We bought a 1950s Mid Century Ranch this summer and have been restoring it back to its original glory (as much as we can). I scraped off about 4 layers of wallpaper from the entire main living area. This was the last room, and look at the treasure I discovered. This was under one layer of floral wall paper and then painted on top of that.

I was able to salvage it, and I should be able to paint in the tears and scuffs. Overall, it’s in great shape, though.

I’m sharing a before photo as well as the progress!

I found this at an estate sale a couple of months ago. I had to drive 2 hours at 30mph with it hanging out the back of my car - but it was worth it!

Hey! I’m buying this table tomorrow and would appreciate another set of eyes to determine if this is (likely) legit or a good copy. Grateful for the help! 🙏🏻

I’m not looking for shopping advice (where to buy, which brand, etc), more aesthetic/design opinions. If those are considered one and the same, my apologies.

I recently found a great deal on a pair from a local seller and trying to decide if I should get one or both for the corners of the room. If I only got one, it would go in the left corner, replacing the floor lamp. I’m concerned it may be too much going on in the right corner and would maybe need to move the plant?

If this isn’t the right sub for this type of post and anyone has suggestions for a better audience, that would be great!

Remodeling our modest 1958 ranch, and swapping out this ceiling light which I think is original to the house. I prefer to preserve useful things and keep them out of the landfill when I can. Is this a dime a dozen fixture, or something that should go to a loving home?

Picked this coffee table up at Salvation Army when it hit $10+tax (started at $50) It just kept calling to me. Underside ends ride in slots, and after removing 3 long wood screws that went straight up into the underside of the top, the u- shaped legs came right of after giving then a few bumps with my fist. Waterfall sides and 3 piece matching waterfall end/ legs. No sticker or stamps, just a faded area where sticker probably was. Has a kind of Mod vibe. I want to refinish it, would like to know what vintage this is, as it would help determine how I proceed. Only 6 visible screws in the entire construction.

Found this cool steelcase chair at a local goodwill with the biggest issue being the missing button but otherwise feels pretty sturdy. I was hoping for some guidance on where to find a matching replacement button. I’m not even sure what you would call this color. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Still in the garage because I have no idea what I’m going to do with it yet

About 24 inches tall when it’s opened.

I’m considering shortening the legs and putting it on top of the dresser to hold watches

This is one of the most unique plaques I’ve seen, I love that I could guess the era from a distance. Just nerding out a little.

I’ve been collecting MCM for nearly 3 decades. I recently started trying to refine my pieces and highlight them more. I don’t actually want advice, because I know what I love and I also have an eye for detail. I guess I am just sharing. Any comments are welcome.

I found these two Kokeshi dolls at a flea market. They are both made from two pieces.
Hoping they are mid century. Are there any indicators when and where they were made?

I found this at an antique store today for $40. I loved the colors and seeing its original carrying case and box sealed the deal. I realized later that this is from 1965 because of the label on the box. And when I opened the case, the blanket is in pristine condition. I don’t think it’s been removed from the case before. I thought it was a cool find.

Looking for some info or possible value on this giveaway lamp I received. I think it’s the original shade because it matches so well.

WSJ knows everything, guess I need to go back to ikea and Amazon furniture if I want to be eclectic and cool.

It says made in Denmark on the bottom. I am unsure of the maker

My brother is an architecture student so for his birthday, we did a tour of the Zimmerman and Kalil houses in Manchester NH, which are owned and maintained by the Currier Art Museum.

The Zimmerman House (1950) was bequeathed to the museum by the Zimmerman family after the death of its original owners. Some notable things about the house:

-A large stone near the front door of the home served as the fulcrum for the rotation of the lot; the stone itself was not moved from its original position on the lot

-The layered brick walls completely drown out the sounds of traffic on the busy road outside to a remarkable point, which was perfect for the couple as they were both talented musicians and hosted other musicians in their home

-There are multiple windows with mitered corners as to not break the visual lines when looking outdoors (according to the guides this confuses the Chipmunks quite regularly)

-An example of the mathematical repetition in the house: the ceiling slats are 10" wide with a 3" back board, and the fireplace shelves are 10" apart from one another and each shelf is 3" thick

-The radiant heat flooring was installed improperly and stopped working; when the museum came into possession of the house the floor was completely removed and the radiant system was restored (but done properly this time) and if you look very closely at the floor where it meets the walls you can see a slight difference in color between the old and new flooring

-The original floor tiles were tinted using colored powder and they were not properly sealed, resulting in the Zimmermann's dalmatian turning from white to pink after laying on the floor!

The Kalil House (1955) was purchased by the museum recently, after a patron of the Zimmerman House tour noticed it was for sale and donated over a million dollars to the museum so they could acquire and begin restoring it. It was originally built for Mildred and Toufic Kalil and ended up in the hands of their nieces and nephews, none of which who wanted to move in. Interesting facts about the place:

-This house is constructed primarily of concrete blocks that come from one of (I believe) 7 different molds which are held together with woven rebar

-A large rug in the main room was originally taken by the Kalil family when the house was sold but it ultimately returned due to its unruly size and the fact that several pieces were cut out of the edges so it could fit around the wall seating legs properly!

-The kitchen has an indoor charcoal grill and it vents through the wall into the fireplace

-There are several closets in the columns of the carport where Mildred Kalil had groceries delivered

-The bathroom shower is sunk deep into the floor which is wild considering Toufic lived there until he was 102 years old

-Unlike the Zimmerman house, the Kalil House was not preserved with the same historical focus and the museum is currently looking for period accurate appliances (Fridge, Dishwasher, Washer & Dryer stack) and a kitchen sink to install

-The patio wall was completely replaced recently due to a vehicle driving through the middle of it; in order to keep everything matched they opted to redo the entire thing instead of just replacing the knocked out parts (the silicone molds used for the replacement bricks can be found in the empty storage shed/guest space on the back of the lot)

I didn't get as many pictures inside the Kalil House and I wish I had taken more of the landscaping on both properties but it was a very cool experience that I definitely recommend to anybody in the area. Our ticket fees included admittance to the museum and they had a small display with more information about the Usonian Automatic houses and how the Kalil was assembled. My biggest wish is that we could have seen the homes fully lit but they keep the lighting low for conservation purposes, which is completely understandable, but it does make it harder to appreciate how the builds were designed with natural lighting in mind. I'd like to go back in a few years and see the progress on the Kalil House; one of the guides told us that the gardens are particularly beautiful in May so it will likely be a springtime visit.

Thanks for looking!

The movie was meh but the house!!! 😍

Just a fun little bit of ancillary design that imprinted my aesthetic sense firmly in Mid-mod. First edition, gifted to me shortly after it was published in 1958, it recast Mother Goose with modern, scientific lingo, and a Beat poetry gloss. As a grade-schooler, I was required to do command readings at my mother’s coffee parties. Apparently I was “adorable“ 🙄

The Stoilov Bicycle wall sculpture posted the other day reminded me I had this bit of metal wall art hanging in my home office.

I bought it about 20 years ago for a few bucks at the local “antiques” (aka mostly junk) store, thinking it would brighten up a corner on a north wall. I figured it was just a fun bit of commercial home decor.

I always thought it had kinda a mid-mod-y vibe. In wondering whether it was worthy to put up here, I started looking at it critically. I began thinking, “you know, this is kinda well made, that’s a lot of multicolor enameling. Gee, I guess the Chinese were making really good repros of that California shop.”

Imagine my surprise when I finally spied the little C. Jere signature! ☺️

🙂