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Can someone help me ID this sideboard please?  

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NMPC
 NMPC
(@nmpc)
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Joined: 2026 years ago
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24/11/2016 12:11 pm  

Hi, Can anyone help me to identify this sideboard?
<img class="wpforo-default-image


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leif ericson - Zephyr Renner
(@leif-ericson)
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24/11/2016 3:56 pm  

There have been a couple of sideboard pass through the forum by this mystery maker:
http://www.designaddict.com/forum/Identification/Danish-Sideboard
Do you have any reason to believe the sideboard came from the UK?


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NMPC
 NMPC
(@nmpc)
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Joined: 2026 years ago
Posts: 33
24/11/2016 7:34 pm  

Thank you for the links Leif.
Yes you are correct, it is from the UK. We bought it from the family of the original owners who bought it new in the early 1960s from a store call Rackhams in Birmingham.
Rackhams is part of the House of Fraser (since 1959), and the Birmingham store was rebranded House of Fraser in 2003. Nevertheless, I have emailed them to ask if they can identify it, or maybe just provide a list of the brands that they were selling around this time.
It certainly is a mystery to me, I have not been able to find another example listed anywhere on the web. There are no makers marks at all.
It is very heavy, particularly the drawers which seem to have solid oak boxes and solid Teak or Afrormosia front panels. Very similar to the examples you have given. I think it is the same maker,as you suggest
Initially, I was sure that it was by a good Danish brand, but on closer inspection I began to think it was a one off by a very skilled amateur. The workmanship is of high quality, but with details that are a little "crude" for a Danish designed or factory produced piece. Then I learned it was bought in a department store....
I'm adding some more photos. The main structure is veneered particle board, but the shelves inside seem to be solid Aformosia. Strange.




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leif ericson - Zephyr Renner
(@leif-ericson)
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24/11/2016 8:23 pm  

It is absolutely the same maker as those other two sideboards. Those drawers are a signature that is as obvious as day once you learn to read it.
Rackhams in Birmingham is a very, very good lead.
These pieces were made by a very unusual cabinetmaker. Those handcut blind dovetails are a very traditional way to make a drawer box. And slow. All of this maker's pieces show that he had a low volume shop. Possibly these are custom pieces, or, I think more probably, the maker had a catalog of his existing designs and made the pieces to order for his customers. Notice the very dark piece of Afromosia next to the very light piece on the face frame of your sideboard. That is the sign of small shop that does not have an enormous stock of wood. The use of curly veneer in the other sides is again a sign of low volume production, and quite possibly those very curly flitches were selected by the customer.
On the other hand, it is interesting that this cabinetmaker completely embraced Scandinavian Modern design, and very new materials like particle board. These characteristics show that this maker was very unlike the vast majority in Britain or Scandinavia at the time. (I can think of only one or two somewhat similar makers in Denmark).
But back to Rackhams in Birmingham. This was a small shop. It is likely this cabinetmaker made most of his sales in the vicinity of his shop. Thus, it is quite likely that he established a relationship with Rackhams. Perhaps his work filled a high end niche for them.
It also strikes me as somewhat likely that this cabinetmaker was a Scandinavian, not Brit, living in or near Birmingham, but this is just speculative.
These pieces were more expensive than the average, so another way you might trace down some information is to figure out who his customers were, such that he was able to ply his trade in such a contrarian fashion.


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NMPC
 NMPC
(@nmpc)
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25/11/2016 1:56 pm  

Interesting ideas, thank you Leif.
I'm not entirely convinced yet that the maker is a local Birmingham workshop.
- House of Fraser is a national group of stores, so it would be interesting if the Birmingham branch (Rackhams) had it's own local suppliers
- One of the other examples that you showed me was owned by @gplanera, who said he had previously seen the same model on 2 previous occasions. I believe gplanera is on the south coast, quite far from Birmingham. Having said that, many people retire to the south coast, from all over.
An alternative theory: could it be that it was a traditional English furniture maker, perhaps an in-house company that was pushed by store into making some unfamiliar new products? Maybe one of these : http://www.housefraserarchive.ac.uk/trade-types/result/?id=Furniture%20m... ?
Perhaps we will get a reply from House of Fraser that would help.


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leif ericson - Zephyr Renner
(@leif-ericson)
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25/11/2016 4:42 pm  

After reading the descriptions of those companies, they do not seem plausible at all.
You are right to be doubtful of my theory that the maker was near Birmingham: it is just a theory. It should not be focused on to the detriment of other viable possibilities. This is detective work.
Britain generally was not not nearly as prosperous after the War as the USA was. This had an effect on the furniture business. Danish furniture was desirable, but perhaps too expensive in Britain. Thus many local makers stepped in to fill the void providing Danish style furniture at a better price point. This was NOT what your maker was doing. These sideboards had to be more expensive. Therefore it is hard to imagine a national market for them. It would make much better sense if they fit a localized demand that was much more prosperous.
Apparently in the 50s and 60s Coventry was one of the most prosperous areas of England due to the auto industry. Birmingham also seems to have had a large aeronautical industry. Possibly word of mouth sales in the upper echelons of either of these industries could have kept you cabinetmaker in business.
I think you are right to pay attention to where these pieces turn up, but bearing in mind as you have, that furniture moves with families over time. What sort of families tend to move to the south coast?
To identify the maker of your sideboard will likely require learning about all sorts of seemingly unnecessary information. You are very unlikely to be handed the name on a silver platter so to speak.


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NMPC
 NMPC
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25/11/2016 5:27 pm  

OK thanks for your ideas Leif. I will post again if I get any answers.


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