NOW SOLD: Milo Baughman Desk/dining table AVAILABLE. Set of two sofas, two ottomans. Thayer Coggin, c. 1970

__________________________________________________________________________________

Minimalist / Modernist furniture by Milo Baughman, for Thayer-Coggin, c. 1970.

ALL Baughman pieces are NOW SOLD (4-9-12)

Desk / Table: H: 29 ¾”, H of underside: 27 5/8”, W: 71 7/8”, Leaf: W: 17 7/8”, D: 42”, Table ends to the legs: 15”.

Top: a small grouping of lighter water spots (removable), a small grouping of very faint red crayon mark residue (removable), 1 corner has one 1/8” chip to veneer, Fabric: no wear, no fade, zipper removable, replaced. Foam rubber: replaced.

Two cushion sofa, three cushion sofa, pair of matching large ottoman / stools, and a matching desk / dining table / with leaf extension. All wood is thick, split-mirror-matched Burled Olive veneer in a warm honey amber finish (this is the original matched SET – as you can see from the wood grains). Metal is chromed steel, fabric is a subtle dark blue with a minor sewn-in geometric pattern over healthy, supportive foam rubber cushions with zippers for ease of cleaning.

Dimensions: Two cushion sofa on casters: H: 24 ¾”, W: 60 1/8”, D: 35 ½”, Seat D: 22”. Three cushion sofa on casters: H: 24 3/4”, W: 90 1/8”, D: 35 ½”, Seat D: 22”. Pair of Ottomans on casters, each: H: 17 ½”, W: 28 3/8”, D: 28 3/8”.

Conditions: ALL wood, fabric, cushions, and structures are in very nice condition with expected gentle use and natural aging. This includes original blonde wood finishes which always darken (faintly) over 40-50 years. You should understand that due to the native appearance of this extravagant burled Olive wood, any flaws are nearly impossible to perceive, but could at any time be repaired by a professional should you want it. If any of the condition details below seem to warrant your attention, we can subcontract a local refinisher for you (on their schedule) at extra cost - BUT we strongly suggest such considerations are post-purchase/post-delivery, so you first see we hyper-describe flaws (to make sure you understand them), and believe you should oversee your own refinisher if wish to proceed with such actions. You must also understand that any refinishing of these pieces of historical interest devalues them and reduces their investment potential. Therefore, we do not support altering original designer works. Any flaws are noted below in Details.

Details: Two cushion sofa: backside right edge: 2 chips c. ¾” x ½”, and backside top left edge: 1 chip c. 1/8”. Three cushion sofa: front right edge: 1 chip ½” x ¼”, backside bottom right corner: 1 chip ½” x 3/8”, right side and back side panels: honey tone finish has naturally darkened with age and has a slightly uneven effect on these panels. Ottomans: Occasional expected shoe and vacuum cleaner bumps (“roughness”, not chips) at low edge of veneer joinings.

Our opinion: at the recent historical rate (the last 10-15 years) of rising values for original production Baughman designs, these will out-price most collectors within the next 5-10 years. Should you see a new major book published, or a widely publicized auction or retrospective exhibition of his work held, current prices will rise even faster than they are now. I could be wrong – but I’m often not.

My collections are priced so a dealer can afford to purchase and transport them today AND make an immediate resale profit in his/her home city. This is one of the reasons I have remained in business for over twenty years.

Ronn Ives, owner, FUTURES Antiques, and, partner in this project, Chris Ferebee, owner, 521 Design.

The following is text sampled for you from Wikipedia on this designer:

Milo Baughman was one of the leading modern furniture designers of the second-half of the 20th century. His uniquely American designs were forward-thinking and distinctive, yet unpretentious and affordable. His work continues to be revived in the secondary markets. Baughman designed for a number of furniture companies starting in the mid-1940s, including Calif-Asia, Mode Furniture, Glenn of California, The Inco Company, Pacific Iron, Murray Furniture of Winchendon, Arch Gordon, Design Institute America, Woodard, George Kovacs, Directional, Henredon and Drexel, among others. He is most famous, however, for his longtime association with Thayer Coggin Inc., which began in 1953 and lasted until his death in 2003. He also lectured broadly on the state of modern design, extolling the positive benefits of good design on the lives of human beings, and helped to define and shape the discussion for years to come.

Born in 1923, Baughman moved with his family to California. At the age of thirteen, young Milo was handed the task of designing both the interior and exterior of the family home. Following high school, he served four years in the Army Air Forces during World War II. After the war he returned to study design at the Art Center School of Los Angeles and the California Institute of the Arts.

Upon completing his studies, he was hired to work at the Frank Brothers furniture store as an interior and custom furniture designer. The store had the distinction of being the first west coast all-modern specialty store, and proved to be a good launch pad for his career. While there, he established "Furniture Forum" with Georgia Christensen, an important early publication on modern design complete with photos, dimensions, pricing, as well as designer photos and biographies. He left Frank Brothers in 1947 to establish "Milo Baughman Design Inc.," and did commissions for Glenn of California and Pacific Iron, helping to place these companies at the forefront of a new California modernist design movement. The "California Modern" collection created for Glenn of California in 1948, along with Greta Magnusson Grossman, put forth a distinctive Los Angeles style.
Next, the large furniture manufacturer Drexel invited him to their headquarters to create a major collection. Following this, Murray Furniture introduced "The Milo Baughman Collection" in 1952. (An earlier desk design from 1948 for Winchendon was later included in the Whitney Museum exhibition "High Styles: Twentieth Century American Design," in 1985.) During this time, Milo found time to run his own custom design shop with Olga Lee in Los Angeles from 1951-1953.

In 1953, his 50 year association with Thayer Coggin Inc. began, and by the 1960s and 1970s, his new collection was eagerly awaited every year. Some of his most famous and iconic designs come from this period.

In addition to the "High Styles" show at the Whitney Museum of Art, Baughman's furniture has been exhibited in museums and shows throughout the United States. Milo Baughman was inducted into the Furniture Designer's Hall of Fame in 1987.