Where to Find MCM Online!

If you’re one of those folks who have endured my many rantings on the virtues of thrifting and thought to yourself, “Yeah. Right. With all my spare time…” this post is for you. Where do those of us who have lives, jobs, children, and/or no time to search the ends of the earth for vintage finds go to buy vintage? I’ll tell you!

You may have heard of Hunters Alley, an off-shoot of popular website OneKingsLane. Hunters Alley is one of the places where you can find lightly curated and hand-picked vintage pieces on offer. If you’re a seller, you can sign up to sell your wares online, provided you make the cut. Hunters Alley has gorgeous stuff. Here’s the catch though: the website isn’t super-organized, and that is a major turn-off for someone like me. You can’t go there and search by “Mid Century Modern” or “80’s Fluff N Stuff” or ANYTHING for that matter. Well, you can – in the tiny “search” window at the top if you can find it – but your results will feature a mish-mash of anything with that title, meaning you’ll get everything from housewares, to fixtures to brass decor and furniture. Ain’t nobody got time for that! If you try to narrow your search, you’ll get no results. Alternatively, if you navigate straight from the home page and you’re looking for vintage furniture, you have to sift through every type of piece they have in stock – Victorian, Japanese-style, art deco, gag me – all of it, in order to view the odd mid-century modern piece. At least with parent company, OneKingsLane, you have the option of selecting to shop by categories such as “vintage” or “mid century modern furniture,” saving your valuable time.

Hunters Alley competitor, Chairish is another way for you to get your fill of vintage furnishings. Bonus points for the insta-coupon that was emailed to me when I signed up for the site. You can view pieces by “latest arrivals” or very simple categories such as “seating” “lighting” “tables” and so forth. Scroll down further, and you’ll find even more categories and fabulousness to choose from. This site allows for easy navigation, and fair pricing. (It’s no thrift shop, but you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for.) I could go on all day about the beautiful stuff they have…but you’ll have to go and check it out for yourself! If you find something you love, you can share it via Facebook, Tweet it, PinIt (via Pinterest) or add it to your Ideabook on Houzz.com! Nothing like being able to give not-so-subtle hints to the ones you love.

There you have it children – your assignment for the weekend. Go forth and search! Don’t have time to thrift and pick? No problem. Be ready to spend a bit more, but with that comes less hassle, more drooling, and the peace of mind that you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for.

MidCenturyObsession.co is returning .com

No need for panic! We’re going back to our old format. If you’re on this site, and you’ve had trouble with subscriptions, join us back at midcenturyobsession.com. Soon we’ll be discontinuing this site….and redirecting back to the .com. WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

If you were once a subscriber there, no need to do anything….you’ll start getting the posted email updates once a week as used to be the case.

Thanks for hanging in through the changes! This week we’re going to talk Hunters Alley!

Best Regards,

Brooke

Open for business!

So this is a bit embarrassing. Remember how we moved from .com to .co? Well, that wasn’t working out so well….so MidCenturyObsession is back with WordPress.

There were some issues with the new, beautiful site – more specifically for subscribers that I will describe as less than satisfactory. So if you’ve been missing posts since…..oh…..OCTOBER of 2013….please, by all means, check out www.midcenturyobsession.co while you can. Otherwise going forward, I’ll be writing from here….and it’s good to be home, thanks for your patience and all of that.

Next week, I’ll be writing about trending shops for vintage wares. If you have a life or a job that doesn’t allow for thrifting and pickin’, or you live in an area that isn’t conducive to fabulous finds….look no more. I’ll tell you exactly where you can go. Stay tuned!

Brass is Back

That’s right, folks. Brass is back, and mixing finishes is no longer considered design disaster. And thank goodness too, because I don’t know if I could handle not having the approval of designers everywhere. HA!

You’ve probably heard the saying “rules are made to be broken,” and in the past mixing finishes such as silver, brass, gold, and brushed stainless steel was a big no-no. It’s pretty evident however, that idea is falling away and people are feeling more empowered to take home design into their own hands. Interest in the mid-century modern aesthetic and designing with vintage pieces lends itself to a little mix and match. All the better, I say!

