Dear Helaine and Joe: For the past several years, my wife and I have been looking for a gossip bench for our daughter. High prices and limited availability have kept us from finding a satisfactory piece. Last year, we found one selling for only $125, but we passed on it because of its unusual appearance. Now I am wondering if we missed a good buy. Any comments? — B.M., New York
Dear B.M.: We are not in the business of advising people what they should and should not purchase. That is a personal decision, and we feel we should not interfere. However, there are some issues here that we think need to be discussed.
First of all, we should probably deal with the moniker "gossip bench." We are familiar with this variety of furniture, but we have not heard this term applied to it previously.
The list of names for this type of love seat, sofa or double armchair includes "tete-a-tete" and "vis-a-vis." In addition, these pieces are occasionally referred to as an "indiscret," and a few might refer to such an item as a "Siamoise."
These are terms that are primarily derived from the French, with "tete-a-tete" meaning "head-to-head" and "vis-a-vis" meaning "face-to-face." These terms are used because when this two-person bench is occupied, the two sitters are facing each other. The S-shaped curve of the sofa's back orients the seats in opposite directions and allows for an intimate face-to-face conversation in a crowded room.
With this set of circumstances in mind, we suppose that "gossip bench" is not too much of a reach, but it is not a name used by most furniture specialists when speaking of this piece. The term "Siamoise," incidentally, refers to Siamese twins -- particularly the famous pair known as Chang and Eng, who lived in the early to mid-19th century.
Tete-a-tetes were most popular during the Victorian era. The design elements on the piece in today's question are mixed and, to a limited degree, reference the 18th-century rococo movement with the incorporated naturalistic elements. But the straight, turned legs are uncharacteristic of this style.
This piece might have been made during the late Victorian era when furniture makers were busily borrowing from every sort of design that had gone before, but, unfortunately, we doubt this is the case. We are almost 100 percent certain that this is a reproduction, probably from the last quarter of the 20th century. Southeast Asia -- possibly Indonesia -- is the likely point of manufacture.
In the latter part of the 20th century, a great deal of reproduced furniture was made in an antique style from mahogany abundant in that part of the world. These reproductions can be attractive, but many of them were made from unseasoned wood, which has a distressing tendency to crack.
A price of $125 is fair value for this piece, and it might even have a higher value in some markets -- perhaps as much as $250. Still, it is not an antique (in our opinion), and due care and caution should be taken before making a purchase.
(Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson are the authors of "Price It Yourself" (HarperResource, $19.95). Contact them at Treasures in Your Attic, P.O. Box 27540, Knoxville, TN 37927. E-mail them at treasures(at)knology.net.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com)