Mid-Week, Mid-Century Round Up

Two headboards for $60!

Red table found here.

Pink vintage floor lamp.

Pop a top on a nice cold can of Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Saarinen-style table and tulip chairs.

The Tufted Headboard Saga...

Please bear with me, I'm still obsessed! I'll try to at least begin to branch out to upholstered headboards that aren't tufted...

Found here.
Found here.
Found here.
Found here.

Let's Learn about...G-Plan!

Helpful info here and here.

G-Plan is a UK line of furniture introduced in 1952 by Donald Gomme. The three main tenets of the G-Plan idea were: branding, constant range that people could by piece by piece, and contemporary style.

In the 1950s, furniture makers were all but anonymous. Gomme's advertising strategy soon had people asking for G-Plan by name -- something new in this era. In addition, the brand offered coordinated pieces for every room in the home, rather than the traditional idea of "suites". This way, people could buy a piece as they could afford it, rather than all at once. And the "constant range" meant that the furniture was a consistent style for the whole house, and one that did not change over the years as people were purchasing additional pieces.

Finally, the contemporary style of G-Plan was mass marketed to the people. This worked so well, that although people bought traditional furniture in the beginning of the decade, by the end of the '50s, most people bought contemporary.

G-Plan continued to be produced into the 1970s, and you can still find pieces on eBay and Craigslist. Austin folks, check out this and this.

The Tufted Headboard Saga...

If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
My Target tufted headboard arrived, and it was not champagne gold. The color on the box read "Aztec." Yuck.
I sent that bitch back.

Here's the thing. There are more tufted headboards this week than there were last week. These are definitely hot right now...these are going to be the new "foo dogs!" Part of me wants to resist this trend, but the thing is, I've not had a headboard in years. I'd like a more grown up bedroom. I'd like some curtains that didn't come from Ikea. Perhaps a faining couch would add a nice touch. While I'm at it, I'd like a Bose radio and ipod dock. Is that too much to ask?

Here's a taste of my room now. The walls are white and shall stay that way. The rugs are navy blue.



Here are the choices:

This one is my favorite color. Oh, how I wish it were tufted!



This one in navy. My rugs are navy. Curtains probably will be too. Is that too matchy matchy? I like the clean lines on this one.


This looks like one Sue Ellen Ewing might have. And if it's good enough for Sue Ellen, it's probably good enough for lil' ole me. Or do I want it in gray?

Come on you lurkers, give me some love!

Mid-Week Mid-Century Roundup

Vintage button-back chair, $100.

Yellow chair, $100.

1960s Broyhill dresser, $250.

His and hers retro striped chairs, $375.

Teak G-Plan dining set, $799.

Retro kitchen cabinet, $300.

Retro-luxe says: Pimp my Closet!

Retro-luxe friends,
Wouldn't you like to have a closet like any one of these? Elle decor closet found here.
Found here.
Found here.
Retro-luxe would! We've been pondering ways to make our closets more functional and multi-purpose. We'd love a closet that could serve as a shoe museum and an opium den. Only problem is, sharing a 6' x 7' closet with the hub doesn't really leave a lot of lounge space, much less room for a hookah or a wet bar...

Speaking of Room Service...

Jennie,
I love my lazy Susan. It is great for parties! It's a fashionable way to store chips, dips, olives, toothpicks, candy, pills, etc.
Speaking of Room Service...check out these lamps! They are so insanely wonderful, I may have to get them! They would look so good with my tufted headboard!

There's lots more here including a Brasilia dresser, some other awesome lamps and a stack of Better Homes and Gardens magazines. Swoon!

Poor Susan

Everyone calls her 'lazy', but as you can see from these gorgeous, hard-working examples, she's anything but! Serving up your party fare, chips, dip, and other condiments with ease, these Lazy Susans [all found on Etsy] are sure to add functional beauty to your tabletop.

Here.

Here.

Here.

Here.

Here.

Here.

[Meredith, next time you're at Room Service, check if that orange one I saw that time is still there. I doubt it is, but I want it! Thanks, friend.]

Retro-luxe Vampire-O-Rama!

Assuming that Retro-luxe has some Vampire Enthusiasts among it's readers (at least 1/2 of Retro-luxe is one) here is our Vampire-O-Rama post!

Do you like Rock and Roll? Keith Richards-- The original Rock and Roll Vampire:

Photo by Annie Liebowitz found here.

Fancy a chivalrous, Southern-gentleman Vampire? Then Vampire Bill Compton for you! Played by Stephen Moyer, from HBO's True Blood:

photo found here.

Photo found here.

Well-mannered, reluctant vampire not your thing? How 'bout Eric, the Manly Viking Vampire, from True Blood. Yes, please!



Photo found here.

Are you ready to just get down to serious Vampire business? Presenting the Vampire O'the Ages--Gary Oldman's as Vlad the Impaler in Coppola's adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula:


Photo found here.

Photo found here.

I feel kinda faint...

Retro-luxe's 3 Genie Wishes...

If this half of Retro-luxe is every lucky enough to get 3 genie wishes, I'm not going to waste them on world peace or even the reduction of global warming. Those can be Miss America's genie wishes.

Here are mine:

1. Cigarette smoking doesn't cause lung cancer.
2. Cigarette smoking reverses the effects of aging and can make you immortal.
3. Cigarette smoking increases your libido.

Yup, it's been that kind of a hell of a week.



Look at these cats, dressed to kill, smoking cigarettes at the Stork Club like they haven't got a care in the world. Damn them!

Photo found here.

Happy Hour Friday: The New York Ginger

This week's happy hour post features a great drink from the now defunct Starlite Restaurant in Austin, Texas. This was always a nice cocktail. Here's what you'll need:

1 1/2 oz. Makers Mark
1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
8 dashes bitters
gingerale

Fill a whiskey glass with ice, add bitters, vermouth, Makers Mark, and top with ginger ale. Stir. Garnish with a lemon wedge.
RIP Starlite!

Beauty and the Beast

Jean Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast (La belle et la Bete) from 1946 is an exquisite cinematic experience. Josette Day may be the most beautiful woman who ever lived. The Baroque flourishes in the Beast's castle are enchanting. The Beast is hauntingly beautiful and lyrical. After seeing this movie, the great Greta Garbo reportedly quipped, "Give me back my Beast..."

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.