Minneapolis

We're back from our brief business trip to Minneapolis/St. Paul, and I must say, I kinda miss it. 

Minneapolis doesn't really come to mind when you think of "top places I'd love to live", but I've never seen a major city so clean and quiet.  The whole place was lush, serene, and gorgeous.  That's my kind of town.


They also have some amazing mid-century homes and the best thrifts I've ever seen.  I'm kinda freakin' jealous.  Too bad my suitcase was already full of  Ikea or I would have snatched it all it all up.

Speaking of Ikea, everything made it back safely save for a small scratch on one picture frame.  Whew!  I had serious doubts as to whether we'd be able to get those suitcases stowed. 

Now, I know that some of you retro purists may frown upon my Ikea-shopping ways.  In my defense, some of the stuff there is pretty cool and there's no way that I'm gonna pass up a $29.99 goose down comforter and $5.99 down pillows!

 

 

Shop 'till you drop

How much Ikea can a man stuff into one suitcase and two carry-ons?

We'll soon find out.

Update: 1520 Carman Road, 63021

We've received more than a few inquiries about the modern home at 1520 Carmen Road, most wondering if it would meet the same fate as so many of the older homes in the area and be torn down to make room for more McMansions. Well, it looks like there is a glimmer of hope. I received a message from the (likely) future owner:

"I have it under contract, with the intent of living there while building a new home on the neighboring lot. Home is warn, but in good condition. Once complete, I would like to subdivide and sell - and NOT tear down Elkington home. However, the subdivide processes kicks in various goverment requirements... for example, we just found out that saint louis highway department would require us to put a side walk in if we sub-divide (but not if we tear down). The cost becomes quite prohibitive given the total frontage (600 ft) and the placement of the Elkington home (sidewalk in theory would go through current garage, front walk, etc). Ironic given my understanding that original proposals before I got the contract included tightly packed subdivision that the city said no to. If city doesn't want development, but then requires me to put in a $50K sidewalk when I subdivide, I don't know if there is any option other than tear down scenario. The house is pretty cool - I would love to keep it as a guest home. Since I can't afford that and city wouldn't let me anyway, I'm not sure what to do... I think the house would be perfect for a young couple with no kids, or simply an modern home enthusiast that doesn't mind the carman road proximity...Elkington sub-divide would include 1-1.5 acres of the land (net any r-o-w easement required by county)..."

Looks like the government is being helpful, as always. Hopefully everything will go through and another buyer interested in renovation can snatch it up.

Pardon the mess

Mid-Century Midwest is under construction at the moment. Our old look was getting a little stale, so we're trying out a selection of new templates.

For your enjoyment, I've also got a couple goodies from last week's trip to the Wentzville Flea Market with Mr. Modtomic (and our respective lady-friends).

Mr. Mod didn't see much that piqued his interests, but I managed to bring in a decent (if somewhat unexciting) haul: an enamel teapot, a West Bend penguin hot and cold, and a collectable tankard. There was one additional purchase, but I'll have to share that with you all later.

I'm batting 1000 on the West Bend hot and colds at Wentzville. This was my second trip and my second hot and cold score.

They're not really my favorite retro server, but they are kinda cute and I have vivid memories of seeing these at my parents' and grandparents' holiday parties. I'll keep one for the memories and pass the other on to a new home.

Here we have another kinda "meh" item: a white enamel teapot. The girlfriend likes tea. I kinda like coffee. We needed a teapot. I like the white/black enamel combo. That's about all there is to say about that one.

The pewter-topped Longton Crown tankard is a gift for the girlfriend's father, who has a budding collection. He (and she) are from the United Kingdom, so we wanted to give him something quintessentially American from her latest visit. I'd say we found it.

I'd venture to guess that very few Englishmen have a Robert E. Lee tankard in their collections.

Well, that just about wraps it up. Keep an eye out for that last item from Wentzville in my next post and let me know what you think of the new format. I'll be adjusting (and hopefully improving) it over the next few days.

Busy Bee

There's plenty of changes going on at the Nickarmadillo household.  So many, in fact, that I haven't been able to make time to blog about them.  So here's a quick rundown.

First off, we broke down and bought an above-ground pool.

Yes, I'm well aware of all the Missouri stereotypes that this conjures up and that my lawn will suffer (see the lovely dead grass rings in the pictures below).  Could I care less?  No!

Source: Target.com

If lounging around in my 36 inches of cool, crystal clear heaven while everyone else sweats it out is white-trashey, you can call me Jed Clampett, because I'm lovin' it!

Well, I say lounging, but we've actually gotten very little free time to enjoy the calm waters of lake Nickarmadillo.  Most of our days have been spent elsewhere...

... like on this stupid fence with its stupid non-matching paint, which was given to us by a stupid paint mixer at Home Depot and not tested before applying by a stupid painter/blogger/mid-mod collector named Nickarmadillo.  Stupid.

The power washing went well...

... but I kinda freaked out when the paint went on BRIGHT orange.

Fortunately, it dried more of an orange-tinted brick red.  Unfortunately, two of the four gallons they mixed up for us were slightly more orange and glossy than the others.  Damn the luck!

Lesson learned: ALWAYS SPOT-TEST YOUR PAINT!!!

For a nit-picking perfectionist like me, a splotchy paint job is pure torture, but at this point I just don't have the time or cash to make another go at it.

Instead, it's time to start on the next project: the Big Dig.

Hopefully this 80 foot trench along the driveway will alleviate our drainage problems and keep the basement dry.  I'll have to check with the city, but I'm considering putting in a gravel French drain in there as well.

Oh, and there's one last thing.

I got a freakin' Nexus 7!  Keep an eye out for the full review, but after a week or so with my new toy, I can say with certainty that it is worth every penny (if you can actually find one).

Until next time, happy thrifting!

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.