A few weeks ago I shared with you a fantastic find—a Kent Coffey Perspecta dining table for just $15 at Goodwill. Score! Well, to be honest it didn’t look like much of a score when I bought it.
You can’t really even see how bad the damage to the top was in this picture. Giant water stains, scratches everywhere and even some purple fingernail polish thrown into the mix. This table had served some serious time in a terrible place. But the important thing is it made it out alive. It was my mission to help reintegrate this poor soul into society with a fresh makeover. The results?
Not too shabby. As ugly as the damage was, it was only skin deep and hadn’t really damaged the wood that much. After stripping, light sanding, a coat of medium walnut Watco Danish Oil and three coats of General Finishes satin Arm-R-Seal, the grain on this beauty sparkles like a diamond in the light. The walnut veneer on this table is extremely thick and a very good cut, it only needed new finish to look amazing.
But where to find the matching chairs? Surely it would be a long and difficult search. Or it would be as easy as looking out the van window as we drove by a garage sale.
On our way home from sales we decided to make one last stop and that’s where we found these beauties for $40. The wood is actually in beautiful condition, but the seat pads need to be replaced. But then, they always do and these don’t need anything else.
Although I’ve seen this table with these chairs identified as Perspecta by Kent Coffey, I’m uncertain as to what it really is. The chairs are marked “Blowing Rock Furniture Company,” which led me to believe they weren’t Kent Coffey. But a Google search revealed several cabinetry pieces that are definitely Perspecta, all with Blowing Rock labels. It is very likely Blowing Rock Furniture held a contract for producing Kent Coffey pieces and this could explain the confusing labeling. Perhaps the truth is lost to the ages. At any rate, this set is beautiful, well made and—once the chairs are done—ready for another 50 years of service.
12 Comments
It seems they were contemporary, and had similar furniture manufacturing styles between themselves and the likes of Broyhill, all of which were also located in the Lenoir/Hicory, North Carolina area (amongst other furniture manufacturers). But beyond that I can’t find a definitive connection, either
http://retro-luxe.blogspot.com/2009/08/lets-learn-aboutkent-coffey.html
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19620616&id=78MwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LGwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7348,2252529
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19610307&id=RwIqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hyYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6901,3451427
Maybe this guy knew the answer. We’ll never know…
http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/561011-Longtime_furniture_sales_rep_Joe_Tillman_Jr_dies_at_90.php
austin – this table is GORGEOUS! is this for sale? if so, was wondering what are the dimensions. and i guess while i am at it….are those chairs for sale?
Hi Megan! Sorry, the table and chairs won’t be available for sale. My mom has actually decided to overhaul her dining room from Victorian hand-me-down to mid-cenutry chic. But I’ll keep a lookout for other cute sets!
I have a set of six of these chairs for sale (2 arm and 4 side chairs). They are a hit with everyone. Contact me if interested. I’m in Charleston, West Virginia.
Are you reselling the chairs?
Sorry, I don’t have any plans to sell the chairs.
Blowing Rock Furniture Industries was a trademark of Broyhill. I have seen people state they were a subsidiary of Broyhill, and one reference to Broyhill purchasing Blowing Rock some time in the 1950’s. The link below shows them as a trademark of Broyhill.
http://www.trademarkia.com/blowing-rock-77606907.html
Two guys that were salesmen for Kent Coffey started Blowing Rock Furniture. Blowing Rock specialized in dining goods, while Kent Coffey focused on bedroom furniture.
Just thought I’d add to the confusion.
Thanks for the insight. I feel like all the answers we need to put the puzzle together must surely be dead and buried
I have a similar set. Would you mind letting me know what you used to strip the table? Yours is a real beauty now! Thanks.
I have seen a salesman book for the Prespecta Line that list both the Kent Coffey Manufacturing and the Blowing Rock Furniture Industries names.
I have seen your chairs referred to as the “Cat’s Eye” style. I too have Kent Coffey Perspecta dining room pieces from 1967, which I inherited from my parents. (This furniture line was first introduced in 1963.) Instead of the straight leg table like yours, my table is the 64″ X 42″, double pedestal base, which extends to 100″ with three leaves. Table pads have protected the top, all these years. My chairs are the lower back style, with the distinctive “Perspecta curve” back splat. I also have the 48″ wide china, again the with distinctive “Perspecta curve” handles on the cabinet doors. (These pieces can all be seen when you “google” Kent Coffey Perspecta Dining Set). For whatever reason, my pieces do not have the Kent Coffey Perspecta or Blowing Rock brandmarks either. Long live Mid Century Modern!