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Wednesday, July 31, 2013

In the store: MASH Studios

We will be adding the MASH Studios residential line of new modern furniture when we move into our permanent location in just a matter of days. The California-based company's LAX Series promotes calm and reductive living with its organic and minimalist aesthetic. The PCH Series is characterized by low, wide pieces supported by barely-there aluminum blades for a light, floating effect that creates just the right combination of bulk and minimalism.

The complete line will be on our website soon...just as soon as we get this move behind us.  In the meantime, here are some of my favorites:

LAX Series

LAX storage platform bed

LAX platform bed

LAX wall-mounted desk

LAX entertainment center

LAX dark coffee table

LAX dark low storage unit

LAX wall-mounted table

LAX 3X wall-mounted shelf


PCH Series

PCH credenza
PCH credenza

PCH credenza

PCH aluminum legs

PCH drawer close-up

PCH canopy bed

PCH platform bed

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Pottery purchases

Yesterday my daughter and I braved the searing Texas heat and horrific traffic conditions to drive 150 miles (241 km) to buy West German pottery we had seen on Craigslist. Our trip turned into a bumper-to-bumper nightmare of moving at a snail's pace and then stopping, until my daughter...who has even less patience than I do...left the freeway for roads less traveled.

As frustrating as the trip turned out to be, it yielded a mother lode of fat lava, the likes of which I've never been able to mine in one place before. It turned out that the seller and her husband had lived in Germany for two years and had apparently purchased every piece they ever ran across at a flea market, because what was shown in the Craigslist ad only represented the ones she was willing to part with. She was displaying what she considered "the good stuff" in her house, and her attic was full as well.

In spite of their castoff status, my daughter and I found several of the Craigslist pieces to be very nice indeed, and we brought  several bags full of pottery home with us. When I got them unpacked and began the identification process, I found it interesting, but not surprising, that I gravitated primarily to Scheurich pieces. The four pieces I had already bought for my small collection were all Scheurich, not because I searched for them by name, but because the glaze colors and textures produced by that company are very often more subdued and pleasing to my eye than some of the more brightly colored and more heavily textured examples that came out of other West German ceramic companies.

Here are the small pieces that followed me back to my house. (I'm giving the height in inches, but if you're interested in the height in centimeters, it is given following the "-" or "/" in the form number of the piece.)


Scheurich 284-15
6" tall

Scheurich 268-15
6" tall

Scheurich 275-20
8" tall

Scheurich 400-22
8 .5" tall

Scheurich 261-18
7" tall

U Keramik 1436-14
5.5" tall

But then there were the two big brothers that had to come home with us too...the floor vases, in all their massive glory.


Carstens 7652-45
18" tall

I haven't been able to identify the brown and orange piece below. It is marked "3250/50 Made in W. Germany" and has what appears to be an S or a Z hand-incised in the center of the base. I'm sure many of you are far more knowledgeable than I am about West German pottery, and I would appreciate any information you have about this floor vase. Although the colors in this piece are stunning,  it is a little more ornate than anything else I have in my house, so I will probably sell it.


3250/50
19.5" tall

My daughter made the trip for two pieces but only brought home the one shown below, which may or may not have originally been designed as a Christmas tree stand. I can't find a maker on it either, but it is marked N058 60 20. I found the exact item on eBay for 55 Euros ($73). She paid $10.


Vase? Ceramic Christmas tree stand?

The only bad news of the day concerned the bright yellow vase with grayish-brown at the top. It had two large, very visible cracks on either side of the neck, from its lip to the area where the yellow started. My daughter decided not to get it, but now I wish she had. She wanted it for her own personal use, not for resale, so I could easily have repaired it, like I did the Raymor lighter of yore.


The yellow vase that probably wasn't a lost cause...(sigh)

As for those of you who loved the red pendant light, it was really gorgeous, but I had no place in my house for it. I thought my daughter might like to hang it in the alcove of the main house over her dining table, but for some reason, she didn't seem as carried away with that idea as I was, so it stayed behind.

When we got home, my SIL thought we should have bought more. I have a feeling we may be sending her more money by PayPal and asking her to stash some things in her attic until we head that direction again. With any luck, it won't be long, because her home is only 20 miles off the route we often take on buying trips.

Monday, July 29, 2013

Garage-full-o'-German

You just never know what you're going to find on Craigslist.

I was in a fat lava mood, so I checked eBay and Etsy, but I didn't find anything priced so low I couldn't resist. On a whim, I looked on Craigslist, hoping to find an odd piece or two but not really expecting to find anything...and you won't believe what popped up.

