# The strangest piece of furniture I've ever seen **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 14, 2022, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strangest-piece-of-furniture-ive-ever-seen/960997 "2022-03-14T00:12:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strangest-piece-of-furniture-ive-ever-seen/960997/21 "2022-03-15T07:05:40Z")
well, it does say needs ot be disassembled and to bring tools. Looks like someone had a bunch of damaged stuff and played frankenfurniture to make one item - mrAru is a bit capricious and I could see him doing something like that for the heck of it. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strangest-piece-of-furniture-ive-ever-seen/960997/22 "2022-03-15T08:59:11Z")
I like the L-shaped mirror. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strangest-piece-of-furniture-ive-ever-seen/960997/23 "2022-03-15T10:15:29Z")
The smooth lines speak of Art Deco, but the feet – with the leaves and curlicues – are definitely Art Nouveau. I’d say someone replaced the feet of an Art Deco dresser with a pair from an earlier period. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strangest-piece-of-furniture-ive-ever-seen/960997/24 "2022-03-15T10:46:06Z")
Yeah, not a fan of this piece. So I won’t be competing against all y’all for it. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strangest-piece-of-furniture-ive-ever-seen/960997/25 "2022-03-15T11:40:03Z")
Yeah, there’s a definite art deco feel to the right hand side, but the feet are… regency? something earlier. The veneer on the front of the half drawer appears to match that on the plinth. The plinth has symmetrical curves at the left matching those at the right, except the ones at the right are consistent with the curved door above. I think this was a piece with symmetrical curved doors on either end, and a section of smaller drawers down the middle, probably without a mirror at all. Like this in shape: > **[Art Deco French Cocktail Cabinet | Vinterior](https://www.vinterior.co/furniture/storage/cabinets/art-deco-french-cocktail-cabinet-sku58731813)** > > A French Art Deco cabinet with a swivel central section, that opens to reveal three shelves. To each side a cupboard, each with two shelves. Very attractive handles in glass, chrome and brass. Rais... ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strangest-piece-of-furniture-ive-ever-seen/960997/26 "2022-03-15T11:52:26Z")
I like it. If you had a carousel inside of the cylinder shaped attachment to the main dresser, it would be great for jewelry, makeup, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Temporary\_Name](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Temporary\_Name](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Temporary_Name)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strangest-piece-of-furniture-ive-ever-seen/960997/27 "2022-03-15T11:55:59Z")
There is no way the front feet are from another piece of furniture- no way. While the style does not seem to match, the shape matches the contour of the piece which is quite unique. They are both wide and deep and seem to match in both dimensions (although there is not a close-up view from the side). They may have been added later by a wood carver – but they are specific to that piece. As for the half drawer, I suspect the veneer came off thru delamination or was removed because it became scratched or chipped (it does seem to be at perfect belt buckle height). I would not be surprised if the rest of the drawers looked very similar under the veneer. I further suspect the handle is horizontal because the drawer is not as tall (or what I would call deep) and to place it at the same angle would be impractical (placing the bottom screw below the bottom of the drawer and the top screw entirely WAY to close to the top of the drawer. It is also the only drawer without a lock on it (although centered rather than toward to top of each drawer, and without a frame to latch to, those are likely to be decorative rather than functional locks) The amazing thing is the mirror with an INSIDE corner!! Have any of you ever tried to break glass in that manner??? It tends to not work very well on the first hundred or so tries, once glass breaks it tends to go past any planned stopping point and continue across the entire piece. It may have been manufactured in that shape (I wouldn’t know??). One time I heard of a guy who spent half of forever drilling a hole in the glass at the point of the inside corner with a diamond bit and managing to crack it to the hole in both directions but I understand drilling the hole can be fraught with difficulty in its own right. Correction: Upon a closer look at the pics, there is a photo of the front foot from the side and it does match the contoured shape of the base perfectly. The back feet do seem to be unfinished but artistically shaped and made of some burled wood which compliments or matches the veneer. They seem almost fragile compared to the large, carved front feet. When I lived in the Los Angeles area I occasionally worked with a wood carver who was from Germany originally. He lived to carve stuff like those front feet and mostly did mantles and surrounds for fireplaces. Being a Hollywood town, he would often have to carve in much softer stuff like foam and plastic which was then made into a mold and cast in fiberglass or gypcrete or sometimes just painted to look like wood (or marble). It was always a treat to have him in the shop when they brought him in. The other carvers were just as good as he was in their medium, but watching him carve in wood was really a treat. ---
**Author:** ![Temporary\_Name](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Temporary\_Name](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Temporary_Name)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strangest-piece-of-furniture-ive-ever-seen/960997/28 "2022-03-15T12:04:01Z")
> [@Temporary\_Name](#): > > The amazing thing is the mirror with an INSIDE corner!! It was manufactured in that shape, there is a bevel all the way around the perimeter of the mirror. Not sure how I missed that! ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strangest-piece-of-furniture-ive-ever-seen/960997/29 "2022-03-15T12:29:54Z")
