Comma Workshop Quilts

So this is going to be my first post using Windows Live as my new blog post editor.  I got so unbelievably tired of the format of blogging directly in Blogger (Y’all are part of Google, damn it.  If anyone should have the resources to make a good user interface, you should be all over that.)
So don’t be alarmed if things are a bit wonky whilst I work out the kinks.
Speaking of other things that are firsts, my friend Kerry wrote me for the first time in a long time.  She was in Architecture school with me and has an excellent eye for modern design, interwoven with a passion for vernacular and craft and time-honored traditions of yore.  I really respect so much how she’s been able to coalesce these ideas, especially in a way that is innovative when it is somewhat of a trend right now.
Her newest venture is a design studio that she runs out of Colorado called comma workshop.
They handcraft really beautiful quilt designs that feature cursive text in modern graphic ways all over the field of quilting.  Now, my mom always loved quilts, especially of the Amish variety, but these definitely aren’t your mother’s quilt.
Personally I always thought quilts were weird and tacky unless they had some sentimental connection.  (You know, like they’re made entirely from your Great Grandfather’s used and discarded underwear… Wait, that’s still weird.  Really weird.  Just threw up a little in my mouth.)  But these are pieces of art and distinctly modern ones that marry a warmth of sentiment and words and history while making total sense in a downtown loft.
This just makes me incredibly envious of Kerry’s talent.  In fact, I should probably end this post before I start swearing at her online.  I wonder if Windows Live has a “search for regrettable comments” feature near the spell check.  I should look into that.

Clayhaus Ceramics

I want to live in a house where this would make sense.

Unfortunately, our house is not mid-century modern.  But someone out there has got to find a place for this tile in their house.  It's from Clayhaus Ceramics and like most cool tile, I'm sure it's hella expensive.

The thing with stuff that I should be able to afford but can't is that it brings out my intense stealing temptation.  It's like there's a little dude whispering in my ear, "See that cool wooden carved entablature on the porch of that antique store for $230 dollars?"

I respond, "Yeah, sigh.  It's really cool."

Little dude whispers conspiratorially, "It could be yours for only $80." 

"Huh?  How does that work?", I question. 

Dude smugly replies,  "That's the cost of the counseling session you'll need if you actually go through with stealing it... and let's be frank, you're really only seconds away from doing that whether I'm here or not."

Total depravity, kids.  That's why I believe in it.  Even though I'm well off enough to save for stupid things I really don't need, I am almost constantly overcome with the urge to steal them instead.  My wife knows about this. When we pass a landscaping/garden center with all those delectable shrubs and perrenials just sitting there unguarded at twilight, she usually whispers, "Eyes Front.  Pay attention to the Road."  Stupid moral code.

Sheet Straps for the Sleep Talkin' Man

I've recently discovered the blog, Sleep Talkin' Man which is among my new favorites.  In the morning, the Mrs and I have a brief moment to sit down while she finishes her breakfast and I sip my coffee and we log in to discover what Adam, the Sleep Talkin' Man said last night in his sleep.

 This morning's gem?

"Put those finger-toes away. Put them away! Freak of f***ing nature. Ugh. Finger-toes, don't you pick things up with them! Ew. That's just not right. You start using them like hands, I'll chop your f***ing arms off. Then you'll be stuck with them. That'll teach ya ."

You can listen to the audio of that particular beauty here.

It also frequently reminds my wife of the things I said in my sleep the previous night.  Now, we haven't taken to recording them, but according to her, I'm often as colorful although probably not with the sheer volume and lucidity with which Adam seems to speak.  Last night apparantly I declared:

"Nobody puts Baby in a Corner"

Let me start by making it perfectly clear that I am no fan of "Dirty Dancing".  I had to watch it once for... I can't believe I'm saying this... a ballroom dancing class that I took in college.  Embarrassing:  Both the movie and the admission of what I took to fill a athletics requirement at PSU more than 10 years ago.  The one upside is that I know how to Meringue, Foxtrot, Waltz, Swing, Rumba, and Tango which has served me well at really odd times in my life.

(Like when my entire family went on an abominable cruise last year and in a drunken craze decided to take over the Latin club on the Lido deck at 1 AM.  Of the whitest dancers ever to grace the "Criterion Lounge" dancefloor, at least I knew enough steps to look marginally matched with my wife who is steeped in Latin culture.)

So why I would quote "Dirty Dancing" on this particular evening is a mystery. 

