Mid-Century Modern Appreciation Thread

[barry2952]

I like the couch and the end table.

[TimesNewRoman]

I like the couch and the end table.

Thanks.

It's a bit sad and melancholy, but my mom gave the end table to me. I also have a dresser upstairs that she gave me. They both belonged to my grandparents. My parents don't even like the MCM style, but my mom held onto that stuff because it was from grandma/grandpa who both passed about 10 years ago now. So, needless to say, my mom is happy that it's still in the family with someone who appreciates the style.

It kind of opened up a small pocket of information about my grandparents that I never knew. My mom was telling me how when she was growing up they owned an original Saarinen Tulip dining set, George Nelson lights, benches etc. I think it all kind of got "parted out" over the years but it makes me happy to know my grandparents had good taste!

[barry2952]

Your grandparents are likely my father's age (80s) as those example were the rage. My parents home was filled with Nelson and shell chairs and some really great stuff. I've got slides around here somewhere.

[TheGreenspanator]

Went to a mid mod auction preview tonight... Freaking out over this piece, which is gorgeous in real life:

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/...edenza-eight-d

Ultimately I want an original sideboard/credenza to use for the tv in the living room, but I've bought so much furniture that I ended up not liking that I'm afraid to go in tomorrow and pull the trigger. Plus I haven't settled on a sofa yet, which will kind of dictate the size/color I need. Leaning towards something from truemodern, but I've got to get some fabric samples. Ugh!

Sent from my shoe phone

[synthsis]

Went to a mid mod auction preview tonight... Freaking out over this piece, which is gorgeous in real life:

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/...edenza-eight-d

that's the auction I go to every couple months that I post about in here. I didn't go today as I still have a lot of inventory and don't really have room to store more stuff. I looked at the preview and didn't see anything this time around that blew my mind so I skipped.

[TheGreenspanator]

Oh, yeah I'd never been to this one before. That was the only big piece there that really blew my skirt up, but there was a ton of tchochkies I could see myself ****ting up my house with

Sent from my shoe phone

[synthsis]

You should come over one day, I'll have to mop you out the front door with the amount of MCM/50's stuff we have. We've been talking about moving to SanFran so I've been ordered to put a halt to all purchases so we don't have to worry about lugging it across country or selling it.

[TheGreenspanator]

Seriously, when you're ready to unload some stuff for the move, I'm there!

Sent from my shoe phone

[RENOG]

Groovy seating timesnewroman

[TimesNewRoman]

Groovy seating timesnewroman

Thanks!

My Cyclone chillin' in the corner of my master bedroom with some cool little radio I've had for...years and years. Needs a couple lounge chairs on either side so the wifey and I can enjoy a Saturday morning breakfast by the windows...





So, yesterday I was browsing Craigslist and came across a couple gems. Shot a couple emails, did a little back and forth and somehow came away with both items today for prices that I feel was quite a bargain. I was really hoping to get one of these - getting both was awesome.

Anyway, the first:





Saarinen Tulip side table. Love, love, love these things. I would love to find a dining table as well. I also can't believe it's a marble top and not laminate. Marble is in great shape and the base has a few scuffs. I'll work on those later. Still just stoked about snagging this piece. Bought from the original owner who had purchased it straight from Knoll and had it in his office for the past several years.

Next up:





George Nelson Ball Clock. Not my first color choice, but I love it nonetheless and actually like the orange more than I thought I would. This little guy was BNIB from a designer whose client ended up not using it.

[TimesNewRoman]

[barry2952]

Sweet. My folks had one of those, too.

[spockcat]

I've seen those for sale new on eBay. Not sure why people pay over $100 for them when they can get something like this from the 50's and 60's on eBay for 1/2 the price.

My parents owned this since the early 60's and sold it a couple of months back.

[RottyB5A2]

update: signed the lease last night, will be living in the green home for a year starting next weekend........ moving will be-the-suck....... once I get it up and running will post some pics.... the owner did clear and cut down the landscape in front, since the last time I was there..........

I rented a home very similar to this, here in NY. These homes usually have huge amounts of open space allowing natural light and such. The only downfall to these mid-century houses in the northeast is that winters can be brutal on your heating bill since most have big open spaces framed with huge glass windows (original) and a lot of uninsulated walls.

[vdubya302]

came upon this buffet/server and didnt know if it belonged with this topic. I'm not sure if I am going to fix it up and keep it or not. Its in really really good shape. heavy piece of furniture. Let me know if anyone is interested in it. I'm trying to find a company stamp on it.

[TimesNewRoman]

Well, the guy that sold me the Saarinen Tulip side table gave me a buzz. Basically, "I have another one. My wife wanted to keep it. She changed her mind. It's going on Craigslist but I'll give you first dibs."

Me: "I'll take it."








This one is in even better shape than the previous one - and he knocked off another $50.00 because now I'm a repeat customer lol. He said the other one I bought was in his office lobby, this one was in his actual office, hence the better condition.

Love the marble color on this one even more.

[audi80Quattro]

Picked up this old Panasonic fan today. Has a bit of a mid-century vibe to it.

[b2m_vw]

Picked this up today off craigslist for $100. Needs to be re upholstered but in good condition. It's a Kosuga from Tokyo Japan.



Got this yesterday from a friend who is moving. He didn't want it and gave it to me for free!

