I've got a whole list of antique furniture I'd like to bring home to the Einsel House, but I realize it will be years before I could ever find (and afford) all the pieces I want. The highboy style dressers in our bedroom and Neil's are nice, but I daydream about replacing them with something more Empire style from the mid nineteenth century. Like the one pictured to the left - it sells on New Year's day at the same auction house where we bought our kitchen island last year.A couple of blanket chests sell the same day, and I can just see one setting in front of our couch, holding the blankets that for now are just stacked on the floor.
Another piece I can see in the Einsel House is a corner cupboard. And I've got a few specific requirements for this corner cupboard. Since it would go next to the open shelves in the dining room, I want the corner cupboard to have solid doors. The cupboard also will need to be a bit on the small side, as there is only three feet from the corner of the room to the register along the east wall. In about a year of searching I've only seen a few such cupboards available (and none of those close enough to be convenient). So imagine my excitement earlier this week when I went on Craigslist and saw this:
And only about 10 miles from us! I called the phone number listed and arranged to look at the piece after work yesterday. Charles could tell how excited I was about the cupboard and told me if it was what I wanted to go ahead and get it.
So a little after five last night I got home, put away my purse and told Charles I had enjoyed chatting with the cupboard's owner for about half an hour, and that he had grudgingly come down to my price. And that I didn't buy the corner cupboard. Of course, Charles' first words were, "Why not?". The answer is that I'm picky. Walking up to the cupboard I had immediately sensed something was not quite right. It was made of pine. And when I opened the upper door and saw the narrow beadboard interior I realized the problem. A closer look at the hardware confirmed it - the cupboard dates from around 1920, give or take a few years. It was the right size, the right shape, the right color, just not the right age.
The cupboard's owner might have just been trying to make me feel better, but when I finally (and apologetically) told him I couldn't take the cupboard he said, "I understand. I'd think twice myself before putting that cupboard in an 1840's house." I'm well aware that I'll probably never find a true mid nineteenth century walnut or cherry corner cupboard for the price I was offered yesterday. But I woke up this morning with no regrets at yesterday's decision. I suspect this means I'm an antique snob. If so I can't deny it.
(And sorry I've been scarce around here. I've been having fun with some writing of a slightly different sort lately.)