But every since I started on a new round of prescription mood altering drugs, I've been talking even more animatedly in my sleep.  Tossing and turning, shouting, sitting up in bed, thrashing through the covers at the foot of the bed for unseen assailants, unwanted swinger parties, dogs, and bees.  (Seriously, I'm not exaggerating about any of those.)  My wife is blessed by God with deafness in one ear, so she can just sleep with her good ear down in the pillow to ignore me.  If that's not an indicator that we were meant to be together, I don't know what is.

But lots of people struggle with this.  At a recent dinner party, we broached the subject and discovered of the 5 couples there, 4 had an identical situation.  A loud animated sleep talker married to a long suffering spouse. 

One of the MANY disadvantages of a sleep talker, is that in their animated thrashing and spinning and tossing and turning, they often pull the fitted sheet off the bed.  Which is a self perpetuating cycle, because then, caught up in the elastic binding and trapped between the mattress and fitted sheet, their dreams turn to being tortured as a CIA member, being buried alive, being forced to wear an ascot,  whatever.  And the trashing gets even more spastic.

Plus, it makes it harder to have a pretty bed every morning.

So, for those of you who fall in the 4 out of 10 Americans with vivid dreams and corresponding night calisthenics, go invest in some of these:

They work.  And your bedmate will thank you.  Adam, the Sleep Talkin' Man, if you happen to stumble across my blog, I would suggest you DON'T buy these.  We at The House Rules don't want anything to interfere with the natural progress of your dreams and the bòn móts they produce.

Fire Pit in Philadelphia

Before we even fixed up the  patio out front, my first thought was FIRE PIT!

Of course, no one wants an outdoor fire pit in the heat wave we just experienced, but the weather seems to have abated.  So when I stumbled upon this post at The Hardware Aisle, I was smitten.

Landmann makes a lot of great outdoor fire and grill equipment.  But the Ball O' Fire really sets my heart aflutter.  Originally $340.18, its currently on sale at Amazon.com for $192.04 with free shipping.

Seriously, a BALL OF FIRE.  Seriously.

Nice Opening Mechanism

User painted with Rustoleum Copper Finish

Goodness Gracious.  That's epic.  So very epic.

And for those of you curious, or for my neighbors who are all "Oh, Hell NO, he can't have a firepit on our oak tree lined block of 75 year old wooden row homes.", I submit the following quote from the Philadelphia fire code. 

F-307.4.3 Portable outdoor fireplaces. Portable outdoor fireplaces shall be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and shall not be operated within 15 feet (3048 mm) of a structure or combustible material. Outdoor fireplaces shall be constructed of a noncombustible material that is completely enclosed by solid or mesh material. The maximum openings of the mesh material shall not exceed 1 inch (25. 4 mm) measured diagonally.  

[Exception: Portable outdoor fireplaces used at one- and two-family dwellings.]

I don't even have to keep it 15 feet or 3048 mm from my house!  I can put it 3047 mm from the house.  I can jamb that great Ball O' Fire right up to the property line and party wall between my house and yours.  Don't push me!  I'll risk burning down both of our houses and even the rest of the block just to prove I CAN.  I grew up on a farm, B*****s!  We start forest fires for fun (and agricultural, landscaping, and environmental purposes).  But that's not the point, it's still fun!  You ever strapped a tank of kerosene on your back and stood in the middle of a brush fire, spraying fuel like you're peeing grain alcohol, just to show that flame who's boss?!?  Huh?  Have you?  I didn't think so.*

*Dear wife... as you read this, please keep in mind that I'm just talking smack.  I won't put it on the property line.  I'll keep it as far from the house as the patio allows.  I'll keep a fire extinguisher on hand at all times.  Heck, I'll even wear a flame retardant suit during the colder months if I'm allowed to have this.  Please?!?!?

In-Wall Sink- COVET!!!!

Oh, if we were only redoing our tiny tiny tiny basement bathroom now... we had an offer of a medicine cabinet this weekend, and then I just stumbled on this thing online today:

According to the ReStore blog, (a Philadelphia architectural salvage clearinghouse store), it was made by Angelo Colonna of Philadelphia.  I can't find any more info on him or the sink online, but how sweet is that?  And they're selling it for only $300. 

I don't know if it works or what the limitations are, but somebody who's doing a bathroom, (or wetbar) renovation needs to get over to ReStore ASAP and scoop this puppy up.  To pull this thing out of the wall whilst making a dirty martini would elevate the drink's status to Franklin Mortgage and Investment Company heights, even if you were using six month old vermouth and Banker's club Gin.

