Post-construction saga: Closer, ever closer

This is the last tease. The very last. Well, except maybe for one of landscaping in progress...but I'll try my best to refrain. I know I'm a hopeless perfectionist, but I'm not going to have "big picture" photos taken till everything is just the way I want it.

And, trust me, that will be very soon. The countertops are in, plumbing is hooked up, and the cedar porch overhang has been built. All that's left to do is some digging, some planting and some mulching.

Cedar porch overhang just begging for hanging plants

In spite of a recent cold snap, the trees are turning green.

Hardware is on, appliances are in and countertop is installed.

Faucets are hooked up, in the kitchen...

...and in the bathroom

I'll end with a completely gratuitous shot of Grandson #2, my curlytop.

In the store: Chairs, chairs, chairs...and a couple of tables

I've been so busy moving that I've neglected the store a little. In my absence (mentally, if not physically), things have not been standing still, not by a long shot. It seems that chairs have been in abundance, with an occasional table or two popping up. Take a look:

Recliner by Milo Baughman for James
Sold before we could even get it posted!

As pretty open as closed...

Erik Kirkegaard chairs

Niels O. Møller chairs

Erik Buck style chairs

Mahogany side tables by Edward Wormley for Dunbar

PS: Sorry this originally had no photos. What with visits by Grandson #1's teacher and the plumber, I got sidetracked, and an incomplete post that I thought I had plenty of time to finish went live automatically.

Post-construction saga: Trading one mess for another

I'm all moved in, and I almost have my new modernist nest decorated. The cedar overhang/porch cover will be built in the next few days, as soon as a special order of lumber comes in. Countertops will be installed on Friday, which will allow me to get the kitchen and bathroom in order. Right now, they're in an unbelievable state of disarray.

However, both rooms are downright tidy compared with our driveway, which is covered with all manner of detritus from the big move. What you see below is the last of it. My SIL is on his way home from Dallas (where he has been looking at possible new locations for the store) so we can take one last trailerload of boxes and trash to the solid waste drop-off, better known in these parts as "the dump."

Pile of leftover construction material

Overflowing trash bins

The last of many boxes...but I do have an orange door!
This was the spot where most of the construction trash was piled,
so the grass is gone,and the dirt is packed rock hard.
Landscaping will start soon.

Three or four previous loads made a pretty good dent in the trash we generated, along with numerous trips to the curb with some pretty fantastic non-trash items that we simply didn't have room for. You know you're exhausted from a move...in this case, two household moves simultaneously...when you don't have the wherewithal to list things on Craigslist and just keep saying to each other, "Put it on the curb."

I imagine we made quite a few "curb thrifters" happy this past week, since here are a few of the things they were able to pick up, absolutely gratis:

• a Carter Brothers scoop chair
• a pair of mid-century nightstands
• a Joe Colombo Boby art cart
• a ton of practically new Crate and Barrel throw pillows (color change!)
• a very large triple eyeball floor lamp (In our state of fatigue, rewiring it just seemed too daunting.)
• several sets of new and vintage glassware, including about 32 pieces of green Anchor Hocking Soreno
• an easel and wooden artbox full of oil paints and brushes
• numerous framed prints, including some really nice lithographs
• a Drexel Profile dining chair
• two chairs, a chaise and a table from a Woodard wrought iron patio set (I kept two chairs and some stacking tables.)

We had simply reached that numbed-out delirium that comes when you've carried so many boxes that your feet and back don't even hurt anymore, because your brain is too tired to process the messages from your screaming muscles and nerve endings. That's when stuff starts going to the curb.

After a little rest, there are a couple of pieces I could kick myself for throwing away, but I really didn't have room for them, and I'm sure several people whose mid-century blogs I haven't found yet are posting as we speak about the unbelievable curb treasures they scored. It feels nice to make somebody happy!

I promise to quit teasing soon...um, as soon as there aren't empty fast food bags, mops and various cleaning products and dirty laundry sitting around. Till then, here are a few snippets of what's happening inside.

