One after another I keep learning about amazing women textile designers in postwar America and Europe. Today: Maija Isola, who designed textiles for Marimekko. She created “Unikko” in 1964. It was an immediate hit. It defined, and still defines, the Marimekko look. And, it’s still in production. In fact, online at the Marimekko store you can still buy the Unikko design in all sorts of products — including wallpaper, upholstery-width fabric, shower curtains, towels, placements, sheet sets, teapots, teacups — even socks and umbrellas! Marimekko also continues to sell a number of Isola’s other original designs. Hey, I have no problem buying from designers today, but… heck… so much of today’s modern designs seems completely derivative … so why not buy the originals? Read on for more about Maiji Isola…
Shameless self promotion: My favorite retro decorating and history books
I keep the blogging boat afloat with the google ads, the MidCentury Marketplace vendors, a little bit of ebay ca-ching, and Pamazon book favorites. Yes, I receive a small commission anytime you buy anything (retro or not) from Amazon after clicking in through any link on my Pamazon page. Hey, it all adds up to pay some of the bills. These books are all on my shelf, with the exception of Tiki Modern, and I am told that it’s a classic. My favorite recent finds were Where We Lived by Jack Larkin and America’s Kitchens by Nancy Carlisle. I started out a decorator, but the blog has also turned me into a home historian. I’ve found that no single era or development within it can be explained without understanding the tentacles that came before. Hey, I wonder how Adam and Eve did their kitchen…. Click here to check out my favorite books available from Pamazon. Thanks for your support.
Can you leave your metal kitchen cabinets unpainted – stripped down to the steel or with a clear gloss?
This question — about whether you can strip your steel kitchen cabinets and leave them unpainted — has now come up a couple of times, so I thought I better post it. I solicited a proposed answer from my favorite go-to guy, Palm Spring Stephan… And, to finish the story, the writer/reader ignored his thoughts and, like a good reporter, kept searching for a solution — until she found it! Kathryn Janicek, a renovator from Chicago, wrote: Heck yeah there is more →
How to paint your own shuffleboard
After Dave and Sarah installed their basement shuffleboard using Armstrong’s kit, I heard from Guy — whose time-capsule home has been featured on the blog — that he recently painted a shuffleboard on his concrete basement floor. I am so inspired! Read on to learn how he did it, step-by-step: Heck yeah there is more →
Vintage shuffleboard collectibles
Today’s history lesson: St. Petersburg, Fla., was and is the shuffleboard capital of the world. Disclosure: Anything that you buy — from these ebay carousels or otherwise – when you click into ebay
Brutalist design furniture
Mr. Modtomic left a nice comment yesterday, so I went to take a look at his blog, too. And what did I see but a Lane “Brutalist” bedroom set “in the style of Paul Evans” that Mr. Modtomic spotted at the Salvation Army for $249.99. I think… this brutalist stuff is a big deal. As I have said many times before but perhaps still not often enough, I am not a Ph.D. interior designer or historian and most certainly not a DIY-er … I am an obsessed writer-decorating-homebody-sweet-on-the-small-stuff woman in love with all things mid-mod especially all the back stories. The why-why-why-why-why. One of the main joys of the blog is the continuous journey of discovery. And now: I have discovered the world of brutalism, thanks to Mr. M. Heck yeah there is more →
Mid century modern lattice from Acurio Latticeworks
After I wrote about Lynne and her vintage room divider, I got to poking around the internet looking for companies that made decorative panels that might be appropriate for mid century modern homes… and found my way to this company, Acurio Latticeworks, which has an intriguing product. Heck yeah there is more →
3 retro laminates from Arborite: including a substitute for red crackle ice
When folks move into new/old 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s or 1970s homes, it seems like one of the biggest and most common needs is to update materials in the kitchen that are on their last legs. In general, if you have a laminate countertop that is in good shape, I’d say: Keep it. Or at least, live with it a year. I’ve heard lots of feedback, and seen examples, of old countertops that are stunning — and, they really seem to be better made than what’s available today. But, if they’re wrecked and have to go… or, if you inherited a more modern kitchen and want to back-date it (“back date” = “Retro Renovation”) then I am always on the look out for laminates on the the market that have an appropriate, retro vibe. Today: 3 possibilities I spotted from Arborite. Heck yeah there is more →
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