Tag Archives: Teak

Parker Bedside Repairs

Lucky enough to come across a great matching set of Parker Nordic bedsides.

Condition was pretty good, however the leg on one had a previous repair which wasn’t quite up to standard, there was also a nasty gouge to the top edge and a small chip to the veneer on one drawer front.

Mid Century Teak Bedsides
Leg repair!
Nordic Bedsides Parker
Solid Timber Repair!
1960's Parker Furniture
Veneer repair!

With all repairs carried out, the original finish was given a light go over with some super fine steel wool, and then 2 coats of an oil/mineral turpentine mixture was applied.

Mid Century Parker Bedsides
Finished!

Very happy with the end results! The bedsides will be available in the online shop with the matching bed head very soon.

Cut & Paste

Over the weekend I carried out a few minor repairs on a great Hayson teak/veneer dressing table. A common issue often seen with the majority of teak furniture dating from the 1960’s can be chips/damage to the thin veneer. They are unsightly, can run further if caught whilst cleaning and also devalue your beautiful piece of furniture.

1960's furniture repair
Sitting precariously!

For example, on the left hand side of the dresser, towards the bottom edge we are missing a 15mm x 20mm piece of veneer, along with a few other smaller nicks to the right. Obviously it’s not a major issue, it’s just there, and you know about it, and you hate how it’s damaged in that area, and how it catches your eye every time you walk past – much like a dent to your beloved car!

So how do we fix? We simply glue in another piece of teak veneer, and try to match it as best we can!

Teak Veneer Repairs
Left – little to dark / Right – better

The teak veneer used above I salvaged from a broken record player I stumbled across at the local tip one day. The piece to the left is a little to dark, and whilst the piece on the right is better – the grain however is a little wider and not quite as tight, but it will have to do!

1960's Sideboard Drawers Repair
Glueing / Taping / Finished.

So after squaring the edges, and meticulously peeling off a piece from the ‘donor’ it was trimmed, glued and clamped into place, along with a few smaller pieces (under the tape). Once the glue was dry I removed the clamp and I must say I was a little surprised at how much darker it looks now on its own compared to the side by side picture. A light sand with some 800 grit wet & dry, and a few coats of furniture polish (oil) and we’re done!

Now although the colour doesn’t quite match 100%, the repair is complete! The veneer’s are level, and firmly glued down, with no chance of any further damage occurring. Remember, we’re not trying to hide the repair or signs of it’s previous life – we’re ensuring the piece is in great, functional condition, ready for the next 50 years of use!

The Right Shade

I’ve owned this great mid century teak ‘rocket style’ lamp for a little while now, and it has always donned the cream, coolie lamp shade. Although reasonable in style, it just never felt quite right.

Mid Century Teak Lamp
Ready for take off!

With the 3 legged tripod base, and the narrow, tapering central column the wide based coolie shade was a little top heavy. How much though I never realised until just recently when I came across this fantastic, original teal and gold drum style lamp shade.

Teal, or Cream?
Teal, or Cream?

With the teal shade firmly in my possession I was keen to try it out on the rocket lamp and see how it looked. I was super impressed not only with how well the teal contrasted against the teak, but also in it’s proportions. The drum style shade seems to suit the lamp perfectly, and allows the overall flow to continue on up, compared to the coolie style shade which I feel halted the flow – the shape – the design of the original lamp!

Now residing in our lounge room, with the teal shade firmly atop, the teak rocket style lamp will soon be joined by another teal coloured item. Possibly my favourite piece. Blog post and images to come!

Mid Century Cot

Whilst browsing a recycle centre earlier this week I came across a piece of mid century furniture which had never, ever crossed my mind – a mid century styled cot.

Retro Cot
Great mid century styled cot.

Manufactured from a teak/teak veneer and dating from the 1960’s I would have a guess that this cot would of been a custom made piece to fit in with the rest of the original owners home decor. With all the correct signs of a quality piece of furniture I could only imagine (and would love to of seen) what other pieces the original owner had!

Retro Teak Cot
Functional!

With a piano hinged door that revealed shelf space on one end,

Australian Mid Century Cot
Towel Rack

And a double towel rack to the other this cot was definitely made with practicality in mind, however style was not sacrificed in the process.

Mid Century styled cot
Mid Century styled cot

So did I buy it? Unfortunately, no. It was super hard to walk away from but due to the difficulty in regards to selling older style cots/baby furniture and whether they comply with relevant Australian Standards just isn’t worth the hassle…….Hopefully it’ll find a good home though and be saved from being turned into landfill.

