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The Saga of Tiki Lee's Home Tiki Room

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H
harro posted on Wed, Aug 8, 2007 6:07 AM

wow... i'm speechless!

just spent half an hour ogling at your room - brilliant work. you have an awesome collection and now the perfect place to show it all off. very inspiring!

can you explain a bit more about the star ceiling?

cheers.

M

I definitely need a display case! The room is awesome from any angle!

T'anks Again, folks!

Rattiki- don't ever let anyone get on yer case for collecting that stuff. You can never have enough Vintage Vegas ashtrays!

Urbantiki- Mahaloz for noticing the photography! I take a while setting up the shots and bracketing the exposures until I get just the right light balance. This is my only way of inviting most my T.C. Ohana into my home to see it, so I want it to look it's best!

BigBro- Super-Mahaloz plenny for your kind words; they mean alot to me. You have no idea how much I worry that people think I'm just cashing in on the Tiki craze by being a dealer. I AM a collector first. Becoming a dealer happened as a neccessity after 9/11. After that attack, the T.V. show I was on got cancelled, and the show on the strip that I was in closed down. There was NOTHIN' available job-wise, so I had to start selling off my personal collection of stuff to pay the bills. After I finally found a job as a singing Gondolier at the Venetian 6 months later, most of my stuff was gone, but I kept my space at the Antique Mall because I got hooked on Garage Sales and Auctions, and was finding all kinds of great stuff that I'd never seen before. You are so right when you say that the best stuff sticks!

Also, I HAVE been to several Hollywood prop houses back in the early 90's when I was "in the biz", and I too have had quite a few temptation-filled thoughts of cashing in on the production insurance! Those places get me all filled with frustrated joyous angst. Have you ever been to the one underground at Warner's? It's SO spooky, but SO awesome!

As for the signiture on the velvet painting, it looks like it says "Ben Alano" but I can't be sure. The date is clear- 1960. Here's a photo of it. Anyone ever hear of this guy?

Mahaloz Again for lookin'!

Wow, Lee, that's quite a story, your work woes after 9/11...a singing Gondoliere Tiki collector! Only in America! :)

I heard the name Ben Alano before...maybe in that black velvet documentary? But I don't know anything, black velvets are not my expertise, somebody out there should write The Book of Black Velvet, the Leeteg one only touched on the subject.

CA

F_ck! Nice.................

G
GROG posted on Sat, Aug 11, 2007 9:38 AM

Gorgeous place. Good job----GROG like.

.........you've really carved out your own slice of tiki paradise........sick collection bro!
Mahalo for sharing pic's........

TT

Maybe my favorite home room I have seen on here. 100% Awesome!! Hey Lee! Would you mind letting me know where you found the picture frames (for your album covers) you showed on page 3? I think they are pretty neat.
Thanks..

No Problemo Ted!

They are MonkeyMan's carved wood album frames. Just do a search for 'em and they should pop right up.

Mahaloz again, everybody, for all da props!

TT

On 2007-08-13 23:57, Tiki Lee's wrote:
No Problemo Ted!

They are MonkeyMan's carved wood album frames. Just do a search for 'em and they should pop right up.

Mahaloz again, everybody, for all da props!

Thanks Lee! It took me about 30 seconds to find what I needed.

Wow Lee, how sad for us that we were in Las Vegas and you were in California. We just got home tonight. We found a tiny plate and cup, a metal tiki and a record album at your two tiki rooms. We had a blast visiting them to shop. I hope that next trip we can visit your outstanding tiki room at home too. It was great seeing you at Tiki Oasis and meeting your wife, hugs, Wendy

Well, it's been quite a while since my last photo update, and I've added quite a bit to the room. However, in true tikiphile fashion, "It still ain't enough!!!"

I got my last shelf carved and installed & put up the last of my "shorty" mugs up there, but had no space left-over to put the Salt 'n Pepper shakers. So, they went on the Vegas Ashtray showcase on the back rim with my tiki ashtrays...

Here's a general view of the East side of the room. The track-lites are new and make a HUGE difference in the mood of the whole room!

A few close-ups of the same wall to show you some neat-o stuff; especially the great art I've collected from some of my friends...

I framed some of my Swizzles in two shadow boxes and hung them on the wall. They look nice displayed this way, but I have so many of them that they'd fill up about twelve frames and take up way too much wall space.

SOLUTION: Make finials out of Orchids Of Hawaii Coconut mugs and fill 'em up with the rest of the collection!

There's two more on the other side as well!

So I guess that's it for now. I still have a few more things to find homes for and a shelf or two that needs to be organised. But, as you all know, the closer you get to finishing, more things to do to it keep popping up! (That's A Good Thing!)

Jeez Lee, who did that fine black velvet portrait? It's so ....expressive!

BigBro- That Black Velvet was done by Ben Alano, as discussed on page 4 of the this thread. No one ever came forward with any info on him after he was discussed, so his pedigree remains as another Polynesian Mystery!

