Monday, February 21, 2011

The Coffee Table


Since Norma asked nicely, here is THE coffee tables to end all coffee tables.  It's an Erwin-Lambeth (now Tomlinson Erwin-Lambeth ) piece and for those of you that know furniture, Erwin-Lambeth is so exclusive that its only sold in the trade and only sold by designers that T/E-L approve of.

The table is a solid brass chassis, with a rosewood frame that holds a 1" thick beveled glass top, about four feet by four feet square.  And folks it is beyond heavy.  My parents paid about $1,000 for it in 1968 when they moved into the 5,000 square foot monster house in 1968.  I have been told that it's official model name is the "Fender", and it was designed by Mrs. Lambeth.

And the condition is exquisite.  The forty year old glass is perfect and there is one bump mark on the wood frame, and you would be hard pressed to find it.  The brass base is perfect - no scratches, mars.

I have only seen one other table like this - it was in the grand foyer of a chi chi bank in Cleveland.  And the only reason why I saw it was because my mother heard that the bank had one and she wanted to visit it in the garnd setting it was in.

But for all its perfectness, I fear it will go cheap.  The economy is bad, and its old enough to be old, but not old enough to be an antique.  Whoever buys it will have a great ticket to some 5 minutes of fame on the Antiques Roadshow in 2020.

6 comments:

  1. thanks for the snap!

    yes, i agree with you, it won't fetch to much. used furniture is a very funny thing. initial cost isn't necessarily any indication of what you can get for it today. yes, erwin-lambeth is nice stuff, we used to sell it. i'd guess you be LUCKY to get 350.00 for it. expect less. throw it on craigslist & see if you get any nibbles.

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  2. Throw it on ebay with a reserve and stipulation that the winner must organise shipping!

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  3. It is perfect for the Hollywood Regency style. 1st Dibs seems to have several chairs. Maybe a local vintage modern dealer might be interested.

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  4. I love the table - are you selling? I'd be interested.

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  5. I have been researching this table for TWO years! My boss's wife gave me one of these twelve years ago. Her comment was, "Brass is SOOO out." Ok, I'll take your outdated, out of style hand-me-downs. Of course, she had to let me know that they spent $7,000 for it in the 70's. Not sure if I 'buy' that, but I knew it was probably pretty pricey back in the day.

    For two years, all I could find are pics and basic descriptions of this table. No one ever gave it a maker's name. I just KNEW it was a somebody! You have made my day...maybe even my whole week! Your details are more than I ever hoped for!

    Soooo....how much did your mother's table go for at the estate sale/auction??

    And ps to anyone interested; I have one in excellent condition. Located in Nebraska.

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  6. My mother has one of the exact same coffee tables. Excellent piece.

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