This is but one magnificent piece of furniture by Barzilay that we are offering. I was swooning over the entire bedroom where we found this gorgeous walnut chest of drawers. Although it is Scandinavian Modern in style it was designed and produced in Gardena, California by Barzilay Furniture Manufacturing Co. founded by Ira S. Barzilay. This tall chest with eight equal sized drawers is simply stunning! It is unadorned apart from the beautiful grain and color of its wood. The only nod to any decoration on this amazing piece is the self-carved long slender finger pulls that act as hardware.
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.
The high quality of this chest of drawer’s construction is only outdone by its simple sophisticated beauty. You need to make it yours!
