 20th Century design.

This Toledo Metal stool, along with other designs by the Uhl Brothers, is currently available to be seen, enjoyed and purchased in The Purple Moon’s showroom gallery.

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Industrial at The Purple Moon

Utilitarian, historical, functional, hip and chic – industrial decor offers it all!

Visitors to The Purple Moon lately have been a bit surprised to find items with a bit more “patina” than our usual near-pristine mid-century modern fare.  We have blended in more of the “industrial” look with refurbished and often re-purposed items demonstrating how well these historical wood and metal pieces work with modern home decor.


Industrial Factory Cart Coffee Table


Shop Tool Caddy Transformed into Chic Bar Cart

Adding functional industrial items adds a new dimension of fun and interest to home decor. They also are the ultimate in “Green” home furnishings – saving these 20th Century artifacts from the landfill while eliminating the need for a newly manufactured item certainly reduces your carbon footprint.

Often, industrial items are not actually re-purposed but are simply used as they were originally intended while at the same time giving your home an urban chic look.


Vintage Industrial Drafting Table and Toledo Metal Drafting Chair


1930’s Brass Blade Fan by Emerson

Blending some industrial design into your home can also be as easy as using a few well-chosen accent pieces. Vintage wire baskets, metal trays, antique objects and even bed springs turned art offer endless decorating opportunities.


Bed Spring Wall Hanging with Industrial Objects and Warhol Print


Antique Clay Pool Balls in Wire Basket

This is just a hint of the many ways vintage industrial artifacts can be put to use decorating your home or office. Stop by The Purple Moon to see more!

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Drexel Sun Coast Dining Room Buffet and China Cabinet


Drexel Sun Coast Buffet designed by Kipp Stewart – 1958

Drexel Heritage has been a producer of quality home furnishings for over 100 years. Established in 1903, the company pioneered the concept of partnering with outside designers to conceptualize new collections in the 1950’s. For example, California modernists Kipp Stewart and Stewart McDougall worked with Drexel Heritage to create modern collections including the Declaration and Sun Coast lines.

I was fortunate to land a couple of pieces of the hard-to-find Sun Coast last week and they are currently on display (and available for sale!) in The Purple Moon’s showroom.  Gorgeously crafted from cherry with iconic mid-century stars on the painted cabinet doors these beauties are a true sight to behold.


Drexel Sun Coast China Cabinet designed by Kipp Stewart – 1958

Designer Kipp Stewart’s furniture designs have been produced not only for Drexel but by other manufacturers in the United States, Europe and Asia and are in use by major corporations, the United Nations, the Ford Foundation, the White House, hotels throughout the world and many residences. His work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, among others.

Stop by The Purple Moon and check these out soon – I doubt they will last very long!

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Just In! Danish Teak Expanding Leaf Dining Table


Vintage 1960’s Danish Teak Dining Table shown with Two Arne Jacobsen Series 7 Chairs

We just brought this wonderful Danish teak dining table with expanding leaves into The Purple Moon this weekend and it is a real beauty. Teak ages to lovely glow and this table has aged very well!

With extending leaves this piece is perfect for a small space offering versatility along with beauty. It is shown here along with vintage Fritz Hansen Series 7 chairs by Arne Jacobsen  which we currently also have available (actually over a dozen of them are in stock!)


Extendable leaves make this table perfect for small spaces!


Teak ages to a simply gorgeous warm glow!

This Danish Modern table and other great, vintage mid-century pieces are currently on display in The Purple Moon’s showroom at 906 Quarrier Street in Downtown Charleston.

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Estate Sale This Weekend – February 6 – 7 – South Charleston, WV

PM Estate Sales, a service of The Purple Moon, will be holding an estate sale at 805 Montrose Drive in South Charleston on Saturday, February 6th from 10am – 4pm and on Sunday, February 7th from 11am to 4pm.

This small, but high-quality, estate has the treasures you are looking for in the great condition you expect from The Purple Moon. This estate includes a very rare Blenko 5929L decanter, sterling silver from Alvin, Jackson and Poole, silverplate items galore, dinnerware from Castleton and Lenox, figurines from Lladro and Hummel, artwork, and a 1974 Sohmer Company console piano with a huge amount of vintage sheet music and music books.
 