I have a friend who would just love it. I helped move something similar into her 170 year old gingerbread house last year. My own dresser was my grandmothers. It’s about 150 years old. The other furniture in our bedroom is my wifes stuff that is from the 60’s. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strangest-piece-of-furniture-ive-ever-seen/960997/30 "2022-03-15T13:01:36Z")
> [@Temporary\_Name](#): > > There is no way the front feet are from another piece of furniture- no way. While the style does not seem to match, the shape matches the contour of the piece which is quite unique. They are both wide and deep and seem to match in both dimensions (although there is not a close-up view from the side). They may have been added later by a wood carver – but they are specific to that piece. Yeah, I was thinking that, too. My best guess is that it was built by a skilled woodworker, but not a skilled woodcarver: He had the carved feet left over from some other piece of furniture, and made a dresser with a shape to match them because he wanted to use them. The rear feet were probably made by the woodworker, which is why they have a similar contour to the front ones, but not the ornate carving. Likewise, the uneven top might have been made that way in order to have a place to use the L-shaped mirror he picked up from somewhere. As for that mirror, if I personally were cutting glass in any sort of nontrivial shape, I’d do it with a laser cutter. Though unless this is a very new piece, that probably wasn’t an option when it was built. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strangest-piece-of-furniture-ive-ever-seen/960997/31 "2022-03-15T13:07:19Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > it looks to me like someone replaced the front feet with feet from an entirely different pieceoffurniture. That’s what i thought. (but with extra spaces) ---
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strangest-piece-of-furniture-ive-ever-seen/960997/32 "2022-03-15T13:50:04Z")
I’d love to see the Keno Brothers gush over this on Antiques Roadshow. ---
**Author:** ![Temporary\_Name](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Temporary\_Name](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Temporary_Name)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strangest-piece-of-furniture-ive-ever-seen/960997/33 "2022-03-15T18:22:16Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > My best guess is that it was built by a skilled woodworker, but not a skilled woodcarver: He had the carved feet left over from some other piece of furniture, and made a dresser with a shape to match them because he wanted to use them. That makes more sense than creating new feet for the furniture. Whatever led to the juxtaposition of the different styles, I kind of like it. Growing up in a place where historical buildings have mostly been built since the 1950’s, I have a real appreciation for incorporating older styles with newer ones. Nothing wrong with remembering the past and sometimes paying it some homage. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strangest-piece-of-furniture-ive-ever-seen/960997/34 "2022-03-15T21:55:15Z")
Pros and Cons. Something about a bear-foot con-dressa. Eh, there’s a pun in there somewhere… ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strangest-piece-of-furniture-ive-ever-seen/960997/35 "2022-03-16T15:59:18Z")
Ow. And this is for Discorse. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strangest-piece-of-furniture-ive-ever-seen/960997/36 "2022-03-18T22:43:46Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > I’m curious about the cupboard shape, it seems it may have been designed for the storage of some particular item? The cupboard is for a hat. I have a tallboy dresser of birdseye maple that has a hat cupboard. It was my mother’s as a child and she is the one who told this info. I’ve never questioned it. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2022, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strangest-piece-of-furniture-ive-ever-seen/960997/37 "2022-03-19T03:40:05Z")
> [@Temporary\_Name](#): > > It was manufactured in that shape, there is a bevel all the way around the perimeter of the mirror. Not sure how I missed that! How would it be manufactured? Does glass get moulded in that kind of shape? Especially extra-flat mirror glass? ---
**Author:** ![Temporary\_Name](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Temporary\_Name](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Temporary_Name)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2022, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strangest-piece-of-furniture-ive-ever-seen/960997/38 "2022-03-19T13:25:08Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > How would it be manufactured? Does glass get moulded in that kind of shape? Especially extra-flat mirror glass? Actually, glass can be molded into many exotic shapes. But what I meant was that it was not just a rectangular mirror with a corner cut out of it. It was obviously manufactured in a glass shop – not altered to fit this specific piece of furniture after the fact. Theoretically, a skilled craftsman could take a rectangular mirror, put a notch into it and sand a bevel into the new shape – and then build a wooden frame around it. But this mirror was made in a professional shop in my estimation. I will say again that I believe the entire piece was planned and made the way it appears from the outset with only one possible exception. I think it is possible the half drawer at the top of the stack was at one time laminated with a thin veneer of burled wood like the rest of the drawers. I believe the feet are original, I believe the step in height is intentional and that the mirror was designed from the beginning to have that shape and it was manufactured in that shape – not altered later. Agree, disagree, I am fine either way. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strangest-piece-of-furniture-ive-ever-seen/960997.md?page=1)