FOR THE GOOD OF WOOD
Wood can say a lot about a mid century furniture piece. You can tell where it was manufactured, when it was produced, and how it's been taken care of over the decades. Teak, rosewood, mahogany, and walnut were all major materials used during the 50s and 60s, and...
HOUSE OF THE FUTURO
The Futuro House was designed by Matti Suuronen as a portable ski chalet in 1968. In total, less than 100 were built during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The Futuro is constructed of reinforced fiberglass, polyester-polyurethane, and measures 13 feet high and 26 feet in diameter.
HOUSE TOUR: A ROUND MID CENTURY TIME CAPSULE
We had the pleasure of hanging out with the great folks over at Dot & Bo a couple weeks ago! They’ve put together this lovely feature on our round 1967 Leon Meyer home. Make sure to check out the full article on their blog!
MID CENTURY LOVING COUPLE MAKES A TIME CAPSULE IN OAKLAND
We just wrapped up another fantastic shoot with the lovely people over at Curbed SF! A huge thank you to Mary Jo and her crew for making this happen! Make sure to check out the full article...
NORWEGIAN WOOD
You might have noticed that my blogging is a bit heavy on the Swedish side of things. It has a simple explanation: I’m Swedish. But I would also like to add some depth to the idea of Scandinavian modern design. In America, the phrase Danish modern, is a bit of a catch...
EYES WITHOUT A FACE
Last week we wrote about Einar Nerman, and his classic design for Solstickan, which has grown beyond it’s original product design purpose to be the star of a whole host of products. An almost equally popular design is Olle Eksells eyes for Mazetti’s cocoa products. As...
A MAN AND HIS CIRCULAR HOUSE
I sincerely hope you caught the Houzz feature on Julian and Desiree from Mid Century Møbler, and their amazing circular house. This post will be about another interesting house, without corners or straight lines. To understand the story of Villa Spies, you have to...
FABULOUS FABLES
”Hej uggla tjena moss/kom hit en stund till oss”, those words often greeted me when I turned on one of the two channels that Swedish television consisted of when I was a child. We didn’t get a whole lot of Jetsons, Flintstones or Scooby-Doo, but we did have an owl...
SUPER-SEXY-MINI-FLOWER-POP-OP-COLA
If you’re anything like me, surely you have wondered at some point: ”Who is the german equivalent of Don Draper?” The answer to that question is Charles Paul Wilp. Although compared to the fictional Draper, Wilp also had a stroke of Andy Warhol to his persona. A...
DELIGHTFUL DANISH PORK
Ain’t no dinner, like a Sunday dinner, and ain’t no Sunday dinner like a Scandinavian Sunday dinner. And if I can have my way, there will be some part of a pig on the table. Because what’s more Sunday then a big ole’ pork roast? I love it the way the Danes make it,...
SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THESE
The 60’s was when lighting went from function to psychedelic artform. Mathmos invented the lava lamp and musicians toured with liquid light shows, where mineral oil formed colored blobs projected on their bodies. None of the aforementioned was as psychedelic as the...
TRAVEL BACK TO THE 1960s IN A MOST UNUSUAL ROUND HOUSE
Desiree and I had the honor of having our original 1967 Leon Meyer designed round house featured on Houzz TV! Click here to see the...
SWEDISH DESIGN: PICTURES OF MATCHSTICK MEN
There was a thread on the Mid Century Modern board on Facebook, about the weirdest thing people has found in their vintage pieces, and everything from drugs (!) to guns (!!) came up as examples. At Mid Century Møbler, we’re not quite as exciting, or rather, the Swedes...
LITTLE BIG MAN
One of the oddest birds of the 60’s (or any decade for that matter) was a fellow named Herbert Khaury. You’re more likely to know him under his assumed artist name, Tiny Tim. Hid first appearance was in, the godfather of camp Jack Smith’s, film Normal Love in 1963,...
DON’T WORRY ABOUT THE SMELL, THESE SWEDISH COOKIES ARE AWESOME!
Baker’s ammonia or ammonium carbonate, as its correct name is, is the cat pee smelling secret of Norther European baking. In Sweden it’s called hjorthornssalt, which literally means, ”deer horn’s salt”, hinting at how it used to be produced. Nowadays the process is...
DESIGNING WOMEN: ASTRID SAMPE
One of the aspects that put the modern in mid century modern, is that it was the first era of design in which the glass ceiling had cracked enough to allow women to assume leading roles. Obvious examples include Ray Eames, Grete Jalk and Florence Knoll. Another...
BRUTAL BEAUTY
I’m just going to go ahead and assume you already follow us on Twitter. If you like your concrete exposed, your buildings functional, repetitive and a bit imposing, This Brutal House is another account definitely worth a follow. A good portion of the content is...
YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH HATS, GLOVES AND SHOES
October 19th, saw the first image of the Absolutely Fabulous movie being released to the public, and from the movies Facebook page you can easily follow all the cool updates about it. Chris Colfer from Glee has joined the cast, and so has both Kim Kardashian and Joan...
COLOR ME MODERN
The coloring book craze has grown to the point where google suggests "coloring books for adults", if you just type the word "color". With such a booming market there are of course endless variations on the theme, with everything from tattoo or indie rock coloring...
