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| deb creates fine mid-century modern inspired art and design with a dab of atomic retro design added. An interesting line of prints, blenko and more for the 21st century modernist - you. |
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Every modern home needs a modern Modern Art Mobile!
retro fifties decor
Retro fifties decor? Mid Century Modern Art? Well, it sure looks pretty unassuming from the exterior.
Originally my sweet little (actually quite large!) Arizona home was no where near the Mid Century Modern Art home it has become today and doesn't show a clue that it might have elements of retro fifties decor inside. Here's what it looked like the day I first set eyes on it in Spring of 2006:
From Rainy Marin to MCM I was living in Marin County in California in a very nice 2300 sq ft contemporary home with 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, and a beautiful swimming pool, but I was longing to escape the months of cold drenching rain in the winter that Northern California is famous for, and I wanted something a bit more... customizable, something more Mid Century Modern, something with more of a Retro Fifties Decor. So I did what a lot of people do - I searched the internet! The MLS listings to be exact. One day this home popped up on my screen. It intrigued me. A few weeks later I was in Arizona looking at the property, and a month after that, I owned the property!
Technically this home is a ranch. All one story, with a soaring 16 foot ceiling in the living room and 11 foot ceiling in the master bedroom. And, technically, this is not a mid century modern marvel. It was not filled with retro fifties decor. But... I saw it's potential. With a total of 3,900 sq ft I knew this was MY HOME and I also KNEW it had the potential to become a masterpiece of Mid Century Modern Art! And I was right! This home captivated me like no other, and still does! It was almost like I could "see" the retro fifties decor elements in the house in the corner of my eye, I could feel it, breathe it, smell it. I knew I could transform this home into something very special. I am happy to leave the exterior front of the house alone. Let cars driving by think it's just one of the typical Arizona sand box homes. However, I should mention that it is not a clone of other homes, it is not like any other home in the neighborhood. This area was developed in the late 1980s before the "cookie cutter" style took hold (and NO HOA!!).
above left: red Eames plywood chair and a custom hanging art mobile.
Mid Century Modern Art Elements
Floors Doors & Sweat From The Pores I also picked out new ultra cool modern ceiling fans to replace the 1980s brass ones. This meant replacing 10 ceiling fans!
From Blah To Mod Kitchen!
Kitchen After:
Due to budget concerns, I did not replace the cabinets (the kitchen has a million cabinets and a $10,000 quote helped me make this decision). Instead I opted to do a faux paint job on them, which darkened them up. I also painted the "L" shaped sink area cabinets black, as well as tall side cabinets black (not shown). The faucet is Grohe K4 in stainless steel. Countertops are Corian pure white (I don't know about yo u, but to me granite is way too overdone and not very mid century modern looking). I added a splash of lime green (some would say chartreuse) for some bright cheery color. A Sonneman wall lamp shines over the telephone and a Sonneman "Handkerchief" light replaced a ceiling fan over the dining area (not shown). GE Profile appliances complete the room with modern functionality. I love glass mosaic tile, and decided to do a backsplash in monochromatic colors. We did this tile work ourselves, and I really love it.
The Modern Living Room
Next up, a fun task and the biggest endeavor of all: ripping out the horrible stained beige wall to wall carpet that ran throughout almost the entire house. I ripped with glee! I ripped and tore until no carpet remained. So where did that leave me? With bare raw concrete floors. YAY!! I loved it. Bare mid century modern art CONCRETE floors. But what to do with these wonderously industrial looking floors? Concrete stain? Hardwood? Epoxy? I love hardwood floors but really had my heart set on keeping them concrete. Considering the numerous cracks and other weirdness, I decided to paint the floors with epoxy. So the floors of my mid century modern art home became light gray (almo
st white)!
Concrete In The Raw
I think the almost white epoxy floor adds a real retro fifties decor look to the room. We ran into a snag with the floor when we discovered a stress line in the concrete, apparently put there on purpose when the house was built. It ran all the way from end to end in the living room, and we filled it with a rubbery material that will still allow the crack to "give" as things shift and settle. I was also told that most of the shifting and settling should already have happened by now. The house was built in 1987-1988.
The "after" pic! Quite a difference I'd say:
The Mood Studio
The amethyst 920 decanter shown above was purchased from Pachucos Cadaver s, a wonderful Blenko Glass dealer in New York. Great people, excellent inventory, and highly recommended!
My Blenko Inspired Artwork:     
Another shot of my living room, featuri ng some of my Mid Century Modern Art giclee canvas prints:
You can peer into the Blenko Lounge through the french doors:
Another view into the Blenko Lounge. The rugs are delightfully retro Couristan Recife Pathway outdoor rugs for durability in such a high traffic area that leads outdoors to the backyard.
I found these amazing shelving units at Ikea. The shelves seem to float, but they are very sturdy and secure. I wouldn't trust my Blenko Collection to them if they weren't!
As you can tell, I love Blenko Glass! Check out more of my collection and get some info on Blenko you might not know about! I also create very special giclee art prints of Blenko Glass catalog covers, and I also have a line of B
lenko inspired art in the works!
Library/Den
Vintage Vinyl LP Lounge
In closing... Please don't forget to check out my Mid Century Modern Art which is sure to liven up any room in your modern home with bright colors and wild shapes! Available in several sizes up to the very large and dramatic!. Feel free to contact me - I love hearing from you!
AtomicMobiles.com:     
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Here's a pic of the living room floor after the carpet was pulled. Oh what fun! This concrete slab had not seen the light of day since 1988. I took some "after" pics (below) - what a difference a couple coats of light gray epoxy makes! It is in keeping with elements of a super cool retro fifties decor!
I snarfed this to-die-for Mid Century Modern lamp at a local antique store yesterday. I love this lamp. It has the Retro Fifties Decor look I love, and then some! Danish Modern teak? 39 inches tall. I got it for a cool $67 and am happy as punch! It has a permanent home in the living room. I also have my eye on a couple Heywood-Wakefield end tables that I think this lamp would look incredible sitting on.