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Olde Good Things

Architectural and Altered Antiques

It’s Spring Time – its Restoration Time

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Spring has sprung, and what follows usually is the urge to spruce up our home or workplace.  If you are feeling this desire, then come on over to Olde Good Things for great design ideas and unique offerings.

52nd st location

In NYC, our Flagship location at 333 W. 52nd St (Theater District in Midtown – between 8th & 9th on W. 52nd St.) is open 7 days, 10 am – 5:30 pm weekdays and 11 am – 5:30 pm weekends.  This sprawling showroom has many unique finds especially from NYC and the vicinity.  Mantels from the Waldorf Astoria, furnishings from the Pierre Hotel, Mirrors made from windows from the Flat Iron Building.  (And much more!)

Though we still have reduced hours at our two other NYC locations, 302 Bowery and the Upper West Side store at 2420 Broadway (89th and Broadway), these stores do not disappoint.  They are fully open on the weekends, starting from Friday until Sunday, Friday 10 am – 5:30, and Saturday and Sunday 11 am – 5:30 pm.  Among the vast inventory, you will find original lighting and vast seating options for all kinds of uses.  Lots of great ideas to be had and the merchandise is always changing.

Our warehouses in Scranton, PA are open to the public by appointment.  Make a call to us and then take a weekend trip to the Poconos, and enjoy the Pennsylvania springtime weather.  Shop these locations for great architectural items as well as a visual of our processing shops where our line of “altered antiques” are manufactured.  This is the home of our famous tin framed mirrors and reclaimed wooden tables, besides our original hardware room which covers 2500 square feet.

If you are on the West Coast, our Los Angeles, CA location is open for 7 days, every day 9 am – 5:30 pm except Sunday 10 am – 5:30 pm.  This vast warehouse/store carries everything architectural imaginable.  A treasure trove for designers and end-users alike.

Of course, we’re open full time on our website don’t hesitate to shop there anytime.

Mention your receipt of this Newsletter and enjoy 10% off your purchase, now until 4/30/21.

Step by Step: Restoring Salvaged Antique Tile Mural

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Olde Good Things carries a variety of beautiful and unique antique tiles, but sometimes they can be challenging to work with. Salvaged tile often has imperfections, like chips, cracks, and scrapes. Most challenging of all are gorgeous antique murals that are missing tiles in key areas of the design.

Some might call these incomplete murals a complete loss, but our customer Debbie Lee of San Jose, California, sees them as opportunities. Debbie applies her artistic skills to reconstitute the missing tiles and frames the murals in magnificent cut glass mosaics. She recently sent us some photos to demonstrate her process, from start to finish.

For this project, Debbie started with a charming figural tile set made by Ceramica Catteneo that she purchased from the Olde Good Things web store. The mural featured two warriors and a lion, framed by a colorful decorative border. Two crucial tiles were missing: the center of the first warrior’s body, and the face of the lion.

Undeterred, Debbie purchased two plain black tiles from us in the same size that she could use as blanks. She sanded down and painted the blanks, carefully matching the sandy color to the background of the tile mural. She then sketched out the missing components of the mural, first drafting cartoons on paper and finally painting the designs onto the blank tiles. Debbie also designed and constructed an impressive frame for the mural using cut glass in shades of blue and green, complementing the warm oranges and yellows in the mural.

 

The finished product looks seamless and entirely original. Our hats are off to Debbie for her skillful reconstruction of the missing tiles! We’re so grateful to see this mural whole again.

Shop our tile murals

An Art Nouveau Trademark Meissen Stove to Mantel Conversion

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After a rare Meissen Stove with was swept up from our Olde Good Things Scranton, Pa warehouse, the client was generous enough to share the transformative conversion from relic to custom mantel and fireplace surround step-by-step.

Meissen was the first porcelain manufacturer in Europe. The art nouveau ovens from the German fireclay manufactories are works of art in themselves, and this particular Meissen stove appeared in Architectural Digest. The top portion of the stove was a frieze depicting a farmer’s dance. Two female figures flank the ornate cast iron grill. Each detailed green tile bears the Meissen stamp and designer’s name on the back… a world-renowned trademark of quality and craftsmanship.

Before Photo

Planning and Design:

Like most projects, the client says, planning took a lot of time and adjustment. Each tile was photocopied at the original size. The clients did not want to enlarge the opening of the fireplace, and, instead, decided to make the opening smaller. After measuring the opening, dimensions were traced on a sheet of plywood. Then, the clients added in the dimensions of the gas inserts to the preliminary drawing.

The tiles were arranged on the plywood sheet to determine a satisfactory negotiation of space that would allow for an even number of tiles to be included, plus the ¼” of grout space between each one. The original tiles were shifted into a final design, while a second design board on poster backing was laid out with the photocopies. This allowed the clients to visualize how the design would interact with the room space vertically.

Building and Navigating Irregularities:

The design was attached from the base upward — tile was leveled and secured to the wall, a wood frame, and to neighbor tiles with epoxy. Wood framing was used to close the space between design and wall and for additional integrity. The insert was added around the opening after the first round of tiles to prevent damage to the tiles and to leave room for adjustment. After all, tiles were installed and colors adjusted, grout was applied. The clients tested various sealants to add gloss to the repainted areas.

Tiles were individually treated to adjust thickness, to create one tile from two for some portions of the mantel, and to repair any chips or missing pieces — plaster was used to make them fuller and fill in the gaps. Others were sawed to make smaller. Meanwhile, a steel frame was constructed to hold the rows of tiles. The clients used acrylic paint to mix and match the colors needed to cover epoxy and shallow chips.

 

The clients minimized the dimensions of the fireplace opening with fireproof materials and electrical and gas hookups that matched the chosen insert. They installed a smart outlet for easy control and efficiency in the mantel top.

The project was a process of constant adjustment to the irregularities and waiting for epoxy to dry at a rate of one layer per day, the client remarked. “The goal was authenticity as opposed to perfection.”

 

 

This Meissen tile customer showcase is a prime example of the incorporation of classic design and authentic craftsmanship from our reclaimed architectural finds at Olde Good Things. Visit our online selections of salvaged architectural goods and altered antiques at www.oldegoodthings.com, or drop by one of our locations.

Olde Good Things