SPACE: DER FINAL FRONTIER
In September 1966, the first episode of Star Trek premiered on American television. The same month and year saw the premier of another, rather short-lived, science fiction show, produced in West Germany. Raumpatrouille – Die phantastischen Abenteuer des...
AZIZ KNOWS AN EAMES KNOCKOFF WHEN HE SEES ONE BUD!
Master of None is the latest Netflix offering to become the show that Everybody. Is. Talking. About. Aziz Ansari’s smash hit deserves all the praise it’s getting; it reads a bit like a 2nd generation immigrant version of Louie, only less cynical and with more...
ROUND AND ROUND
There's something about a round house that grabs everyone's attention. This pristine example of 1950s circular modernity just hit the market last Friday, and is sure to be gone just as quickly. Located at 6939 Paso Robles Drive in Oakland, CA this one is asking a...
O (MODERN) TANNENBAUM
Halloween flew by, and you all know what that means; Thanksgiving in a minute, and then Christmas! We just received these awesome shots from the legendary Stahl House in Hollywood Hills, courtesy of Matthew Bliss, inventor of The Modern Christmas Tree™. Or re-inventor...
8 STELLAR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS FOR MID CENTURY FURNITURE LOVERS
A huge thanks to Curbed for the mention! If you don't already follow us on Instagram, what are you waiting for? Follow us...
10 UNFORGETTABLE MID CENTURY HOMES
Here's a nice article from Dwell a little earlier today. Featuring works by George Nakashima and Frank Lloyd Wright. Read the full article here. ...
BOXED UP FOR 67 YEARS
This is a pretty amazing find. Retro Renovation just posted this article about a brand new in the box full kitchen set from 1948 that has NEVER BEEN OPENED (until now)! Close your eyes. Imagine it’s 1948. You recently ordered a big set of Youngstown Steel Kitchen...
WHY THE WORLD IS OBSESSED WITH MID CENTURY DESIGN
Today, more than ever, the midcentury modern look is everywhere. DVRs are set to capture Mad Men's final season playing out on AMC. Flip through the April issue ofElle Décor, and you'll find that more than half of the featured homes prominently include midcentury...
ROOM OF THE DAY – THE HOUSE THAT NOZ BUILT
Bay Area decorator and Mid Century Mobler colleague Noz Nozawa has design in her veins. Her San Francisco home is a testament to her impeccable taste and style. Contemporary Bedroom by San Francisco Interior Designers & Decorators Noz As A Service Check out the...
ISAMU NOGUCHI’S SIX FIGURE SOFA
This Isamu Noguchi Model no. IN-70 "Cloud-Form" sofa set goes on the auction block this week. Estimated to fetch between $500,000 - $700,000 it could be one of the most expensive mid century pieces ever sold! Here's the full story from the New York Observer. Enjoy!...
CALIFORNIA HOME & DESIGN: OPEN HOUSE OBSESSION
Without the proper reference points, it can be difficult to envision how a piece will look in its proper setting. This large BCM (Bath Cabinet Makers) teak credenza was beautifully integrated into a recent renovation of a Kensington, CA mid century abode by our...
A LOVELY LOOK
An entry chest and Danish wall mirror pair wonderfully in any entry way. A look we often see in Danish flats, the duo is striking and the functionality is priceless! Does your entry way need some sprucing? Try some of our mirrors and chests! For more options on...
SAFARI CHAIRS: MID CENTURY STYLIN’
The Safari chair has a very distinct form that is rapidly growing in popularity. Mid century designers including Arne Norell and Erik Worts used the bones of the aesthetic to produce distinctly different chairs. Norell used brass accents whilst Worts preferred the...
HAPPY HOMES – EICHLER EDITION
We absolutely love seeing pieces sold off the site living comfortably in their new homes. Here are a couple pics from an Eichler owner in Foster City, CA who was looking for the perfect piece to hold his newly restored Philco TV! Share your stuff! If you're a Mid...
LOTS OF DOTS
Designed by Ray Eames, the "Dot Pattern" fabric was never produced during her lifetime. Maharam Textiles purchased the rights to the design in 1999 and its been in production ever since. Look for our new favorite fabric coming to our seating section...
TAKE A LOOK BACK
Designed in 1955 by Nils + Eva Koppel, these beautiful chairs feature a swooping bent ply back. 60 years later, they're just as striking. Source: 1...
MAD MEN MANIFESTED (PART 2)!
You may remember (to our excitement) our announcement last June when Season 6 of Mad Men premiered this lovely teak secretary that was purchased from us for the show: Danish Teak Secretary from Mid Century Mobler's Fall 2012 Collection Much to our surprise, it...
BEFORE + AFTER – DANISH MODERN CHARTREUSE SOFA
Here's a recent restoration we're pretty proud of! This beautiful chartreuse colored sofa hails from Denmark and dates to about the late 1950s. When we picked this piece up overseas, the fabric was well kept, but the original foam underneath had seriously...
FREE! FREE! FREE!
Want this chair? The first person to pick it up this weekend (04/12) gets to take it home for FREE!!! We open Saturday at 10am. 1220 Shotwell Street, San Francisco. See you...
PRESIDENTIAL SCREENING
1958: First Lady Mamie Eisenhower with her grandchildren in the White House Movie Theatre...
THE ULTIMATE
The Spartan 3- way "Imperial" TV with AM radio, Hi-Fi stereo, and automatic record changer. Source:...