Top Articles

A Modernist Patio for a Traditional Home

Ted Cleary, ASLA, of Studio Cleary Landscape Architecture continues his contributions on midcentury modern garden design, here with the first of his “Case Study Gardens”.  MCM enthusiasts will be familiar with Arts & Architecture magazine’s legendary design feature known as the “Case Study House Program”.  From its inception near the war’s end in 1945, through 1966, the CSH Program showcased innovative modernist designs, many of them modest, others more grand, meant to address the postwar housing needs of the typical American family. Like the CSH examples, some unbuilt, others still existing, these Case Study gardens strive to offer solutions you can apply to the outdoor spaces around your own home. If you own a great midcentury modern home, it’s natural to want a landscape design that’s

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Witco – Tiki and 60’s cool!

The first time I heard about Witco was on a discussion on a Mid-Century Facebook group about Tiki art, the name that kept coming up was Witco, with a link to this post on a Tiki Fan board: My name is Burke Hovde (aka…The Witco Kid on www.tikicentral.com). I’m the son of Ron Hovde, one of the Witco Co-Founders and Artists with Bill Westenhaver. I grew up with Witco everywhere. Witco wallhangings and furniture are all over my parents house and our family’s cabin. Witco started out as Western International Trading Company and imported South Pacific home furnishing items like Capishell Lamps. They also were into carvings that eventually evolved into the rough cedar chain saw carved furniture and Tikis that most people know Witco

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Cool 50’s sites and a 1950’s Landscaping Guide!!

Feeling sort of alone in our preservation of a 50’s home, I did some searches this weekend for 50’s sites and came across these cool items: Shelburne Museum 1950 House Johnson County Museums – The 1950’s All-Electric House I think I’ve mentioned my deep desire for better illustrations of landscape in the 50’s and I FINALLY found this on Ebay! It’s on it’s way to me now! I can’t WAIT!   I have also set up a Flickr Group for folks who are restoring 50’s homes or any pictures of 50’s interior/exterior decorating…this includes those of you who are ripping out (GASP) 50’s decor to restore to another era. Anything is helpful!

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The Best of Times, The Worst of Times

Nostalgia is often described as a wistful desire to return to a former time, an era when things were simpler, better, less stressful, more fun (insert your descriptor here). The truth, however, is that regardless of the period of time you live in or where you live it is the best of times and the worst of times. Nostalgia is a great deal like vintage pictures, it is one dimensional, a moment in time taken out of context. The cover photo, provided courtesy of the Mohave Museum of History & Arts, illustrates this point. The Route 66 sign on the post provides a point of reference but what else can be discerned from the photo? From the perspective of nostalgia these appear to be simpler times.

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Interior Design

New Mid-Century Categories on Collectors Weekly

Have you found Collectors Weekly? CollectorsWeekly.com is a resource for people who love vintage and antiques. They provide an awesome place to explore, learn, and experience the passion and knowledge of collectors everywhere. What’s here: In-depth information (including top eBay auctions) on more than 1,300 vintage and antiques categories. Original features and interviews Show & Tell, where you can share your favorite vintage and antique finds. Anyway, what’s really cool is they have a love for Mid-Century style – like when they featured Mad Men Style here! Well they’ve now added a new Mid-Century Modern Furniture section!  With fantastic information about furniture designers, links to auctions and more, this really is a fantastic spot to do all your research!

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The bathroom plan – so far

Ok, so I may take flack, but yes, we’re taking down the pink plastic tiles in the bathroom, too many are missing or broken and so we’re replacing it all with square black tile. Here’s what we’re planning for a vanity (to the right). Then we’re going to inset some glass tiles in a stripe around the bathroom. So, we’re not really going with much 50’s – more modern – but I’m going to do 50’s accessories (bark cloth shower curtain) and I really would love these lights. Well, that’s the plan, tomorrow we’re going shopping, so wish us luck. We have a small budget, and a vision and not a ton of time (with broken pipes and kids and such). So, I’m hoping you

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Preservation

Save the Boots Motel in Carthage

I realize this motel was built in 1939, which technically makes it out of our realm for 50’s motels, but it’s along the famed Route 66 and frankly it’s a cool motel: However like many Motels it’s endangered and yesterday The Historic Boots Motel was auctioned on the Carthage Courthouse steps, and the new owner is the lien holder, the Carthage Hometown Bank, which placed the only bid of $101,000. Members of the local media, the realtor Jim Hunter, Ron Hart of the Route 66 Chamber of Commerce and members of the Carthage Committee that pledges continued efforts to find a buyer. What a deal, eh? Visit the page here: http://bootsmotel.homestead.com/ to help with the preservation efforts or the Facebook group to offer emotional support!

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Indiana Landmarks to recognize MCM

Baz over at Atomic Indy, has all the info necessary to become one of the first time ever Mods to be awarded in these two awards categories. The Indiana Modern “Stewardship Award” (for preserving an MCM) The Indiana Modern “Rescue Award” (for restoring/saving an MCM) Visit his post to check out all the information and to get info on how to enter Entries are due on April 29th, 2011. Winners will be chosen and announced during the 2011 Indiana Modern Home Tour weekend in May, which includes a Miller House symposium.

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100 Things to Do On Route 66 Before You Die

Recently a publisher, on recommendation of Jim Ross, approached me with an intriguing proposal – write a book about Route 66 that is in essence a bucket list. The challenge fascinated me. How do you whittle down America’s longest attraction, a 2,000 mile corridor of fascinating museums, quirky folk art parks, historic sites, renovated motels, ghost towns, dynamic cities, time capsule restaurants and diners, and breathtaking natural attractions into a list of one hundred must see locations? I accepted the challenge and the result is a fun new book scheduled for release on September 1 that is aptly titled, 100 Things to Do on Route 66 Before You Die. (This “Buy Now” button is to purchase an autographed copy of Route 66: America’s Longest Small Town. Stay tuned for

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Good friends, good times, grand adventures, and exciting times

The good folks at the City of Kingman, Josh Noble, the tourism director, Ray Cullison and the Kingsmen, and the volunteers who labored so hard to make the recent Best of the West on 66 Festival a success deserve a hearty thank you.The good folks at the City of Kingman, Josh Noble, the tourism director, Ray Cullison and the Kingsmen, and the volunteers who labored so hard to make the recent Best of the West on 66 Festival a success deserve a hearty thank you.It was a delightful and fun filled event that my dearest friend and I enjoyed immensely. Even better, it was an event that was shared with, and enjoyed by friends from the Netherlands. Though the event evolved from the rather successful 2014

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Two great Route 66 Exhibits in New Mexico – Catch them before they’re gone!

Route 66: Radiance, Rust, and Revival on the Mother Road Until October 2nd at the Albuquerque History Museum and conceived in honor of the 90th anniversary of Route 66, this exhibition celebrates the art, history and popular culture of the iconic Mother Road. Too often the history of Route 66 in Albuquerque has been overlooked, even though our city sits at the center of the Southwestern leg of the route and boasts, at 16 miles, the longest single-city urban stretch of the highway in the nation. We are also the only place on the Mother Road where the highway crosses itself! Indeed the very re-routing of Route 66 to the east-west alignment was a political scandal, but shaved time and miles off the odometers of road-weary

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