The Big Score: Hunting for Treasures on Craigslist
From the desk of Amy Frederickson - vintage enthusiast, revitalization fanatic and Revitaliste founder
For some (myself included) hunting for great bone furniture is sport - pursued with a sportsman’s passion and commitment, with a strategic mind and a competitive spirit. For those of us who revel in these discoveries and lament the furnishings that got away, a fabulous find is something to celebrate. Below I share my most cherished Craigslist conquest...to date :)
After splurging on an exquisite Hans Wagner dining room table, I had nearly depleted my decor budget before purchasing a single chair. My vision was to find a set of Danish mid-century dining chairs. While these chairs are not hard to come by, the majority of them are listed on 1stDibs at prices I simply could not stomach.
Though it would most likely be like finding a needle in a haystack, I turned to Craigslist. After countless bleary-eyed nights of unsuccessful trolling, I decided to mix up my search a bit. The only sellers of “Danish” mid-century chairs were dealers asking 1stDibs prices. On a whim, I altered my search to “Scandinavian” (for all I knew the Swedes and Finns made knock-offs or had their own awesome aesthetic).
The search produced only one listing. There were no photos just a simple description:
Not exactly a compelling post. And under less desperate circumstances I probably would never have even clicked on the post. But I was intrigued. I emailed the seller to ask for pictures and more color. Here’s what she sent back:
To be perfectly clear: she was selling six chairs AND a credenza AND a table for $200 in total AND these were the exact chairs I was looking for. SCORE! I’m fairly certain that this set's price hadn't changed since it was sold for $200 in Denmark in 1960!
Upon making the journey to Lake County, I learned that the seller’s mother was Swedish and had met her husband, an American serviceman, while he was on a tour of duty in Europe. They moved to Copenhagen, got married and somewhere along the way purchased this dining set. In time, they moved to Lake County. The seller had had the dining set in storage since her mother passed away. She was thrilled to see the pieces handed off to a young family to have a whole new chapter in life. Stay tuned to see how we revitalized these pieces.
Eager to nab a major Craigslist find of your own? Click here to read our top tips for finding a piece that you love.