Blessed Be the Deal Finders

Shout out to my awesome Aunt Di who called to ask if I was still looking for cushions for my Saarinen tulip table and chairs. Here’s the summarized back story:

I recently found a steal of a deal on a less-than-perfect mid-century replica of the famous Saarinen tulip table and chairs. They had rust….which I was able to remove with the help of an awesome product however….the old cushions could not be saved. Not only were they 40-something year-old cushions and kind of yucky, they made all my guests feel fat as they wheeeeesssshhhhed when sat on.

Since the resurgence of all things mid-century modern, and the popularity of shows like Mad Men, the prices of furniture relating to that time, including accessories for said furniture have become ridiculously expensive. Exhibit A: Tulip Chair Replacement Cushions.

Check this out. You can’t get new cushions for less than $89/piece. Try it…I dare you…..scour the internet. I bet you won’t find a better price:

Ebay is the best price I found for replacement cushions at $89 each. (Note: If you want to cover your existing cushions, consider yourself lucky. You can do that for 40 bucks a pop):

Featured on AllModern.com, Knoll offers them for $327 per cushion. I bought the whole damn set of tables and chairs for less than that. Knoll be smokin’ crack, y’all!

And my favorite website of all time, Etsy.com features them at $89/piece by Studiocityloft, competing with Ebay.

News Flash: Unless I win the lottery, or my son finds buried treasure in our backyard, I will not be spending $89/per cushion. Ever.

Back to my Aunt Di who spied these cuties on Ikea.com. Thank you Aunt Di. Guess what? They fit the chairs just fine….and my butt doesn’t know the difference. Bonus: When my kid spills spaghetti sauce on them, instead of having a heart-attack, I can smile like I’m on one of those Bounty commercials and casually toss the dirty cushion in the washing machine. Tra-la-la!!!! Dirty Cushions? Oh, neveryoumind. Remember, you only paid $4.99 a cushion at Ikea! Thanks Bounty and thank you, Ikea!

Ikea's much more practical solution to my cushion-less problem. — Ikea’s more practical solution to my cushion-less problem.

Are they perfect? No. Do I care? Wait….um, NO. Do I love them!? YESSS!!!!

Blessed Be the Deal Finders. Can I get an amen?

The Last Bookstore, the Best Mom

I have it on good authority that one of the most unusual and unique places to visit around Los Angeles (especially if you dig knowledge) is the Last Bookstore in downtown L.A.

http://lastbookstorela.com/about/

Not only is the décor cool and funky, the prices on used books and records are unbeatable. The Last Bookstore is one of the few places left that still buys books and records for resale. Recently, my parents visited and loved the place. While there, my mom picked me up a Better Homes & Gardens 1956 original Decorator’s Book with the dust cover still in tact for A DOLLAR!!! Being mid-century modern enthusiast and book lover, I had to feature The Last Bookstore…..keeper of mid-century treasure.

The Decorator’s Book my mom scored is one of the best gifts I’ve ever received, and I’ve loved paging through and reading the text, and seeing how things were done back then. Not to mention I could probably consult on the set of Mad Men for set decoration now. Hello? Any takers?

004 — Check out the language!! “Junior wants a wide-open space to play and gay colors”
“Father needs a quiet spot to rest after a tough work day”
“Mother wants a beautiful home to express her personality”

Check out these kitchen pics... — Check out these kitchen pics…

This pink mess looks to be a bathroom. Whoever lived here LOVED boomerang pattern. — This pink mess looks to be a bathroom. Whoever lived here LOVED patterns.

Love the bookstore. Can’t wait to visit myself. Love the book. Love you, Mom!

You can have your grapes and eat them too

According to Dictionary.com “Kitsch” is defined as: something of tawdry design, appearance, or content created to appeal to popular or undiscriminating taste. As clean and classic as I’ve tried to keep my home, I haven’t been able to completely escape the kitsch. I admit to loving the mid-century crazes of owls and grapes.

In a very early post of mine, https://midcenturyobsession.com/2012/08/21/how-much-did-you-say-you-want-for-those-glass-grapes/

I complained about the price of some mid-century modern accessories. More specifically, glass grapes. Having become a Etsy.com shop owner and attempting to start a business of my own based around all things mid-century modern I have become keenly aware of the time, research, effort and GAS it takes to find these sought-after treasures. I better understand now why some items I see are so very expensive. Readers, I stand corrected. (That’s not to say there aren’t complete rip-off artists out there in the MCM world…because there are. It’s up to you to decide for yourself what something is worth to you.)

More to that point, the process of decorating my living room in mid-century style is now complete and I’ve moved on to what we’ll call the “den.” It’s the room that we actually live in: the one that’s most often covered in my son’s dinosaurs and super heroes. When clean, it was an “okay” space; it was missing something. I figured out what that something was when watching an episode of my favorite show on t.v. right now, New Girl. If you haven’t seen it, you should. The star of the show is the ever quirky and adorable Zooey Deschanel who is surrounded by an equally bizarre but charming cast.

New Girl - Grape Inspiration — New Girl – Grape Inspiration

Do you see them? Are those lucite grapes not PERFECT in all their blue glory? They were taunting me…making an appearance in episode after episode. I had to have them. They matched my “scheme” and accent pillows….but where would I find them? Answer: Etsy.com, where everything is.

Ta -Daaaaaaa!!!!!!My very own bodacious bunch of blue lucite grapes. — Ta -Daaaaaaa!!!!!!After swallowing my pride and forking over $25 plus shipping of my hard-earned cash, I had my very own bodacious bunch of blue lucite grapes.

