Got It!

Okay, so many of you were rooting for me to get the black lacquer and brass credenza and dying to know if I bought it. Well . . .

I did! Here it is in my messy garage (sorry, the garage is always on the bottom of my list of things to clean). While it is not in pristine condition (it has a tiny chip and some scrapes), overall I think it just needs a good cleaning. Once again, what sold me . . .

These brass handles. And it is indeed Mastercraft. Here's the label on the back . . .

It actually has a slimmer profile than I originally thought which I also really like.

It's sitting in my garage because as I alluded to in my last post, it literally won't fit in my basement room until I move some stuff out. My husband likes it, so I may actually be keeping it. However, I would be willing to sell it for the right price (any 1st Dibs dealers are welcome to contact me for a price). I must tell you, it's probably a miracle it's as in good shape as it is. The shop I bought it from had it stacked under a bunch of frames, mirrors and junk when I returned, and watching them trying to get it out of the shop reminded me of an episode of hoarders . . . things were falling off shelves as they shoved it through a small doorway. Really, I wish I had taken photos but I thought that might be rude.

In other Mid-Century Modern news, I acquired this little beauty from Craigslist . . .

I have been wanting one of these Milo Baughman-style club chairs forever. I wish I had found a pair, but one will work nicely in the corner of my living room. Yes, it's in desperate need of recovering, and my husband has advised me to find a fabric ASAP because he can't look at this orange, yellow and green pattern for very long. 

Here it is from another angle.

I would go with a velvet fabric, but I have chocolate brown velvet slipper chairs in another part of the room. So, I was thinking maybe a linen or linen/cotton blend in a solid color or small-scale print. Anything too busy or too large would detract from the clean lines of the chair. Any thoughts? The other large furniture pieces in the room (sofa and slipper chairs) are very neutral so this might be the perfect opportunity to inject some color/personality.

And in more acquisition news, I hit up Target today to check out their new Missoni line. Did you go? I bought four Missoni items - two things for me and two for my daughter.

I got these Zigzag ballet flats. They're pretty cute and thought they could jazz up a simple winter outfit.

This gold zigzag sweater. The zigzags weren't so in your face and I liked how it was shot through with lurex threads. A little shine never hurts.

This little zigzag sweater mini-skirt for my daughter. 10 to 1, she'll hate it and want it returned.

And these cute rain boots for her. I almost got a pair for myself but decided to pass.

I didn't end up buying any of the Missoni home decor items (shocking, I know), but realized none of the pieces would've jibed with my aesthetic. Bummer. The Target I went to was very picked over by 8:40 a.m. I ran into ModFruGal while wandering around. She always has such great taste and had nabbed some goodies in her cart. When I tried to look online earlier, the Target site put me on a waitlist of sorts to get on the site because of all the traffic. When I did get on a lot of the stuff was already out of stock. Crazy.

I sound like a spendthrift, don't I? I think the wallet is going to be on serious lockdown for a while. Have you made any exciting purchases lately?

Source: Target

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

Next Design Capital: Nashville

Have you heard? Nashville is the next big thing in design. Oh yes. First off, there's this fabulous event coming soon . . . 

That's right, the Tag Sale I've been teasing all these weeks has finally been set. Mark your calendars and plan your road trips accordingly. This is a don't-miss sale with goods from some of the most savvy Nashville bloggers out there - Me, You and a Wiener, ModFruGal and SquirrelPearl/Acorn + Archer (oh, and me too). It will be in a parking lot (I know, fancy), so hopefully the weather will cooperate.

In other news, while watching HGTV last night (which I don't do very often, so excuse me if this is old news), I saw a preview of a "sneak peek" of a new show that will debut next year (I think) called Interiors, Inc. It was so brief, I couldn't tell much about it, like where it was based. My curiosity piqued, I, of course, looked for more information online. It turns out, it's set in Nashville! Oh yes, the new design mecca. After further investigation, I found out it follows the crew at Pierce & Co. on their decorating escapades around town. I used to stop in Pierce & Co. when my hair salon was next door (my stylist moved a while back so I don't drop in like I used to). Here's a clip from the show . . .

It's a very cool store (not sure why they feel the need to call it a gallery) with some interesting things - all a bit pricey. If memory serves, they carry Jonathan Adler, Oly Studios, Lee Industries and maybe Arteriors Home, among other lines. After doing a little further digging on owner Jonathan Pierce, I found out he used to be a Christian Music artist (there are a lot of those around Nashville because it is Music City and all), then decided to open his design business about 10 years ago. As you might expect, he has some connections and thus some bigwig clients.

So, the sneak preview premieres tonight at 10/9, Central on HGTV right after Design Star (yikes). I'll be tuning in if nothing else to see my city featured.

Hope everyone has enjoyed a wonderful Labor Day weekend!


Sources: HGTV, Pierce & Co., Wikipedia