RUSSEL WRIGHT - AN AMAZING FIND!

Few things are more awesome than finding genuine mid century furniture at thrift stores! Unfortunately, this doesn't happen as much as I want, probably for various reasons -- for one, I think the "trendiness" of all things mid century (due in part to the popularity of shows like Mad Men) makes the inventory of anything from this era kind of scarce. This is less so in the suburbs where I live, where not many people are into the mid century look, but if you venture out to nearby cities like Sacramento or San Francisco it's pretty much impossible to find mid century things ... unless you're willing to pay a high price.

I'd never found anything by a great American designer like Russel Wright. Starting in the 1920s, Wright designed everything from dinnerware and kitchen gadgets to furniture! His home in Manitoga, New York is now a museum, and his dinner and kitchenware are still sold today. Here's a photo of Wright in his workshop:

I'm somewhat familiar with Russel Wright dishes and kitchenware, but I didn't know he designed furniture too. So the other day, when I spotted this adorable little side table at a thrift store, I bought it because I thought it looked kind of mid century and would fit well in our small living room.

When my husband later brought it home, I looked under the table and found the label "Conant Ball": 

So I googled Conant Ball, and found an image of my side table! And that photo link led me to discover that it was a piece of Russel Wright furniture! It dates from the mid or late 1950s. 

I was thrilled, to say the least, and set it up right away next to our sofa. This way, anyone entering the house will see its lovely geometric lines:

It's one of the most beautiful pieces of furniture we own. I wish I could find more items this wonderful, but I know that this day and age that's rare. Nevertheless, I'm so grateful that on this one occasion, I found such an amazing mid century treasure!

Hope I can find more like this ... keeping my fingers crossed!

MID-CENTURY MEMORIES: BERKELEY!

Hi friends! Sorry I've been kind of a.w.o.l. on this blog. A lot has been going on, mostly good (our son's 2nd birthday, a fun trip to Berkeley, California over Memorial Day weekend), but one not-so-good (root canal ... ugh) too. But now we're getting a little break before everything gets hectic again starting tomorrow (two children's birthday parties on one day). Thought I'd take some time to update a bit.

Our trip to Berkeley was just wonderful! I went to college there (Go Bears!), and we hadn't been back for a long time; also, my husband and son had never been there, so this seemed like the ideal time for a trip. The weather was near-perfect, and the following day was a holiday so we could relax after the long trip.

Berkeley is in many ways a little mid-century time capsule! It was, after all, one of the epicenters of the '60s  countercultural revolution, with the Free Speech movement of the early '60s that started at the UC Berkeley campus. To this day, it's a place where many hippie-type folks still get together and live their lives.

Here are some mid-century highlights from our trip. First, on the famous Telegraph Avenue, the quintessential hippie transport, a VW van!

And of course, Berkeley is full of tie-dye, lots and lots of tie-dye! It's a very popular print among both students and other Berkeley residents. These tees were being sold by a couple of street vendors:

On campus, the Golden Bear Cafe is a wonderful example of mid-century architecture, with its accordian-pleated roof detail:

But we saw one of the cutest mid century buildings at the end of our trip, a still-operating Foster's Freeze! We just had to stop here for some ice cream: 

 

All in all, we had one of the most memorable trips ever to Berkeley. Can't wait to go back!

MOTHER'S DAY!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms and caretakers of children out there!

I'm new to Mother's Day, having celebrated it only for three years now. But I love it! And I love celebrating all the mothers (both birth and like-a-mothers, including single dads!) I know, including my own mother.

This year, I found this adorable 1970s stoneware mug for her! I went crazy when I saw it because it was a perfect container for the pretty pair of earrings I also got her. They're wrapped in the tissue paper:

And here they are! She loves post earrings, so I got her this elegant and tastefully bling-y pair from Macy's:

I hope she'll love this little gift as much as we do. It was one of the cutest Mother's Day gifts I've ever found. 

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

Update: My mother loved the earrings and started wearing them the next day! Yay!
Hope you all enjoyed a fun and peaceful Mother's Day!

THE CREDENZA IN SPRINGTIME

Finding inspiration for mid century Springtime decor is almost impossible. I like to change up the arrangements on our t.v. credenza every season and for major holidays, but I'm pretty much on my own when it comes to ideas on how to do so.

But I put together some vintage lovely pieces that evoke both Springtime and Sri Lanka, and I'm very happy with the results!

