With my purchase of a condominium a few years ago, I decided it was time to graduate from my grandmother’s stylish but tiny 1940s bent-metal and Arborite dinette to adult-proportioned dining furniture. Although I didn’t have a clear picture in mind, I knew I didn’t want a ‘set’ but rather a combination of chairs and table that reflected my style and my budget, which was negligible.
I’m a fan of mid-century modern furniture (who knew I’d grow to love my parents’ 1960s bedroom suite), and I’d been combing Craislist, Kijiji and the mid-century stores on Toronto’s Queen Street (East and West), as well as hunting at Goodwill, church sales, etc., for months (years?) for the right teak chairs. Then, last summer, I spotted my perfect dining chairs on Kijiji; a woman in Ancaster, Ontario was selling a teak credenza and hutch and in one corner of a photo I spied what looked like beautiful chairs. I emailed the seller and convinced her to let me come take a look at them. She said she and her husband had purchased the chairs in Hamilton in the 1970s. The original fabric was a not-so-lovely chocolate brown and orange tweed plaid and a cat had made one chair its favourite (you can’t imagine how cat hair attaches itself to 70s tweed!). In the end, I purchased the set of four chairs for $300.
Naturally, I wanted six chairs in total, but I figured I’d pick up a pair of mismatched chairs then reupholster them all in the same fabric. Then, one evening later that summer, I spotted what looked like teak chairs sticking out of a trash bin. I drove around the block and was THRILLED to discover that these cast-offs were an exact match to my chairs at home! I’m all about recycling so I quickly got over my embarrassment about dumpster diving in a flirty dress; I snagged the chairs, which sadly, were in pieces (see below), hence their ignominious fate.
I actually contemplated repairing them myself — I even bought over-sized bar clamps — but ultimately I determined that the job was too complex for my limited furniture repair skills. I hired Maple Leaf Furniture, which did a great job and even carved a missing piece of teak (below left) to almost seamlessly match with the original. Those ‘free’ chairs cost $175 each to repair but it was absolutely worth it to have a set of six (and to keep the pair out of landfill).
My Caban table was a $300 Craigslist purchase made after I’d found the chairs. The dark wood and heavy lines are a nice contrast to the lightness of the chairs. And, forever the bargain hunter, I picked up the contemporary, nubby tweed fabric at a discount fabric store in Vancouver (Textile Clearance House – 5550 Fraser St. – 604-321-7188) for only $5.99 a yard. Eight yards of fabric made for interesting carry-on on the flight home.
Throughout my dining room search I’d never seen this particular chair so I contacted Chris at styleNorth to ask for help with identification. Chris sent my pics to Mike Goreki at Winnipeg’s Scandinavia Modern and he quickly responded with the name and designer of my chairs — the Juliane chair by Johannes Andersen; he added that the chairs were originally manufactured by Uldum Mobelfabrik and later, by Vamo Sønderborg.
I suspect that my chairs are reproductions because they lack the maker’s marks Mike said to look for. But the fact that they’re repros doesn’t affect my enjoyment of the chairs one bit. To have come by the set so serendipitously and then to expect them to be authentic would just seem greedy. I love that the chairs are somewhat reminiscent of Wegner’s iconic Wishbone chair but are less popular, more unique. The fact that they fit my limited budget is positively wonderful.
June 24th, 2009 at 8:51 am
Susan, what a great story, and what amazing chairs! The universe obviously wanted you to have them.
Mike and I went to similar lengths with our Craigslist dining chairs. We bought four and then had two more fabricated to match–it wasn’t cheap but it was worth it to have a set. Later, of course we did find another one (and yet another that we narrowly missed out on) and luckily we had planned ahead by buying extra upholstery fabric, just in case.
June 24th, 2009 at 10:53 am
I love your chairs — and the accompanying stories of how you got them. (The hunt is truly as much fun as getting a great piece of furniture).
With such a unique chair, I would pair them with a glass-topped table so that you could see them from all angles. (personal opinion)
Enjoy your great finds!
June 24th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
I am going to second that emotion and I know just the table…look back at an earlier post on a piece a Simone Interiors…FAB
June 24th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
Good memory! That would definitely be a winner…
June 24th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Susan loved your story and your taste in chairs. Thanks so much!
I agree, the glass table top would be FAB with your delicious chairs.
I find that cats seem to have a Cat Angel that helps them find owners, and so I see from your story that furniture has a Furniture Angel too. I mean, come ON! To walk by the dumpster and see your chair and not one but TWO — just what you NEED??? The universe works in mysterious and organized ways….Write for us again Susan! Cheers!
June 24th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
Love the serendipity involved in the quest for those lovely chairs of yours!
I was just at that same place on fraser in Vancouver and was so thrilled to find the upholstery fabric of my dreams for $10. per metre. As she was measuring the fabric she asked me to buy a ‘membership’ for $3.00,that would make me eligible for a discount…..that three bucks saved me a bundle as the final price was an unbelievable $3.25 per metre! Made the rather chaotic nature( understatement of the day) of the store a lot more appealing for my next trip to Van.
June 24th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
Thank you all for the fabulous comments. I concur with your suggestion of the glass table, which I had contemplated purchasing, as it would definitely highlight the design of the chairs. It may be a bit of a personal quirk, but I prefer to enjoy a meal without the ability to glance down at the feet of my dinner guests. Sometimes it’s not always advantageous to know what is going on under the table. :)
And yes, kootenay girl, Textile Clearance House is an adventure in fabric finds. Worth digging through the mounds and ends to find the gems.
Susan
June 25th, 2009 at 11:29 am
thanks for the tips. we live MCM (and need a place to get OUR chairs repaired!)
look forward to the next post
February 6th, 2010 at 12:28 am
Susan,
I bought a set of 6 Juliane chairs new in 1975, shipped directly from mfg. in Denmark. I can’t find the paperwork anymore, so I am curious about where the “mark” is that located to prove they are original and not repros. The original upholstery was that rougher wool in sort of a beige color. I had mine reupholstered in a striped blue/light tan stripes a few years ago. I’ve seen the teak ones on the web for about US $ 500 each. I remember paying US $125 each in 1975, which was a princely sum, as my fiancee and I were living in a very nice apartment for $325/month!
Harrison
September 24th, 2010 at 11:40 pm
I recently found a beautiful set of 6 “Juliane” chairs at my favorite mid-century shop in Portland, Oregon. Today I found the perfect table. My chairs are each tagged with the original “Uldum Mobelfabrik”. Finally a chair that made my heart skip a beat, love at first sight. $1350.00 for the set.
March 22nd, 2011 at 7:09 am
hi – your chairs are the real deal !! and one of my favorites – glad for you.