Mid-Century Christmas
December 21, 2011 at 7:21 pm | Posted in decor, life, mid-century, modernism, pregnancy | Leave a commentTags: christmas, department 56, department 56 dickens village, due date, eames lounge chair, faux fireplace, knoll sofa, mid century christmas, midwife, nativity scene, sheep skin, tinsel trees, vintage noguchi table
Greetings from December 21st — my official due date! The day has come and still no bebe. But I remain feeling really good, and surprisingly very calm too. The baby has been moving a bunch — I had my midwife appointment today and let’s just say things are moving along. I just need to be sure to keep active by walking to march this baby down.
Since I’m out of work for (pre) maternity leave, I’m sooo happy to be able to take in the holiday spirit which tends to easily fly by due to our busy lives. My sister and her (Irish!) boyfriend, Mick are staying with me which has made the season extra special as Daryle and I await the arrival of our little one.
As you probably recall, Daryle’s birthday is Christmas day. We are always so excited to get the house in order for festivities. When Daryle’s parents retired and relocated, we scored a ton of his family’s Christmas decor including his mom’s Christmas Department 56 collection. Some may call it nerdy, but the ceramic villages are so charming and beautiful. Every year, Daryle carefully sets up the towns, and decorates the scene with carolers, and snowy evergreens. I swear he loves to do it because it reminds him of playing with G.I. Joe figurines.
Department 56 over the mantel.
Our tree shimmers!
Our nativity scene. My friend commented that the figures are “almost life size” which makes me crack up. They are pretty big.
A goofy picture, but I love this thing — a faux log and fire set. When you plug it in, it makes a crackling noise. It lets off no heat, but I swear I can feel warmth from the sound.
And a new addition this year — my mom picked out two fabulous tinsel trees! We love them and so far the cats have left them alone. :)
Have you decked your halls this year?
Here’s hoping for a little bundle to share the holiday spirit with soon~~~
Katie
Washington, DC Mid-century / Bauhaus style House
January 17, 2011 at 1:04 pm | Posted in architecture, DC, decor, mid-century, modernism | 1 CommentTags: bauhaus, modern architecture, washington dc modernism
Over the weekend, Daryle and I wanted to go somewhere new for dinner so we headed over to Palisades, a charming area in upper northwest DC with a quiet neighborhood vibe. Whenever we visit, we fantasize how lovely it would be to live there. The trees are very tall with tons of wooded areas, there’s low/no crime and better public schools. MacArthur Blvd. has a handful of yummy restaurants that have been there for years: a Belguin spot; a greasy old-fashioned Italian restaurant that I imagine is amazing; Kemble Park Tavern (a favorite of ours); and Bambu, a Thai restaurant which is where we ended up. I had the most delicious (detox-friendly!) salmon with red curry and green beans. Yum!
Driving there, we passed this super cool, Bauhaus-style, detached modern home that’s nestled on a hill along Arizona Avenue. “It’s perfect!” I declared. No—we aren’t looking for a new home. I quickly pulled out my iPhone to google the address and found that it was going for a whopping $1.3M. Ha! It’s fun to dream. The house looks very spacious, with expansive windows overlooking a stone terraced landscape. I have warn you, the current decor is over the top. You’ve got to check out the slideshow to see the boldly chosen wallpaper in each of the three bathrooms and the enormous oriental rugs and busy tapestries juxtaposed with modern furniture and contemporary artwork on the walls. According to the website, the architect (although unnamed) was Mies Van Der Rohe’s protege. It’s nice to be reminded that DC has some fantastic modern gems throughout the city.
Robot Wallpaper
September 21, 2010 at 8:51 am | Posted in decor, design | 1 CommentTags: robot wallpaper, robots, wallpaper
Hello super-cute, retro and cheeky robot wallpaper by Aimee Wilder available at Nest-Living. I like you a lot.
P.S. You may get a kick out of these robot decals.
Bookcase + minimalist map of the world
May 10, 2010 at 1:45 pm | Posted in decor, design | Leave a commentTags: book case, minimalist, shelf, world map
I love the minimalist graphic of a map of the world. Designed by Lab Istanbul, the structure doubles as a storage shelf or container. Neato.
(Via: Design Boom.)
Favorite mid-century modern shops in the Washington, DC area
September 15, 2009 at 12:38 am | Posted in decor, design, mid-century, modernism | 5 CommentsTags: cantilever modern, home anthology, mid-century, millenium, modernism, shops, tabletop
1. Millennium: This small gem of a shop must be doing something right because they have been in the same location for nearly 20 years. Operated by Glen, Jeff and Richard (as in Richard Chartier, the electronic sound artist). The trio buys, sells and consigns quality Danish modern and teak pieces. Occasionally you will find classic Eames and Eero Saarinen. Items are priced to move so the stock changes on a weekly basis. Speaking from experience, I picked up a teak, roll-top desk from Millenium.
2. Cantilever Modern – Prominent Washington, DC painter, Robin Rose and photographer, Brandon Webster together buy and sell under the name Cantilever. They do not run a bricks and mortar store; items are viewable by appointment. Robin and Brandon’s focus is on higher-end American and Scandinavian design (Hans Wegner, George Nelson, Nanna Ditzel, and Borge Mogensen). I recently bought a Howard Miller clock and an exceptional teak cabinet from Cantilever.
3. Home Anthology – This enormous warehouse/store in Catonsville, MD (just outside of Baltimore) has a ton of mid-century furniture. You will be overjoyed with ideas for decorating your home. The service is friendly too. It’s worth a Zip Car trip out-of-town. My set of outdoor furniture by Salterini is from Home Anthology.
4. TableTop – Located in the heart of Dupont Circle, TableTop is always a fun place to shop for modern inspired gifts and home goods. Shopkeeper, Tai keeps the store full of small furniture, vases, glassware, cool books on design and typography, wall decor, jewelry, and glassware. I always buy Jonathan Adler pieces from TableTop.
(Above, modern desk-top wallpaper is from David Vineïs.)
Wall Decals: Robot Rock
August 20, 2009 at 10:43 pm | Posted in decor | 4 CommentsTags: robot, wall decal
Question: Do robots ever go out of style?
Answer: No.
That’s what I thought. Super-fun wall decals by DesignFruit. For the eighties child, they should totally design space invaders wall decals. Now that would be cool.
Sunshine+Design- Five Months Old Today! May 23, 2012Jack Mack, My little love, you’ve had a busy month growing and exploring. You are changing so fast, whenever we are out and about people comment how big you are, but I always explain to them that you are actually right around the 50th percentile — not too big and not too small. I think [...]Sunshine Design
- Five Months Old Today! May 23, 2012
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