Lortondale Home

The exterior doesn’t have a great curb appeal, but I think it will look nicer after some updating. I’m thinking about doing some landscaping and painting the siding, beams, and trims in period correct colors. I am going to update a porch light, door, and hardware as well.

Original Parquet Flooring

The first thing I did after closing was to rip out the old carpet in the bedrooms. Each bedroom has the original 9 x 9 oak parquet flooring. I am going to have them refinished to their original glory.

The infamous Pink Room

The entire house is painted in the same “almond” yellowish color (all walls, ceilings, and trim – except two bedrooms which are painted in PINK!). I am picking some colors from Sherwin Williams “Suburban Modern” paint palette.

Livingroom

The living room also has a carpet. Unfortunately, I didn’t find the original flooring under the carpet. I can’t have light colored carpet with two bulimic (?) cats! My plan was to either just have a concrete floor or install cork flooring – until I found 400 square feet worth of the same parquet flooring on eBay. My husband and I drove all the way to Dallas to get them. I am going to prep the floor and install the parquet tiles myself.

Kitchen

The kitchen needs a major makeover. I’d like to restore the original look. The original Lortondale kitchens featured cabinets with sliding doors and laminate “boomerang” pattern countertops in charcoal. My cabinets are original except the doors. So I am planning on installing sliding doors back on and update the counter top with today’s reproduction of Formica’s Charcoal Boomerang countertop.

Original Nutone Hood

The original “Nutone” range hood is still intact. I would like to update the appliances to stainless steel ones.

Original Bath Cabinet

The full bath room features the original cabinet and sink painted in… the same almond color! I am going to keep them, but probably install a new medicine cabinet, light fixture and hardware. I am not sure what to do with the floor tiles yet.

One of the Infamous Light Fixtures

The entire light fixtures need update. I looked on eBay for a while for vintage mid-century modern light fixtures, but decided to buy all new fixtures from Rejuvenation’s Mid-Century Modern Collection.

We are not quite ready to move in yet – as you can tell, the house needs a lot of work. More updates to come, so stay tuned

Crafting Modernism

Crafting Modernism: Midcentury American Art and Design (Abrams; October 2011) explores the development of the studio craft movement between the postwar era and the 1960s, emphasizing on the design utilizing mediums such as clay, wood, fiber, metal, glass and alternative materials. Some of the artists/designers featured in this book are: Alexander Girard, Dale Chihuly, Charles and Ray Eames, Wharton Esherick, George Nakashima, George Nelson, Isamu Noguchi, and Peter Voulkos.

This book is very comprehensive – it contains ample illustrations, essays, biographies, and useful resources. The Chapters 4 and 5 feature the most familiar (to me anyhow) midcentury modern designers. This book has given me a good opportunity to learn about craft modernism and become familiarized with other artists and designers during this era. If you have seen the exhibition, this book will definitely refresh your memory on designs you adore. If you missed the exhibition, this book will walk you through as if you are at the museum. Crafting Modernism: Midcentury American Art and Design serves as a great reference book for any midcentury modern design enthusiasts.

About the author
Jeannine Falino and Jennifer Scanlan, both of the Museum of Arts and Design, are the curators of the exhibition Crafting Modernism. They are also among the many contributors of essays to the book, of which Falino is the general editor.

Book Summary
Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Abrams (October 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0810984806
ISBN-13: 978-0810984806

Eisenhower Sofa

Based in Los Angeles, California, Thrive Home Furnishing is a division of Versa Products, Inc. They offer mid-century modern 1950’s inspired furniture inspired by classic designers such as Florence Knoll.

Great design is not the only thing they offer – shipping is always free within the continental United States and every piece of furniture comes with a 21-day guarantee. You can try them out for 21 days and if you are not 100% satisfied, they will credit back the full purchase price. They even pay the return shipping.

Matthers Credenza

Thrive Home Furnishing only use the highest quality American-based raw materials. Their products are never out-sourced – if you live in the United States and want to support the economy buying “made in U.S.A.” products, that’s good to know, right?

Nixon Chair

Their products seem to be pretty affordable. I am in the market for a new sofa, so I requested some fabric swatches. The swatches arrived within a week with a promotional code for 15% off. I have contacted a customer service inquiring which fabrics are pet friendly. They recommended “Omega,” “Doro,” and “Klein.” I am thinking about ordering “Sullivan Sofa” in “Omega Pewter” fabric.

Sullivan Sofa

I have not read any reviews on Thrive Home Furnishing – if you have any experience with them, please let me know in the comment section below. Thanks!