Here are some of my favorite brass pieces featured on Etsy.com that just go to show that brass is back in a big way (If you haven’t been to Etsy.com yet, you’re missing out.).

Brass Lighting:

Check out this FANTASTIC 1970's 5-armed floor lamp from alsdesignvintage — Check out this FANTASTIC 1970’s 5-armed floor lamp from alsredesignvintage

For more information about this piece, follow this link:

alsredesignvintage

Brass Home Décor:

Etsy Seller genrestoration has quite a few brass figurines if you're looking for yourself, or as a gift for a friend. — Etsy Seller genrestoration has quite a few brass figurines if you’re looking for yourself, or as a gift for a friend.

Link to Mr. Peacock and others: genrestoration

Brass Wall Hangings:

Etsy Seller TheWildWorld offers flying brass seagulls

Link to TheWildWorld

Brass Gracing Dining Tables:

There's even brass in my shop! MidCenturyObsession — There’s even brass in my shop! MidCenturyObsession

Link to Atomic Brass Candle Holders: MidCenturyObsession

Brass Accessories:

Brass Magazine Rack from VintageShoppingSpree

Link for more: VintageShoppingSpree

Brass as an Accent for Mid Century Modern furniture:

Danish Modern offerings with Brass Accents from OstrichandPeacock

For more info: OstrichandPeacock

Brass Planters:

Link to this and more! See TheCottageCheese “Brass Menagerie”

Here’s a quick tip if you decide to put some brass into your design. Use Brasso. You can get it at Lowe’s or Home Depot….and I’ve tried the half and half vinegar/water mixture and haven’t had much luck. Brasso works beautifully to bring aged patina back to bright and shiny. (Make sure to use a soft, lint free cloth)

It’s evident to me no matter where you shop, that brass is definitely back – and not going anywhere anytime soon. Feel free to step out of the matchy-matchy box. It can be done with excellent results!

Join me next week….we’re going to talk trending shops for Mid Century Modern Design.

Curating a Mid Century Modern Master Bedroom

The word “curate” is defined by Dictionary.com as to pull together, sift through, and select for presentation, as music or website content: “We curate our merchandise with a sharp eye for trending fashion,” the store manager explained. Etsy.com features many a “treasury” “curated” by its members. Usually they’re a collection of pictures that appeal to that person, or a grouping of some sort by color or type of furniture. I’m here to tell you it’s a lot easier to curate a bunch of photos online than it is to actually FIND and place those items in your home; especially when dealing with vintage furnishings. It takes a good eye – but more importantly, patience.

I’m no interior designer. Although I’d like to think I have a good eye for things, many times designing in your own home is a case of trial and error….moving stuff around, or starting from scratch. It’s taken me a while to curate our master bedroom, and to me, it’s not quite done, but we’re getting there. Over the past 2 years, I’ve found things here and there to make our master a place for peace, rest and comfort.

Here it is at a glance. Nothing fancy, but comfortable, and good enough for us. — Here it is at a glance. Nothing fancy, but comfortable and good enough for us.

The colors I used are light blue, green and variations of the two with some soft browns and amber hues as accents. Who knows if this is a good color combo according to the experts, but it seems to work out fine.

I found this fantastic lamp about a year ago on Etsy.com It goes perfectly to tie in with my Adrian Pearsall chair.

Grandma's Credenza, and an old tube radio that was a gift from my mother at our trip to the Long Beach Veteran's Stadium Flea Market. — Grandma’s Credenza, and an old tube radio that was a gift from my mother at our trip to the Long Beach Veteran’s Stadium Flea Market.

Adrian Pearsall Chair (one of my only "designer" pieces") alongside a vintage Syroco clock from sleekandsimplelines.com — Adrian Pearsall Chair (one of my only designer pieces) alongside a vintage Syroco clock from sleekandsimplelines.com

The painting above was a little something extra from my thoughtful husband this Christmas. We were in Goodwill and I spotted it, thinking it would go great with the colors in our bedroom. This particular store doesn’t usually have mid-century pieces, so I was surprised to see it….still framed and in excellent vintage condition. It was a bit expensive for Goodwill, so I passed on it….but later my husband snuck back to the store to surprise me with it.

