House Tour: Hallway & Cloffice

07/27/2011

Hallway

Ah, the hallway. It’s so utilitarian. Attic access in the ceiling. Smoke detector. Carbon monoxide detector. Thermostat. Air intake. Doorways…

A couple of black and white photographs of Jason and I from my college photography class back in 2003 (shortly after we got married) hang on one wall. They’re not excellent photos but I like that I shot them with an old manual film camera and developed them myself.

At the end of the hallway hangs this brass tree. I spotted it on an estate sale website a few years ago and Jason was able to find it for me. I don’t remember what he paid for it… maybe $40? My relatives from Sweden wanted to buy it from us when they were visiting.

Cloffice

I actually spend a lot of time in this hallway thanks to my cloffice (closet+office). I wrote about the original transformation from a coat closet into a home office earlier this year. It hasn’t changed much since then, except that the hallway was painted SW greek white.

When Jason removed the closet door and doorway to give me more elbow room, there was a strip of the original hardwood floors missing. We came up with this simple solution of inlaying a piece of wood and painting it with white trim paint. I like how it defines the space and it has held up well to 6 months of chair rolling.

The desk is not very deep. It works well for using the computer and not much else, unless I move my keyboard, mouse and laptop stand out of the way. I love having two monitors, and though I think side by side would have been better, this works. I don’t believe I mentioned before that the desktop is removable; it’s sitting on two wooden rails and tightly wedged into place so it doesn’t move. We didn’t make it permanent because there is an access panel to get to the plumbing of the hall bathroom tub on the back of the closet. See it there behind my pen cup?

It feels as small as it looks. Or maybe it looks bigger than it feels. It’s a pretty tight work space and I find myself paying bills on the couch and blogging from bed more than I used to when I had a regular home office. But, this solution was so worth it to free up a bedroom for our future kids. That little cardboard owl cup serves as my waste basket. My printer was relocated to the living room bookshelf. I traded my scanner for a slim design that can slip onto the top shelf of my cloffice, between my portfolio and my storage boxes. The best thing about it being small is that I can’t afford to let it get messy.

7 Comments | Art, Art: Closet Office, Art: house tour, Art: interior design, Art: mcm thrift store find, Art: mid-century design, Art: modern design | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt

A New/Old Dresser

07/07/2011

Feeling the pressure of our home study and inspection encroaching, I purchased a less-than-ideal dresser on craigslist a couple months ago.

What we wanted: a mid-century, not to wide, medium stained wood, changing-table-height dresser. Like this inspiration board picture:

What we got: a modern Target brand, dark reddish-brown wood, not too wide, a little too tall for changing table height dresser.

I had been searching craigslist, thrift stores and estate sales for months for the ideal dresser and hadn’t found it. On Sunday Jason suggested we stop by Pre-to-Post Modern, a retro and vintage store in Nashville, just for fun. There I discovered the perfect dresser. A mid-century, not to wide, medium stained wood, changing-table-height dresser.

Thank God, we resold the first dresser on craigslist in less than 24 hours for the same price we bought it for. And the new/old replacement was only $24 more.

Lucy approves. Or perhaps assumed I was taking pictures of her.

6 Comments | Art, Art: interior design, Art: kids room, Art: mcm thrift store find, Art: mid-century design | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt

Yard Sales and Estate Sales – It’s That Time of Year

04/20/2011

Jason and I love going to yard sales and estate sales to look for vintage goodies but since he’s been touring a lot the past 8 month or so, we haven’t been able to do it so much. Now that there is a “need” to start collecting kid stuff (read here if you’re confused) and not just fun mid-century collectibles, I’ve been hitting the sales with my mom and on my own. Here are just a few of my recent purchases.

Jeep umbrella stroller in great shape for only $5. My mom spotted this from the street and I’m quite excited about it.

A child size metal folding chair for $7.50. (Also, the full length mirror got rescued from my parents house before it was sent off to a friend’s yard sale. It was plastic “wood” so I spray painted it blue. ALSO, keep in mind the walls will be light gray.)

This cute little dear figurine (we have way to many knick knacks already but I couldn’t resist…) for $0.50:

I’m not sure why I haven’t taken a picture of any of my other purchases but I also go some light green Pottery Barn crib sheets, a black Infantino baby carrier, a plastic stacking ring toy, some wood puzzle boards, a tiny MCM casserole dish that I don’t know what to use for, and a vintage orange plastic Tupperware pitcher. I LOVE this time of year! Who wants to go thrifting with me?!

