the baumritters

8 zillion years ago (or 4 years ago exactly), I scored a set of 6 vintage Baumritter dining chairs on Craigslist.  They were a little worn out but had the perfect danish modern look I was after.  And of course I was going to refinish them and bring them back to their original glory.  Within a week of purchasing these chairs, I bought a roll of fabric to reupholster the seats. I was ready to go!  Perhaps this is where a sound effect of a car's sreeching breaks would come in handy.  4 years later... I'm finally getting around to that Baumritter project.  I'm working on the upholstery.  The wood still looks like crap but at least they will have new padding and clean seats.  It's a start! 

So I bought the fabric to reupholster the chairs 4 years ago and chose a pattern called Bull's Eye by Pollack.  I thought it had a 1950s vintage vibe without being too"atomic".  This Pollack fabric is made in the USA from 100% Post-Industrial Recycled Polyester and I'm still quite keen on its eco-friendliness.  I'm not sure if I would have picked this pattern in 2013 but I do not hate this grey circular fabric and I have a giant freaking roll of it.  As you can see, I have not committed 100% just yet - no staples have been shot.  I've got a make-shift, tucked around version of a seat to look at for a few days.  Who am I kidding?  I have a giant freaking roll of this incredibly awesome fabric.  The staple gun will be joining us shortly. 

I found this 1960's advertisement on the web for the Baumritter Corporation and a bit of history on the company...

Theodore Baumritter and his brother-in-law Nathan C. Ancell started a housewares company in 1932, making plaster gnomes, trellises and garden swings. Three years later, they paid $25,000 for a bankrupt furniture factory in Beecher Falls, Vermont, and began manufacturing furniture. In 1939 the company introduced a line of "Early American" furniture they called Ethan Allen.

By 1962, Baumritter and Ancell owned 14 furniture factories in the East. By the middle of the 1960's, the Baumritter Corporation had the largest group of furniture in the world, with a 1,600-piece line to choose from. They also had stores by that time in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Australia, and Canada. In 1970, Baumritter retired, and Ancell took over the company. In 1972, The Baumritter Corporation officially changed its name to Ethan Allen Industries.

From nytimes.com and fundinguniverse.com