Plus, ReStore accommodated my friends' band and let them shoot their video there.   The song/video is by Turning Violet Violet. And the cinemetography was shot by our bud Murphy who's going to be our new roommate for a month before he moves out to Colorado with his family.



(He doesn't have a full time gig out there yet, so if we have any readers from the Rocky Mountain State who are in need of some kick ass video work, let us know...)  And hell, you all could buy the sink too.  Shipping and Handling not included.

Colorcharts.org

I've referenced colorcharts.org before, but it bears repeating now that we've discovered the cost/quality/time benefits of Behr Premium Plus Paint.

If you (or your daughter Dakota or your son unfortunately named Chad or Ian) simply must have the "Pretty as a Princess" color by Disney* (through Behr paints)...

But you have a coupon for Sherwin Williams or you really like Duron paints,  you can go to colorcharts.org.  Find the paint you want to match...

And then select, "Match this Color", and you'll get a series of different manufacturer's with a quantified score of how close their color is to the pretty pretty pretty target.

 Now, of course, you can always go to the Home Despot and just tell them to match the color.  But if you go to the one near our house, I can tell you they are not only completely unpleasant to deal with, but generally wouldn't know a  high gloss from a good high.  I don't trust em.

*Seriously though, we all know paint color names are funny.  But Disney, no matter how enamored I would ever become with my theoretical progeny, I will never paint a room in "Mickey's Pants", "Princess Power", or "Posies for Pooh".  I would advise my readers to use a matching color from colorcharts just out of principle.

Greenbo Railing Planters

Designers, douchey as we tend to be, do have a purpose in the world.

Coming up with ingenious ideas like this.  So simple, so needed, so sweet.
Greenbo Railing Planter

My cousins have a cabin in Maine that sits 40' above the ocean with nothing but a simple cable railing to obstruct the view.  In some ways, its a shame to put anything in place to obstruct that, but I could also see two simple Greenbo planters off to each side, floating effortlessly, trailing succulents perilously (although not really) in the ocean breeze.

Doors by Trustile

Often times, a door is the unsung hero of the house.  Other than the front door, which people tend to moon over a little more, the interior doors of your house just usually end up being whatever you can get cheapest off the shelf at the Home Despot.

That's why I love the design your door tool from Trustile Doors.

First of all, you can just play on that thing for hours... picking out flat panel, raised panel, 7 panel, ogee trim, bevel trim, rounded top, glazing, resin inserts, whatever.  It allows you to see how much impact a well designed door can have.

On top of that, they just make a quality paint grade MDF door (in addition to the solid wood ones, but solid wood doors should only be used in hunting cabins at the lake or period dramas set in the 1980s or the 1890s.)  And they have specialty art glass from Bendheim and Resin inserts from 3form as part of their standard offerings.

Waveline and Waveline Mini from Island Stone

We're receiving tile samples for the residential project I'm working on today and the one I'm most excited to see in person is from Island Stone.  On the whole, I like their product offerings, but one drawback is that they charge Architects to order samples.  Free samples are a courtesy in the industry and I had half a mind to not use their products because of it.  Its the little things that matter...

But, my client really likes the Waveline glass tile, and the price, at least from our local distributor is a mere $7/SF.  That's cheaper than basic mosaics from the Home Despot.

 So, we'll see if the real thing matches up with the pictures, which look sweet.

They also have a "mini" version which coordinates nicely and might be better for a small accent within a larger field of plain tile...

Verge Garden- Part 4: Plant Selection

The weather has turned warm again (again) and this time I'm actually going to get my hopes up that winter is over and I can begin gardening.

I've compiled a list of species for the Verge Planting Strip Garden.  I'm focused mostly on herbs* for two reasons...

One, as they're stepped on in this highly trafficked zone, they'll release a refreshing aroma to cover the odor of pitbull excrement and weed.  (I'm kidding.  I really like the smell of weed and I don't want anything to cover it up.)

Two, at Russell Wholesale, they're extremely cheap, $1.50 for a 3" pot I believe, and they propogate rapidly, making them a cost effective filler solution.

