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Saturday, August 21, 2010

Mid-century Modern Lust

I can't get it out of my mind. The furniture. Oh, the furniture. Even though it totally wouldn't go with my house. For Pete's sake we live in a farmhouse-style house in the woods (Ha! Freudian slip there... I actually typed "weeds" rather than woods -- which is so, so appropriate this summer season. Our landscaping is a disaster. Weeds, weeds, weeds everywhere. Wouldn't you think having someone home full-time would make a difference in how housework and yardwork gets done?)...



What was I saying before I got so distracted? Oh, yeah. I can't get the furniture at D's out of my head. I'm seriously lusting after it -- even searching Craigslist for it -- though I know full well that it wouldn't go with our house. I like an ecclectic style and all, but it would really be a stretch to fit this chair in my living room and have it look right. But holy smokes it's comfy, and so stylish. Lust.

And then there's the pedestal coffee table that's surrounded by the cutest little pedestal stools. It's the "puzzle table" because it's the perfect place to do a puzzle. No hard corners to jab you in the side as you're reaching over to grab a piece that you need. No table legs to smack your legs on as your reaching. I can TOTALLY see this fitting into the lower level in front of my IKEA bookcases. I could put together puzzles to my hearts content. I even have a french door right there --so the light would be similar to the setup that D has. Total lust.

And the little stools, did I mention the little stools? Four perfect little stools surround the puzzle table. Just the right height for my 5'0 tall self. Perfect.


Of course, at D's this ensemble rests on top of a mamoth shaggy hooked rug -- and I wouldn't go there -- but the rest of it. J'adore. Yo quiero. Please.

I fell in love with another mid-century item in college. My freshman dorm was based on a concept of 6 rooms clustered around a shared lounge area -- called "clusters" -- and Dykstra Hall was stocked with Herman Miller furniture (donated, I'm sure, since it's in the hometown of the Herman Miller empire). We had Eames Aluminum Group chairs that we oh-so-comfy. They were in a very unfortunate color of bright orange a shade -- which may have been all the rage about 20 years before I got there -- but you couldn't see the color when you were cradled in it's comfort. Maybe if I got it in tan I could sneak it in somewhere?


One thing I wouldn't want from my college dorm rooms' "cluster" would be the odd conglomeration of pieces that made up a sectional of shorts when pushed together. These pieces were an unfortunate shade of brilliant lime green, and we had three pieces that formed an outside curve (which looked quite odd when pushed against a flat cinder-block wall). It was a cluster all right.And when you combine that and the orange chairs with the darker-but-still-bright-green-scratchy-polyester fabric Chicklet loveseat? Oy!

Of course I didn't take any pictures of the room, so I can't show you exactly how invigorating the color scheme was. These pics don't do the color scheme justice -- they're just too, too tame. But interesting, don't you think? Don't get me wrong, I don't want either of the sofas. Just the chair.

And the puzzle table and stools.

And the mesh chair.

None in orange. ;)