Hi Lee, any chance for a tour next time we make it to Las Vegas? Going to the Red Rooster and Main Street antiques to see what you have for sale is always the highlight of our trip. Seeing these photos shows us that visiting you would be terrific. I hope to see you and your wife at Tiki Oasis again this year, cheers, Wendy and Dan

Your tiki room is amazing!

Any chance of a flash lit picture and some information on your floor-to-ceiling fountain?

MrsHoptiki

OK, Lee! I give up! How are those mug shelves secured to the wall & what kind of wood did you use?

Hokay Mr. & Mrs. Hoptiki, here's that photo you wanted:

The photograper in me just couldn't use a flash, so I hope this exposure is bright enough for you. I got this fountain years ago at the wholesale convention that is here in Vegas semi-annually. It was made by a company in Arizona that is out of business now, or at least has been swallowed up by a bigger company. Anyway, the fountain has two sides and two pumps, and it's made out of PVC covered in a bamboo overlay. The water pours from the tallest to the shortest, and then back into the reservoir to get pumped up to the top again. To top it all off, there are two fake macaws and the obligatory indonesian mask that I will eventually replace with some kind of carving of my own making. It's really wonderful overall, but it's kinda loud for indoors. If I had an enclosed porch, it'd be perfect out there.

Here's a photo I forgot to post last time:

It's a sliver of wallspace between where the T.V. will be mounted to the wall and the door to the laundry room. Those three framed artworks are signed and numbered limited edition prints by our patron saint William Westenhaver. I love 'em to death!

Kahuna- a reverse-mounted L-bracket works wonders, don't it? You just have to skillfully place the mugs in such a way as to "skip that bump". The wood is redwood carved and burned the Witco Way!

Mahaloz!

Damn, Lee, your tiki room is beyond awesome! Your collection blows me away. I wish this had been located in "Other Crafts," I would have been following it all along.

I'm ALL about atmosphere, and the atmospere of you tiki room is incredible. I'm speechless.

Mahaloz, Robb!

I wish you were here to enjoy it with me. That's what sucks about being so far away from "the action" as you well know. There's hardly anyone around to come over & visit and share our unique spaces. That's one of T.C.'s strong points- we can still come over for a visit "virtually". I just peeked at the number of views on this thread: over 8400! That's like having a whole lotta friends over for lotsa visits! All y'alls is ALWAYS welcome!

Mahaloz!

Hi Tiki Lee, Thanks for the fountain pic. Boy I wish I had one of those. I've got a thing for fountains. Heck, I wish I had the whole room.:D

MrsHoptiki

Wow, the Tiki Room Drummers are to die for. They look awesome lit by faux-candle. Where did they come from?

Bamboo Stu-
The Tiki Room Drummers were sold by Disneyland online a few years ago. They were a limited edition of about 300, I think. They pop-up on eBay once in a while, so keep a look out for 'em!

Simply breathtaking!!!

RH

This is the coolest looking Tiki room I've ever seen. Excellent, excellent work. I wanna see it in person.

This is simply fantastic! The stuff dreams are made of, for sure. Your collection is amazing, and is matched in quality and quantity by the sheer skill and creativity with which it has been displayed. I envy your talent and craftsmanship.

I love the way you display your swizzle stick collection. If you look at Picture No. 32 in the photos of my Tiki Lounge at http://www.flickr.com/photos/drzarkov/ you will see a small round table in the bar area next to the rattan chair with a model of an outrigger canoe sitting on top of it. Although you can't tell from the photo, it has a glass top over compartments where my swizzle sticks, matchbooks and plastic drink animal ornaments are displayed.

I have one question: Where did you obtain the carved wooden frames for displaying LP records? If you look at Photo No. 11 in my Flickr collection, you will see that I hung some LPs on the wall, too, but the only frames I could find at local craft stores were simple black metal ones.

[ Edited by: Dr. Zarkov 2008-06-14 21:09 ]

Looks ZAZZ-when are we coming over??

Mahaloz again folks!

Doc Z- those frames were made by Monkeyman here on TC. He's been selling them for years, and he finally stopped production on them, so I guess now they are collector's items!

Mr. Smiley- you guys can come over whenever you want, just beware that the rest of the house is cluttered, un-finished and awful!

H

Lee, any new Tiki Room pictures coming up? :tiki:

T

Tiki Lee, wow, what a great room! You have so many awesome items in your collection, it doesn't do it justice to draw attention to any sole piece. Like Hiltiki, definitely looking for any update photos if you have them.

What took me so long to find this post? :D

TS

Thats not a tiki room folks......Thats a polypop museum! :lol:
Man, I could drink mai tais all day in that room and still not see everything! Great job to all involved making that room complete, and to the owner who definately took it a couple notches up!
Cheers Lee!
-Tom

S

WOW! That's a truely UNBELIEVABLE room! I'm a fan.

S

... simply AMAZING! A great thread, thanks for sharing.

