Retro going, going, gone
Tue, 1 Jun 2010
At last dear readers we turn the final pages of Storage, A House and Garden Book, Melinda Davis, Pantheon Books, New York, 1978. I'm sad to be finished. It was an interesting look at retro rooms that at times didn't appear all too retro. It just goes to show that good design is timeless (and bad design a giggle many years on). I would truly move into the first home in a heart beat and the second, the bedroom, is spot on for the latest rustic southern European look sweeping blogs and magazines. Even the vintage TV is a hot collector's item! There is the strangest fireplace after the jump that has me shaking my head. I think it's the gold leaf ceiling and I think I like it! So retro lovers and loathers which ones push your buttons?
Reader Comments (15)
I am totally in love with that second picture of the bedroom! It looks like it's in the foundations of a five hundred year old castle! Amazing!
That fireplace rocks!
how to take the book? so high. or for deco purpose only?
wicker baskets make everything better. not! several of those rooms are fantastic though.
I love your retro posts. The only room here I couldn't abide is the bathroom. Too bright yellow in the morning makes me want to punch someone. Hmm, is that weird, or is that just me?
I love this, I have a circa 1978 townhouse...now I know what to avoid as I renovate!
These are all so different yet so awesome in their own ways. I love the book shelves. The drawers with seating on them. Gorgeous.
I remember those days so well, those leggy plants, the bentwood chairs and my least favorite, the basket as art on the wall. That fire pit thing reminds me of the movie "Sleeper" with Woody Allen & Diane Keaton, one of my favorites.
I actually sorta like the blue and orange kitchen.
The bentwood chairs with all the plants - I loved rooms like that in the 70s, and still do. When I look at them now they conjure up memories of good times, perhaps slightly accentuated by the addition of mind-altering substances (hey - it was the 70s!), but happy and relaxed for sure.
That photo in particular also reminds me of the Family Ties house.
Thanks for sharing!!
xox,
Susan
We seem to have learned, over the years, to put books where they can be reached. Which is nice -- just in time for books to become semi-obsolete. Isn't that always the way? There are some colors of green that must be lost in the mists of time; the 8th picture up is a prime example. But we need to explore the possibilities of burnt orange and purple! A mysterious and strangely adult combination. And while the print and furniture of that gypsy caravan-looking room are horrible, I really, really like the idea behind the bad execution; I'd try it using Spanish furniture.
The only thing that that mod fireplace needs is to be surrounded by deep shag rug, rather than a rock floor. Yes, yes, I know. I don't care. Shag rug.
It's funny how some of those rooms are so on the button today. Love the clean lines, investment pieces and book shelves. Indoor plants rock but not in excess! Thanks for sharing :)
LOVE EVERYTHING!! Awesome!
Smiles,
Debra
www.endofthedaycrafting.etsy.com
yeah Sammy, you could imagine some of these in an interiors mag today, but some you can (thankfully) not imagine in an interiors mag today! Phew!
It's funny how so many of the rooms are only held back in the past by their textiles. Oregonbird, I'm totally with you on that gypsy library. & Priscilla, it isn't just you - that screaming yellow is clinically proven to incite madness.