Anyways, here's the shopping list:

Antennaria dioica `New Hybrids'

Chamaemelum nobile*

Chamaemelum nobile `Treneague'*

Corsican Mint*

Pennroyal (English)*

Mazus Reptans Alba

Sedum Spurium Red Carpet

Creeping Lemon Thyme*

Nutmeg Thyme*

Veronica Repens

*The other primary reason I highlight the Herbs is that this posting will be the first time the Mrs. sees the shopping list.  She has expressed concern over the gardening budget this year.  (Rightly so as I have no impulse control whatsoever when it comes to food, gardening, drinks, nicotine, and sarcasm.)

Sanderson Wallpapers- Right in the Kisser

We were recently at my sister's house in DC where she had pulled out a bunch of wallpaper books to show to my wife.  Rach and I have often discussed wallpaper for a few rooms of our house, especially those where:

1.  We've already painted the space three times and can't find a color we both like.

2.  We've already painted but I put a hole in the wall and now we have one of her sister's paintings covering the catastrophe.

3.  We've already painted but staring at a monotone wall color from 18 inches away whilst sitting on the throne is boring.


4.  We've already painted ourselves into a corner by deciding we we can't bother to strip all the wallpaper off a space before refinishing.  (See what I did there?)

Anyways, my sister's books were of the old-school wallpaper variety: fleur de lis, brocade, watercolor-y ivy vines, etc.  Whilst that is all well and good, I figure if you're going to embrace the wallpaper, you best go big or go home.  That's why I think Sanderson wallpapers, hailing from the UK, are so awesome.  Check out these pics from their 50s collection. 

 

Makes me want to smoke a cig, swill a martini, and yell "One of these days... One of these days...  POW! Right in the kisser!"

They also have some more conservative but still cool stuff appropriate for the DC Beltway set, should you be a reader from those distant reaches.  Or my sister.

Bitter Yuck Spray... A Review

Our Dog, Makai, has developed a new behavior, two years into his life.  He has started dumping over trashcans while we're gone.  Now, in the past, whenever we've discussed the beast on the blog, many very well-informed and well-meaning readers pop into the comments to let us know what we're doing wrong.  Before we get into that, let me outline a few things I've learned:

1.  The Beast is not hungry.  More typically than  not, he tips over trashcans which do not contain, nor ever have contained anything edible, smelly,  exciting to the olfactorys, etc.  More often than not, he likes to flip the shredded paper can, which as you can imagine, is the MOST difficult one to clean up.

2.  The Beast is not lonely.  Or I should say, if this dog is experiencing any of the psychologically speculative conditions such as separation anxiety, he has to suck it up, hard.  He gets a one hour romp in the woods every morning with other people and dogs.  He gets a mid-day dog walk.  He gets a post-work hour long walk through the neighborhood.  Multiple trips to the dog park.  All sortsa play time of wrestling, hide and seek, chase around the house with my wife and I.  I think we'd spend less time on a human toddler.

3.  In conclusion, the Beast, while we love him dearly, is evidence of original sin, total depravity, and the fallen nature of our world.  I'm much more comfortable applying theological concepts to our dog than psychological ones.

Here he is, looking shifty:

 

 In the past we've used Grannick's Bitter Apple, but either the stuff goes bad or it wasn't strong enough to stop the Beast from his Machivellian schemes. So, in order to try and curb this behavior, my wife bought a bottle of Bitter Yuck No Chew Spray to put on all our trashcans. 

First, can we discuss the marketing/branding of this product?  Attention Pet Care industry... just because I own a dog does not mean that I am a 8 year old.  He did not "make a stinky", he is not "a naughty puppy", and when we want him to stop chewing on something, we're not going to chide him with "bitter yucky grossy blech."  I'm an human adult, please treat me as such.

Now, my wife put this on all the trashcans in our house and it has definitely helped.  We've seen a decline in the trash dumping behavior.  To be fair, we also keep him in one room of the house most of the times we're gone since he started this rebellion.  So that is probably a big part of it too.  But my wife and I are convinced it does help.

For this reason, my wife continues to spray the kitchen trashcan with Bitter Yucky Grossy Blech.  Last night, whilst cleaning the kitchen, I threw away some fried rice and then when all of it hadn't come out of the pan completely, I scooped up the remainder with my hand and shoved it in my mouth.  I can attest fully that Bitter Yucky Grossy Blech, is in fact BAD.  I couldn't get the nastiness out of mouth for some time despite rinsing with water, milk, vodka, and all manner of other things.

