I finally had had enough of my Eames dining room table that had turned into nothing more than a stage for the dance of pseudo-organized stacks of papers, receipts, periodicals, and bills. These were constantly being rearranged and reorganized, but never getting put away. Basically, an open filing cabinet on display, 24 hours a day.

 

I headed down to Silica Three, a Danish and European second-hand furniture warehouse that a friend had caught wind of on Apartment Therapy as well as on Craigs List. Apparently, this is no secret since another friend had purchased a vanity here a few months back. This day, I was on a mission to “just look” and see what was available in the form of a credenza to organize or hide the method to my madness. 

 

 

 

 

 

In the past few years, due to the onslaught of “Hollywood Regency” and other forms of eclectic interiors, more of the previously highly sought after Danish and mid-century pieces have been a bit easier to come by at more reasonable price points. I had been lightly looking at pieces from Room and Board, mainly because I needed something with filing drawer capabilities  When I called Silica Three, David, the owner, informed me that most the credenzas were actually dining room buffets and if I wanted to get a filing thing put in, it could be customized for that. Cool.

 

 

 

Since I did not have $10k for a Florence Knoll credenza with marble top, I figured I should go take a gander. I am trying, whenever possible, to make large purchase decisions based on sustainability, not only in the material that is used to create them, but also whether they are well-designed and well-crafted vintage items that have stood the test of time in both aesthetics and function. 

 

 

 

As I am sometimes famous for, I went with the full intention to “look”, but left with a receipt and an empty pocketbook. The one I purchased was actually from England and not Denmark, which didn’t bother me too much as it was teak that they had sanded down and oiled and is now a beautiful, restored piece with nice, detailed pulls. Because I needed to have a filing system, my options were narrowed down to which units could be modified. Unless you are getting a Wegner or some other well known Danish designer I personally don’t think it’s a big deal if it is not from Denmark. 

 

 

 

All that matters now is keeping the eye sore of paper stacks cleared off the dining room table. There were plenty of other unique pieces like lamps and vases too, even housewares. David goes shopping a few times a year in Europe and has storage units over there. When they get full, he ships them back to the non-descript space in North Hollywood. aka Noho, where they are restored and refinished. They also have a showroom in Culver City in the Helms Bakery, but I am sure going to the source gets you slightly more choices and better deals. This place requires some imagination and some digging, but is basically what a dream thrift store looked like about 10 or 15 years ago. You can still find some real thrift stores that look like this in the south of France, but who wants to deal with shipping bulky items overseas while on vacation?

 

 

 

New shipments are announced periodically on Craig’s List and I believe they are getting one in early December. The site doesn’t have prices listed yet, but I would highly recommend going down there. He seems like a reasonable guy willing to work with people on prices, but you didn’t hear that from me…

 

 

 

Now to balance out the universe, I’m on the mad hunt for an ornate, gold framed mirror to offset the streamlined wood pieces that are taking over my abode. Eclectic modern here I come.

 

Silica Three

5533 Satsuma Ave

North Hollywood, CA 91601

(310) 880-7770 David

 

Open Saturdays and Sundays 10-4 and by appointment

I suggest calling before you head over there.