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My Finest ART DECO Item

Cousin Hepcat

Practically Family
Messages
774
Location
NC
Walker Turner, Delta, and Craftsman all had some fabulous art deco designs back in the day. A few other brands did as well, like Buffalo tools and Beaver (Canadian).

I'm a Craftsman guy. After seeing something like this, its not hard to figure out why:

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Wow. Just, wow. Yeah.
 
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dhermann1

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,154
Location
Da Bronx, NY, USA
Love the tools. What's especially fitting is that the whole Art Deco aesthetic was based on images of machines as far back at WW I. Every time I see Deco Objets with striaitions and louvres, it reminds me of the cooling fins on gasoline engines, which were the obvious inspirations for all those decorative motifs.
 

Alex Oviatt

Practically Family
Messages
515
Location
Pasadena, CA
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[/IMG] I think that this 1930s pocket watch/travel clock by the New Haven Watch Company is a perfect little piece of Deco design. Also very pure Deco is this set of silverware that my grandmother got in the 1930s.
 

deco_droid

New in Town
Messages
41
Location
DFW, Texas
Love art deco -- I think this thread may be a new hangout for me. I will post some photos of my collection, but if I am understanding the forum rules correctly (sorry, new here), we have to have our photos hosted somewhere instead of files on a flashdrive or whatever? Anyway, great stuff!
 

cookie

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,927
Location
Sydney Australia
I hope this qualifies as Deco. I'm no expert on the matter at hand, but this is a favorite object. Simply because it is an air compressor, a tool and not an ornament, though it is ornamental. I enjoy the care expressed in the design of a simple object. Those days are gone, I fear.

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Isn't she lovely? Still in use in my cluttered work shop.

mrfish

That design leans more to the American Streamline movement that came immediately after Art Deco when decoration moved to the Moderne style and the jet era.
 

deco_droid

New in Town
Messages
41
Location
DFW, Texas
I'm going to take some photos of some of my deco stuff over the weekend. I found a really neat 1930s dentist cabinet a few years back that I really like. In the meantime, keep this thread going, I love it!
 

Guttersnipe

One Too Many
Messages
1,942
Location
San Francisco, CA
dhermann, you mentioned you'd like to see some more of my "Peking" / "Nichols" Chinese rugs here. Well, here you go.

Here is a full view of the pink and blue one you noted in the picture of my Westinghouse TV. It was actually made made in India in the 40s or 50s. My understanding is, after the Japanese invaded China in 1937, production of these rugs pretty much stopped completely. When Mao took power in 1949, export rug production (to the west, at least) was non-existent completely until trade opened up again.

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Here is the rug in our dining room. It's an authentic Nichols from the 1930, I believe. In-person the color reads more red/burgundy. Sorry for the incomplete view; it's tough to get good shots of rugs in tiny SF apartments . . .

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And here is a iPhone photo of two rugs which reside with my mom. Both are authentic Nichols rugs from the 20s. Several years ago, I gave my mom a room-sized (~13' x 17') Nichols with a emerald green field, burgundy boarder, and yellow details. Unfortunately, it was ruined in a flood! But since then she collects them too.

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I have one other room-sized rug beige/gray with a royal blue boarder, but alas it's roll up right now.
 

Shangas

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,116
Location
Melbourne, Australia
I really like that one with the navy blue border and the dark red interior! Are these rugs nice and soft? Do you keep one of those old-fashioned carpet-beaters lying around to dust them off every now and then? Or do you just suck all the dust off with the Hoover?
 

dhermann1

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,154
Location
Da Bronx, NY, USA
Here's the small one. This image is copied from the first page of this thread. I'll try to get shots of the other two soon.
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I don't know about other peoples' rugs, but the ones I have and have seen don't have a particularly soft finish to them. The nap is pretty low, and they are actually a little coarse.
 

Guttersnipe

One Too Many
Messages
1,942
Location
San Francisco, CA
I really like that one with the navy blue border and the dark red interior! Are these rugs nice and soft? Do you keep one of those old-fashioned carpet-beaters lying around to dust them off every now and then? Or do you just suck all the dust off with the Hoover?

Thanks. The interior is actually is a rose color in person; much more pink than red.

When new (or in good condition), Nichols rugs were (are) quit soft; the were (are) also very shinny. Both the shininess and softness were achieved by chemically processing the wool with a washing process.

I vacuum my rugs, which some say is not optimal. But in my experience, prolonged dirtiness is much more damaging long-term to any vintage item than cleaning processes which may cause some wear.

dhermann's rug is a really fine example of an early Nichols rug. It looks to be much older than mine, which are late 20s and on.
 

GHT

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,341
Location
New Forest
That is some seriously fabulous art deco you guys have. We have been deliberating on a piece, they call it a cocktail cabinet, a commode (not that sort) or a buffet table/cabinet. I would call it a sideboard. It has been on E-Bay for £1300 without any takers. It's to die for.
CLICK HERE to see why I am getting into a lather.
 

dhermann1

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,154
Location
Da Bronx, NY, USA
Absolutely fabulous. My guess is that it's French. Are you sure it's an antique, and not a modern interpretation of Deco? The description seems slightly ambiguous.
When I was looking for my sideboard, I found that there were American pieces that were mostly Waterfall, French pieces that were magnificent, with that wonderful 12 layer French varnishing technique, that costs thousands, and there were very nice British ones, made from less exotic materials, and of lesser quality but still wonderful design. I thought the British stuff by far the best deal.
 

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