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1stdibs, Craigslist, Furniture, Home and Garden, Interior design, Kijiji, Kijiji Montreal, Mid-Century, Modern, Montreal, T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Thrift, Thrifting, Vintage, vintage furniture, Widdicomb
The rich are always with us, and we should learn to enjoy them -T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings
Remember this ring pull wood dresser buried at the bottom of last week’s post? In that horribly photographed and described Kijiji ad? I listed it because it was $50 and thought it had potential… hoo boy, did it ever!
A very savvy Yannick emailed me later that week with photos of a T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings design for Widdicomb Furniture that looked identical to our Kijiji friend.
Sure enough, off she went Saturday morning, and came home $40 later with an iconic midcentury chest, that retails between $4,000-$5,000 at high-end dealers today.
Sure, her chest is a little beat up: lots of dust, scratches, nicks and one drawer frame that needs re-glueing (how such an expensive and well-made furniture piece wound up so abused mystifies me.) But it’s still got that all-important Widdicomb label. Minor surface prep and a glossy bright lacquer finish later, that chest is going to be spectacular – here’s what she’s aiming for:
Don’t believe how much these go for? Below is a small painted version, asking $4,500. Or how about the long dresser for $4,800. There’s many more similarly priced examples out there.
Frankly, I’m going to be scrutinizing all the T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings pieces for sale on 1stDibs, so the next one dings my radar a lot harder.
This article is also a great primer on Mr. “the slow growth of an imaginary hyphen in one’s name is an indelible sign of social progress” Robsjohn-Gibbings’ fascinating life and body of work.
T.H. Robsjohn Gibbings holding a chair. Courtesy of the Archives of American Art. TERENCE HAROLD ROBSJOHN-GIBBINGS PAPERS, 1940-1965
Yannick’s been scouring Kijiji for a good midcentury dresser for awhile now. I’d say her search was well rewarded.
You can follow her progress refinishing the dresser by visiting her blog Je t’aime pour la vie.
Enjoy it for many years to come, Yannick!
Woah, awesome for her!
Good afternoon, quality ALWAYS shines thru…Gayle of wonderful find early Christmas present
I know… in chatting with Yannick by email she’s thrilled with it and resisting the temptation to flip it – won’t it be fun to wake up to every morning?! Lovely piece and lovely score
She’ll have the most stylishly stored socks in town!
Outstanding post, Jennifer!
Thanks Chris!
I’ve been chatting with Yannick since she first clued me in on her hunch about the chest, and it couldn’t have gone to a nicer person. Think about it – she emailed me before she’d even bought it, and trusted me not to unscrupulously snatch it up or broadcast it on the blog. And I feel little remorse for the seller’s lost “profit” given the chest’s abused condition.
There’s treasure in them thar’ Kijiji hills, and sometimes it’s staring us in the face
Oh Jen! I haven’t been able to stop smiling all day! The way you write on your blog its evident that you are trustworthy!
Here is the link i posted today about our find:
http://royamak.blogspot.ca/2012/12/thrift-find-widdicomb-awesomeness.html
Talk to you soon hopefully!
Have a good week
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