Finding a practical dining table for a condo can be a challenge. So when a realtor handed us a post card promoting Mid Century, the store in Hillcrest, we welcomed the chance to look locally for just the right table for our new condo.
As we shopped in the store, Blake and Dan told stories about the assorted dining tables on hand, each appealing in its own way.
One table stood out, in look and story: a round table in Glenn of California style purchased from an estate right here in San Diego.
The low-profile design makes the top appear to float, and the walnut surface was lovingly refinished by hand in a warm-red stain.
Our table is round and, at 60 inches, seats six. The refinishing highlights a six-pointed star in the center in natural wood grain, with legs that are a classic mid-century design touch.
“Furniture with curves lets the air in, and can literally shift around the room depending on your guests, task, or needs.”
The table also came with three (also lovingly restored) leaves, expanding to seat fourteen.
Dan and Blake are knowledgeable, gracious and patient. They helped us examine the table and all three leaves in detail. They were candid that the table had been slightly damaged, thus the hand refinishing.
We also tested all table leaves with the table in-store. One didn’t quite fit so they made the necessary adjustments. Wonderful customer service.
A certain practicality was important to us: that, when seated, each diner sits comfortably in relation to the table legs.
To go places and do things that have never been done before – that’s what living is all about.
We returned several times to the store look at this table that finally became “our” table—a real risk in one-of-a-kind shopping, but it worked out for us. Blake and Dan made our purchase so easy. We weren’t quite ready to move, so they allowed us to leave the table in the showroom for a week (with a SOLD sign).
The entire table, including the legs, were hand-rubbed with teak oil before delivery.
We are thrilled to own this well-designed, graceful, functional dining table from Mid Century.
All About Glenn of California furniture designs from the mid-century:
Glenn of California, a furniture design house once based in Arcadia, California, launched in 1948. Some of the pivotal designers included Robert Baron, Greta Magnusson Grossman, Milo Baughman, Stanley Young, John Kapel, Kipp Stewart and others.
Many of these high-design yet sleek and functional furniture pieces remain in use today and continue to be distinctive for their stylish fine construction.
The design studio contributed to the Los Angeles Modern movement which is popular in places like Palm Springs today.
The mid-1950s to the mid-1960s were exceptionally productive times for Glenn of California with the manufacture of spectacular pieces in rich walnut, some with contrasting white melamine surfaces or in rosewood with black lacquer accents.
Glenn of California, one of the larger mid-century California furniture studios, designed for the upper middle market, on par with Henredon (of North Carolina) at that time—heirloom caliber yet priced within reach.
In Glenn of California furniture, look for the long, clean lines and wellconstructed, sophisticated, practical mid-century influences that became hallmarks of the era. Some pieces which might become available:
- dressers, wardrobes and credenzas with drawers and adjustable shelves behind doors
- tables and dining chairs with the signature tapered leg
- bar carts with contrasting laminate and bar stools
- desks
- upholstered lounge chairs
- nightstands and headboards
- end tables and coffee tables
Some pieces found today still carry their original labels or markings. How to recognize a Glenn of California furnishing? Early pieces were stamped underneath or on the back, and later, a label was attached.
“These designers would create furniture that would exemplify a distinctive West Coast Modern style that was accessible and relatively affordable.”
“Making innovative use of walnut, iron and Formica, these artists created an incredibly distinctive Los Angeles style.”
Glenn of California was once “…at the forefront of a new West Coast modernist design movement.”