7 Comments | Art, Art: kids room, Art: mcm thrift store find, Art: mid-century design | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt

Painting Furniture – Nightstand Before & After

04/19/2011

We bought this little nightstand dresser 2 years ago at a yard sale. At the time we didn’t know where to put it. We can’t fit a nightstand like this in our bedroom and we already had end tables in our living room. It moved into the spare room to sit in waiting for our future kids. Over a year ago, Glidden was giving away free quarts of paint. I ordered Granny Apple green with this night stand in mind. Then, 2 weekends ago I FINALLY got around to standing and painting it. (It felt SO GOOD to get that of my to-do list after being on there for months.)

The top had a bunch of knicks and dings in it but look at the cute flowered contact paper inside the drawers! That stays.

The first order of business was to take off these hideous handles. Have you ever seen anything like this? It looks like it was hand-crafted by drunk termites.

After I got those suckers off, I filled the screw holes with wood filler. Here’s the part where I begin to just wing it. Jason usually does this kind of stuff and I just supervise. I followed the direction the tube and waiting for it to dry a bit, then sanded it. I started sanding the dresser top and the drawer fronts too. That got old really quick.

Thankfully, paint covers and fills most minor scratches. I did give the whole thing a rough sand so the paint would stick better and then wiped it clean with a damp cloth. The first coat of paint didn’t cover very well. I did my best not to have a bunch of drips (again, Jason usually does this kind of project. I am NOT a perfectionist!) I wasn’t concerned about our old patio table because it’s sagging and it’s going to be replaced this summer when we build a new one. I waited a few hours for the first coat to dry (while I went on to paint the chalkboard door). The second coat covered much better.

I let the nightstand rest and cure for a full week before I put anything on it. Even after that, I put a semi-heavy boom box on it and the next day it was stuck. Thankfully it didn’t leave a mark when I pulled it off. I wonder how much longer it needs to cure. Anyone? Or maybe it needs a clear coat?

I was going to buy new knobs but Jason reminded me that we had some in the tool box from IKEA years ago. (I can’t even remember what we used these for originally.) We had 4 so I decided to do 2 on each drawer. I’m very happy with how it turned out and pretty darn proud of myself for doing this all on my own. (Color is more accurate above… the flash here makes it look more yellowish than it is.)

12 Comments | Art, Art: before & after, Art: interior design, Art: kids room, Art: mcm thrift store find, Art: mid-century design, Art: modern design | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt

Before & After: Little Birdie Planter

01/03/2011

A quick before and after post to start out the new year. Just a little spray paint and a cactus made this $2 estate sale bird planter a little more classy.

2 Comments | Art, Art: crafts, Art: gardening, Art: mcm thrift store find, Art: mid-century design | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
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Christmas Gift Ideas for MCM Lovers

12/13/2010

A Christmas Gift Guide for the Mid-Century Modern Vintage Lover!

A Colorful Rotary Phone – Price: $20-60
I found this turquoise beauty on Etsy for $55. I prefer to do my own hunting rather than paying the mark up for someone else’s vintage find, but I have a friend who is on the lookout for one and she’d be happy to receive one like this for Christmas.

Funky Vintage Mugs – Price: $12
Perfect for a hot drink lover, these mugs could be paired with a favorite local coffee, gourmet tea or specialty hot cocoa.

Atomic Ranch: Design Ideas for Stylish Ranch Homes – Price: $26.40
Inspiration galore for the atomic ranch owner in this beautiful coffee table book.

Eames Style Rocker – Price $120-160
Of course the real deal would be great but if you’re looking for something equally attractive (and uncomfortable), there are many more affordable replicas out there. Braxton Studio sells a few different options like the one above through Amazon.com.

Saturnus Coat Hook – Price: $18
These retro style over the door hooks would be great for anyone who needs a little more hanging storage space (and who doesn’t?).

Vintage Style Crosley Alarm Clock Radio – $58
No authentically mid-century alarm clock radio would be mp3 player ready but this one definitely pulls off the retro look.

Giclee Print Mushrooms – $35
I’m a big fan of JennSki’s mid-century inspired art. This 5×7 print called Mushrooms is available in her Etsy Shop.

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Posted by mahlbrandt

Owls, mushrooms and flowers

11/22/2010

Over the Summer, Jason and I picked up several small pieces of art at an estate sale with pressed flowers, mushrooms and owls. (Closer up pictures here.) At another yard sale we found these plastic owls. I got tired of seeing them stacked up in storage so I made a hasty decision to hang them in the hallway as a collection. I’m not sure how I feel about it yet. What do you think? Too busy? I’m not sure what else to do with a bunch of tiny frames.