On 2007-08-11 01:22, Tiki Lee's wrote:

...As for the signiture on the velvet painting, it looks like it says "Ben Alano" but I can't be sure. The date is clear- 1960... Anyone ever hear of this guy?

He was a Filipino artist from Manila (1920-1991), apparently quite well regarded. 3 paintings and a comment at:
http://raynoho.multiply.com/photos/album/15/Ben_Alano
"Ben Alano was one of the more well-known "Mabini artist" who set shop along the busy Mabini St. in Malate, Manila to cater to the tourist trade. He did a lot of paintings on velvet and also paired ethnic paintings just like yours--which were very popular in his time."

Here's a Ben Alano painting for sale on a Philippines message board. The description has some info about Alano, and the seller probably knows more. Asking 12,500 pesos (about $285 US).
http://www.sulit.com.ph/index.php/view+classifieds/id/601078/Ben+Alano+Painting+Oil+on+Velvet
"Up for sale is a oil panting of renowned Filipino painter, Ben Alano. [...] The subject is a "Mangsusulsi", a favorite subject of Mr. Alano, which appeared in Duldulao's art book, "100 years of Philippine Realism". [...] Signed BEN ALANO, Manila... "

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2008-08-07 07:34 ]

V

Tikilee,
Wow... I mean, its like....Wow....(I wish I had a bowing emoticom)
It is awesome. There is so much to take in, a real attack on the senses, in a good way. Very inspirational. I don't think I would leave that room...ever!

Thanks you guys, and a big THANK YOU to Limbo Lizard for finally solving the big Ben Alano mystery! I swear I googled and yahoo'd everywhere and came up empty! Now my painting has a pedigree; yay!

I don't have anymore update photos 'cuz I haven't done anything to the room since the last photos in the spring. When I get my curtains made and hung, and my door-fames covered in bamboo. I'll put 'em up, but I don't think any of that will be done until late fall.

Mahaloz again!

Tiki Lee's congrats on a great room! Your Tiki Room is amazing, wow, what a collection! I love your velvet painting, all your stuff is great!

Lee, when you finish your awesome Tiki room I'm gonna drive to Vegas just to see it. It'd be worth the 1,400 mile trip!!!!

T

This has got to be the best tiki room I've ever seen. I love to just come in here (TC) from time to time, and just start at the beginning and view each of your photos one at a time all over again. What a collection and how well they've been displayed. I would love to just get in there and do some hunting. LOL Someone asked me why I didn't frame my vinyl and my reply is, If I had framed each of them I would have ran out of space on the walls in my little cabana/tiki bar. Looks like I'll have to just dedicate another room in our house and expand. LOL

Well, the recession has claimed another forclosure victim, and I am sad to say that my wife and I are losing our house, and our Tiki Room with it. Thanks for all your kind compliments over the span of this post. If any of you want to come by and take a peek in person before it all goes away in December, then just let me know and we'll try to hook up before it gets packed away in storage once again for another unknown number of years.

At least my shop at The Charleston Antique Mall will stay open. I guess it's gonna have a great new influx of product really soon...

Mahaloz Friends.

Wow, a real shame... but your gorgeous tiki room is not the room, it's what you created in it and that stays with you to be created again. You're got style Tiki Lee!

Bummer...sorry to see you fall prey to the economy. Hope you don't have to stay in storage too long and can enjoy your collection again soon.

Sorry to hear the bad news sir.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

Keep your head up Lee! Gonna be in Vegas for Thanksgiving next week and your store is on my list of stops to make! Aloha

that is a drag,Lee! :(
Your room will remain with the memories and the photos you've left on this thread!
Sending you the warmest thoughts and hugs!
Any chance of transforming the storage unit
into a TikiRoom?

LEE! so sorry to hear you have to move. Hopefully new and better things are just around the corner. I knew I was thinking about you for a reason. You guys can always come up here and stay with me. Ive got a whole extra appartment.
Dawn

TS

Lee,
I wish you only the best out of this bad situation. Your room is/was amazing, and will be remembered here forever on TC! Someone else said it(Bongo Bungalow), but it was a good point...YOU created it, and can doit again. It was the room YOU built, and I'm sure it will be back sooner than we all think!
Godspeed, and best wishes brotha!
-Tom

Oh man Lee,
I wanted to visit your place Lee.

Oh Lee, Lee, Lee, Lee,
Lee Lee Lee Lee Lee Lee Lee Lee Lee,
We're talkin' fuckin' Lee.
I had a friend named Lee,
He cast a spell, a spell on me.....
Skinny-dippin' in a sea of Lee,
I'd propose on bended knee
To Lee Lee Lee, Lee Lee Lee,
Lee Lee,
Lee Lee Lee, Lee Lee Lee,
Lee Lee,
Le-Lut-Le-Le-Le-Lee Lee Lee,
Le-Lut-Le-Le-Le-Lee Lee.....

I am sending good wishes to you and the missus.

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