Thrift find: Widdicomb awesomeness!

While searching on kijiji and craigslist for a  dresser, we  saw this dresser for 50$. We called and got the dresser for 40$, only to find out that its a widdicomb design original. A very worthy (pricey) piece of furniture that we get to cherish for ever!

Jen, from montrealdigs.com wrote a beaufitul post on our find and it was tweeted on kijiji....How awesome!

Thanks Jen!

And i go back to my thrift digging!
from a happy and vintage satisfied Mama Lionne!
Roarrrr
xxxx

Kijiji Canada ‏@Kijiji

Love hearing about what @montrealdigs readers score on Kijiji! RT @montrealdigs: Reader score! Widdicomb chest for only $40! Sells into...

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10:04 AM - 11 Dec 12 · Details

7h MontrealDigs ‏@MontrealDigs

@Kijiji Such a steal - can't wait to see what colour Yannick refinishes it in! Thanks for the RT.

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And here is Jen's beautiful post:
http://montrealdigs.com/2012/12/11/full-potential-t-h-robsjohn-gibbings-for-widdicomb-chest/

Full Potential | T.H. Robsjohn Gibbings for Widdicomb Chest

11 Tuesday Dec 2012

Posted by Montreal Digs in My Take

≈ 5 Comments

Tags
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!