So, after all my lecturing about how much things should cost, I will admit to my hypocrisy. For some things, I’m willing to stretch the budget just a bit; even if it is “kitsch.” If you want them bad enough you can have your grapes and eat them too.

Cliff May home perfection in Long Beach, CA

We interrupt our normal scheduled blogging to bring you mid-century perfection: A newly renovated Cliff May home in Long Beach, CA.

Click on the purple Houzz link below to read on about this property, it’s challenges, and more fabulous examples of mid-century decor at it’s best.

My Houzz: Cliff May Homeowners Lead the Way in Long Beach

Boutique Showcase: Palm Springs, CA

If you’re lucky enough to get to Palm Springs, California, you can’t miss N. Palm Canyon Drive, in the heart of the city. The best part of Palm Springs for you Modernist junkies is that the city itself and it’s architecture is almost frozen in time. Palm Springs was built up in the 50’s and 60’s during the height of the mid-century modern movement. It’s a place famous for it’s “Desert Modernism” architecture that has been so well preserved for all of us to enjoy today. Even the old town shops that originated in the 1930’s still remain as mini-museums open to the public. What IS new in Palm Springs are many of the mid-century modern and modern boutiques that line N. Palm Canyon Drive. Distinctivehome PS (Palm Springs) is just one of them.

This store was absolute eye candy. All of my favorite colors came together and I was left paralyzed. — This store was absolute eye candy. All of my favorite colors came together and I was defenseless to their powers

This should be a lesson to you all: Mid-Century Modern does NOT have to look OLD. In fact, I found this store to be very reasonably priced. If your decor is in desperate need of a pop of color or fabulous wall art, head over to distinctivehomePS. You will not be disappointed.

Other notable shops to look for on N. Palm Canyon Drive:

Retrospect

20 First Vintage & Modern

A la Mod

Vintage Oasis

Happy Shopping!

Palm Springs, CA – Mid-Century Modern Mecca

I thought I’d found my happy place…until I arrived in Palm Springs, California. There is no place on earth quite like it. Palm Springs has one of the largest concentrations of mid-century modern architecture anywhere. The yearly offered Modernism Week is a one-of-a-kind celebration of these beautiful buildings and homes. It’s remarkable to think that so many of them have been preserved and restored so that they can be revered even today.
Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, Albert Frey, William Cody and William Krisel are just a few of the incredible minds and hands that helped shape this gorgeous community. You cannot drive anywhere in Palm Springs without witnessing the simplicity and beauty of mid-century modern design.
Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, William Holden and Steve McQueen called Palm Springs home at one point.
Next year, I fully intend on doing the Modernism Week right by attending the walking tours, bus tours and home tours. I’ll be saving up and have something to look forward to. However, if you’re on a budget like our family was this time around, you can take what I call the poor man’s tour any time of the year.
When you drive into Palm Springs, you can’t miss the gorgeous Tramway Gas Station built in 1965 by Albert Frey and Robson C. Chambers, which now serves as the city’s visitor center.
Pick up a “Map of Modern Palm Springs” for $5 and you will hold in your hand a detailed treasure map that features addresses and building history for all the modern points of interest in the city, which are too many to tackle in one day. For you nerd bomber Apple lovers, you can download the app at palmspringslife.com/psmodapp directly on to your Apple device.

Here are just a few pictures we took on our self-guided tour:

She's not mid-century....but she's an icon of the time, and therefore, must be included. — She’s not mid-century….but she’s an icon of the time, and therefore, must be included.

063 — According to the artist, this is what she was sporting underneath….what do you think?

065 — Palm Springs features it’s own walk of fame complete with stars not unlike Hollywood.

086 — Sinatra residence which features a beautiful amoeba-shaped pool just on the other side of this view.

093 — Not a famous person’s house, but merely an example of what is standard in the area as far as design.

"Armed Response" gave us a giggle. In other words, "All you crazy Modernists have driven us nuts. Get too close and we'll put a cap in ya." — “Armed Response” gave us a giggle. In other words, “All you crazy Modernists have driven us nuts. Get too close and we’ll put a cap in ya.”

There is certainly no shortage of MCM to fill your cup. It’s definitely a new favorite spot for me. Now to manage a weekend away….now that I’ve seen it, I have to get back!

Next week, I’ll feature just one of the many mid-century modern/modish boutiques on Palm Canyon Drive. The shops alone are worth a trip…

Modernism Week 2013

This week I’m excited to feature the mother of all mid-century modern extravaganzas, Modernism Week in Palm Springs, California. If you are able, I strongly suggest you head on down to where the other half partied all those years ago.

Here’s an excerpt from modernismweek.com:

“Modernism Week is an exciting 11-day celebration of mid-century modern design, architecture and culture in Palm Springs, California. This design aesthetic originated in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, and was typified by clean, simple lines which came to define desert modernism.

Modernism Week is filled with a variety of events including architectural tours, films, lectures, an architectural symposium, educational events, and chic, fun parties in cool mid-century modern homes.”

Watch this delicious promo….if this doesn’t get you excited you should check your pulse:

Old cars, old houses, old people….Modernism Week features it all. So jump in your ’56 Chevy and head on down to Palm Springs to go back in time when life was simple, and the design was simpler.

Modernism Week will continue on until February 24th. For more information about events and scheduling, go to http://www.modernismweek.com.

Minimalist Mentality

This week, I’d like to feature a great article I read that not only holds true to the typical mid-century modern look, but goes deeper into how clutter at home can clutter our minds. This is a tragic story with a happy ending, and I hope you are as inspired by it as I was.

7 Tips to Get With a New Minimalist Mentality