Loft Living

Master bedroom update:  it's movin' along

The master bedroom, or as we like to call it, the studio loft, is now looking much more habitable.  Just a few short months ago, this was nothing but a storage space crammed floor-to-ceiling with jumbles of MCM junk. 

It still requires some finishing touches like drywall repair, paint, some electrical wiring, and general decorating, but I like the way is coming together.  That's quite a result for a room that's just full of all the leftover furniture that didn't make the cut for downstairs.  A dining table in the bedroom?  It's the next hot trend!

Mod UK Part 2

For all of those who say that St. louis has great thrift traps, take a gander at London.  They do thrifting on a whole different level!

That Scandinavian teak and other assorted Mid-Century goodness had my tongue wagging.

House Tour: Bedroom #1

 

 

 

Oh credenza, you complete me.

Man knows no love greater than that between a collector of Mid-Century Modern and an amazing 1960's credenza...

... and this one sure has me all riled up!

*SWOON*

Our old Best Buy TV stand served its purpose well and had a certain retro flair to it, but after a hot tip from a good friend, it hit Craigslist and moved out faster than Grant took Richmond.  Gotta make room for that new vintage hotness.

And, oh boy, did it need plenty of room.  It barely fit along our 8 foot wall!

The upside of its size is that this sexy beast has storage aplenty: a set of two drawers on the right, shelves with folding doors in the center, and another two shelves with a door on the left.  We managed to fit all of our A/V stuff in just the center section, though the receiver will require a few wire routing holes before it can be hidden away.

I've no idea who the maker is, and right now I could really care less. I just want to bask in it's warm walnut glow.  Look at them legs!

Sorry, I'll stop going on.  I think that the girlfriend and Bessie might be getting a bit jealous.  I've also gotta take care of that squirrel's nest behind the television.  I swear, those wires must be moving and knotting up all on their own.

1520 Carman Road, 63021

A Mid-Century Modern home in West St. Louis County?!

On a drive through my old hood, Manchester, I noticed a "for sale" sign outside of this strikingly modern home.  It wasn't just any home.  No, it just happened to be the very same one I'd always admired growing up.  As a child, my school bus rode by this home every day and I always gave it a longing glance as we went by.  It was just so different than the suburban McMansions that sprouted up  all around the neighborhood.

Too bad the coffers are dry.  So somebody needs to save this mid-century gem before the bulldozers claim another victim...

... and then sell it to me real cheap when I've saved up to buy my mid-mod dream home ;)

You'd be hard-pressed to find such a modern home outside of Ladue or Clayton.  They just didn't build them like this around St. Louis.  

It looks as if a little elbow grease will be required, but it's a great neighborhood and such a rarity.  

For more (and larger, non-pixelated) pictures, head over to Ted Wight's St. Louis Style blog.

Just Barely Staying Afloat

Source: Das Boot

"The ship's taking on water, men!  Blow the ballast tanks!  Head for the surface!"

St. Louis has been starved for rain lately, but we certainly made up for it on Sunday.  Unfortunately, a good portion of that rain ended up in my basement and sunroom.  I've never seen anything like it.  The water was literally spraying out of the walls like in some sort of WWII submarine epic, and the whole evening was spent franticly bailing out the USS Nickarmadillo.

So that was fun.

Looks like I'm gonna have to seal a few foundation cracks and fix the drainage issues.  You know, because I don't have enough projects already.  

After all of the issues we've had in just one year, I'm beginning to wonder if it's about time to abandon ship.  $25,000 in repairs on a cheap beginner home is verging on ridiculous.  One can only sink so much cash into a money pit before realizing that it's best to just cut your losses.

I did do some thrifting though.  Yes, thrifting makes it all better.  After a pretty long dry spell, I managed to bring in quite a haul too.

A couple of the larger items are still in the van, but here's the smalls:  A set of salt and pepper shakers and cocktail glasses.

The salt and pepper shakers came from Portugal, but have a really cool Danish-esque design.  I really like the mustard yellow and reddish-brown on these.  They're gonna need a new set of corks though.  Should be an easy fix.

The cocktail glass set includes 8 small tumblers and 4 shot glasses with a nice orange, gold, and black mid-century pattern on them.  With my Dorothy Thorpe tumblers I've now got quite the set, especially for someone who isn't a drinker.  It'll be great for parties though.

Does anyone else out there think up back-stories for the second-hand items they bring in?  Maybe I'm just a bit odd, but occasionally I do.  One of the tumblers was obviously put in the dish washer, as the gold has worn away, but the rest are in perfect, nearly unused condition.  In my mind I can see exactly how this went down:

The wife brought home a new set of cocktail glasses, which she thought would really impress the guests at their next dinner party.  She implored her husband, "These are NOT to be put in the dishwasher!"  "What's the worst that could happen," he thought a short while later as he finished his post-work tumbler of neat whiskey.  "Why'd we get this fancy new-fangled dishwasher if we're never gonna use it!"  Needless to say, the set was designated "for guests only" when it came up one short and she found the ruined glass that he'd tucked into the back of the kitchen cabinet.  Poor guy...

At least that's how I imagine it.

I must emphasize that this is one cool dining set

You may have seen a certain swanky china cabinet over at Mr. Mod's today and been anxiously awaiting the rest of the set.

Well, wait no longer!  Here it is for your viewing pleasure.

Yep, our last Brasilia sale went so well that Mr. Mod and yours truly teamed up on another project.  He's got a little space here.  I've got a little space there.  Between us we had just enough room to haul this baby in, and man was it a tough haul.  The weather was sweltering and this is a BIG set with a full-size china cabinet, extra-long buffet, dining table, and six chairs.  His Frank and my minivan just about had their fill.

As you can see, the table top will need a little bit of work and there's a few nicks and scratches, but overall the set is in good vintage condition.  Back in those days they built 'em to last. 

Broyhill really outdid themselves in this era.  Brasilia, Sculptra, Emphasis... they're all absolutely stunning.  What I really like about the Emphasis line is the sort of Tiki vibe that it has going on.  Anybody else get that feeling from it?

The fabric is a little traditional for my tastes, but if you're looking for understated then it'd work great.  If you're like me and want something a little more 1960's atomic, then the change should be quick and easy.  Just pop the seat off, put on some new upholstery, and staple it down.

So if you're in need of a cool, mid-mod spot to chow down, keep an eye on Craigslist.  We'll have this Broyhill Emphasis dining set up shortly.