Cool furniture, design objects and desiderata

[GeneralEmployer]

I'm saddened to hear current StyleForvm eats off stainless.

In the salad days of the forum, even our sporks were sterling. View attachment 1572983

Grate poast that surely will go unappreciated by the masses, but you gave me a chuckle, old sport. But is your assertion true? What sayeth the great authority on all thing etiquette and high society, none other than the esteemed Manton? While he is quiet on the subject of flatware, he is careful to remind poasters that all that glitters is not sterling:

Metal, definitely. Sterling tarnishes badly. My favorite links are sterling, but they are plain. Polishing enamel is a pain.

That said, I love enamel links, so get some nice ones!

A very astute observation. Sterling is a MFer unless you really keep up maintenance. But when is an MFer worth it? When the price is too sweet. Can anybody guess who snagged the below sterling? Of course you can. He need not be named, such does his buying prowess ring out:

"Once, someone was selling a pair of Lobbs for super cheap, like $75 BIN per pair. I asked if they had any others as they were bespoke, and wouldn't you know the daughter of a billionaire was selling off the contents of her dads closet in one of their homes. 30 emails and $2500 later, I had 45 pairs of Lobb Bespoke, including 25 which were gator and ostrich, an ostrich english made (forgot the name now) briefcase, 40 hermes ties, 20 hermes cummerbunds and ascots, a full set of sterling flatware, crystal stemware, and so much more I can't even remember.

YOU DONT KNOW UNLESS YOU TRY"

2021 SF Conclusion: Sterling flatware when you get it for a steal. Overpay for stainless steal (get it, you're just stealing from yoself).

The problem with 2021 is the latter, not the former.

 

[Bromley]

I've been waiting 13 years for the right time to share this doodle.

 

[BigBadBernard]

I’m afraid life is too short for silver cutlery (please don’t say Sterling flatware - it’s an abomination) unless you have a footman to polish it for you.

I have a family set waiting for me, hopefully a long way into the future, and I can promise you it will be straight off down the auction house.

 

[sugarbutch]

I've been waiting 13 years for the right time to share this doodle.

View attachment 1573429

Dat seven-tine fork, tho...

 

[Loathing]

Is solid silver actually that hard to care for? My parents have a set which doesn’t have even the slightest signs of tarnish — but even if it did, the patina could be quite charming and interesting, especially on a David Mellor design.

I find a lot of modern cutlery has a strange, almost plasticky surface — particularly Alessi. I’m guessing this is some kind of chromium coating to make it more stain/rust resistant? The aesthetics of antique cutlery don’t work with the rest of my stuff but I get an overwhelming sense of higher quality when handling older stuff, which makes me feel like I’m missing out. The knives especially are so much sharper, even after decades of use.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

Sterling that gets used everyday stays fairly bright.

 

[nootje]

When I was young we had someone come over every two months to polish all the silver. Which was over the top, even for the 90s at the time.

Personally I wouldn’t bother using a silver set, it just doesn’t add anything for me. Flatware doesn’t really get wear and tear imho, so why bother with an extra set for special occasions. Doesn’t fit with the times anymore I think, unless you’re in diplomacy.

 

[sugarbutch]

The best thing about silver IMO is the patina.

 

[TheFoo]

Is solid silver actually that hard to care for? My parents have a set which doesn’t have even the slightest signs of tarnish — but even if it did, the patina could be quite charming and interesting, especially on a David Mellor design.

I find a lot of modern cutlery has a strange, almost plasticky surface — particularly Alessi. I’m guessing this is some kind of chromium coating to make it more stain/rust resistant? The aesthetics of antique cutlery don’t work with the rest of my stuff but I get an overwhelming sense of higher quality when handling older stuff, which makes me feel like I’m missing out. The knives especially are so much sharper, even after decades of use.

Agreed on Alessi, but as mentioned earlier, they are not really a distinguished flatware maker. The Pott stuff definitely feels special and hand-finished.

Sterling that gets used everyday stays fairly bright.

This is what I hear, but I’d rather better made steel flatware than ho-hum silverware. Really nicely-made silverware is super expensive—five digits for 12 settings.

When I was young we had someone come over every two months to polish all the silver. Which was over the top, even for the 90s at the time.

Personally I wouldn’t bother using a silver set, it just doesn’t add anything for me. Flatware doesn’t really get wear and tear imho, so why bother with an extra set for special occasions. Doesn’t fit with the times anymore I think, unless you’re in diplomacy.

The benefit is the look and feel. The heft alone makes it special to me. Also, that soft, off-white glow . . .

 

[sugarbutch]

This is what I hear, but I’d rather better made steel flatware than ho-hum silverware. Really nicely-made silverware is super expensive—five digits for 12 settings.

What is this small-timer talk? Son, I am disappoint.

 

[Van Veen]

Is solid silver actually that hard to care for? My parents have a set which doesn’t have even the slightest signs of tarnish — but even if it did, the patina could be quite charming and interesting, especially on a David Mellor design.

I find a lot of modern cutlery has a strange, almost plasticky surface — particularly Alessi. I’m guessing this is some kind of chromium coating to make it more stain/rust resistant? The aesthetics of antique cutlery don’t work with the rest of my stuff but I get an overwhelming sense of higher quality when handling older stuff, which makes me feel like I’m missing out. The knives especially are so much sharper, even after decades of use.

I don’t know exactly what it is, but it’s the same kind of coating on cheap satin nickel hardware. Chrome plated stuff doesn’t have that coating, even the cheap stuff.

 

[R.O. Thornhill]

I inherited a solid silver cutlery set - eight settings, nine pieces per setting. We use it maybe three times per year - the rest of the time it sits in boxes. Every time we use it we have to polish it. Only hold on to it for sentimental reasons at this point

 

[edinatlanta]

I have the joybird eliot:

https://joybird.com/sofas/eliot-sofa/

Its...fine. I like the fabric I chose, but its developed a little bit of a creak at times and I've had the tufting come undone multiple times (not hard to tie back on but...wtf?). Certainly not worth full price, but not a terrible option if you want to order swatches and have your pick of 100 different fabrics but still stay in the same price range as C&B.

I hate my joybird so much. Would not recommend

 

[sftiger]

I hate my joybird so much. Would not recommend

Why?

 

[qubed]

When I was young we had someone come over every two months to polish all the silver.

When I was young, one of my chores was to polish all the silverware (and other random silver and brass objects) every year. I think we used that silverware set exactly once. At least the other objects were on display and you could see them.