Recent Estate Sale Finds

05/29/2012

It’s estate sale and yard sale time of year and we’ve been hitting the streets hard looking for treasures. It’s interesting how sales are so hit or miss. A few weeks ago I saw a listing for an estate sale about 30 minutes from our house. It was a huge house with tons of mid-century modern furniture items. We actually went out on a Thursday at lunch time. Usually sales run Thursday – Saturday and we just go on Saturday when everything is half price. By noon, all of the good stuff was already sold – couches and tables still sitting there with “SOLD” signs, mocking us. All we got were a few glasses and a metal wall shelf. On our way home we stopped at an estate sale we spotted a sign for, just a few streets away from our house. We ended up finding a ton of great stuff there! (Everything else pictured below.)

These juice glasses looked really grungy but they look brand new after a pass through the dishwasher.

I envision this metal shelf spray painted and hanging in the bathroom, or above a dresser in a kids room, or in the mudroom.

Jason is a lamp guy. I walked right past this one several times and didn’t even see it. It’s actually a very nice color (in our opinion). I like the shade but Jason thinks it’s ugly. It’s pretty dirty so we’ll probably replace it eventually.

An organizer for nuts and bolts and screws, just the way my Papa used to label and store. And an empty red metal tool box.

I’m not sure what we’ll do with this metal magazine rack table but it could benefit from a fresh coat of paint, too.

This handy little cart will be nice in my office or to store toys in the playroom. I’m hoping to find a minty seafoam green like this cart from IKEA.

I was super excited about this tin Marx toys dollhouse and I probably overpaid for it a little bit. It’s missing one wall (on the second story between the master bedroom and the terrace). If you look closely, you may notice I have a couple of the first story walls in upside down.

2 Comments | Art, Art: mcm thrift store find, Art: mid-century design | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt

Cincinnati Trip – April 2012

05/02/2012

It keeps happening. I intend to document an event, a trip, a visit with friends and I come home with a camera full of pictures of my daughter. I don’t know how it happens…

A couple weeks ago we took a weekend trip up to Cincinnati to visit our dear friends Sean and Renata and their kiddos. It was rainy and cold on Saturday so we went to the aquarium.

They don’t allow strollers in the aquarium. I thought that was the dumbest thing until I realized how packed it was in there. It was hard enough just to move around all of the standing people. Our very heavy little girl needed to take a nap anyway, and Daddy’s shoulder is the perfect spot.

I call Precious Ali-gator all the time as nickname for her real name (does that make any sense?) so I thought it was pretty awesome to get a picture of the gator under a Gator Alley sign.

She’s not really anything like an alligator. This guy was massive!

There was a trippy and very relaxing room full of neon lights and various kinds of jelly fish. I could have watched them for hours.

We caught a brief penguin show, too. This sweet family will be welcoming a new baby boy on Precious’ birthday in July!

Precious is a wonderful traveler. Look, all she needs is a shoe to chew on…

Sean and Renata have a beautiful, comfortable mid-century modern home. We love visiting them!

We even worked in a little time for antique store browsing this trip. We didn’t come home with anything but I enjoyed seeing these Curtis Jeré (real and/or imitation) metal wall sculptures.

I might regret that we didn’t buy this to put on our yet-to-exist fireplace.

1 Comment | Art, Art: mcm thrift store find, Art: mid-century design, Family, Family: Extended Family and Friends | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt

Heads Up

03/27/2012

Since there weren’t any good estate sales posted this weekend, Jason and I stopped by a few of our favorite vintage stores. We bought a headboard and a footboard. Sadly, no side beams so we’ll be on the look out for something that will work, or we’ll just build a frame. We’ve been searching for a queen size MCM bed frame for a while. They’re pretty hard to come by. A whole matching bedroom set? Even more rare unless you’re willing to pay a lot. And we’re not. We got this set for $45. Now we’ll be hunting for walnut nightstands to match and perhaps a chest of drawers, too. (This guy will move into one of the kid’s rooms in the new house.)

It’s definitely mid-century style and looks like walnut veneer, though there is no maker mark on it. It was a bit tricky to photograph because it was rainy on Saturday but here it is. I’ll get some better photos once we have it assembled into a bed, which honestly may not happen until we move into our yet-to-be-built house. The unmade bed and green carpet I’m attempting to blur out is our room at my parents’ house where we’re staying until then.

Also at Pre to Post Modern, where we found the bed, I spotted these roller skates and I had a moment. I used to have a pair just like this when I was little! I remember learning to skate in our unfinished basement, making laps around and around the staircase. Man, I wish these had been my size…

I took this photo for a friend who was looking for a retro yellow dining table. Turns out they already found one. If anyone in Nashville is looking for one, this was around $265 at Pre to Post Modern.

