I would like to know what this style is called and who made it, I am considering refinishing it, but I don't want to do anything that would "hurt" it.

Any comments would be valued.

Thanks for your help!!

Clean the surface carefully, and leave it alone. Any "refinishing" will turn it into just another mucked-up modern. I'd have the vanity seat reupholstered, but that's about it.

Can you find any maker's marks on it?

I think unless it is something *really* unusual, refinishing it in the historically appropriate original type of finish would not negatively affect its value.

If the original finish were essentially pristine,just oxidized, collectors would be interested in it as is, but a poor finish is not something most collectors of Heywood-Wakefield or the like are interested in, the dealers of H-W exclusively, and moderne generally, refinish their stock routinely. If you want to do it yourself, there is a guy on eBay who sells finishes that look like the original.

This was factory made furniture with a factory applied finish (unless someone made it as a one-off), not a fine antique, so the effects on value are not the same. (Except in rare instances where it was a prototype or something). This style of furniture is currently highly collectable. Look at eBay under Heywood Wakefield, Gilbert Rodhe, Leo Jiranek, and Moderne.

Like Palimpsest, I can't find any with your exact drawer pull style.

Cute set!

This furniture gives me a 1940-1950 feeling.

I ended up buying the set from CL for $150.

Person claimed her mother, who is 94, bought it in the 1940's when she married, and it has been in the family.

It has a six drawer tall dresser with cedar in the bottom drawer, a three drawer night stand, full bed with head/foot/rails, and the above vanity and stool. The vanity has two curved doors in the bottom center knee hole and curved glass sliding doors with a glass shelf for display items (??) above the doors. All of the pieces have curves in the front face but have flat tops. The stool appears to be of solid wood, the rest of the pieces have veneer tops and sides with solid oak inside the drawers. The drawers insides are in near perfect original condition and all slide well when they are put in the right place - they are numbered in pencil. All of the pieces have some damage, but not severe. I could not find any makers label or stamp, but the underside of the stool is marked in pencil "strick" or "strich" or "struh" with a double dot over the "u". Someone wrote something on the back of the mirror, perhaps family names.

It appeared to have a poorly done finish on the drawer fronts with drips visible and I asked if it was refinished and she said it had not. Upon closer inspection when I took it home, it definitely had an amber shellac layer over old damage. I tried to remove the newer shellac with alcohol, but could not get a satisfactory result. Besides, there were some deep scratches and areas with damage, so I sanded carefully with medium grit. This revealed the original look which was blonded oak veneer, and the blonding can be seen on the underside of the stool and is a very pale mustard color.

I am trying to figure out what to do next now that most of it is smooth, I am considering clear wax. I do not believe the amber shellac was original. The set is lovely.

Any other ideas or comments?