Project Sale!

When looking for furniture for the store, sometimes we find a deal we can't pass up, and once it's in the store, we wish we had passed it up! We're talking about those pieces that end up projects. Right now we have more of these than we have room for, so if you're handy and are looking for a good deal and aren't afraid of a challenge, then come by the store.

We have this cute pair of vintage teacup chairs that are in need of a good upholstery job, and a new coat of paint.

We love the shape and think they're oh so modern, but we just don't have the time to work on them. They're priced at $100 each or $150 for the pair.

UPDATE: The teacup chairs have sold

If you like the chairs, then you'll love this Saarinen style coffee table base.

The paint is in great shape, all it needs is a new top. You could salvage a piece of marble, or maybe a nice peice of dayglo laminate. This baby is ripe for customizing! $75 for the base and it's yours.

If you're not afraid of a little sewing, then you'll love this LeCorbusier Grand Confort loveseat and matching two chairs (chairs not shown).

The cushions are in great shape, they just need new covers, as these ones are sun faded and worn out. Also, the frame and webbing are in good shape, but the frame could use a paint job. All three pieces for $400.

UPDATE: LeCorbusier love seat and chairs have sold!

We also have a few more projects in the basement, like the 60's walnut four chair dining set that needs refinishing and reupholstery and lamps that need lampshades. If you're brave enough, we'll take you down there to see yourself!

So come by the store and help us make room for new furniture, that won't need so much work!
See you at the store!

Vintage AND Modern

Vintage doesn't always mean modern. And modern can look vintage. There's "mid century modern" and there's "mid century modest". Ethel tries to stay on the modern side of things, but sometimes we find something that isn't strictly "modern" but is darling and vintage.

Look at this poodle card! Kitschy 50's and sooo not modern, but soooo vintage!

He's part of this line of vintage greeting cards.

The top row are vintage 1950's diecut cards, and while they're not slick MadMen modern, they are adorable and would be perfect for the Donna Reed in your life. They're vintage deadstock (meaning they've never been used) and are priced at $6 each, and of course, there's limited quantities.

Fast forward 20 years, and you have the 70's stylings of the cards on the second row. Straight out of the disco decade, these cards are cute in their own way, but are definitely a different vibe than the 50's kitsch above. These are $4 each, and again, limited quantities.

Then we have something that is sooo totally modern, yet is very vintage.
This classic Saarinen marble topped dining table is at least 30 years old, yet looks right out of the pages of Dwell magazine. It's the 35.75" diameter version and was originally introduced in 1956 as part of the Saarinen Collection of dining and low tables for Knoll. This vintage modern version is priced at $1800 and would be perfect for your slick modern abode!

UPDATE: The Saarinen table has sold!

Anyway, remember...vintage isn't always modern, but is usually better than what's modern and not vintage.
See you at the store!

Upside-down Ethel

Things have been all over the place at the store lately. With our big move (not Ethel, she's staying put), I've been back and forth between the store and the new condo, bringing furniture in, and moving furniture out, and as a result it's getting messy in here. But sometimes messy works...at least that's what we keep telling ourselves!

Also, we have a student filming in the store today for her thesis, which is about the relationships we have with objects from the past, specifically the mid century period. Her name is Nicole and she's majoring in communication at Ryerson.

We love selling vintage furniture, but we also like to educate people about it so we think this is a great opportunity to talk about why this period of design appeals to us so much. She'll be done by early afternoon, so feel free to drop by the store afterwards.

See you at the store!

Our move is Ethel's gain

Well, as we said in the last post, we're busy getting ready to move. This means a lot of our personal collection of fabulous vintage furniture is making it into the store.

Check out this vintage vinyl sectional. The orange vinyl is in great shape and the two pieces are very comfortable. It's priced at $800 for the set.

They did say orange is the colour for 2011.

Update: the sectional sofa has sold!

Also coming in is our famous cocktail tiki bar.

This bar is freestanding, over 9' long, and comes with four matching barstools.The floating top is black laminate and is edged with stripes of orange and white glass mosaic tile. The base cabinet has grasscloth on the front face and the interior cabinets are finished in orange to match the orange tile. It even has it's own tiki holding up one end. It's been featured in an Apartment Therapy house tour, the Globe and Mail and in a House Proud segment on CBC's Stephen & Chris show. It's priced at $1500 and is perfect for that swingin' bachelor pad or groovy basement lounge. The overhead lighting is not included as it's staying with the house.

There's a lot more to come so come by the store to check it out.
See you at the store!

Ethel's day off

If you've dropped by the store today, (Tuesday January 4th), you'll know that we're not open today. It's for a good reason though. I'm at home, packing in preparation for our big move. Don't panic, Ethel is staying put, but we sold our house and are moving downtown in two weeks and there's a lot to pack!

If you have any questions at all that need to be answered before tomorrow, please send us an email and we'll do our best to get back to you.

Ethel will be open tomorrow (Wednesday January 5th) as usual.

See you at the store!

Orange is sooo 2011

We keep hearing that orange is the big colour for 2011. Well, I guess we're ahead of the times here at Ethel as we've ALWAYS loved orange! It was Frank Sinatra's favourite colour, you know!

Anyway, we have a few pieces around the store in this colour, and we've put a few on sale.

Remember this gorgeous two seater?

It's now $900, down from $1295. It's been all refinished with new cushions. We love the orange and blue together.

We also have lots of orange art glass and west german pottery, along with some orange kitchen plastic and textiles, so come by the store and get your orange on!

See you at the store!