Auction Watch # 9 – Parker Lounge Suite

Whilst browsing eBay this week I came across a piece of furniture I’ve been lucky enough to of ‘found’ before. It’s a 3 piece Parker lounge suite with what I think are possibly some of the best curves on an Australian made lounge suite from the Mid Century era. Just check out how the arm supports curve beautifully around the rear of the single/three seater! Not to mention the grain of the timber, AMAZING!

Teak framed mid century lounge suite
Beautiful 3 piece Parker lounge suite.

Now above I did mention that I ‘found’ mine……..Yep, thats right, driving home one night on a local council clean up week out of the corner of my eye I spotted the rattan back of a single chair sticking out of a pile of rubbish. I looped back around the block for a closer look and sure enough there it was, along with the matching 3 seater (frames only). I couldn’t believe my luck!

To check this unreal piece of Australian, mid century design furniture, just search eBay for ‘Vintage Parker 3 seater wrap around lounge’. Currently priced @ $338 for the 3 seater and $449 for the 2 matching chairs with 4 days left!

New Stock Listed!

Although we had a busy weekend, we were still able to list some new stock on the website. The new pieces include –

  • 6 Drawer teak chest
  • Vintage 4 door school locker
  • Shadow box with an interesting design
  • High quality ‘John Grimes’ Teak buffet/sideboard

I am really impressed with the quality of the John Grimes sideboard, definitely worth a look.

You can find these items on the front page of our website under the ‘Latest’ heading.

http://www.20thcenturysalvation.com.au/

Holiday Finds

As mentioned in my last Blog post we didn’t have a great deal of time off during the Christmas/New Year period. We were able though to sneak in a little getaway to our favourite holiday destination.

Now being who I am, I take this opportunity to explore what the holiday region has to offer, and no, I’m not talking about that secret fishing spot or famous break…….I’m talking about local 2nd hand stores, Op shops, recycle centres, Antique & Collectable stores, garage sales, markets, etc! I always find it interesting, and a great learning experience to frequent these places on holidays and although the other half isn’t necessarily over the moon about it, she does come along and we make a good day out of it.

So what did we find over the break? Nothing that exactly sets the world on fire, however we did source a fair amount of good quality smalls for the store. From West German pottery to Danish stainless steel serving trays you can see a selection of the smalls below.

West German Pottery Danish Stainless Steel

 

It will be a little while before we get around to listing the stock online so if you see something you like, best to get in contact with us here.

Mirror, Mirror on the wall………..

Sometimes a piece of furniture is too far gone to be repaired or restored…….That can be said about the original dressing table that this mirror came from. It had a really funky design but was just too badly damaged to justify restoring it.

It’s not all doom and gloom though, as it allowed me to salvage this quirky, almost love-heart shaped mirror. To be honest, on the initial purchase of the dressing table it was the shape of the mirror that first caught my eye!

During the pull down of the mirror’s frame I was pleased to find an original date stamp on the back of the mirror – April 23 1958.

I reinforced the timber frame, both on the inside and out to take the weight once the mirror is in place. I also added a nice thick piece of teak (originally a support from the rear of the dressing table) for the bottom edge of the mirror to rest on. I oiled this piece up, and for contrast painted the the back and side edge in a vivid white low sheen paint.

I think this piece would look great hanging in the entrance way of a home, or even sitting above the mantle of a fire place in your retro living room!

Keep an eye out for it in the store within the coming weeks!

Atomic Era Retro Mirror

Restoration Complete!

Well, its done! I finished off the restoration of the Parker chair over the weekend, and I must say I am very happy with the results.

Sporting new elastic webbing, fresh dunlop foam on both the seat and back support and   new upholstery, this chair has been brought back to the condition it was when it rolled out of the Parker factory over 35 years ago!

The chair will be for sale on the website within the next few weeks, or alternatively if interested you can contact me via the contact page on the blog.

Retro Teak Parker ChairI’d also like to thank Laura and Katie from Flourish and Blume who gave me some great advice on materials and specific upholstery techniques. The girls were extremely friendly and helpful!

Be sure to check out their blog here —> http://flourishandblume.blogspot.com.au/        They do some awesome quality work which most definitely provides inspiration for myself.

I’ll also add their blog to my list of recommended links on the home page.