We’ve actually had this piece for quite some time, but it has just recently come out of storage. Apparently the theme of this week is: “I have furniture again!”
When we moved out of our apartment, I was thankfully able to keep the pieces of furniture that I absolutely could not bear to part with – the leather chesterfield; my beloved dragon couch, that I’m now thankful I was unable to give away; my burl coffee table; my brass canopy bed frame; my china cabinet, which was my very first furniture painting attempt; a very distressed but very beautiful Milo Baughman Perspective dresser; and this gorgeous teak bar. When I list them out like this, it actually sounds like a lot of furniture. We are so lucky that both pairs of parents helped us store these pieces!
So when I say “Found”, what I really mean is “Found almost a year ago”. [Which means it’s almost time for my yearly ER visit again…]
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Here she is:
I didn’t spin her around to get a picture of the back (because this piece weighs more than two morbidly obese elephants), but the back has the exact same ornate carvings as the front.
When Bryan and I saw this piece pop up on Craigslist, we immediately, and I mean immediately, emailed the sellers and begged them to let us pick it up the following day. Which sometimes is a no-go on Craigslist. Sellers (myself included) will often say: “Sure. If it’s still available tomorrow.” As a seller you kind of have to do this – with so many people who express interest and then never show up – but every once in a while I have a twinge of mercy and agree that I won’t sell the piece in the next 12 hours or so until the interested party can show up at my door. And thankfully, that is what the lovely couple selling this bar did.
They actually hadn’t included any pictures of the inside of the bar, so we just expected that the doors opened on the front and there was storage inside…
Which there is, but it’s way more awesome than we imagined! The very heavy solid-wood inset-with-green-marble top folds out to rest on the doors… (Foreshadowing).
Needless to say, we were like “Take my money!!!”, especially when we heard the story behind it. The middle-aged gentleman’s father was in some branch of the armed forces in Asia many years ago, where he had a beautiful custom teak bar handcrafted for each of his sons at home and shipped back to the United States (from either the Philippines or Thailand – Bryan and I can’t agree). Each son got to take his bar with him when he grew up and moved out of the house, and this particular son was about to move and the bar just couldn’t move with him this time. So we vowed to love and care for it, and the bar came home with us.
Not being completely naïve as to my ability to help lift the equivalent of two overweight elephants, we stopped at Home Depot on the way home and purchased a dolly (no, not of the Cabbage Patch variety – a two wheeled cart to help move furniture) so we would be able to get the bar into our apartment.
We had to lay it on its side on the dolly to fit it through the door, and it was quite the struggle. Finally, we got it over the bump at the bottom of the door frame and made it inside victoriously.
As I let go of the front of the dolly in celebration, one of the hinged top pieces came crashing down on the top arch of my Toms-clad foot. Forcefully.
There was no way it wasn’t broken…
(Okay, apparently it wasn’t broken)
So after I wailed in agony for several minutes we decided to get it x-rayed. That’s where my yearly ER trip came in – the year before, right around the same time, I ended up in the emergency room with severe food poisoning. You could call it an end-of-summer tradition. Who knows what it will be this year… I guess I still have a few months left to find out 😉
Even hobbling around in a brace with an extremely bruised arch for the next week, I couldn’t I stay mad at this beautiful thing. She’s part of the family now!
As we were loading her up in our truck, the seller bequested his wish that we would make our own memories with the bar, as he and his wife had over the years. So it’s really all thanks to him that the bar smashed my foot… But we definitely have quite the memory now!
I love this piece. What a great find.
Hi Rachel – thanks for stopping by!
I have a bar exactly like that i got from my inlaws
Great bar! Great story! Great memory!
Almost a year later, I think I've recovered enough to find the whole thing humorous 🙂 It took a while though!
What a gorgeous find!!!!!!!!!
Just beautiful
xxx
Thanks Suzan!
This is GORGEOUS!! This reminds me of the bars that Crate & Barrel sells for like a million dollars (give or take a few pennies lol)!! Awesome find!!!
