Midcentury Modern Catalina Weekend Getaway

Even though it is back to school (boo), I have one more summer adventure to share with you.

Almost a month ago we ran away from home for the weekend.

what i bought on my summer vacation...mid-century modern midwest

Now for the fun part. When we trekked back to the Midwest over the 4th of July, my patient and tolerant cousin indulged my love of the op shops.

I decided I would focus on mid-century modern Midwest pottery.

very modern: millennium park chicago; what i did on my summer vacation part 3

I know. You wish I would stop. But I can't. You see the problem is, I used to take pictures and put them in albums. Then I took pictures and made scrapbooks. When the digital age happened, I went online and made photo books.

I would make one for every single vacation. And then, one day, I didn't.

what we did on our summer vacation part two: chicago architectural boat tour

Those of you out there in the Midwest know how absolutely hot and humid it can get.

And, you would never voluntarily plant yourself in July, on the upper deck of a boat, in a river, surrounded by buildings...with temps and humidity above ninety degrees, for ninety minutes of slow moving sight seeing. That's what we have tourists for, right?

farnsworth house: midcentury modern minimalist miracle

We had the good fortune to spend the week of the 4th of July in Illinois and Indiana. My parents both hail from Indiana and my sweet cousin lives in Chicago. When we travel to the Chicago area, my cousin always indulges my architectural fantasies. She gave me a list of houses to pick from for this trip. Imagine my shock and awe when I looked through her links and brought up this home:

OMG. I have seen the Farnsworth Home so many, many times in various books, touted as the quintessential example of mid-century modern minimalism. I never noticed it was near Chicago. SCORE.

my favorite five new things from dwell on design 2014

My third Dwell on Design Friday!  My first DOD, 2012, wow'd me. I was overwhelmed with all the cool things. The 2013 DOD seemed a little more lower key than 2012 for whatever reason although, I accidentally had my very own one second of fame.

 But... the 2014 DOD knocked my socks off. The exhibits and displays were impressive. And the Dwell Outdoors area was the best ever.

Having been to three now, you kinda know what to expect. I went in like a veteran, looking for something fresh and new. Here are my top five picks for new things that got my attention at the show.

dwell on design 2014 home tours west side los angeles

YAY! It is that time of year again. Dwell on Design Week in Los Angeles. Before the main Design Event next weekend at the Los Angeles Convention Center, I dropped into the Dwell on Design Home Tours, West Side Los Angeles.

I am going to go at it a little differently this time. Rather than bore you with room by perfect room of the latest and most expensive design on the West Coast, I thought I would pick out the highlights (according to me). Let's do a top five ... Shall we?

armed forces day, a truly mid-century holiday, celebrated with 1,776 flags

Armed Forces Day is traditionally the second Saturday in May. And Newport Beach has a very special way of paying tribute to our members of the military.

1,776 flags are placed on a cliff above Newport Bay to honor all branches. It is simply spectacular.

perfect (perfect) cliff may in long beach; 1954 never looked so good

Cliff May is considered the father of the post-war California Ranch home, and Long Beach, quite near where I live, has a substantial Cliff May housing tract. Just a day before its first open house, I got a little sneak peek of a really impressive Cliff May.

They had me at the front door. Awesome coordinated light turquoise retro door with a Firesticks succulent in a matching pot.

irvine terrace home sweet mid-century home

We live in a certifiable mid-century modern housing tract. However, most of the homes have been flattened, remodeled and changed so much, you wouldn't recognize the perfect mid-century roots.

Recently, due to a very clever Realtor friend of mine, I stumbled upon the original sales brochure for our development. Wanna take a peek?

mid-century modern home tour ... psst it's an eichler

Okay, okay. Just one more.

I go a little bonkers for Eichlers.

palm springs modernism week 2014: dragnet house -- the story you are about to see is true . . .

Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Dragnet opening line!  This house, which was part of the Palm Springs Modernism Week 2014 Signature Home Tour in February, was built by Jack Webb, most famous for his role as Sargent Joe Friday in the 1950s radio show and the 1960s television series.

modernica and la downtown modernism: super efficient shopping

I really do enjoy trolling online, retail and flea market venues for mid-century modern collectibles. So, if I may self-proclaim — I am becoming somewhat of an aficionado. with opinions. 

Like this chair? Absolutely beautiful laser cut plywood and pretty typical of what you uncover at Modernica's Downtown Modernism spring event. 

home tour alert! eichler's in san mateo california

I may just hop up to San Mateo, California on May 3-4, 2014 for the Inside Outside Highlands Eichler Home Tour.

All my favorite things: art, decorating, landscaping and Eichlers.

palm springs modernism week 2014: royal palm court home tour is best of new home construction and mid-century modern

Back to our regularly schedule programming, although I did really enjoy the Eichler distraction. Let's jump from 1962 all the way to 2006. On the Palm Springs Modernism Week 2014 Signature Homes tour back in February, I was disappointed perusing the brochure that one of the homes included was nearly brand new. What a travesty!

Alright, alright. So I was wrong. Not the first time. 

my one second of fame: jeff lewis flipping out and dwell on design

So, I was just sitting around one evening last week and got this text:

Huh?

eichler in orange sneak peak: virtually untouched from 1962

Lucky, lucky me. I was invited to a "Sneak Peak" opening party for an Eichler that isn't "quite" on the market yet.

And someone else is going to get really lucky. This beautiful piece of classic Eichler real estate shows signs of being gently loved with the prior owners keeping their power tools in the garage. (Exactly where I think they should be, if you must own any at all.)

#psmw 2014 signature home tour: glamorous mid-century treasure, herbert burns arhcitect

The 2014 Palm Springs Modernism Week Signature Home tour did not disappoint. Honestly, they outdid themselves this years. Seven amazing homes in three hours. Mom and I moved fast.

With a mail box like this, how could you go wrong? Not to be a tease but this landscaping is VERY similar to something we have going on, and I will reveal when all is complete. Okay 95% complete. We never get to 100%. Ever.

#psmw mod goes modern: celebrity homes in vista las palmas historical walking tour

Well, of course I went to Palm Springs Modernism Week. And, of course I have drool worthy photographs to share.

Let's kick it off with a walking tour of Palm Springs' historic star studded Vista Las Palmas neighborhood. My mom and I started off at 9AM on a beautiful Palm Springs morning on Monday, February 17, 2014.

kicking off 2014 with a landscape redo and drought tolerant california planting - before pictures

You have probably heard. We are having a drought in California. We showed great reverence for this terrible state of affairs by removing our roses (thirsty girls).

In our household we are exceptionally good at removing things. Not so good at putting things back together. To be perfectly honest, I think I had the roses pulled out about nine months ago. Don't judge.