The baby owl is living in the hallway with the art but I decided to put the mama and daddy owl in our bedroom, above the cross stitch sampler the Jason’s mom made as a wedding gift for us. Someday I’ll put the baby with the mama and daddy… you know, when it makes sense.

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Posted by mahlbrandt

Petite Bird Pot, Pink Flower Bowl & Glasbake Loaf Pan

11/17/2010

My friend Laren and I went to an estate sale on Saturday and I picked up a few little things. It was just before close so everything was 50% off (and probably really picked over!). I couldn’t resist this sweet little pink bird planter. The paint is chipped off the beak and it was very dirty. I’m thinking of painting it white or turquoise and planting a little succulent in it.

This little glass candy dish with pink flowers and gold stems was also too sweet for me to resist. I’m not sure what I’ll do with it. I put Whoppers in it for the picture but I hate malt. I think those pink spearmints would look nice in it. My dad used to call those his Happy Pills.

And another loaf pan. I think this might be my 4th. Someday I will make more homemade bread. And maybe give it away in the loaf pan! This one with blue flowers is made by Glasbake.

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Posted by mahlbrandt

Jason’s Studio Before

10/14/2010

I shared some pictures on Monday of the not-quite-finished main part of Jason’s studio remodel. I was able to find a few before pictures but the rest must be on a different hard drive. When we moved in the room was carpeted. (I can’t find any of those pictures.) Then our cat peed on the carpet various times in various places and we ripped it out and threw it away. (I hate cats. And carpet. Sorry to anyone that I just offended.) Under the carpeting we found that the original flooring had been painted some some kind of white something. It was dirty so we painted it with Kilz. Then we painted it chocolate brown thinking maybe it would match the rest of the house. It didn’t look good. (Again, can’t find any pictures …) Then, we decided to do the whole room in black VCT tiles. Cheap, durable, dark … good for a room that people are dragging amps and guitars and drums in and out of. As this room has evolved into less of a practice room and more of a full-blown home studio a real remodel was desperately needed. Here are some pictures from the previous state:

We love this gigantic, unbelievably-heavy gold vinyl mid-century sofa bed. Besides weighing as much as a car, it’s really long and in the original floor plan of the room there was only 1 option of where it could fit. Right smack in the middle of the room facing the door to the living & dining room.

Jason’s brother’s drums lived in the corner of this room for about 3 years.

Jason’s desk was fitted into the space between these 2 closets covering an impractically high window seat. Not conducive to proper studio monitor acoustics.

This is without a doubt Lucy’s favorite room in the house. She always keeps her toys in here. When Jason is working at home she’ll curl up on the couch or under his feet. Sidenote to a sidenote: I HATE this leather shag rug. I thought it was a bad idea from the beginning. I remember when Jason picked it out at the store and I was distracted on the phone with my sister and couldn’t say “What are you thinking? How are we going to clean that thing?!”

Lucy also loves to look out the backdoor. It’s a window just her height. I always imagine she’s waiting for him to get home from a tour. (Actually, here she seems to be staring at that guitar, doesn’t she?)

The original floor plan was this:

The new floor plan is this:

It’s amazing how much bigger this space feels now that it’s cut in half. Even the main space feels bigger than the old space. Jason took out of the closets which allowed us to fit that giant couch perfectly into that nook. The space behind it is half the impractically high window seat and half a ledge that will eventually be shelves on top. The smaller room, “the loud room”, will be used for storage and tracking. It’s still needing insulation, sound absorption and drywall; shelves; lighting; rug; etc.

I’ll have some finished after pictures whenever the room is fully finished. Don’t hold your breath – it might be a few months. Check out Monday’s post if you didn’t see the pictures of the mostly-finished main space.

1 Comment | Art, Art: interior design, Art: mcm thrift store find, Art: modern design, Art: music, Family, Family: Jason | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt

Before & After: Love Birds

10/06/2010

Jason and I picked up these ceramic birds at a thrift store a little while ago. Birds are kind of trendy and I like the trend but also my parents used to collect white bird figurines. That could be partly why I thought these would look best in white.

Though, I have to admit, my first suggestion to Jason was that we paint them orange or red. Ultimately we decided white would go with anything and emphasize the shape. I like them.

1 Comment | Art, Art: before & after, Art: interior design, Art: mcm thrift store find, Art: mid-century design, Art: modern design | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt

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