That Awkward Moment When You Realize The Brady Bunch House Actually Was Really Cool

I was born in the mid-1970's, so I grew up knowing the Brady Bunch, the way you know crayons and Tupperware. You don't question it, it just is. 

I knew the song, the characters...That House!

(further proof that I was tuned into home decor since I can remember...)

 In the 1980's, anything involving the 60's or 70's seemed foreign, gaudy, and just wrong. My instinct was to dislike the house. I really believed that house was the epitome of bad 60's style. I held that opinion until a few years ago when I fell down the Mad Men rabbit hole and embraced the entire Midcentury Modern aesthetic.

I'm sorry I mocked you, Brady Bunch house.

I watched A Single Man with the intention of drooling over Colin Firth, but the house pulled me in. I literally watched again and paused certain scenes, just to absorb the house. I included the images below, but do yourself a favor and just rent the movie. Even if you don't love the house or think Colin Firth is incredibly handsome (in which case, run, don't walk to the ER for a brain scan), the movie is excellent.

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(Hooked On Houses has a post dedicated to the movie and the house here.)

I discovered the Atomic Ranch publication and the Alcoa "Care Free" home...


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And so began my Midcentury voyage.

Now I see MCM everywhere. I don't know if it's truly more common, or if I'm just more aware of it, but when the home featured on an Oscar Meyer commercial is MCM, I have to believe it's more common.



Finally...a sneak peak at my sister's house in NY, built by her husband, a devotee of Frank Lloyd Wright. If they let me, I'll be writing a post on this beautiful home when I return to NY this summer.

And speaking of the Brady Bunch...three girls and a boy on my sister's side and four boys and a girl on her husband's side. That's one heck of a combined family.

Creating A Mood Board At Eco Chic

I Have Exciting News! 

Next week I will be working with a group at Eco Chic Boutique, teaching the art of creating a mood board. They will leave knowing how to collect ideas, identify and source the items they want, and work around existing design elements in the room. We will also discuss whether to buy new or use/update what they already have. Although, if you've had a chance to see the magic they make with furniture at Eco Chic, my vote is usually to re-use what you already have whenever possible. 

Don't be intimidated by virtual mood boards. Sometimes the best way to put together ideas is the old fashioned way: literally pinning images, fabrics, and paint swatches to a board. (We will cover that in class too!)

I couldn't be more excited! 

Before I learned how to create mood boards on-line, I collected inspirational pictures, usually torn from the pages of Pottery Barn, Country Living or BHG. I kept these clippings in a big binder, along with future craft projects, recipes, and fun family activities. That sounds so 2008! Now, like everyone else, I use Pinterest for all of those things. My beloved binder has a place in my craft room, but I no longer tear out pages or save stacks and stacks of magazines and catalogs. 

When I'm ready to begin work on a new room, whether in my own home or for a client, I always start with a mood board. It helps me think through the elements of the room, make sure I'm on the same page as the client, and devise a plan. Just having everything in one visual space helps me see what works and what doesn't.

Some are created for clients...

Some are for personal use, to keep me on track with my own home projects...

...and some are just for fun. I created the board below when my youngest niece went off to college. She was talking about her dorm room over the summer, which got me to thinking about my dream dorm room...

I can't wait to see what we create in this class!

Marathon Weekend

I have a to-do list that could wrap around the block. Many of the items to be done require some assistance from my hubby. But this weekend I'm giving him a free pass, because he finished his fifth marathon this morning. His only job is to put up his achy feet and relax. 

I don't know how he does it. I'm pretty sure my legs would snap off at the knee around mile 6. 

I'm pushing for marathon #6 in New Orleans!

Turquoise Chairs Plus The Next Project Teaser

I received a few questions about the chairs I refinished for the craft room, so here is a quick post with the details. 

I found them at Weivoda Carpet, a local carpet/flooring store that also sells a massive amount of furniture on consignment. I love going there and poking around; they always have something good. Incidentally, that's also where I found this dresser. 

Apparently the chairs came from a restaurant. They had at least 30 of them. I needed three chairs, all the same style, and easy on the wallet. These were $10 each. Seriously.

After removing the seat, I used one coat of this primer...

...and three light coats of this spray paint, which looks very seafoam green in this picture, but is actually a nice light turquoise color. (I need to acknowledge that my grandmother-the-English-teacher would be horrified by my run-on sentences and out right abuse of punctuation)

The material for the seats came from Modern Textiles via Eco Chic Boutique in Fargo. I set out with a floral or funky print in mind, but ended up with something altogether different. The room needed something solid and bold, with so many vintage fabrics and light colors, it needed some contrast. And I love the way they turned out.

I think that covers it.

The next project, for which I'm currently obsessively collecting inspiration, will be to update these chairs for the second time.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, ideas, or whatever chair dreams you envision on these babies. 

I Finally Got Around To Painting That Old Dresser

Since I finished the craft room, I've had time to focus on other (long past-due) projects. I need to get around to including those on this blog!

I brought this dresser home about a year ago. It's big, old, and heavy, but I do love it. In my opinion it represents the "ugly" turn furniture took in the 70's after consumers tired of the simplicity and clean lines of mid-century furniture. "Too much pretty stuff...we need to change it up," said the furniture designers.

Part of the gaudiness of the dresser was the hardware:

Uffda. That is not easy to look at. 

I labored over the decision of paint color, but ended up with white, leaving the top natural. I was inspired by the makeover below, from Perfectly Imperfect, with a similar style of dresser. 

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And here she is, with a fresh coat of paint and new hardware:

These simple drop pulls came from Hobby Lobby. $2.00 each!

 I decided to re-use this hardware, and love how it works with the new pulls. 

Anyone want to predict how long this plant will last in my house? One month, tops?

Linking this post with ...

Stick A Fork In This Craft Room

It's done. Want to see some pictures? 

I'm going to start with a pretty one first, then we will take a stroll down memory lane.

 

This is where I started. 

Actually, to be completely honest, this is the condition of my craft room after I'd made several failed attempts to get it in order. At one point, I could barely open the door because there was too much furniture in there. And crap - too much crap too. I would just shove it open far enough to throw something in, then slam it shut again. #hangsherheadinshame

I knew something had to be done, but I waited until I knew exactly what to do. I'm glad I did, because some of my earlier ideas wouldn't have made me as happy in the end. And they would have cost more money. I like to call that a lose-lose. And I try to avoid those.

 This is a closet that offers so very little in the way of function.

 Jason hooked me up with some shelves which I quickly filled with my hoard craft supplies and fabric.

 I may still paint or stain the cart. I couldn't decide on a color, which I've learned means that I need to wait until I'm sure.

 I'm not sure why I decided to stack the chairs 80's-pyramid-yearbook-photo style, but I did.

 The chairs were $10.00 each. And they were in need of...something. I gave them one coat of primer, three coats of spray paint and new fabric.

 Same with the shelves. They will remain unfinished until I decide between white or stain.

 I will eventually have to repaint the room, but it won't be anytime soon. 

 I think I have every swatch of paint I've ever used in every room of every house we've lived in. (that's seven houses, if you're counting)

 Ribbon storage

 Free art 1

 Free art 2 (Target place mat + glass & frame I already had + painted cardboard)

And this guy. This is my husband's birthday card, but his birthday isn't until September. Until then, he shall hang in the craft room. It's not like Jason ever goes in there, or reads this blog. He won't see it. But when he opens the card, I bet he'll have a sense of, "where have I seen this fox before...?"

 Paint is stored high on a shelf, where the kids can't help themselves. I've learned from experience.

 Maybe half of my yarn stash?

The official before & after:

 On to the next home project...