Sometimes, inspiration strikes you and you just have to do something with it. A while back, we picked up a Johnson-Carper dresser. Not sure why we picked it up, considering the state it was in. Loose parts, broken parts, and about 5 coats of paint in various colors didn’t deter us from thinking we could save it. Well….we were wrong. It was just too far gone. Now, we’re not the kind of folks who want to be filling up the local landfill any more than we really have to so we set out to re-purpose what we could salvage from the remains of what used to be a lovely dresser and here is what we came up with.
Our very first foray into crafting Mid-Century inspired furniture is this surfboard coffee table. We stripped, and stripped, and stripped paint from the dresser top, laid out the shape, hand cut it (well, OK…we used a jig saw), sanded it, lightly stained it, and then gave it 3 coats of lacquer. We chamfered the top under to give it a thinner profile and lighter feel.
The legs mounts were salvaged from a vintage coffee table (or what was left of one) that, like the dresser, was also beyond repair. The legs are newly sourced but period appropriate and stain matched to the top.
Broyhill’s Brasilia line is popular among mid-century modern aficionados because it mimics the iconic architecture of Oscar Niemeyer, who designed buildings in the capital of Brazil in the early 1960s.
Mid-Century Vibe has this Gentleman’s Chest (called a Door Chest by Broyhill) available for sale.
Dimensions: 44″ wide x 19″ deep x 49.75″ high
Condition: Very good vintage condition. Age-appropriate wear.
In February 2013, Mr. Vibe was out on a picking junket looking for mid-century treasures when he came across a striking copper and black abstract painting in a shop in the teaming metropolis of Genola, Minnesota (Population: 75).
Not being an expert in art, he was unsure of what he had, but he knew he had something special.
The piece was signed “D.H. Spahn ’63” on the front and had a title on the back. It was called “Inschrift,” the German word for “Inscription.”
Mr. Vibe did some research on D.H. Spahn, but came up empty-handed. We placed the painting for sale at MidModMen+friends and admired it when we were in the store.
Recently, Neal, one of the MidModMen, suggested we look up Dieterich Spahn to see if he could possibly be the painting’s D.H. Spahn.
We discovered that Dieterich Spahn is a renowned artist who specializes in liturgical stained glass, having over 3,000 installations. Although he specializes in stained glass, he is also a painter, with his works being held in collections internationally.
Mr. Vibe emailed Dieterich through his website and attached a picture of the painting, asking if he was the artist. Dieterich replied that, yes, he was the artist of our painting and he remembered it. He then shared information about who he had sold the painting to and asked how it came to be in Genola since the last he had heard, it was in River Falls, Wisconsin. How it came to land in Genola, we had no idea.
In our email conversations, we invited Dieterich to visit the painting at the store and he gladly accepted the invitation. He came to visit this past Saturday and shared some of his life history. He also posed with his painting, which is actually one of his earliest works in the United States. He is originally from Germany, having come here in 1961 at the invitation of stained glass artist Peter Dohmen, owner of Peter Dohmen Studios. (There’s lots of great history on Spahn on this page at Jim on Light’s website.)
During Mr. Vibe’s conversation with Dieterich at MidModMen, our hometown of Little Falls was mentioned. Dieterich said he had done work here at St. Mary’s Church. Peter Dohmen Studios had been contracted to design and install the stained glass, with Dieterich being assigned to design and make the stained glass in the baptistery, chapel, and above the main door.
Stained glass designed by Dieterich Spahn in chapel at St. Mary’s Church, Little Falls, MN
Stained glass designed by Dieterich Spahn in chapel at St. Mary’s Church, Little Falls, MN
Stained glass designed by Dieterich Spahn in chapel at St. Mary’s Church, Little Falls, MN
Stained glass designed by Dieterich Spahn in chapel at St. Mary’s Church, Little Falls, MN
Stained glass designed by Dieterich Spahn in chapel at St. Mary’s Church, Little Falls, MN
Stained glass designed by Dieterich Spahn in baptistry at St. Mary’s Church, Little Falls, MN
Stained glass designed by Dieterich Spahn above front door at St. Mary’s Church, Little Falls, MN
With thousands of installations around the United States, and one especially large one at Valparaiso University’s Chapel of the Resurrection, it was exciting to discover that some of Dieterich’s work is literally within blocks of our home.
We truly appreciate the time Dieterich spent with us in sharing the history of his work and of our painting. Check out more of his work by visiting the links we’ve added to this post.