Great living room, dining room and bedroom furniture including a Thomasville dining set, French Provencial bedroom and a fabulous 1950’s bunk bed set! Sofas, chairs, accent table and much more.
 
Sale begins promptly at 10am on Saturday, February 6. NO ADVANCE SALES!

Here is the preview video of this great sale:

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Take a Load Off – Mid-Century Seating


Hollywood Regency Sectional Sofa – Flexsteel – circa 1960’s

We’re fortunate to have a plethora of exceptional mid-century modern seating in stock at The Purple Moon these days. Just take a gander at some of these beauties!

The Flexsteel three piece sectional sofa above dates from the 1960’s and is as elegant as they come. This sofa was professionally reupholstered in the early 1970’s and is, in a word, gorgeous.

Next we have this custom designed and handcrafted one-of-a-kind sofa which is quite possibly the nicest we have ever seen. Designed and constructed by Mansfield OH artist Margaret Twitchell Swank. who studied under Viktor Schreckengost at the Cleveland School of Art, this sofa was made in 1960 and measures right at 100 inches in length.


Custom Designed / Handcrafted Sofa – Margaret Twitchell Swank – circa 1959

This classic swivel chair by Plycraft and designed by George Mulhauser is a true gem and rarely seen with an actual woven fabric upholstery (most were vinyl) and dates from 1961. The sculptural lines of this bent plywood chair makes it truly iconic.


Plycraft Swivel Chair – George Mulhauser – 1961


Danish Modern Round Chair – Denmark – circa 1950’s

The Danish Modern Round chair, possibly by Selig and certainly in the style of Hans Wegner, is marked “Made in Denmark” and is a the perfect accent chair.

Also from Denmark is this wonderful Teak loveseat with its reversible cushions. Sleek and timeless this piece is at home in a living room today as it was 50 years ago.


Teak Danish Modern Loveseat – Denmark – circa 1950’s

Finally, the Hollywood sofa / daybed below is just the thing for that room which might also double as a spare bedroom – just pull off the backrest and, viola, you have a nice single bed for a house guest. It’s also stylish enough to be used in a more formal way. In fact, the Modern Lady and I have one just like this, in creamy white, in our living room.


Hollywood Sofa / Daybed – USA – circa 1950’s

All of this pieces, and more, are currently on display in The Purple Moon’s main showroom. Stop by and take a load off by giving them a try.

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Dansk Kobernstyle Pitchers – Jens Quistgaard


Kobenstyle Pitcher Set by Dansk – Jens Quistgaard – circa 1960

Dansk International Designs Inc. was founded by American Ted Nierenberg in partnership with Danish designer Jens Quistgaard  and produced the classic Kobenstyle line beginning in the mid-1950’s. Originally made in Denmark by Glud & Marstand and then by a French firm into the early 70’s the enameled metal Kobenstyle kitchenware remains a classic.

The near-mint condition three-size pitcher set shown here in the bright yellow is decorative and functional and is currently available at The Purple Moon.

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New Arrival – Heywood Wakefield Crescendo Bedroom Suite 1939-40


Heywood-Wakefield Crescendo Group in Champagne – Designed by Count Alexis de Sahknoffsky – 1939-40

Just in at The Purple Moon is this fabulous bedroom suite from Heywood-Wakefield’s Crescendo Line. These pieces were designed by industrial designer Count alexis de Sahknoffsky, a Russian immigrant who is known principally for his Streamline-style automotive designs, and were only made in the 1939-40 production year.

This solid birch set, with the original Champagne finish, includes:
C3554 Vanity
C3557 Vanity Seat
C3558 Night Stand
C3552 Five-Drawer Chest
C3550 Bed Head & Foot Board (2)


Count Alexis de Sahknoffsky’s Influence Solidified Heywood-Wakefield Emphasis on Streamlined-Modern Design.


The Crescendo Line was made only in 1939-40 Production Year.


Heywood-Wakefield C3558 Night Stand , C3552 Five-Drawer Chest and Pair of C3550 Bed Head & Foot Boards (in back).


Heywood-Wakefield C3554 Vanity, C3557 Vanity Seat and C3558 Night Stand


The Champagne Finish on Solid Birch Simply Glows!

This set is just in at The Purple Moon and can be seen in our main showroom.

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