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

Mid-Century Sectional Sofa

03/19/2012

Jason and I got a tip from my co-worker about an estate sale in a 1960s ranch. We went on Saturday when everything was half off and I was surprised to see that the couch I had spotted in the online preview was still sitting in the living room.

The sofa was covered with junk but we loved the shape and decided to go for it. It was marked $200 so we got it for $100. It was set up in the living room as a straight couch without the rounded corner piece, and we might end up using it that way in our new house. It’s in desperate need of new upholstery and new foam for the seat cushions which were…crunchy, dry-rotted. Gross. One end of the sofa doesn’t have an arm rest, like a chaise, which is pretty sweet. We set it up in the loading bay of our storage facility for a quick photo shoot before we packed it away.

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

Eames: The Architect and the Painter

03/14/2012

Source: theimpossiblecool.tumblr.com via Yada on Pinterest

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Jason and I just finished watching Eames: The Architect and the Painter on Netflix, and it was totally inspiring. What I love most about the husband and wife duo of Charles and Ray Eames  is that they never limited their creative interests and business endeavors to just one field. Charles was trained as an architect though he never graduated from college or got a license. Ray was trained as a painter but never made her living that way. Together they took on the challenge of creating an ergonomic chair made of bent plywood—completely innovative in their day.

Source: google.com via Veronica on Pinterest

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From there, they went on to produce tons of furniture designs out of their studio in California with a team of designers working for them. But the couple also dabbled in film production and toy making. Everything they did was as a team. I loved seeing the letters they sent back and forth while they were separated for work, each updating the other on progress at the studio, what shops to visit in Paris, where to buy shoes, where to get a great deal on perfume—complete with whimsical drawings and love notes. It reminds me a lot of the kind of texts, emails and phone calls Jason and I exchange throughout the day. What a cool couple (minus the whole infidelity thing…eh hem), pictured below in the home they designed together.

Source: Uploaded by user via Stephanie on Pinterest

1 Comment | Art, Art: interior design, Art: mid-century design, Art: modern design | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt

Retro Appliances

03/13/2012

I saw this article about red refrigerators on Retro Renovation and it got me thinking… would I ever put a colored fridge in my kitchen? Red is my least favorite color but I started looking at Pam’s links and imagining the possibilities. Maybe a minty green refrigerator?

Or a sky blue?

What about a white vintage style? White would be kind of sexy alongside glossy white cabinets, dark countertops and other stainless appliances.

I have a feeling we’ll end up with stainless but it’s fun to dream. (The above models are around $3500. Yikes!) Here are some inspiring photos:

Source: bigchill.com via Martina on Pinterest

Source: bigchill.com via Martina on Pinterest

Source: bigchill.com via Martina on Pinterest

3 Comments | Art, Art: interior design, Art: mid-century design, Art: modern design, Art: new home build | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt

Mushroom Shakers

02/27/2012

Look what Jason brought me back from his journeys around the country—thrifted vintage salt and pepper shakers shaped like mushrooms. And they’re green! Carved on the bottom is “Pat ’76.” There is nothing in the photo for a good size references; they’re about 5 inches tall. I love them.

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Posted by mahlbrandt

Front Elevation Photoshop Mock Up

02/23/2012

We’re waiting for our architect to finish up the construction documents so we can find the perfect contractor and get started on our new house. In the meantime, I decided I’d take Ryan’s front elevation drawing into Photoshop and have some fun with it. I used a photo of the property from October (when the trees had leaves) and then added colors, textures and landscaping.

I don’t know how accurate this mock up will end up being but it sure does get Jason and me excited!

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Posted by mahlbrandt

Phone Photo Friday

02/10/2012

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Posted by mahlbrandt

Phone Photo Friday

02/03/2012

I work with a fun bunch of people. But you wouldn’t necessarily know it since we’re generally over-worked and grumpy. Every now and then, though, our boss pushes us into some forced fun. He returned from the annual general managers meeting at corporate glowing with pride and stack of awards for our office. Following our year in review meeting, we all carpooled over to the bowling alley to celebrate a fabulous 2011. The only catch—it was right smack in the middle of my deadline time at work, when I have the perfect storm of three magazines due within 2 weeks. I debated whether or not to go but ultimately decided that free food was worth an extra long lunch break. Besides I would be coming in early and working late either way. Turns out knocking things down with a big heavy ball is great for stress relief. Plus it’s nice to get off the ole rolling chair and get a little exercise. I can’t say my day was healthy over all—I had pizza for lunch and dinner, two dr. peppers, a cup of tea and a cappuccino that day. My only redemption was a bowl of multi-grain Cheerios for breakfast. (Thanks Mom!) All in all, though, hitting the bowling alley with my co-workers made a crappy day into a good day. Bonus: check out this vintage bowling alley sign. Isn’t it gorgeous?

1 Comment | Art, Art: mid-century design, Art: Phone Photo Friday, Family, Family: Extended Family and Friends | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt

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