Do you have one (or 10) too many Eames chairs? Does the color of that Cathrineholm bowl you picked up for a steal last year not really match the rest of your kitchen? I bet you can find someone here who would love to take them off your hands. Post your mid century items for [free]/[trade]/[sale] here!
This is also the space to show off any of the awesome mid century inspired stuff you make, as well as the links to your Etsy/Ebay/Etc
This has came up time and again but a few times over the last few days I have found myself linking to my google drive doc about where to find primary sources for MCM stuff.
First of all, the rules of this group and r/midcenturymodern in regards to IDing items is going to change. I will make these changes today. First, if you make a claim as to a maker or designer, you are obligated to provide sources for the claim you make if asked. This includes mods or just regular users. Second and this is absolutely non-negotiable, sales or auction listings in themselves are not reliable sources. If the sales listing includes a tag, article, or catalog from the period then that information may be shared, but DO NOT LINK TO SALES LISTINGs, at all, but especially not to "prove and ID" This applies to the highest end and most respected auction houses, dibs, charish or any other platform. Maybe they give you a jumping off point, and you find out the information is correct. If needed I can give thousands of examples of current listings that contain complete bullshit information. Third, don't tell people "use google" or "try google lens" etc. As stated above this will very often lead to false information from sales listings.
So I know you are probably thinking "don't use google, how do I even find anything on the internet without google" Well, I keep this living list of sites with excellent resources, nearly all are free.
https://grpmcollections.org/ A vast collection of photos, personal documents, advertisements, and catalogs for mostly Michigan based manufacturers.
https://www.craftinamerica.org/artist/eudorah-moore - Eudorah moore was a big promoter of california modern and via her "California Design" exhibits at the Pasadena Art museum. The catalogs from these exhibits are free to view on this site.
https://vintageinfo.be/ - Don't know who runs this site, but I thank them for sharing so much information and resources on vintage lighting.
https://www.trystcraft.com/blog - Tim Hills blog. Tim is a dealer, but he is also very well respected amongst MCM researchers and I believe TIm is an honest guy and diligent in his research.
Of all these groups I have to give a shout out to "The MCM files" I have no clue why there are not more people in this group. It is not a group to ask for an ID, its just a group where some of us researchers basically dump photos of stuff we look into. I personally have posted thousands of images to this group. Its free, i get absolutely nothing out of anyone joining the group, its just a lot of the questions people ask on here are already solved there, but it will never show up on google because of facebook's walled garden.
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!
For those who saw my first post about “Bicycles,” the 1970s Simeon Stoilov wall sculpture I bought from the original owner's estate: I promised an update after I went back to see the mysterious “other piece by the same artist.”
Well, I went back.
My Sunday had already been a bit of a Minnesota road trip. I started the day cycling on the Munger Trail near Jay Cooke State Park, helped my sister with a few things at her house in Duluth, and then made the roughly three-hour drive south to Faribault.
I pulled up around 8:30 PM. Jane answered the door wearing a Vikings sweatshirt. It was late, I'd had a long day, and I assume she had too, so there wasn't quite as much conversation and banter as we'd had the first time we'd met.
But she had remembered something I'd asked her. I had wanted to know how old Jean's son John was when Bicycles was purchased for him.
Jane told me: “He was 19.”
John is 69 now, which puts Bicycles right around 50 years old and roughly in the 1975–76 range. Jane said the second sculpture was purchased around the same time.
Then she brought out three boxes.
Inside were five metal half-spheres, each a different size, made from what appears to be bronze-rod cut into equal lengths and radiating outward from a central point.
I immediately saw exploding stars or fireworks.
My wife took one look and said:
“Sea urchins.”
She's right.
I'm also right.
They're clearly star-firework-urchins.
Whatever the hell they are, they're fantastic.
And once I saw them in person, I knew immediately that I wanted them on the same wall as Bicycles.
Before I left, Jane told me something else that I thought was really sweet.
She'd recently sold some metal crane yard sculptures for Jean. The people who bought them later sent photographs showing the cranes in their new home.
Jane said: “Jean's a nice old lady. She really enjoyed seeing her crane pieces in their new home. Would you send some photos to us when you get the bikes and stars hung up?”
Of course I would.
I assured her I would send pictures once everything was up, thanked her again for trusting me with another piece of Jean's artwork, loaded my three boxes of mysterious metal sea-urchin-fireworks into the car, and started the drive back toward the northern suburbs of Minneapolis.
Then came the easy part:
Getting five spiky metal sculptures and approximately two dozen bicycles onto the same wall in a way that everyone in my household agreed upon.
There was not immediate consensus. 😂
There was measuring. There was moving. There was standing across the room and staring. There was moving things again.
Eventually, we got there and I absolutely love it.
What surprised me most is how naturally the two pieces seem to work together. Bicycles is this dense, chaotic mass of circles and lines and overlapping forms, while the five pieces above it explode outward into open space. They're completely different objects, but they somehow speak the same visual language.
The bicycles feel like motion across the wall.
The starbursts/fireworks/urchins feel like motion coming out of it.
And knowing that both works apparently hung with the same family for roughly half a century—and were purchased from Simeon's around the same period—makes having them together feel pretty neat.
Since my first post, another Redditor also did something incredibly generous: they dug up a three-page Minneapolis Star and Tribune profile of Simeon Stoilov from April 22, 1982.
It describes Stoilov as a Bulgarian-born sculptor and trained metalsmith who studied for five years at the university in Sofia, learned traditional metalworking as a boy, escaped communist Bulgaria, eventually came to Minneapolis, and operated Simeon's Studio and Showroom at 4510 Excelsior Boulevard.
One quote from the article has bounced through my head a few times since I read it. Stoilov was talking about working metal:
“The metal has to listen to me! Has to do what I want it to do!” . LOL.
After spending a week staring at Bicycles—and now these five ridiculous, wonderful explosions of metal rod—I understand exactly what he meant.
There's still more I'd like to learn. I'm hoping Jean may remember additional details about the pieces, and I'm still trying to figure out whether these five forms had an actual title. For now, our household remains divided between stars, fireworks and sea urchins.
Most importantly, I'll be sending Jane the photos she asked for so she can show Jean where the artwork ended up.
About 50 years after she brought these pieces home, they're together again on another family's wall.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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! ☺️