Now, I'm sure this brought you a chuckle, as the dog-owner got his comeuppance during this episode.  Yes, that would be funny enough, if this was the first time this has happened.  But no, this is probably episode 6 or 7 this week.   E.g... me making a cocktail, having a sip, and proclaiming to Rachael, "Something's wrong with our Dishwasher, these glasses have a Bitter Yucky Grossy Blech taste to them!"    or me making a salad, "Love, I can't believe how fast these cherry tomatoes went bad, they have a Bitter Yucky Grossy Blech flavor!"

Last night, I finally put two and two together and said, "UGH, this stupid Bitter Yucky Grossy Blech!  It never goes away!  It keeps getting in my mouth."

My wife, like the personification of wisdom calling in the streets to the wayward fool, chuckled.  "Perhaps, this would be a good reminder for you not to touch the trashcan and then immediately put something in your mouth without washing your hands.  I keep spraying the  trashcan, which is why the stuff doesn't go away.  I wouldn't expect Makai to necessarily make the association between the trashcan and the nasty taste right away but supposedly you have more cognitive reasoning skills than he.  Bitter Yuck... works for dogs and husbands."

THAT should be the company's new branding campaign.

Everything but the...

While we're talking about kitchens, let's discuss the kitchen sink.  Of all the places in my house, the kitchen sink work station is one where being a tall man comes at an extreme disadvantage.  Kitchen counters are unfortunately set at an industry standard 36 inches high.  If you're a tall person, say 6'-0" or taller, this causes you to lean over the counter ever so slightly to get close to what you're doing.   The kitchen sink tends to be one place where you stand for a prolonged period of time, doing all those frakking dishes.  At an average of 8" deep, that puts the bottom of the sink at 28", AKA just above the knee*.  Back aches and cramps ensue. (My wife would site that if I just cooked less elaborate meals, I wouldn't be washing so many dishes.)  One can get taller cabinets made, theoretically, but that'd be mighty expensive and who knows if the next buyer of your home is also going to have an antelopish dude who likes to cook?

So in my research on kitchen sinks today, I stumbled across this beauty from Kohler**...

Now without seeing it in context, or downloading the specifications and measurements, you might not realize that this puppy sits on top of the counter.  Its still the average 8" deep, which is less than I prefer, but the top lip sits 4 inches above your countertop surface, bringing the base of the sink to 32" AKA mid-thigh*.  A tall man's dream sink.

It is listed as an apron sink, which is another thing to discuss.  I've never really understood this fascination with apron or farmhouse sinks that is going around right now.  Other than the ability to hang a dishtowel on the edge and not get the front edge of your cabinets wet, what's the appeal?  Is it really just fashion?  It seems like there are a lot disadvantages for an apron front, including how they work with standard cabinet sizes, if its just a fashion statement.  Clue me in here.

But then, it occured to me that one half of my client is a little less than tall.  The apron sink does give one benefit of dropping the sink base by an inch and a half (similar to an undermount sink)  but bringing the basin the whole way out to the edge of the counter so that she can wash the dishes without the inverse of the problem I have.

So, I found this sink for her from Sheffield.  I'm questioning whether it will be helpul or not.  Your thoughts?  What functional benefits or disadvantages do you see in a sink like this?  Leave it in the comments...

Footnotes:

*I was going to use other relative length/height descriptors but this is a family blog.

**Can we discuss why Kohler would choose to have a picture of old people bathing together on the front page of their site?  Ew.  Old people shouldn't bathe.  That way their smell becomes a primary indicator that there's one in the next room and everyone can be on their guard against impending inevitable crotchetyness.


***All this discussion of short people makes me want to link "Shorty is an Eenie Meenie Mo Lover".  Enjoy the Biebs, y'all..

Cork Floor

I'm starting work on a new project today, a residential unit over looking Rittenhouse square.  It's in the Parc building, right over the Stephen Starr restaurant of the same name.  I'm super excited about it both as I've wanted to do some residential work for some time and because among other things, check out the view...

 It's definitely winter in Philly, but once those trees green up and the park comes to life, it'll be amazing.

 Anyways, I'm already starting to think of things I'd like to do in the space.  Since the owners are wine enthusiasts, I immediately thought this product that I saw on This Old House's blog "The Hardware Aisle" would be great to use, perhaps in the kitchen.

 Cork flooring "tile", recycled from rejected wine corks, durable and stain resistant, soft underfoot, and just plain beautiful.  Heck, I'd like to put it in our kitchen too.  It'd be perfect for dancing while I'm cooking dinner... which is usually to top 40 hits of the year past.  I have great taste in flooring.  Many would say "not so much", about my taste in music.

