Saturday, December 6, 2014

Dining Chairs by Touchstone Collection - Before & After - Furniture Restoration

These chairs were originally a tan leather.  Unfortunately a kid colored on the chairs with a marker ruining the leather and the chairs. The next owner decided to paint the chairs blue to cover the marker stains.   


Once I got the chairs, I decided to try sanding off the blue paint and get back to the original leather.  What I got was a suede chair that looks better than the original.  To do this job I used a Dewalt circular sander with 120 grit sandpaper.  





The Final Result
















Linear by Morris of California Desk

4 Drawer Desk by Morris of California.  

This desk came from Burnett's Furniture Store in San Diego.  Burnett's burned down in 1955.  When I first researched this desk I came across the following information and I felt like I found a great piece of San Diego History. "San Diego's first million dollar fire erupted on January 3, 1955. The third alarm fire at the Burnett Furniture Company at 7th and University was fought by more than 100 San Diego firefighters. Several firefighters were injured and overcome by smoke, including the Assistant Fire Chief. At the height of the fire, Fire Chief George Courser ordered three crews off the southwest corner of the roof. The Chief was the last to leave and the roof partially collapsed just as he jumped off." - The City Of San Diego

Then I began to clean it up, it had a small key taped underneath the drawer.  I got very excited, like I was a kid again, my imagination ran wild thinking there was a secret or a treasure to be found if I continued researching more about the desk and where it came from.  I haven't stopped my search for the previous owner.  But I do constantly wonder if the owners children have been searching for this mysterious key.  

About Morris of California:  Phyllis Morris was an American furniture designer known for her colorful persona, her outspokenness on decorating and her distinctive furniture and interior designs, especially her large and highly decorative beds. She was often referred to by the media as the "designer to the stars." By the time of her death, Morris had left a mark in the world of interior design in each of the four decades since the founding of her company Phyllis Morris Originals in 1953.












Built By John Since 1891- Vintage Dresser

5 Drawer Dresser.  In Excellent Condition.  From the Early 1900's
BP John's furniture has recently become a collector's favorite, especially in the Northwest where it was originally made.  Burno Paul John was a German immigrant that helped start and fund Doernbecher Manufacturing in Portland, Oregon in 1911.






Built By John Since 1891 - Vintage Desk

7 Drawer Desk. Built In The Early 1900's.  In Excellent Condition.