I think Sven was Sven...
I think Sven was Sven Kirsten in the tikiroom thread linked in the first post; apparently, he wrote the book on Witco; he said no in that thread.
On the tikiroom site, the members talk about a company called Oceanic Arts like they talk about Witco. Witco Oceanic might be like saying Knoll Herman Miller.
seems like Ocean Arts is a...
seems like Oceanic Arts is a prop rental/furniture store in LA...i guess like Modernica...so still a dead end
http://www.oceanicarts.net/
I know Tiki. I know Witco
... and I know Sven. He's a friend of ours, and he knows a great deal about Witco.
Those pieces are not by Witco, they are only slightly similar in style (thick, highly textural, wood with pronounced grain). They are likely by some small American manufacturer of the period.
They make me think of those Lane pieces with the chunky wood sculpted fronts which people like to call "Paul Evans style". Again, similar but not the real deal.
Oh, and Oceanic Arts is a legendary Tiki establishment. They are responsible for providing the decor for many of the country's most significant Tiki bars and restaurants. One of the two founders is a carver/ sculptor and in addition to prop rental they still sell decor for commercial and private tropical/ Tiki environments. If you want to see what a proper Tiki bar should look like, look at one that Oceanic Arts was involved in outfitting. We have a number of vintage Ocanic Arts pieces in our home bar, the "Tabu Tiki Lounge".
Simulacra
Re: "well made" :
A whole lot (the vast majority, actually) of "fine furniture" is veneer over what is essentially cardboard.
Things may feel sturdy and solid, but a great deal of furniture is more paper product than wood so as to cut costs. If this thing was a new item purchased from a store today, it would likely cost something like $2500, compared with like eight grand if it was all solid hardwood...
That's expensive!
The only furniture substrate
made of paper, that I have seen, is an IKEA line which features printed woodgrain foil on 1/8" hardboard, glued to a core of 1 1/4" paper honeycomb, for a net panel thickness of 1 1/2". Light, and sufficiently strong for its purpose (ephemeral furniture).
MDF (medium-density fiberboard) can be described as "paper" or cardboard only if you define any product made with wood fiber as paper. In fact, MDF is a good substrate for wood veneer because it is dense and flat, with a smooth surface and reasonably firm edges suitable for edgebanding or other finish. (Glue-sizing is a good preparation for paint or other liquid edge finish.) Is it the equal of solid hardwood ? No. Of veneer-core panel ? Yes and no. MDF is heavier and cheaper; veneer-core (plywood) may not have a flat enough surface for successful veneering.
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