Granted, the seller lives quite a distance away, but that's a small price to pay for this bonanza. The ad said that everything from mini vases to floor vases to pendant lamps are available...and nothing is priced over $40. Here are some pictures from the listing.














Sunday, July 28, 2013

Ouch Flower and Paravent featured on Houzz

Imagine my surprise when I opened my email yesterday to learn from Angela Flournoy, the Houzz contributor who wrote the article about my home, that a new article had just come out featuring Pippa of Ouch Flower and Kylie of Paravent...and included a photo of the beautiful macrame hanger Pippa sent me as a housewarming gift.

The author asked readers if they were ready for macrame to make a comeback or if they were afraid that letting one piece in the house would leave them wide open for a spider plant invasion. As of this writing, most were in favor of having pieces in their homes, while a vociferous few (some of whom admitted to being scarred for life by their mothers' macrame excesses in the 1970s) opted out.

Those of you who read my blog regularly know how much I love Pippa's macrame and Kylie's textile designs. As I said on Houzz, I think these two artists channel the spirits of Evelyn Ackerman, Dorothy Liebes, Mariska Karasz and Lucienne Day, whose wall hangings and textiles made history.

To those naysayers, I suggest giving one of these beautiful pieces a trial spin in their homes. They might be surprised what a happy spot it creates. I can never walk by my plant in its beautiful hanger without smiling. And, so far, there's not a spider plant in sight.


houzz.com

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Giveaway time again!

In his own inimitable fashion of coming up with giveaways so generous that you can't believe what you're reading, my SIL just announced the latest contest. This time, he's giving away this vintage black leather Barcelona chair and ottoman.




All you have to do is click the link and enter to win!!! You can share this link on your Facebook page once a day for more chances to win. You can also tweet this once a day for more chances to win. For every friend that enters, you get an extra chance to win.

We will reveal the winner on Saturday, August 10th. Seriously...what are you waiting for????!!! Good luck from all of us at mid2mod.

Enter here to win: http://bit.ly/16jVrBR

You also get an extra chance to win if you become (or already are) a follower of this blog, either with Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin'. All you have to do is comment below on this post, tell me that you just signed up as a new follower or already follow the blog, and once I see your name on either of the list of followers, I'll pass the information along to my SIL. (Buttons you can use to join are on the right hand side of this page.)

Here are just a few of the things he's given away in the  past:





Friday, July 26, 2013

Modern finds: Buddha and Ooma bowls

I love to mix vintage modern with new modern design. It's such a seamless match-up.

The latest addition to my list of things to buy are Buddha bowls. These functional and beautiful bowls are designed to fit into the palm of your hand and have a convenient hole for your thumb.

Although the color selection varies from store to store, I've seen them in tofu (white), olive, black bean (black), shitake (brown), aubergine, buttercream, Pacific (bright aqua blue), saltwater taffy (light turquoise), Moroccan (deep blue), Provence (dark cobalt), green curry (light) and snowpea (bright green). I want a set of four in tofu, but they would be fun to mix and match. The best selection of colors can be found at Flavour Design, but their price is $32, while most stores have them for $28.

I also found the divided Ooma bowl in the latest Uncommon Goods catalog. These are designed to rest on your hand, with your thumb on top. They would be so handy for parties or for having a few chips and your favorite dip in front of the flat screen. These bowls sell for $25.

And see how great they look with Russel Wright Iroquois Casual?


Buddha bowls
vivaterra.com

Sizes available
flavourdesign.com

Ooma bowls
uncommongoods.com

Ooma bowls
uncommongoods.com

Russel Wright Iroquois Casual
replacements.com

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Mid Century Wood Shop

If you're looking for cool, mid-century inspired outdoor furnishings, then look no more. Etsy seller Paul from Nevada City, California, has created some for his store Mid CenturyWood Shop that are guaranteed to fill the bill.

He builds what he calls "atomic age cultural artifacts" out of a number of woods, including reclaimed old growth redwood and reclaimed cedar, saying that he likes "repurposing old timber in a modern way." He takes his inspiration from 20th century furniture and architecture and creates something for everybody...from a plain $25 succulent planter to a $1675 Eames style Adirondack chair. (He also makes beautiful, unadorned redwood and cedar planter boxes for indoors or outside and is happy to take custom orders.)


Atomic Age planter box

Apollo Space Age raised trellis

Starburst trellis

Domino trellis

Rest Stop feeder

Brasilia feeder

Space Needle feeder

Diner feeder

Cliff May inspired birdhouse

Custom picnic table

Eames style Adirondack chair