Sometimes You Get Lucky

Thrift shopping can be like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get... I mean... find. And a few weeks ago, strolling through our local Salvation Army, I got the foil-wrapped truffle bon bon from the center of the box! There, by all the other worn out, dated sofas was this brand spankin' new looking mid-century modern couch.

I looked it over.  Lusted after it.  Wondered over it.  Could it be vintage?  It looked so new!  No, after closer inspection, I could tell it was authentic vintage.  And I also knew it would look perfect on my 60s retro turquoise porch.  But (OH NO!) I just got another cute frisé late 40s, early 50s sofa from a friend, so I just couldn't use this darling piece!  Sigh!  And how much did it cost?  There was no price.  Perhaps it had been sold already.  Oh well, couldn't buy it anyway.

Upon returning home, I casually mentioned it to my oldest son who, with his wife, is temporarily living with us in between stints in China and possibly Glasgow.  Anyway, this son enjoys quirky and retro and he's very curious.  So, unbeknownst to me, he went over to the store to check it out.  He also got them to price it.  Would you believe only $20?  YES!  So, he bought it.  And it ended up on my 60s retro turquoise porch anyway... in front of the other couch... for now... or at least until someone returns from Glasgow I guess...  hmmm...

Well, it does match.  Take a look at the weave close up in the sunlight.  

So cute.  Some blue, some olive and some brown.

How perfectly mid-century modern.  

Happy thrift shopping to you and yours and

may you also find the foil-wrapped bon bon of chocolates on occasion!

That's what keeps us going, right?

70s! Far Out!

This summer I found many yards of vintage fabric

on a roll at St. Vincent DePaul thrift store.  

Not just any fabric, a 70s fabric -- quintessentially 70s.  

Danish modern, earthtones, layered lines - all the earmarks.

And there was proof on the selvage.

Remember 1976?  We drove cars like this...

 ...and went to movies like this...

...and high school juniors looked like this.

Can you guess which one is my husband and which is me?

Flashy interiors looked like this.

This retro t-shirt perfectly captures that 70s design style - available from ISO50.

Definitely a Danish influence to my 70s fabric.

This vintage 70s wallpaper is available through Secondhand Rose.

One of the many 70s fabrics available through Classic Modern Textiles of the UK.

Can you dig it?  Right on, baby!

Good Design is Always Classic

After Keaton's band concert last night I ended up in my sewing room pulling fabric off of shelves and dreaming up pillow ideas.  It was fun, but I stayed up too late and at one point one of my shelf brackets pulled out of the wall from the weight of the fabric and I was stranded there not wanting to wake anyone up by a falling board so I was holding the board up with one hand and pulling fabric off of it with the other.  (By the way, Larry if you're reading my blog - add that to your fixit list.)

Anyway, I lost track of time as I began to uncover fabrics that I didn't even remember having.  What was really interesting was realizing how my tastes have changed with the trends.  How does that happen?  I still love my old favorites, but the fabrics that are drawing my eye the most these days were my least favorites 20 years ago when I had my business - Vintage Generations.  It's like a new car that looks so cool at first, but slowly as we are introduced to new shapes, lines and colors, what was once the latest thing eventually looks out dated.  Maybe "out dated" isn't the best word to use when describing vintage fabric because they're all "out dated" so to speak.  Oh well, what am I trying to say?  Eventually, everything old is new again.  And good design is always classic.  And tastes change.

Twenty years ago I couldn't get enough big, romantic floral barkcloth and cottons like these from my collection:

 

  

 

I also have hoards of fruit fabrics like this:

I still love those fabrics.  The florals represent my love of the shabby chic roses of the 40s and the fruit shows my love of all things bright, charming and 50s.  But these days my eye is drawn to the following vintage fabrics from my collection:

 

I used to really dislike this one - not enough flowers.

Ditto.  (no flowers)  Love it now.

 

This one has flowers, but wasn't cabbage rose-ish enough.  

Now I like the bright sort of paisley swirls.

This barkcloth - so atomic - gold highlights and all.

I really love this one now - so mod.

I used to strongly dislike this fabric - but now I actually like the simplicity of the calligraphic line.  Each of those medallions is about 12" long.  (I know it's hard to tell size by a photo.)

Or how about this one?  Love it now.  20 years ago?  Not so much.

I have a small stash of VERY 60s flower power fabric.  This is one that I have at least five yards of.  To show you the size of those flowers, check out my computer mouse in the upper left.  Very graphic.

So, what do you think of my fabric?  Where do your tastes fall these days?

Era - Gone

Ok, I need a distraction.  School board has been so stressful lately.  How about I pull out my 1956 Better Homes and Garden Decorating book and share a few pictures.

Let's talk about interior design.  I do like late 50s/early 60s design.  Some call it "Atomic."  Some call it "Eames Era."  It's all the same.  "Atomic" refers to post war and post atom bomb.  "Eames" is the name of an iconic designer of that time period.  Charles Eames pioneered moulded plastic chairs, wire mesh furniture and moulded plywood.

 

  

All classics - all Eames.  All worth thousands.

We actually studied these chairs in college.

This was an era of scientific progress and it not only showed in the innovative technology put to use in making furniture, but also in the amoebic design motifs employed.  This was a time of optimism which was manifested in the bright colors used in interior design.  This was a time when Americans were very interested in the space race.  Many pieces of furniture reflected the long spindly legs of the Sputnik satellite and the starburst shapes of outer space.  

You recognize it when you see it.

Let's look at a few pictures.

Furniture of this era was often supported by spindly legs and had sleek upholstery without gathers or tucks.  Note the organic, amoebic shape of the coffee table up on tapered legs, of course.  Check out the bright touches of primary colors.  I love the lamps.  They seem to be built right into the end tables.

Here's another coffee table with an organic shape.  Bold fabric prints were also the order of the day.  And of course, we have Fifi the family guard dog standing sentinel.

That light fixture has sputnik written all over it.  Note the Danish Modern chairs and table - also hot during this era.

Here we have Ricky Gervais returning home after a hard day of work with his wife patiently waiting in her day dress and earrings.  Plastic fruit was big.  Note the wire candle display on the wall.  Wire was "in."  See the wire mesh chair in the foreground?

More bright colors in this living area.  There always seemed to be a little black in each room to set off the bold colors.  Note the wire in the picture frame, the lamp and the coffee table legs.  I absolutely LOVE that lamp.

 

Check out the olive and turquoise color scheme accompanied by touches of orangey rust from the other side of the color wheel.  What I don't understand is why there is a woman peeping in the window.

I like two things in this picture:  the wire and moulded plastic chair and the Coke everywhere.  I guess product placement is nothing new!

OK, distraction accomplished!  Now back to answering emails and reading school board information.