Mid-Century Modern Fantasy

If you've read this blog more than once, you know of my love for all things Chinoiserie. But what you may not know is that I harbor other obsessions as well. These seething feelings bubble to the surface from time to time. One such love is for Mid-Century Modern pieces. Lately, I keep stumbling across them. (Stumbling? Does that make me sound like a drunk?)

 

First off, there's this black lacquer and brass credenza . . . 

Excuse my iPhone photo. There was absolutely no light in this shop. I truly stumbled upon it.

I found it in a junk shop. Its brass details, especially the pulls, had me all excited. Here's a close-up:

Yum.

As always, I went home excited about my find and promptly searched for a similar piece on 1st Dibs. What did I find?

Its twin - Mastercraft circa the 1970's. The listing advised "contact dealer" for pricing information, so, out of curiosity, I did. They emailed me back . . . $16,000. What??? Um, must run back and get this immediately. Just need a truck.

Some other mid-century pieces I've found on Craiglist include this table and chairs.

I really just want the chairs . . .

Very Milo Baughman. I know the upholstery is hideous, but I think they'd be stunning with some new fabric. Don't they look just like the ones Sherry from Design Indulgence just traded her friend Ally for and put in her entry?

So, what would I do with these pieces, you ask? Well, we have a basement room that is currently a glorified closet. It's long and narrow with no windows - it resembles a bowling alley. The people who lived here before us used it as a very small media room. I'm starting to see that might be a good way to go. However, there's a lot of work to do down there (specifically, it needs new carpet), so right now I can only dream of a new space. Since my husband has started his "Fantasy Football" league, I figured I could come up with my "Fantasy Basement Room Re-Do" moodboard.

My design direction? Emerald green or malachite. The room is already dark, why not embrace that and make it a jewel box of sorts? Here are some inspiration photos . . .

Source: lonnymag.com via Kathy on Pinterest

Source: housebeautiful.com via Kathy on Pinterest

Source: mattersofstyleblog.com via Kathy on Pinterest

And here's my mood board for my "Mid-Century Modern Jewel Box" . . .

You can click on the photo to magnify. I couldn't get this to fit any other way.

Since this is a fantasy, some of the pieces are a little or totally out of my price range (like the Stark Antelope carpet - a girl can dream). Others are the aforementioned pieces or ones I've seen around town (the Chinoiserie daybed). I would recover the brass chairs in a lively colorful print, like the Quadrille/Alan Campbell Meloire Reverse fabric (another imaginary splurge). I've also included some art pieces I already have and some I don't (like the Franz Kline over the daybed). Since storage is always needed, some colorful shelves on either side of the daybed with brass library lamps round out the space. 

This really was such fun to think about. What can I say? I have a rich fantasy life.

Sources: 1st Dibs, Design Indulgence, Elle Decor, Quadrille, Stark, HSN, Pinterest

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Write by: AN - Friday, September 9, 2011