My eyes I’m sure were bugging out of my head or had hearts flowing out of them like an emoji when we walked into the gorgeous mid-century modern home these bookcases came from! It was filled with all its original furnishings along with a few later acquisitions. This pair of tall walnut book…display…storage shelves came out of the master bedroom along with several other pieces by Barzilay Furniture. Each unit of this handsome pair is comprised of four equal size drawers on its bottom third with open shelves above. They are made from some of the most beautiful walnut veneer I’ve ever seen and have no adornment but the lovely grain and warm color of that walnut. Even the long slender drawer pulls are sculpted from this wood. These two mid-century modern style units would look incredible in any room of your home whether used to display a collection of glass or pottery or books! Plus, just look at all the storage below.
Barzilay Furniture Manufacturing Co. was founded in the late 1940s by Ira S. Barzilay. They were best known for their production of magnificent stereo equipment cabinets for audiophiles and for mid-century modern wall units. Many of their cabinets and furniture were shipped in pieces to the end users who assembled the pieces themselves. They operated out of Gardena, California until 1986.
Ira (Spiro) Barzilay was quite the renaissance man according to his obituary. He was born in New York in 1919 and passed in Palm Desert in 2005 at the age of 86. He was a child prodigy on the piano and, although not a key player, appeared in several episodes of “Our Gang” and “The Little Rascals” as well as a short film with child actress Shirley Temple titled “Dora’s Dunking Doughnuts”. He was a decorated war hero surviving the second day of landing at Normandy and overseeing the rebuilding of the Bridge at Remagen. After the war he founded Barzilay Furniture Manufacturing Co. and for 40 years operated it out of Gardena California until he closed its doors in 1986 so he could retire and pursue his boating and sailing hobby.
These are incredibly beautiful and useful cabinets and we know you will love them! Make the pair yours!
