Eastlake Parlor Set - what kind of wood, etc.

I do think it is walnut but kind of hard to tell with that heavy finish and glare from the photo. Someone went to a lot of trouble putting all those buttons in the backs but it just looks wrong to me. Most of these did have buttons in the back so I am not sure why it looks so wrong to me. I guess most had buttons more spaced out and across the entire back. That stripe of buttons bugs me and maybe it wouldn't look so glaring in a less shiny fabric. That fabric screams 70s to me. I am sure that someone will find it perfectly lovely.

Now, do you want to know what I really think?

 

It almost looks like someone was trying to repeat the look of the carved pattern on the upholstered sections. Do these do well where you are?

 

I'd go with walnut too. A lot of that Victorian furniture was made of walnut, especially American. The original upholstery was probably trashed and someone replaced it in the early 70s.

 

Second pic of wood also looks like walnut. This is what the upholstery is supposed to look like. Original fabric on this one ......



There is a name for this slick fabric that was pretty standard on these and I can't think of what it is.

 

Horsehair? - I used to slide off that stuff as a kid - and then get chastised for not "sitting still"......................

 

LOL, me too! Golly the mention of horsehair furniture sure conjures up memories. My grandparents had an horsehair upholstered sofa that was about as uncomfortable as could be. If my brother and I were at their home on a Sunday afternoon and still dressed in our Sunday best, we had to "sit up straight, don't slouch" on that blankety blank... couch. If we had changed clothes after church before going to their house then we were free to play and explore outdoors in the barns and fields.

--- Susan

 

In my family, there was no horsehair upholstery, but there Were horsehair innards! A stiff piece was Always sticking out somewhere!

And, Brad, that striae velvet stuff is POISONOUS!

Hope Bev sees this. Used to be standard where she lives -- at least according to Joseph C. Lincoln.

 

Heh - the upholsterer must have been doing car seats... Can remember a friend who was 'restoring' a 65 Mustang in the late '70s, and for some reason decided to have the seats and door panels done with those same diamond-tuck inserts (and it looked 'wrong' there too).

~Cheryl

 

Ewwww. What did the poor Mustang do to deserve that?

 

It was Harvest Gold.

 

Hehe - my thoughts too. It was painted black with red stripes, the seats were red velour with black piping - was kind of attractive, in a flashy, trashy sort of way...

Pretty sure the fabric on that set is exactly the same as under the slipcovers on my late '60s barrel chair and ottoman. When I bought my 1969 house from the second owner, she left the the original gold damask drapes and valance, near totally rotted from sun, a pale yellow and walnut 'French Provincial' dining set, a very nice yellow striped velvet tuxedo sofa, and the chair and ottoman, all purchased from the first owner; also had the original flocked gold wallpaper in foyer and dining room, pasted on with a freakishly strong adhesive (thankfully, a different paste was used on the hideous kitchen and bath wallpapers). Tossed the window treatments, redid the dining chair seats in a cheerful plaid, slip-covered the other pieces, and after trying every method known to get the wallpaper off (short of a jackhammer), finally just primed it and put two coats of paint down - looks pretty good.

~Cheryl

 

The car sounds like it was done in Bordello Mod.(LOL) Or maybe the colorized Munstermobile. As for that wallpaper... MEK's been known to work wonders. It's also highly carcinogenic, but details. Details. Painting over it probably makes it look like you did the walls with texturized stencils.

 

It's tough I.D.ing from pics Bookahtoo. It appears to be a heavy glaze finish and that lower stretcher and back look like different colors and woods than the legs . Any shots underneath where the glaze or stain hasn't changed it too much ?