Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Flea Market Finds...

I have always loved flea markets, garage sales, thrift shops, or any place a bargain might be found. On Sunday I spent the morning at the Grand Daddy of flea markets in Southern California, the famous Rose Bowl flea market. 



On the second Sunday of every month vendors set up inside and outside the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena to sell their wares. Some months are better than others but it's always fun to poke around and it's always interesting to see what people will buy. As they always say, one persons junk is another person's treasure and that is certainly the case at the Rose Bowl flea Market. 

I didn't find anything that I absolutely had to have on this excursion but I did find some great pieces to share. Some items seemed like a bargain while others were a bit outrageously priced for a parking lot sale. Take for instance the beautiful small crystal light fixture in the shape of a crown for $3,000... yes, I passed on this one, but it was pretty sweet.


A better find might be this beautiful set of four faux bamboo black lacquer chairs.  They needed to be recovered but the actual chairs were in pristine condition. Perfect for a small dining area or breakfast room. If I had a place for them or a client that needed them they would be a steal at $375.


Also really beautiful was this set of mid-century dining chairs which were also in pristine condition. Unfortunately they only had five.


I was blown away by the sense of style and presentation from the next photo. It was a place called Big Daddy's Antiques which I was recently told I should visit. I have not been to their store but after seeing what they had at their booth I am anxious to visit. Their store is located at 13100 South Broadway in Los Angeles and open everyday from 9-5 their web site is http://www.bdantiques.com/.


Big Daddy's also does custom pieces like this great rolling cart which would make an amazing kitchen island.


I love clocks and spotted this really cool clock for $125, I should have offered $100 and maybe it would have been mine. Hindsight is always 20/20. If you like it buy it because it likely won't be there the next time.


Another great vendor with some great refurbished vintage pieces included this perfect metal desk that has been stripped and powder coated to look like brushed steel. They do everything metal including old desk chairs, file cabinets, bookcases, lamps, and of course desks. The seller is Steel Santos located at 14554 Ventura Blvd in Sherman Oaks, their web site is www.steelsantos.com  


Every time I see sets of beautiful cake plates like these I always think how cool it would be to design a bakery and include pieces like this. The color was this beautiful chartreuse green, one of my favorite colors. The set of four different sizes was $275. 


Next up I spotted this great set of Chinese doors at $350 for the pair. They were amazing and in outstanding condition. They would be great as a garden gate or between a kitchen and dining room or simply hung on the wall as a great sculptural piece of art, perfect for a loft with high ceilings. 


I spotted a lot of outdoor metal furniture but this was by far the best. I especially liked the Greek keys around the table. The table and four chairs were well priced at $350, but I know they would have gone lower because the dealer was begging me to make an offer. Powder coated in black with some black and white stripped cushions on the chairs would have made this set sing.


I spotted this guy selling some great lithos of architectural renderings, mostly vintage skyscrapers. They were really cool at only $40 each. I think a 3x3 or 4x4 grouping of these well matted in simple black or silver leaf frames would look amazing and have quite a dramatic impact on any room.

A couple other items worth showing include these two mid-century chairs and the beautiful blue glass chandelier, both at very competitive prices.


                

If you haven't been to the Rose Bowl flea market put it in your calendar for the 2nd Sunday of every month. You can check their web site for details at: http://www.rgcshows.com/RoseBowl.aspx

Happy hunting... 



  
  



  

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