This is My Grown Up Christmas List

When you grow up in a Christian home, Christmas has a meaning that supercedes materialism and presents. You spend a little more time focused on the birth of Christ than you otherwise might if the day is just about presents and food.

Of course, if you grew up in the House of K, as I did, you spend a little more time focused on early morning bloody marys and smokin cigars whilst opening your stockings and listening to Aretha Franklin turn the mother out of her rendition of "Joy to the World". If dancing and a little misting up should happen too, all the better. Most people think that Christianity and Funk/Soul and Liquor cannot coexist, but I'm living proof y'all.

(The fashion show in the youtube clip above is obnoxious, but dig the music.)

Anyways, on the materialism front, while the birth of Jesus is awe-inspiring, I'm not going to say I never wanted presents. My typical plan was to create a cross referenced list with prioritized scoring and catalog page bibliography so my parents could get me exactly what I wanted. Once I learned to use a computer, things got even more complicated.

This year, a blog I read turned me on to one item that I really want. Its too late for anyone to stuff my stocking with this and obviously this economy is ruling out $500 stocking stuffers, but fortunately One Project Closer is having a competition whereby simply writing about this "sexy fine" item enters me in a sweepstakes to win it. If I win, all I have to do is write a review, which I would be more than happy to do. (Unfortunately, I also have to link to the competition, so honestly I'm hoping nobody reads this because the more people that enter, the lower my probability.)
The tool in question is a Dewalt Track Saw Combo kit. Its got a lot of the capabilities of a table saw while also being portable. Can't do routing cuts with it, but you take the good with the bad. Anyways, I'm all about using this to cut down plywood to board up some windows while I reglaze them, making some dog gates around the house, building some small tables, helping Andy and Kim build a backing face for their salvaged TV cabinet, and a gazillion other things I can't even concieve of right now.

Anyways, Merry Christmas, only a week or so to go...
I leave you with this, which in my opinion is probably closer to what heaven sounded like on Christmas, if you can see past the 80s production values...



(I'm still kind of convinced that we'll all be black in heaven. Sigh, can't wait.)

The Rohde Warrior

Just before Rach and I got married, we went to The Second Mile thrift store in my ol' neighborhood of West Philly. We purchased two pieces of art deco modern furniture.

One was the dining room buffet for a measly $20 which has been mentioned before and is still awaiting stripping and restoration.
The other was a somewhat interesting little drawer unit with a really bad blue paint job for $5. We talked about repainting it and storing takeout menus inside, but never really got around to it. So when we moved into our current house, it ended up hanging out in the corner of the garage.Before tackling the buffet, which I prize for its modern lines and sweet hardware, I wanted to test out some stripping methods on the little chest of drawers. So on Saturday, I penned the dog up in the neighboring room so that he'd only get the whiff of fumes rather than actually ingesting mounds of peeled paint. I applied a coat of chemical stripper, donned my sensible rubber blue gloves, and went medieval on its a**.Only after I got past the first layer did I clear enough to see that there was a fine, and I mean "sexy" FINE walnut wood veneer underneath. I began to take more care. Once I realized that I might be dealing with a nicer piece of furniture than I'd previously expected, I searched the drawers and found this label.A little googling and we have a winner. Gilbert Rohde was a famous industrial designer and furniture craftsman in the 1930s who single handedly, by some accounts, steered the Herman Miller Furniture company aesthetic towards modernism and minimalist design. He has pieces in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, among others, and his pristine pieces go for a lot on ebay.
I'm under no misconception that I could buffer my retirement account or even buy the aforementioned skill saw with this piece. I fully imagine that I would take it to an antique dealer, much like on that Antiques Roadshow thing on PBS, and they would tell me "If only you had left the paint on, or if you hadn't kept it in your basement for a year, or let the dog pee on it that one time, it would be worth $10,512."

But it will be nice to have in the house once I clean it up a bit more. I've contacted the Herman Miller company as well as an evidently well-informed guy on flickr. (He also has a great showcase of Rohde design photos. He's an avid collector.) Hopefully they'll help me with an identification of the piece this week.

And the satisfaction that I get from knowing its not being used to store someone's crack pipes or some UPenn student's maxed out credit card collection is more than enough for me. A pile of take out menus will be a welcome inhabitant.