Shannon
Fabulously Vintage
Shannon Loves Design
Beautiful !it is very much like one my own father brought back from the Philippians in the early 1970's. Down to the design on the top of the wood fold out and exact same green marble when opened. My father was in the navy and had ours made with warriors on the front, engraving each of the four family members names over the warriors.i treasure ours as well, and know it will be passed down for generations <3
Ginny, thank you so much for sharing about your own family heirloom! I just love hearing the stories of these beautiful works of art!
Hi, very nice piece. I have a very similar piece which has hand carved oriental family scenes. I am trying to track down information regarding the piece. Have you been able to find anything for yours (ie., maker, value)? I found one other party that told these pieces sold for $2,000 back in 1980. Thanks.
Hi – I never have been able to track down that information. I wouldn't be surprised to hear they were initially quite costly – they are stunning handmade pieces!
We have a similar fold out marble top bar that we are looking to sell. Our grandpa was in the military and lived everywhere, Hawaii, Japan, & Guam just to name a few. We do remember this bar when he was in Japan, when he was starting up the Boy Scouts Asian Council. We believe our bar was made in either Guam or Philippines. If you don't mind me asking, what did you pay for your piece (ball park)?
Hi there – I found mine on Craigslist for a pretty amazing price ($100), so I wouldn't base too much on that! I'm sorry that I can't help you more with a good ball park for the bar. It's really neat o hear a little about the history of yours! I hope you find a good new home for it!
A friend gave me a piece so similar to this. Although it doesn’t have quite as much of the “asian” look to it. It’s so heavy! The top opens up to have the same green marble top. Has felt lining and is almost exactly like the inside of yours. I think it may have had casters on it at one time. Like on of the other comments I can’t find any information on it. There are also no markings in the piece at all. Any suggestions on where I might find information on it other than “a family heirloom” before I strip it down to refurbish it!?
Thank you so much!
I wish I had some more information to give you! I really haven’t been able to find out anything more about mine, just that others of this style all seem to have been shipped back here from Southeast Asia. Hopefully one day I’ll track down a little more about their history!
We have had a bar like this since the early 80’s. My mother found it for sale in the paper. It was in a ladies attic and covered with dust. The ladies husband was in the service and brought it home years before we found it. It has oriental women and trees all over the front. The shelves and drawers in the back are carved also. Same green marble top (we were told it’s called jade marble). We were also told that it took a year to carve but the sale of the bar would provide food for the artist and his family for a year. Not sure if that’s true or not. Enjoy your bar. We have for many years now.
I also have the beautiful village seen. Green top and my mother purchased hers in 93 at an auction, In Salt Lake City , Ut. Beautiful! She also snagged a beautiful wooden female statue . It is amazing. I believe it is Hindu goddess. Same look though. Probably Thailand or Napol. I DESPISE moving that bar! We have learned to put it on skateboards for in house move, but wwrapped in blankets out of home. I have owned the beast since 00. She paid 1500.00 dollars in 93 if that helps anyone. I have seen one online before yours. Ours is very ornate. Village seen maybe. It also is in storage. Not for long though. Thank you all for your stories
Your skateboard idea is brilliant! We just moved and did most of the move ourselves, but hired movers for the larger furniture pieces and even they had a difficult time with this piece!
It’s been so fun to hear about everyone who has their own version of this fold-out bar – thank you for sharing, Melissa!
Hi-Great story…
We also have one very similar…
And like everyone else-it’s very hard to find any sort of concrete information about them…
All i know is that It’s Indian marble on the top- i had it confirmed by a guy who works with the stone…
Good luck everyone…
Robin
UK…
K&R DESIGN
Blackpool
UK…
Have one of the teak wood marble inlay topped bars. I watched a shop on the street in Taichung Taiwan make the bar over several weeks.
I was stationed with the USAF there in 1972/73 and purchased the bar even before it was completed. True artistry was at work the four seasons scenes are on both sides of the bar which opens to an inside very like those pictured on this site.
Could be interested in selling for the right price.., but I do treasure it. At my age it is time to let it go however for others to enjoy.