MoModerne

St. Louis Modernism

It’s pretty difficult to find something to be excited about in St. Louis. It seems many exhibitions, concerts, tours skip right over us and head straight to Chicago, but this month there are two events that make me feel warm and fuzzy. This weekend was the second annual Ivey-Selkirk Modernism auction. I was able to get some things for home and work. It definitely can be a hit or miss auction with the past few being misses, but this last one was finally a hit. I was so excited when a friend of mine got this awesome Hvidt sofa for his basement. It was probably my favorite piece in the auction and at about $1,000 it was way below the $2,000 estimate. So happy for him.

Peter Hvidt Sofa

I hold a special place in my heart for Castelli and Columbo, but never really have a place for these pieces. I did get the yellow child’s chair for Samson and the red Kartell cart. I love the 2 piece Componibili circle pieces, but the color was a close miss for me.

Child's Chair and Kartell Cart

I love, love, love this Knoll piece and can’t wait to have it in the house even if it will technically be in the garage waiting for resale. L-O-V-E it.

Knoll Magazine Rack

Also, currently at the Kemper until January is the Birth of the Cool exhibition. It is on my must do this week, so I will update later. For the locals this is old news, but I still haven’t made my way over there.

Birth of Cool

Tags: Birth of Cool, Castelli, Columbo, Componibili, eames, Hvidt, Ivey-Selkirk, Kartell, Kemper, Knoll, mid-century, Modernism Auction, retro

New Curtians

After countless hours of internet shopping, an hour looking for the right pole, three trips to the store, and two hours of labor, the curtains are hung! I originally wanted white bottom to top shades, but since we are getting new windows next year, I didn’t want to invest in custom made shades just yet. I’m pretty sure I say this about everything, but do you know how expensive window treatments are?! I needed 97″ long x 110″ wide for EACH panel - yikes! I chose Pottery Barn’s silver Dupioni Silk Drapes because they had the best color selection for that size. At the moment I am very into a muted color pallet, but I do have my eye out for a colorful rug to bring the room together. Next project: degreasing the window hardware to make them shiny and bright!

Before

After

Tags: modern, Pottery Barn Dupioni Drapes, retro, window treatments

New Winter Coat

I finally stopped stalking Soia Kyo and ordered my new winter coat!

Tags: betina wool coat, soi kyo, winter coat

Tile Library

Today we made an impulse stop at a little tile shop called Tile Library in Webster Groves. We are replacing the floor in the hall bathroom (the pink bath) and most of the tile in the master bath. Pictures will follow soon of the master, but right now it’s too scary to even post - way scary. I’m keeping the pink wall tile because I would like most of the bathroom to stay original and I think the pink is charming, but it is also totally unnecessary to re-tile the entire room. The floor really is pretty dingy and unlike most 50’s tile design, this one doesn’t flow as well and isn’t very crisp. I don’t want it to look too “blocky”, so large square tiles are out. I wanted the bath to still feel period appropriate, so I thought a hexagon or octagon shape would work well. I fell in L-O-V-E with Daltile octagon and dot design - it almost looks like circles. The white on white looks great in this photo, but with my pink wall, I think I need the gray for balance. Hmmmm……

Octagon & Dot in Matte White with Matte White Dot floor tile

Tile samples against my original tile.

Still deciding between white on white or white and gray

Some other neat tile examples…

Similar to the design I already have in gray and white

Always loved herringbone design

Tags: bathroom rehab, Daltile, herrningbone tile design, octogan tile, pink bathroom, retro bathroom

Some small changes around the house

Kohler "Stillness" Faucet

Pinball Headboard

In kitchen news we finally picked a new wall color to replace the orange. We decided on “Volcanic Ash” by Olympic paints. I couldn’t find the color on-line to post, so I just took a picture of the paint sample against our white cabinets. I think it will help “cool” the kitchen and make it look a little more sophisticated. It is pretty dark, but since it is only going on one wall it should look nice and clean against the stainless and white. Cross your fingers for me - I should be painting this weekend!

Volcanic Ash by Olympic Paints

Here is a picture of our new kitchen fixture! I bought it on Saturday at an estate sale. It will be up later this week, but I was so excited I took a picture of it on the floor…

New chrome fixture to replace the brass starburst.

In living rooms news there are two new tables. We replaced the glass circle table with a long and low surfboard style to have a little more space (it’s also way easier to keep clean). The end table has a nice “pocket” so it works well as a great catch all for Samson’s books and toys.

New Surfboard Coffee Table

New Danish Modern End Table

Tags: Danish Modern Coffee Table, End Table Mid-Century Modern, House Design, Kitchen, Kohler Faucet, retro, Retro Chrome Fixture, Space Age Fixture, Stillness Facet, Surfboard Coffee Table, Vintage Pinball Machine, Volcanic Ash Olympic Paint