First, the whole credenza, where the centerpiece is our beloved "atomic" table lamp:

Here's a close-up of  the arrangement on it:

On the right is my 1960s Ceylon tea tin. On the left, I chose the vintage tulip-shaped candlesticks because tulips are Spring flowers, but both the tin and the candlesticks are on vintage cowrie shell mats. Sri Lanka is a tropical island, and cowrie shells have been used in our traditional handicrafts throughout history. And the little turtle-shaped candleholder represents the "ibba" or the Indian Black Turtle (Melanochelys trijuga) found throughout Sri Lanka and other South Asian countries. 

I'll be putting these away soon, since the days are getting a lot warmer and soon it will be time for the summer arrangement -- stay tuned!

THE CHAIR

A few weeks ago we went to see the wonderful Ray Eames exhibit at the California Museum! If you live in the Sacramento area and haven't seen it, definitely go check it out -- it's so worth it! You can view the beautiful and iconic furniture designed by Ray and her husband Charles, and even sit on a couple of the chairs.

One of my favorite chairs is this one, the LCW chair:

I would love to get an original, but since they're so expensive that's not possible. However, I know that there are many wonderful copies that cost a lot less. I never thought I'd actually come across one.

Until one day, when I did a casual trip to our local Ross store. There, among the other chairs and small furniture pieces was this:

I couldn't believe my eyes! It was very well made too. It didn't have a label so I don't know the manufacturer, but it was just beautiful! As with everything at Ross, it was very affordable too. I came back later in the evening with my family, and we paid for the chair and brought it home. 

Our little son immediately took to the chair, and it's become his favorite! Here it is next to an authentic mid-century louvered nightstand I found at a local thrift store:

We feel sooo lucky to find such lovely furniture, and also to see their origins at our local museums! I love furniture with a history, and hope to find more.

WAYFAIR DERAN LAMP SHADE REVIEW

I just adore mid-century lamps, but the genuine article is very hard to find. You can get them on eBay and Etsy, but the good ones are often very expensive.

Over the years I've been really lucky to find some amazing mid-century table lamps and one floor lamp (a brass arc "spider" floor lamp that looks to be either from the '60s or '70s). My latest find is a wonderful slimline Atomic Age lamp with a groovy stone base! I almost shouted out loud when I saw it at a thrift store for $14!

But it came with a hideous shade, so I spent weeks upon end looking online for a lampshade that was affordable but suitable. I finally found a good deal on Wayfair.com: their "Deran hard back linen drum shade."  The height, at 17 inches, was good (the original shade was also quite tall), as was the price, since similar shades cost upwards of $90 on specialty websites. Plus, you can get the same shade for slightly cheaper on Wayfair's eBay site!

However, there were some major flaws in the online descriptions of the shade. The Wayfair.com site gives the wrong height for the "15'" shade, while the eBay site gives the correct, taller height. Plus, the color swatch photo is impossible to read and lists only a handful of the many colors listed, so you can really only guess what the colors are! If these glaring errors were corrected, this would be a much more worthwhile product to find. 

I took a chance and ordered the "Champagne" color shade, and this is what it looked like on my lamp:

  

A nice cream color, though I would have preferred it to be a bit darker. However, this color gives a great light so I'm not complaining!

Depending on how your lamp looks, I would highly recommend getting an adjustable harp -- on my lamp the shade covered most of the beautiful stem, so I bought an adjustable harp from Target which raised the shade:  
  
Afterwards, it was just perfect!

Here are more details of our lamp, which is one of my all-time favorite mid-century finds:

So, all in all I would recommend this shade, but only if you don't mind taking a chance on the color. However, if you're looking for a shade to put on a vintage lamp, this is a great bet at a not-too-high price!

SPRING-Y THINGIES!

I'm one of those people who likes to decorate the house for different seasons.  For some reason I'm happiest when my surroundings reflect the changes in nature. 

I've been finding some lovely things for Spring at our local thrift stores. I'm planning on bringing them out only in springtime, so I won't clutter the house with too much stuff, lol! But I just love what I found:

 

The silk blossoms are from Joann's, but the pretty thrifted vintage stoneware vase felt like the perfect springtime container for them.

Next, I went nuts for this Spring wreath from our Cancer Society store's annual Spring sale! I was going to hang it outside but I think it's too delicate, so it will remain indoors:

But I still needed something to hang outside, to greet people at the front door, so I was delighted to find this metal sign! I was drawn to the ancient symbols of the eggs and how they signify new life in Spring

And to continue the egg symbolism, I couldn't resist this groovy Sixties-looking candle! It's my one Spring find that evokes the mid century era -- granted, more counterculture than swanky cocktail culture, but still fabulous!  ^_^

Do you decorate your home according to the season? Have you found anything suitable in your local thrift stores?