Post #550609 by kawikasurf on Fri, Aug 27, 2010 4:15 PM

In the cluttered storage yard behind a used restaurant fixtures warehouse in Corona, CA, I came across what I assume was hostess stand or reception station. Heck, for all I know, it might even have been a valet parking stand or bellman’s station – but I’m tending to go with the hostess stand theory. Based upon the high quality of its construction and materials it appears to have come from an upscale tiki or Polynesian-themed hotel or restaurant.

It is extremely solidly built. Its relative small size is deceptive. Even with its (still smoothly gliding) drawers removed, it still easily weighs as much as a full-sized home refrigerator. Matter of fact, it took a refrigerator dolly to move it down the outdoor stairs at my rented home in Laguna Beach.

I estimate its vintage to be 1960’s or early 70’s but, again, I could be wrong. I would love to know who made it, for whom it was made originally, and where it might have traveled throughout its “professional” life. Based upon our local (Southern California) proximity, I am hoping that it might be Oceanic Arts but I suppose there were many people around here capable of creating high-quality tiki fixtures during that golden era.

I am certain that thousands of people must have seen it over the years. I hope that someone might recognize it from these photos and be able to offer some insight.

If I owned one of the magnificent home tiki bars I have admired on these pages, I would restore it as a hostess stand/reception station. I think that would be cool. However, because I rent (and although I’ve lived in this house for 8 years), my ability to do permanent construction is limited, and so I’m in the process of refurbishing the piece and transforming it into a mini-tiki bar. I’ll then be able to spiff-up the immediate surroundings a bit with some lighting, plants, and props in order to (I hope) achieve something like a semi-cool socializing (i.e. hard-core rum-drinking) space.

I’m posting some photos of the piece prior to restoration/transformation and also photos of the project in process.

I began by removing the wood and bamboo trim. I sanded away a worn and unattractive refinishing job on these. I’ll leave these natural and will coat them with a urethane gloss.

I stripped away the largely-rotted woven grass matting which was glued to the vertical surfaces of the stand. I have on-order a nice, coarsely-woven grass-cloth in green and tan, which I’ll apply when it arrives.

There was some water-related damage along the particle-board base. I cut away the affected areas and fitted-in strips of 3/4'” pine, which I had ripped to a 4” width.

I’ve sprayed these with a simulated stone and sand textured enamel paint, which I’ll seal, once it’s hardened, along with the undersides, in order to establish a moisture-resistant zone between the ground (bricks, actually) and the grass cloth.

Originally, there was a double row of bamboo half-round trim about two-thirds of the way up. The grass matting extended all the way to the floor (and actually wrapped under the bottom). I’ll reinstall the bamboo as a single row in its original position but will attach the second row of bamboo trim 4” from the bottom, to mark the separation between the moisture-resistant zone and the grass cloth.

The top of the hostess stand featured a very large cut-out in order to create a recessed work-space, presumably to accommodate a reservations book and seating chart. I removed the top and replaced it with 1 x 3.5” red oak planks.

Even after a thorough sanding to knock-down the grain and eight subsequent coats of urethane gloss, the grain still shows texture. I might consider finishing the planks with a bar-top coating of some sort.

I had intended to install the planks permanently but I now find that the fit is so secure that I think I’ll leave them “loose” so that I can remove them in order to easily access the storage below and to create a 7” (or any multiple of 3.5) recessed drink mixing-area toward the rear when needed.

I’ll post more photos as I go along. Meanwhile, all suggestions and comments are most welcomed. Naturally, I’d greatly appreciate it, too, if anyone recognizes this piece and would kindly share with me anything he or she might know about it.

Mahalo,
David