Over the sofa

Beside the front door

Another corner of the living room

A peek at the bedroom

The first arrangement of the built-ins...before any editing has been done

The Singing Fish

Kylie from Lucy Violet Vintage wanted to know more about the print in my recent post about the gifts my daughter and SIL gave me for my new apartment.

It's The Singing Fish by Joan Miró, and in that photo, it's leaning upside down against IKEA boxes. I'm happy to announce that it has found a new home in the bedroom my new modernist nest.

Yes, I'm finally moved in, 

and decorating has commenced!!!

Photos will be coming very soon, I promise. Just call me The Singing Dana, because I'm definitely doing a happy song and dance routine here as I unpack boxes. 

A peek inside a heartbeat

My daughter has a longtime friend named Jennifer Geyman who is an artist and a lover of things vintage. She currently has an Indiegogo campaign that is about to expire in a few hours.

Indiegogo is an international crowdfunding site where anyone can raise money for film, music, art, charity, small businesses, gaming and theater.

Her goal is to raise $2,200 to participate in an online educational program created by Marie Forleo to teach everything from profit clarity, website, communication and marketing for entrepreneurs looking to change the world. She plans to launch an online venture in the summer of 2013, the proceeds of which she will use for humanitarian projects.

She is currently preparing for an art show in Fort Worth and will showcase her Past Exploration body of work. This project focuses on family histories. In the video below, she explains her project, and you can see examples of her work. To see more, you can go to her website. If you would like to help her reach her goal, you can follow the Indiegogo link above to her campaign. (She is offering great perks for donations of $25 or more.)

In the store: Wegner, Vodder, Cadovius and more

Check out the latest additions to the store. We're really proud of this magnificent selection of vintage items, many of which were found in beautiful original condition and some of which have been completely restored.

Rare glass front sideboard by Hans Wegner for Ry Mobler

Teak credenza by Arne Vodder

5-bay Royal System wall unit by Poul Cadovius

Danish rocking chair

24-arm brass Sputnik light

***************

In the next few days, I will announce the next big store giveaway. Last year, my SIL gave away a beautiful gray wool Womb style chair and an authentic Noguchi Cyclone chair. This giveaway promises to be even better.

The winner will be chosen from people who have liked our Facebook page, with an extra chance to win if you're a Google follower of this blog.

It's easy to be a site member. In the Google Followers box to the right of this post, click on Join this site. Once you have set up a Google account, click Follow publicly, and you're done. If you're not already a member, now might be a good time to sign up. Then stay tuned for more details about the giveaway.

Mid2Mod giveaway

A couple of days ago, my SIL announced on our Facebook page that there would be a new giveaway soon. I know what he's planning to give away, and it will put his other giveaways to shame. That's saying a lot, since his past giveaways have included a Womb style chair and an authentic Noguchi Cyclone table.

As always, the winner will be chosen from people who click Like on the Facebook page (or who have already done so in the past). An extra chance will be given to people who are also Google followers of this blog. 

It's easy to be a site member. In the Google Followers box to the right of this post, click on Join this site. Once you have set up a Google account, click Follow publicly, and you're done. 

If you're not already a member, now might be a good time to sign up. Then stay tuned for more details about the giveaway.

Past Mid2Mod giveaway - April 2012

Past Mid2Mod giveaway - July 2012

What will it be this time?
Stay tuned. We'll announce it soon!

Bright spots and silver linings

If you've followed this blog for long, you probably know that I love the Easy Chair design by Ib Kofod-Larsen. Knowing how much I've dreamed of owning one, my SIL split the pair he had in the store and made sure my dream came true. (He's a keeper, I tell you!)

He also gave me a beautiful Italian vase, a Frankoma bowl and a huge art glass bowl that I've long admired. While I was loading up my goodies, my sweet daughter gave me two of her amazing Fabpats as a house warming gift. I was delighted and touched by their thoughtfulness.