Handmade Houses: A Century of Earth-Friendly Home Design (Rizzoli New York, 2012) showcases eccentric, innovative, and yet environmentally friendly “green” homes from around the world, from Big Sur, California to Sardinia, Italy. Author Richard Olsen, a former Architectural Digest editor, explores origin and development of these handmade houses and how these homes and their owners (some trained architect/carpenters, some without any training in design and construction) constructed one-of-a-kind homes using natural and salvaged materials.

The main part of Handmade Houses: A Century of Earth-Friendly Home Design is two sections called “Architecture without Architects” and “Architecture with Architects.” These sections feature 23 handmade houses built between 1950’s and the late 2000’s, including the house made with only $1,000! Each of the 23 houses in these sections are featured with ample photographs and interesting “behind the scenes” stories.

If you are curious about the evolution of the handmade house over the last century, this book tells it all. If you are like me, interested in environmentally friendly design and unique style in the home, you will appreciate this book. I will be moving into my new house soon – the house needs a lot of renovation. I hope I can apply the lessons from some of the stories of talented builders in this book to my home renovation!

Book Summary:

Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Rizzoli (March 20, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0847838455
ISBN-13: 978-0847838455

Atomic Ranch: Midcentury Interiors

Atomic Ranch: Midcentury Interiors showcases eight fantastic homes across the United States. These homes are great examples of mid-century modern in different styles: traditional ranch, split-level, rambler, or modernist. Writer Michelle Gringeri-Brown and photographer Jim Brown walk you through each home with detailed texts and stunning photographs.

The owners of these eight amazing homes share their stories on their atomic ranches – how they found their dream home, their successes and challenges on renovation, etc. Their tips and ideas are something that can work for most of us, nothing outrageous! There are also mini-sections of useful tips throughout the book covering colors, flooring, appliances, window covering, etc.

As of this writing, I am less than a month away from closing on my first mid-century modern house. Atomic Ranch: Midcentury Interiors will definitely be one of the best reference books for inspiration to renovate my own atomic ranch.

Book Summary:
Hardcover: 192 pages
Publisher: Gibbs Smith (March 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1423619315
ISBN-13: 978-1423619314

This is Henri’s Walk to Paris (Illustrations © 1962, 2012 by Saul Bass and text by Leonore Klein, Universe Publishing, 2012). When I first saw the cover of this book and read the synopsis, I thought “if I had a little kid, I’d definitely grab this book.” I was bit surprised, but extremely delighted when Pam at Rizzoli New York contacted me about reviewing this charming book a few weeks later.

Henri’s Walk to Paris is the story of a young boy from a small town called Reboul in France. Nothing much is going on where he lives: there is only one bus; one park with only five trees and one squirrel; there are very few people. Henri dreams of Paris where there are thousands of buses, many parks and many zoos full of animals. One day, Henry packs lunch and sets off to see the big city for himself…

This charming story by Leonore Klein is accompanied by Saul Bass (1920-1996)’s signature bold and colorful illustration. Saul Bass was one of the greatest American graphic designers of the 20th century. He designed many iconic logos for companies including AT&T, United Airlines, Quaker Oats, Minolta, etc. He was also known for designing motion picture title sequences such as Otto Preminger’s The Man with the Golden Arm, and Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest and Vertigo. Henri’s Walk to Paris was originally published in 1962 and was Saul Bass’s only children’s book.

Henri’s Walk to Paris is the most delightful, charming children’s book I have read in a long time. It is a perfect bedtime story book for the design conscious, mid-century modern loving parents and their mod kids. If you are like me and don’t have any small children to share with, you will still enjoy it. The illustrations are simply amazing.

This book is not only visually pleasing, but also enlightening – at least for me. I always dream of moving to somewhere – “the grass is always greener on the other side” sort of thing. After reading this book, I looked around and started to appreciate everything around me… There is no place like home!

Whether you are an entry-level or a hardcore Eames fan, you will enjoy the new documentary film “Eames: The Architect and the Painter” by filmmakers Jason Cohn and Bill Jersey. This fascinating documentary covers the career of Charles and Ray Eames, including the insightful personal account behind the designs and the nature of the collaboration of two of  America’s most important designers (design pioneers). Narrated by James Franco, this is the first film dedicated to the couple since their deaths.

Eames: The Architect and the Painter

I sometimes find documentary films rather boring, but there is never a dull moment in this 84-minute film filled with a wide array of archival materials and interviews with individuals who had close proximity with Charles and Ray Eames. It is very well-crafted in presenting how the couple defined postwar modernist aesthetic through not only with their furniture designs but also with their other projects such as films and exhibitions.

In addition, the film reveals more intimate and emotional side of the couple’s lives which remained very private while they were alive. If you ask me about what I think of including Charles’s love affair in the film – I’d say “that’s a little TMI.” All these years, I sort of “romanticized” about the couple’s relationship – their partnership seemed so perfect in work and life. However, what I have learned about the couple in this film doesn’t change anything about how I admire them – actually I see them as more “real people” than just the “design legend.”

