Home Design Ide: Dorothy Draper Drama

First of all, thank you for all the sweet comments about my hair and my daughter's birthday - both are much appreciated, and Meg had a wonderful weekend. Now, on to the Dorothy Draper drama (I could've titled this post something like "All's Fair in Love & Craigslist" or "Espana Saga" but went for alliteration). It all started about 5 p.m. Wednesday when I spotted this ad while perusing Craigslist. My jaw dropped and my heart started racing as I immediately dialed the number to inquire. The listing had only been up for 30 minutes. Surely, I had a chance, right?

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I was apparently second in line; someone had already called about it. So, I did something I've never done before on CL . . . I offered above the asking price - $50. I figured that would clinch it, and it did . . . for a little while. We had a plan to meet the next morning at 9 a.m. Then I get a text at 8:30 a.m. from the seller saying that she had two higher offers and couldn't sell it to me. Luckily, I had sold some shelves on CL earlier in the week and had enough cash to match the higher offer. The deal was back on, and I was literally on my way when she texted again saying the person whose offer I matched just told her what a treasure they had - a Dorothy Draper chest. So, she wanted to hold off and do some research before selling it. Seriously?! I was so furious at this "informant" who ruined my transaction out of spite. Who does that? I'm sorry, but if a person doesn't know what they have . . . that's their problem. If you have no clue what I'm talking about, these chests go for thousands on eBay and 1stDibs.

I was offering the CL seller perfectly good money - more than they initially asked for, and by the way, they were given this piece by a friend who was moving. So, they didn't even pay for it. Anyway, long story even longer, the CL seller ended up selling it for $600 (way out of my price range) to a dealer who then probably turned around and listed it on eBay for a couple thousand or put it in their store for twice that amount. The moral of the story? I have no idea, other than I don't think I or my clients are meant to have a Dorothy Draper Espana chest (remember this post?). And some people are douchebags. The whole dream of CL or thrifting is that you'll find a gem that someone doesn't realize is worth anything. Unfortunately, I think those days are gone.

Some interiors featuring some DD chests, just so I can wallow in my misery . . .