The next time you see all these beautiful things, they will be in my new modernist nest. Till then, they reside in the temporary train wreck we call our home.

Yes, this is my life. Handbags stacked in the corner...because I sold the chest they were stored in. A box of extra lighting fixtures waiting to be sold/returned, topped by a steamer that needs to be used on our kitchen floor. (Toddlers are a lot messier day in and day out than they are when just staying with Grammo for a few hours.) Boxes of IKEA Expedit pieces waiting to be assembled. Disconnected cable box and Roku...because I sold the TV they were attached to. Bathroom lavatory in a box waiting for countertops. Displaced Eames rocker waiting for a new home. Pictures to be hung in the new apartment...and one to be sold without a frame, since it was knocked off the wall by a worker who was removing boxes of flooring from my bedroom.

Casting a glow over all this mess and giving me hope...my new Kofod-Larsen chair, Fabpats, bowls and vase.

Construction saga: End of the line

My construction saga is nearing an end. Baseboards and door trim went in yesterday, as did interior lighting. Floor molding will go in today. Painting of doors and trim starts today, exterior light fixtures, closet rod and shelves and the over-the-stove microwave are in the process of being hung, the shower will be grouted and the toilet will be set today or tomorrow. After that's done, all that's left to do is a little touch-up painting; then I move in and wait for countertops to be installed. As long as I have a toilet, a shower and a place for my bed, I can brush my teeth and cook in the house for a few more days. While I'm waiting for counters and sinks, the cedar overhang will be built outside, but I can be living in the apartment while that's done. I think I've reached the light at the end of the tunnel, and it's not an oncoming train!

This will be my last construction post before the big reveal, and even now, I'm only going to show you bits and pieces. Here's a visual checklist of what's finished:

Fans up? Check!

Lights up in the bathroom? Check!

And over the kitchen sink? Check!

And over the bar? Check!

Cabinets installed? Check!

Shower tiled and ready to grout? Check!

Heating and air conditioning installed? Check!

A place to charge my phone? Check!

Frosted glass in the windows? Check!

Floor down? Check!

Ready for exterior lights? Check!

Fence built and crepe myrtle ready to bloom? Check!

My retro pulls arrived yesterday, so they should be on the cabinet doors and drawers soon. I bought a recessed cabinet to hide the toilet brush and plunger, and a hole needs to be cut so it can be popped in. I also bought a birch medicine cabinet to match my bathroom vanity and put a plug inside so the electric toothbrush and such wouldn't sit out on the counter. That needs to be hung too. Just odds and ends left. I'm really getting excited!

Osvaldo Borsani

Osvaldo Borsani

Osvaldo Borsani (1911-1985) was an Italian architect and designer. He completed a degree at the Politecnico di Milan and became a furniture designer in the family business with his father, who was a well known furniture craftsman. The business was then known as Atelier Varedo but later changed names and became Arredamento Borsani.

In the 1940s and 1950s, he produced an extensive body of work, which included seating and case goods. In 1946, he designed an especially noteworty wall-mounted shelving system. In 1955 he formed a firm called Tecno with his twin brother Fulgencio.  As the name of the company might suggest, Tecno took a technology- and research-based approach to furniture design.

Some of Tecno's best known pieces are the P40 lounge chair, which featured rubber arms and had 486 different positions, and the D70, which was the sofa version. For 30 years, Osvaldo was the company's only designer. In the mid-80s Gae Aulenti and Norman Foster began to design for the company, which is known today for its innovative furniture for offices and public buildings.

From deconet.com

P40 lounge chair
1stdibs.com

D70 sofa
icollector.com

Wall unit
artfinding.com

Armchair
midcenturia.com

Curved sofa
1stdibs.com

Desk
liveauctioneers.com

Table
trovegallery.com

P32 chair
donshoemaker.com

Coat hook
etsy.com - windesign