Caxton Sofa

Thanks again to Tripp Auction in Nunica, we were lucky enough to get a vintage Forslund Caxton Sofa. My mom has a Caxton Sofa and I love the style of the high back on it. We already have a Blake & Joan Sofa, but we saw this online for a GREAT price and couldn't pass it up. Nick especially loves the vintage pattern! It will be quite cozy in our den...

"folksy" Forslund

I have been trying to get this blog into Google's indexing system, but really know very little about how that is all accomplished... Anyway, I wanted to see what would appear with the search "forslund furniture".

Here is part of one on the articles that pops up from the search:

"QUESTION: We inherited a writing desk that my parents purchased in the 1960s from the Carl Forslund Furniture Co. in Grand Rapids, Mich. I think it was called a "Jenny Lind writing desk." Can you tell me anything about the company?

ANSWER: Carl Forslund Sr., who had been a salesman for Stickley Bros., established his own furniture business, Carl V. Forslund Inc., in 1935. He sold furniture at his retail store and by mail order. Carl's three sons joined the business in the 1940s and '50s.

Forslund's manufacturing plant closed in 1991, and its retail stores a year later. The company specialized in manufacturing oak, walnut and cherry furniture in Early American styles.

Forslund marketed its furniture in a folksy way and often named pieces for famous people. Jenny Lind (1820-1887), nicknamed the Swedish Nightingale, was a world-renowned opera singer in the 1850s."

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20041121/news_1hs21kovels.html)

I like how it was referred to as 'folksy'. If you have an old Forslund catalog, you can spend hours reading the fun facts Mr. F put together for his readers, err... customers.

Mr. & Mrs. F

I think one of the neatest things about Forslund furniture is the emphasis that Mr. F placed on family. When you look through an old catalog, you see picture after picture of some member of this great family. Carl Forslund started his business in 1935 and when the store closed in 1991, there were still Forslunds selling that same quality furniture.

Proud to present to you...

...dum da da Daaa! The newest member(s) of our personal Forslund Furniture collection,

a used Southern Belle Rocker... and Sewing stand!

My wonderful mother in law knows I'm always on the lookout for used Forslund items and she happened to see this Belle at an online auction that is actually located within minutes of my office! So yesterday, she called around noon and told me of the chair. I went to see it, then got back to the office and placed a bid. Though the auction was local for me, it was an 'online only' auction, meaning I HAD to wait until 8:30 PM to find out if I had won.

This is the next item I was really hoping to add to our home. My mother and father both have these rockers, and they're incredibly comfortable and unique. I knew that I wanted one of these rather than the typical oak gliding rockers so many folks rock their babies in. We will likely recover the chair at some point, but really it's in fine condition considering it was made in 1984!

Forslund's Most Wanted

In my increasing (but limited) knowledge of Forslund furniture, I'm finding that one of the most popular chairs is the Rip Van Lee. Some refer to these chairs as "sleepy hollow" chairs. The chair was usually upholstered with the same quality of English leather that was used for the seats of a Rolls Royce (though in the catalogs, there are some covered in classy tweed patterns), tightly tufted, and filled with horse hair. These chairs can be found in many homes in West Michigan, but many owners are unaware of the treasurers they hold. These comfortable chairs hug you the moment you sit in them. Carl Forslund Sr. himself wrote of the Rip,

"It's big enough to be a father-and-children chair while they grow up, and it will still be a comfortable grand-dad-and-grandson chair many years from now."

Our very own Rip, purchased from a seller through
our local classifieds via Grand Rapids Craigslist.