Home - Mid-Century Style Magazine

From Flame to Flicker: Inside a Working Neon Shop

You walk into a neon shop expecting nostalgia. You leave thinking about chemistry, electricity, municipal zoning codes, and 1940s craftsmanship. That’s what happened when I toured Morry’s Neon, a family business opened in 1985 by Morry and his son Glen, a business built on a neon legacy that began in 1946 when Morry first started bending glass. Established the same year America decided diners, drive-ins, and optimism were perfectly reasonable things to mass-produce, Morry’s has

Route 66 at 100: Why the Centennial Is Igniting a New Era of Retro Road Trips

As the Route 66 Centennial approaches, something interesting is happening. This isn’t just an anniversary tour or a nostalgia lap. It’s a full-scale reawakening of interest in the American road trip—one rooted in history, preservation, and the lived experience of the road itself. The centennial is acting like a spotlight, illuminating not just the highway, but the stories, architecture, roadside culture, and communities that grew up along it. And people are paying attention. Travelers want

Los Angeles Potteries: A Whimsical Walk Through Mid-Century Ceramic Dreams

From our retro coffee table to yours comes a great book – an awesome gift or something to pour over in our own home! Suppose you’ve ever spotted a cookie jar shaped like a hamburger or a canister set with tropical fruit motifs and thought, “I remember that design!” or “I have to have that design!”. In that case, you’ll want to get your hands on Los Angeles Potteries: A Collector’s Journey through Artistry, Craft,

El Cortez Hotel: Where Vintage Vegas Still Lives

Opened in 1941, the El Cortez Hotel & Casino is one of Las Vegas’s oldest operating casinos — and one of its most authentic. In a city obsessed with reinvention, the El Cortez is a rare survivor, maintaining its vintage spirit while still feeling alive and relevant. Preservation That Matters In 2013, the El Cortez earned its place on the National Register of Historic Places, and it’s easy to see why. The building’s Spanish Colonial

Mid-Century Photo Friday: Flashback Kitchen

As always with Mid-Century Photo Friday, please join me in posting a picture – leave a comment, OR I’m trying out the “Mister Linky” below – just click the link and it will take you to another screen to provide your link! I’d love to have a lot of weekly submissions, so please pass along!

Cool products and artisans from our Facebook page

We love our Facebook page followers and some of the neatest things we see are art pieces and products that are post their great creations and products on the page. These often get overlooked over in the sidebar, but we see them! Here are a couple of our favorites (we found so many, we might have to do multiple posts!) Higgins Glass: The Higgins Studio, home of “modern miracles with everyday glass” was founded in

A linear time capsule of epic proportions

By Jim Hinckley It is a time capsule of epic proportions with an overlay of Disneyland and America’s longest attraction for a legion of international enthusiasts. It is iconic Route 66, America’s most famous highway. From Chicago to Santa Monica this Route 66 renaissance is serving as a catalyst for the refurbishment and restoration of historic motels, restaurants, trading posts, diners, and even gas stations. For the rare businesses that survived changing times, bypass, and

Help Save The Kronish House

In another Mid-Century preservation attempt, the Neutra Institute for Survival through Design is attempting to save The Kronish House. Word just received pressures us to provide info for the dismantling of the house as soon as 9/20, for demolition action week of 9/26! There’s no time to be lost; if this new plan has a chance to succeed! Get those letters going! The original post from the Neutra Conservation page: July 16, 2011 – Dion