[jettagli1991]

Wow, I can't believe it's taken me this long to find this thread. I've only seen the MCM/Porsche thread on the Car Lounge. I've been collecting stuff since I was about 13 and I'm looking at a time warp 1964 ranch that has potential. Finding amazing mid century houses is tough where I live, at least in my immediate area and price range.

[RENOG]

Wow, I can't believe it's taken me this long to find this thread. I've only seen the MCM/Porsche thread on the Car Lounge. I've been collecting stuff since I was about 13 and I'm looking at a time warp 1964 ranch that has potential. Finding amazing mid century houses is tough where I live, at least in my immediate area and price range.

Yup we're here 11 pages strong. I take it most NY MCM's (if any) are mostly up-state?

[jettagli1991]

Yup we're here 11 pages strong. I take it most NY MCM's (if any) are mostly up-state?

I'm not sure about the rest of the state, but in the surrounding towns there are a handful of real MCM houses mixed in with the normal stuff, and it's a long shot to find one for sale at the right time. In many cases, if they're an average size, they're actually very affordable. You find more detailed architecture north of Buffalo where there was more money in the 50s-60s. Up until recently, it seemed like nobody was into mid century furnishings around here either. You could get stuff cheap! Now the estate sale companies are catching on and pricing stuff high, and the flippers have multiplied.

[RENOG]

I'm not sure about the rest of the state, but in the surrounding towns there are a handful of real MCM houses mixed in with the normal stuff, and it's a long shot to find one for sale at the right time. In many cases, if they're an average size, they're actually very affordable. You find more detailed architecture north of Buffalo where there was more money in the 50s-60s. Up until recently, it seemed like nobody was into mid century furnishings around here either. You could get stuff cheap! Now the estate sale companies are catching on and pricing stuff high, and the flippers have multiplied.

Yeah all things MCM has really caught on. Craftmans have been all the craze here in cali for some time amongst the purist, now it seems like within the last 10yrs that trend has shifted to mcm. Besides all the new neo-ecclectic track homes California is mostly MCM's, 60's Ranch styles, craftman and spanish bungalow's.

[BagelConsultant]

I'm lime-green jelly of your Craigslist find as well as the sideboard/TV stand. Good work.

[jettagli1991]

I'm working toward buying a time warp 1964 ranch on an acre. Nothing amazing architecture-wise, but I think it has a ton of potential after I put some hard work in. It's getting tough to find these houses that haven't been subject to (just my opinion) the typical generic modernization inside and out. I went to the estate sale, only bought some bullet planters, but left my info and the family called me. Now it's just down to the lawyers and all that fun stuff.

[TimesNewRoman]

Well, there's still a lot to do and a ways to go, but I've pretty much exhausted the money I had set aside for my new townhouse's furniture. I am thankful to say, however, that my wife and I have all we need to live comfortably day to day.

Our last big purchase for a while:



Four Emeco Navy Chairs. We chose their new(ish) 111 Chair because unlike the original aluminum versions, these come in a variety of colors. There's all kinds of info out there on these chairs, but they're made from recycled coke bottles; they're sturdy as heck and they bring a nice splash of color to the house. We bought a "Flint," "Grass," "Persimmon" and a "Coca-Cola Red." The red and orange are a lot more distinct when the lighting is better.

Still need little things like a dedicated chair for the upstairs office, patio furniture, some shelving here and there and artwork, but like I said, we have enough to live comfortably day to day. The rest will come little by little.

[barry2952]

Went through my stash of MCM furniture today. Any upholsterers out there that could bring these gems back?









Sun aluminum top.



I have the parts and the leather to make 2 more of these day beds.

[eliwright]

Those tables just need to be re-painted and they would look really nice and modern again. You are bound to save lots of dollars when you do it on your own than hire someone else.

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Oakland Montclair Ca 1968 1,631sqf Three bedtrooms two baths

I like this alot....

[barry2952]

That's a nice house, inside. The front view, IMO, leaves me wanting more symmetry. Maybe it's just me. The yard is pretty spectacular.

I love the open floor plan. I could live in that space. I might get tired of the knotty wood ceiling and have to paint it, in at least some of the rooms.

I know some don't like clutter, but this looks like a furnished rental to me. The house doesn't have enough personal touches to make the space look lived in. It looks too sterile. Every MCM fan I know has too much stuff, not too little.

The only thing that was way out of place was that plastic tool shed. You could easily build something stylish for what those cost.

[RENOG]

Yeah If I had to be critical of the place I'd have to say: Kitchen, needs more cabinet space.
Front (over the garage) jumps out at me as needing more, windows? Looks a tad off to my eyes.
Other than that I can totally live in the home and enjoy it.

[barry2952]

I posted this on another site. It's by architect Aldo Rossi. Someone tagged it as MCM. I think that's a stretch.

[Maggiolone]

^ Neither the car nor the building are MCM. The Lincoln is a prime example of 70's Baroque Revival.

To make the building more believable, I'd put in a '64 Mercury Park Lane in front of it, but that's just me.

[xnoitaNx]

Barry, is that a residence? I see a garage...
Any idea what year it was built?

[barry2952]

Barry, is that a residence? I see a garage...
Any idea what year it was built?

Designed by Aldo Rossi, who died in '97. It took 8 years to build. There's a garage door into the atrium and a 2 car garage to the left.

[spockcat]

I posted this on another site. It's by architect Aldo Rossi. Someone tagged it as MCM. I think that's a stretch.

Nice office building.