002 — Someday I’d love to have swag lamps on either side to maximize our small side tables, but for now, the Marshall’s bubble lamps will do. It can’t ALL be vintage, right?

Vera Sheets found at a local estate sale.

The bed spread isn’t my favorite, but I love the vintage Vera sheets. I found these at an estate sale hosted by FindersKeepers. I’m not usually a pattern fan, but these seem to fit right in with the scheme. I originally bought them for our guest bedroom, but brought them home to discover they were king sized. Apparently dumb luck can also play a part in design. They come in different colors and can also be found on Etsy.com. (Here’s a link to my version online from favorite Etsy seller heartkeyologie.) I think as soon as I can, I’ll be ordering a set in green.

The bed? Well, suffice it to say it works just fine and my husband isn’t a fan of change. While I’d prefer a vintage frame and king sized headboard….this might be one thing I have to compromise on to keep the peace. After all, that’s what we’re going for here….in this lovingly curated space; peace and quiet.

Trending: The Bar Cart

I’m baaaaaaaack! Took a little breather in January but I’m back and boy do we have some fun trending MCM info to discuss. Now, I try to be a positive and upbeat person, but I can’t help but point out when things seem to be getting a little silly. The typical “Mad Men” bar cart is everywhere. Everyone wants one (myself included)….and the prices are going through the roof. It’s getting crazy, people. Here’s a picture perfect example of a bar cart from Entertainment Weekly:

Okay….so you get the idea. The bar cart is a place to congregate, entertain, serve drinks, talk about the day….and they conveniently roll from room to room! So what would you pay for a bar cart? A few weeks back, I was in a thrift shop and spotted something labeled as a “utility shelf.” Well, it was mostly wood, had two shelves, it was on casters, and looked a lot like a bar cart. I snorted to myself when I saw the price tag of $45. Pretty bold for a thrift shop, right? Well, as I left, I noticed the “Everything 50% off” sign. I told myself I’d think about it and come back if I really wanted it. Later that day, I decided it was worth a trip back; but guess what? My bar cart was gone. Snapped up by a much smarter someone else. I’ve been kicking myself since. Here’s why: you really can’t find a bar cart on Etsy or Ebay for less than $100 now. Maybe someday, interest will die down, and we’ll see some relief-but I wouldn’t expect that to happen any time soon. In fact, a carbon copy of the Mad Men version pictured above is on Etsy right now for $4000.00. Yes. Four THOUSAND dollars. Apparently, it was designed in 1952 by Italian designer Cesare Lacca and it is “much sought after.” Now, I’m an Etsy store owner myself and I support other shop owners. But that price tag is ridiculous. Absolutely insane.

If you’re interested in building your own bar, Etsy.com is actually a great place to start. There are so many different variations; shape, size, material – you can decide what type of bar cart fits your space and budget. If you lean toward the industrial look and love projects, laceandlacquer.com featured a cool DIY tutorial on this type of cart:

I did find one bar cart under $100 from one of my favorite sellers on Etsy.com. Shop name is Carouselandfolk. I love reasonable prices and reasonable sellers!

Click on the link above, or search carouselandfolk on Etsy.com

More to that point, here are a few other notable offerings…

If Hollywood Regency is more your style, Etsy seller “HardFinds” has this:

Click on Link above or go to Etsy.com and search: hardfinds — Click on link above or go to Etsy.com and search hardfinds

My funky-stand-out favorite is this one from Artiques71:

Need a pop of color? Check out ElectricMarigold:

Finally, if Typical Teak is your look – look no further. TwoGuysVintage has this:

As you can see, there still some fair prices out there – and so many different types of carts to choose from. Happy Shopping….and may your bar cart bring lots of entertaining and enjoyment to your future! By the way…if you find a deal or a steal – I’d love to hear about it!

CHEERS!