If you are fairly new to the world of Charles and Ray Eames, “Eames: The Architect and the Painter” will give you a wealth of information well beyond their furniture design. If you are a big Eames fan like me, this film will let you fall in love with the Eameses all over again for sure!

Now playing at selected theatres – find playdates here.

Filmmakers – Jason Cohn & Bill Jersey
Studio – First Run Features
Run Time – 84 minutes
Language – English
Format – Digital
Year – 2011
Genre – Documentary

Will be available on DVD on December 13th, 2011. Preorder available at First Run Features and many other retailers:

I put a halt on my kitchen update project, because my husband and I had been house hunting for last three months. I didn’t want to add a piece of furniture not knowing if it was going to fit in our new house. But I couldn’t get out of the habit of checking Craigslist and found a piece I had always dreamed of – a Danish modern teak dining table.

Danish Modern Teak Dining Table

The table was simply listed as “Teak Expandable Table $55.” I had seen the similar table for at least $300, so I thought it was a pretty good deal. The seller said the table belonged to his mother-in-law. She bought it when she got married in the 60’s. Too bad he didn’t have the matching chairs! The table has two hidden leaves underneath of the table top. It is a perfect size for a family of three. The leaves have some water stains, but overall it is in a great shape for its age. There is no marking to identify the manufacture. It is simply stamped “MADE IN DENMARK.”

Without Leaves

Now the chairs – turned out I wasn’t so lucky with finding chairs. After a month long search on Craigslist, eBay, thrift stores, used furniture stores, and antique malls, I gave up on a thought of finding a set of four matching Danish modern teak dining chairs at $150 budget. In a meanwhile, I did find three Bertoia side chairs for $100 (not the vintage ones).

Bertoia Side Chair

These chairs are not very comfortable without cushions. Knoll sells the cushion for $162 – no thank you. I picked the reddish orange vinyl to make my own and broke the sewing machine while stitching the second cushion. So the table and three Bertoia side chairs sat in my living room for another month. By the way, my cats love the table, too – it’s perfect height for them to sit and spy on the neighbors.

Much Worse Before

Two months later, I finally found the teak chairs I like on eBay. The seller stated the chairs were new old stock from a closed upscale import shop originally located in Minneapolis, MN and stored in the warehouse for over 30 years. They were manufactured by Sunwood Industries in Copenhagen. I scored them for $56 and paid $69 for shipping, a total of $125. Not too bad… except it is another set of “THREE” chairs

Unassembled Danish Modern Teak Chairs

The chairs were never assembled, so they came in a bunch of pieces. They have solid teak legs, back and woven natural cord/rope seat. I didn’t realize the colors were off from the listing pictures. So, here they are, my mismatching Danish modern dining table and three chairs. The fact I only have three chairs doesn’t bother me too much. It will be just two of us sooner or later anyways, but I am not 100% happy – so my search for a perfect Danish modern dining set continues…

A Little Better After

Links to some retailers…

12 Days of Eames Holiday Giveaway : www.SmartFurniture.com

SmartFurniture.com will be giving away one of a dozen timeless Eames products to registered contestants. From classic toys like the House of Cards to ageless designs like the Eames Molded Plastic Rocking Chair, they will be bringing the goods for 12 straight days. The grand prize is the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman. Enter from November 16, 2011 until 11:59 P.M. (ET) on December 11, 2011.

Superstar Holiday Tree Sweepstakes: Modernica, Inc.

Enter the Modernica Superstar Holiday Tree for You and a Friend Sweepstakes for your chance to win. A winner will be notified on November 28th and will receive two Superstar Mini Trees- one to keep and one to share! Enter from November 16, 2011 @ 08:00 am (CST) until November 27, 2011 @ 10:27 pm (CST) on their Facebook fan page.

The Rejuvenation Made-for-You Sweepstakes: Fresh Home Ideas

Fresh Home Ideas has teamed up with Rejuvenation for a giveaway, just in time for you to make over your home for the holidays! One lucky winner will win $750 worth of Rejuvenation products. You choose what you win: Lighting, hardware, house parts and more. You can enter once a day between 12:01AM CT on October 31, 2011 and ends at 11:59PM CT on December 9, 2011 (the “Sweepstakes Period”).

West Elm Win Your Holiday Wishlist: West Elm

Create a wish list and win up to $5,000 worth of West Elm products. The Sweepstakes ends at 11:59pm PST on 12/31/2011.

2011 Holiday Giveaway: Apartment Therapy

Apartment Therapy is giving away a hundred great design gifts for your home until December 18th, 2011.

Please be sure to read official rules and details to make sure you are eligible to enter before you enter these sweepstakes.