MCM Facebook This Week – September 21, 2015

One of my personal favorites this week is Matt Goad’s post of the dining of his Oklahoma City home featuring a stunning Carrara marble-topped 12 foot long Herman Miller table. I am always pleased to see dining rooms with chairs that do not all match as it automatically makes the room much more comfortable and relaxed – and you cannot enjoy a meal in an uptight room. With the lighting, the playful colors shown in the Krenit bowls and the painting (by Noel Torrey) placed against the neutral flooring and natural tone of the walls makes this a room that really works. Now, have someone play that keyboard in the background and we’ve got ourselves a party! Thanks for sharing Matt. Click here for the original post.

Such a beautiful space shown here in the home of Laura Beason McKeever. The home, designed by architect Frank Davies in 1959, boasts beautifully vaulted ceilings soaring over wonderfully open spaces as well as intimate niches all in lovely calm and neutral tones and materials. Yes, I do like this house! Looking through the photos of Laura’s home an old question keeps popping up – why did they stop making houses like this? Elements of this home are almost universally enjoyed and sought after yet so many property developers today seem quite content with the cookie-cutter, high profit margin, faux-styled crap. Surely there must still be a market for nice things? However, on the upside – as this posts reminds us so well – there are still plenty of fabulous homes out there. Thanks for sharing Laura! Click here for the original post.

I almost want to call this County Modern but let’s eschew silly labels and call it what it is – charming. Lara Rossignol posted this display in her home and it’s one of those images that speaks volumes about the collector. The lovely Catherineholm and Kobenstyle enamelware and the Pryex dishes keeping company with older vintage pieces creates a warm and welcoming image. I like this photo because it shows a collection that is no doubt used and enjoyed. I know there are those who may not consider this ‘pure’ MCM (no design is really) but this is a softer side to modern that is open to mixing it up a little. Thanks for sharing Lara! Click here to see the original post.

Continuing with my ‘slightly softer’ look at the group this week comes these wonderful Finel enamelware bowls posted by Jane Williams. What I like about these simple and fun bowls is the seeming dichotomy of the cartoonish illustrations of the mushrooms organized in an incredibly structured, almost rigid order. There is almost an OCD quality to how each individual mushroom is laid out around the outer rim of the bowl. It is things like this that I find interesting about design. In design there are no accidents. Every single man-made object in existence started out as a drawing, both on paper or on a computer. The same is true about these Finel bowls, someone drew these mushrooms and planned this in the hopes that what was achieved would be the main goal of all good design – and that is balance. Here the balance is found in the playful mushrooms and the serious order. Then again, perhaps I’m reading more into it than what’s really there. Either way they’re lovely things and thank you for sharing Jane. Click here for the original post.

Kris Scott posted this photo of his living room and it’s a comfortable and welcoming space. But this also speaks to an issue that so many collectors of Mid Century Modern face. Many MCM collectors live in more ‘traditional’ non-MCM homes and the challenge is how to mix older architectural elements with more modern design. In dealing with that issue I think Kris has struck the right note with his living room. The modern artworks and classic MCM chairs are the immediate attention getters but a second look shows the subtle touches of elements like a pre-war armchair and a rustic chest used as a coffee table. The result is a blending of style that is not jarring or off putting. The pieces work with each other and not against each other creating a lovely space. Thanks for sharing Kris! Click here for the original post.

Never be afraid to try a little drama and that is shown brilliantly here in this photo posted by Samantha Blair of her living room. Things pop against a dark background and here not a single item is lost to the viewer. The brightly colored sofa offers a fabulous counter point the darker walls but also the natural tones of the wood, the beautifully displayed artwork, and accessories all seem to jump out. However, it is not just a case of painting the walls a dark color. It is also about placement, furniture choices, and knowing how to take best advantage of the light sources in the room. For instance a large window behind the sofa gives a burst of exciting color and vibrancy to the room. It a beautifully done space. Thank you for sharing Samantha! Click here for the original post.

It’s been said more than once in the group that it is amazing what some folks throw out and great example of that are these chairs that David Bertellotti pulled out of the trash. These are the after images and the results are awesome. If I may step up on a small soap box for a moment I’d like to speak of one of the ‘virtues’ often overlooked in the collecting world, and that is collectors keep stuff out of the landfills. True, much of what is thrown out is deservedly called trash but perfectly good items with many more years of life left in them end up as just another part of the wasteful deluge of an increasingly disposable culture. Collectors not only collect but they repurpose. Collectors also add to the local economy – not just in the local dealers and thrifts – but in secondary industries like refinishing, hardware supplies, and upholstery. While I do not know who designed or made these chairs, irrelevant in this case, I cannot imagine them being trash. Nice save David and thanks for sharing. Click here for the original post.

This is one of those posts that shows not just some lovely objects but is so perfectly composed that the photo itself is the star. Candy Kozlowski Delaney posted these five nesting bowls in a green ombre pattern and it is just a nearly perfect photo. The way the two inner smaller bowls are turned in a slightly different direction than the larger three creates visual tension and interest. Let’s not mince words, there are a lot of sellers in the MCM Facebook group and from what I’ve seen most care very little about taking a good photo that would not only showcase the item, but also put it in its best light. You don’t need a lot of expensive equipment and studio space to make something look as good as possible. You only need a good eye. With very effective arrangement and good cropping Candy shows here how it’s done. Thanks for sharing! Click here for original post.

With the stone fireplace, the paintings, the pole lamp, and the Eames lounge with the kids watching videos (educational no less) on the iPad there’s so much to like about this photo posted by Matt Vornholt. Relaxed seems to be the theme this week and this suits that theme perfectly. On another, often debated point, some people feel that having a modern home and children are somehow mutually exclusive. There are those who adhere – rather incorrectly in my view – that modern is just uncluttered, clear surfaces and that one perfect chair. And it can be of course but that is not everyone’s reality. The main reason I like this photo is that it shows an iconic piece of MCM design, the Eames lounge, being used in a perfectly casual manner – which is exactly what it was designed for. It’s is not a prize nor a trophy, it is just a – albeit good – chair. Thanks for sharing Matt. Click here for the original post.

It seems that every week a post sets a new ‘record’ for the most likes and this past week that is hands down this one by Mary Lou Deviley‎. What was so exciting to elicit such an overwhelming response? Well, after a year of negotiating, Mary Lou bought a motel and drive-in built in 1957, and by the looks of that sign it must be pretty awesome. While it’s very cool that Mary Lou bought this place I think the point that perhaps touched people the most is that this place, this wonderful piece of Mid Century Americana, is not going to be torn down but will get to live on in the keep of someone who understands and appreciates the style. This was not a sale, this was a save. Thanks for sharing Mary Lou and look forward to seeing more photos! Click here for the original post.