The first has been on my shopping list for quite a few years... a telephone table or gossip bench, as they are also named. Usually when I've seen these, they are made of wood and they are not in good condition, mostly because they were often used daily, so they received much wear and tear.
This one is probably 1950s, and is in excellent condition, with no torn upholstery or broken/missing pieces. (I already had the hotline phone, which fits perfectly, and works!).
The shop had a second gossip bench, identical to this one, except it had a lamp with a fiberglass shade attached to the back of the tabletop. Unfortunately, the table had separated from the metal base, and the particleboard underneath had disintegrated.
I love its black metal base with X-side design, and even all four rubber caps on the legs are intact.
I especially like the striated (they look like free-form horizontal brush strokes) vinyl upholstery with black, gold and beige, and the gold piping on the backrest.
This gossip bench is in my home office/guest bedroom. I placed it next to my groovy green Eames chair, which I've had for many years, also purchased at an antiques shop in CT.
And, of course, part of my cool TV lamp collection is not far away.
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In my master bedroom next door, I've added this vintage metal magazine rack, found at the same shop as the gossip bench. I think it's probably 1960s — it definitely has an atomic age look.
In addition to being decorative, it's highly useful. I'm still a big magazine reader, even in the digital age.
The bottom part, where the magazines sit, is fake wood, which makes me think this could be 1970s, too, since fake wood was popular during that decade.
My bedroom now has a pretty substantial assortment of vintage treasures, including a swivel tulip chair, atomic lamps, etc.
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| Wild about mid-century treasures |
2019 is already yielding some great vintage finds. I can't wait to discover what May's Brimfield Antiques Show has in store!
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