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Sunday, September 4, 2011

Fabulous Craigslist Find Yields In-Progress Change

"This is a great buy…five people called about it!" So said the delivery man as he and a younger man brought in my new piece of furniture last Friday. On Monday I was looking through the furniture section of Craigslist.com and saw this listing (with this spelling):

"$60.00 Moheganoy 5 drawer desk. Very nice and clean. Has glass top and pull out writing shelf. Will deliver for small fee."

I emailed right away asking for the dimensions and for cost of delivery to my town. Tuesday came and went and no reply. On Wednesday I wrote again asking if it was still available and got the reply, yes, and shipping would be $40. I wrote again asking for the dimensions. You see, I was looking for a piece to serve as a small buffet in my dining room; I’m tired of serving from the nearby kitchen counter and or stove.
On Thursday I got the measurements, and I quote:

"42 inches wide,19 deep,34 high.like new condition,not a scratch.come take a look."

I called, said I wanted it, and set up delivery for the next day at 3 pm.
Meanwhile I had measured the space but it was just too small. [My dining room is just 11’ x 12’ and I have a large-scaled Drexel table and eight chairs, plus a large breakfront cabinet.] Now, when I spoke to him on the phone he had reiterated that it was is great condition, and worth at least $300. I could not let it go at such a great price -- $60 plus $40 was just $100 for a fine piece of mahagony furniture (even though I had only seen the following not too clear photos in the Craigslist ad.





Anyway, I cleared a space in the Living Room between two chairs in front of the windows. Previously, I had had this 22" round skirted table between the two chairs (Not having planned all this, I didn’t think to take pictures while the table was still in place in the living room.):








The doorbell rang about 1:20 pm (he had called to move up the delivery time) and there was a small truck with two men who brought in the "desk," all wrapped in quilted padding. Unwrapped, it looked brand new. The seller showed me the Century Furniture tag in the left top drawer.




I was amazed at the beauty and quality and newness of the piece. Also, that it would work perfectly as a serving piece in the dining room – if only I could make room somehow. Indeed it was not a desk at all, despite the slide out shelf! What exactly was the piece – a console, a chest of drawers….??? Here are some pics I took of the details, including the glass top shaped to the curves:






Here it is in place between the chairs:








Well, as someone who loves researching things, I soon got online to determine what the piece is designated as by the manufacturer. After some futile searching of the Century Furniture industries website, I finally found a store that listed and pictured my piece. Now I knew just what it is:



Century Furniture Living Room Drawer Chest 679-704, from their Traditional Classics collection. This is the catalog photo I found on a furniture store website: The Product Description read:
"Features chamfered corners with decorative fret overlays. The serpentine drawer fronts are trimmed in beaded molding and accented with brass drop-bail pulls. Pull-out tray at top provides additional display space."


Yes, this excellent piece would be perfect for my dining room.… As soon as my brother, nephew, or brother-in-law comes by here, I’ll try to squeeze it in. In the meantime, it looks nice in the living room --









As the seller indicated, the piece fits in and looks great with the other mahagony and cherry furniture in my living and dining rooms. Here is a mosaic I've made of the furniture in the two rooms.


I plan to store some flatware in the two smaller drawers, and place mats, napkinsas well. However, I have not put anything in it in case I do move it to the dining room. So this change is still very much in progress!



Visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for more Metamorphosis Monday posts.
Also, visit Mary at
Little Red House to see the mosaics prepared by other participants, and Rhoda at Southern Hospitality for more Thrifty Treasures.

11 comments:

Robin said...

That piece is beautiful. What a deal you got! I love Craigslist but I'm sure you know you have to be careful. Not only did you get a deal, the seller picked up some cash for something he no longer needed and you have a new treasure. The beauty of Craigslist!

Sandy aka Doris the Great said...

It's gorgeous. What a wonderful find.

Ann from On Sutton Place said...

Really great piece...looks to me that it's heirloom quality. Isn't it amazing what people get rid of? It looks lovely between your chairs too. I'm visiting from Mosaic Monday and am a new follower. I think I'm going to check out Craigslist right now. :o)

A Garden of Threads said...

A fabulous fine. It will look wonderful in either room. What a lucky find.

Snap said...

Wow! What a great find! I'm sure it will be happy in your home!

dgmills said...

Your new piece of furniture is fabulous. I think what they call that piece is a Bachelor Chest.
It is indeed one of the prettiest that I have seen. Hope you can "squeeze" it in your dining room. I have a bachelor chest in my dining room and it is great for linens and the little shelf is nice if you need a place to set a bowl, etc. that won't fit on the table. dgmills@tampabay.rr.com

Pondside said...

What a great buy! It's a beautiful chest and will be perfect for the use you have in mind.

Martha said...

What a great piece and a great price -- no matter where you put it -- I'm green!

The Inspired Nest said...

I am so so jealous of your fab find! This is exactly what I have been looking for to go in my master! I can't believe the deal! If you ever get tired of it, just give me a call!
Lacy

Mary said...

Wow, what a beauty, and a terrific deal!!! THanks for sharing at MM. :)

Yellow Rose Arbor said...

Beautiful piece of furniture!

Your house is lovely.

Katherine