What I've been watching...

The Little Fugitive


One of our 5-star faves.

Merry Christmas Everyone

R.I.P. Edd Cartier

Edd Cartier was an illustrator of science fiction pulp magazines and book covers, most remembered for his works from the 40's and 50's. His limitless and detailed imagination came through bold and strong in his equally stylish ink illustrations, his BEM's were second to none, his maidens were the girl next door, and his spacemen heroes were always a eye blink away from having a blaster at the ready. He left his artistic mark for generations to follow.

"Y" is for Yellow Kitchen

"Y" is for"Y" is for Yellow Kitchen

"X" is for Xylaphones

"X" is for Xylaphones... as Atomic mood music used them, everywhere!

"W" is for "Womb Chair"

"W" is for "Womb Chair" in a bright red.

"W" is also for Wrought iron and "Watch the Skies"

R.I.P. Bettie

Bettie Page, the pin-up queen of the Atomic era, passes at the age of 85.

Miss Page's iconic image far surpassed her real life, and will always be a 50's symbol linked to exotica, bachelor pads, and the idea that there's something simmering just beneath that seemingly girl-next-door facade.

"V" is for Vladimir Kagan

"V" is for Vladimir Kagan, furniture designer of many tastefully hip pieces.

"T" is for Threes

"T" is for Threes, groups of them - especially for your wall art and decor.

"T" is also for Turquois

"S" is for Shapes

"S" is for Shapes - and lots of them! ...ameobic, boomarang, elliptic, amorphous, curvey, streamlined, kidney, lopsided, biomorphic...

"S" is also for Sling chair ans Spun aluminum

"R" is for Retro

"R" is for Retro, if its hip mid-century modern and from the Fifties, then its this.

Another little word you should know.

"P" is for Platform Bench

"P" is for Platform (or Slat) bench by George Nelson.

"P" is also for the Ph5 "flying saucer" Pendent lamp.

and "P" is for Pink & Black bathroom and Plywood furniture.

"O" is for Openess

"O" is for Openess... Free Floating... Relaxing Roominess

"N" is for Noguchi

"N" is for Noguchi, a favorite furniture designer specializing in natural wood.

"M" is for Mood Music

"M" is for Mood Music, to set an atmosphere that's just right for the evening.

And "M" is also for Mid-Century Modern. But you already knew that ;)

"L" is for Low

"L" is for Low - as in low chairs, side tables, coffee tables... especially for that conversation pit.


"L" is also for "Less is More" and Lounge, like this Mid Century Modern chair designed by Eames.

"K" is for Kafka

"K" is for Kafka (Franz), the writer.

"K" is also for Knoll, manufacturer of the Bertoia Chair as well as many, many other fine Post-Modern items.


The Trial by Franz Kafka,
originally uploaded by preemo.

"J" is for Japanese Influence

"J" is for Japanese Influence in simplifying.

"I" is for Italian

"I" is for "I" is for Italian influences in so many things...

MBDROHO EC029, originally uploaded by abesauer.

"H" is for Herman Miller

"H" is for Herman Millerjavascript:void(0)

"G" is for Garden

"G" is for the patio Garden, effortlessly bringing the outdoors into our home.

Garden 1, originally uploaded by acoustitch.

"F" is for Future

"F" is for the forward-thinking Future. Making Tomorrow happen Today.

"F" is also for Fiberglass shell chair, and Formica.

"E" is for Eames.

"E" is for Eames. Need we say more?

"E" is also for Egg chair, and also ummm... Etchings.

"D" is for Decor

"D" is for Decor. Simple. Floating. Art above object.

And "D" is also for Danish Modern, which is all of the above.

"C" is for Color

"C" is for Color... All of them from over-saturated Panavision to comfy pastel.

"C" is also for (Alexander) Calder mobiles.

"B" is for Better Living

"B" is for Better Living.

"A" is for ATOMIC

"A" is for Atomic, the glorious age of future-thinking Moderness. Art and Function hand-in-hand, accessible to all, not just a priveleged few.

Its what we like to call Home.

"A" is also for Art, without which Moderness would have no Soul.

Schwinn Rambler

Step aside Junior, this one's for your old Pop to enjoy!


So the model isn't 50's vintage, but it's close to the set of wheels I used to cruise on. Ahh, memories...

Yes boys and girls, this is a Schwinn Rambler, which has been backdated to resemble the venerable Stingray model produced in the early 1970's. We picked this up at a local bike swap meet. Not only were there tons of variety and vintages to gawk at, but most of it could be your's at extremely resonable prices. All the parts to put this together set us back only $35!

All we need now is a chrome sissy bar, then were really rolling in style!

The Roving Buffet

Another Do-it Yourself-er, this buffet was meant for the patio area, but I'm sure that it's multifunctional enough for many other inventive uses such as an office/work space or a tool bench.

Patio Living

This patio uses a very atomic plywood privacy fence. I bet my neighbors would just love those bright colors!

Robin Hood Bike

So this is one of those projects that's been on my to-do list for ummm, lets say for quite a long, long time. This is an English bike manufactured by the Robin Hood brand. She has a nifty chrome rack, white ribbed grips, spring-loaded seat and a cable system that feeds directly into the axle of the rear wheel.

Father Knows Best - Finally!

It's here! Finally Jim Anderson has met up with current technology - Father Knows Best - Season One is now available on DVD, relesed by Shout! Factory. Father Knows Best premiered on CBS in October 1954 and has been part of the American cultural fabric ever since. Every week families gathered around the television set to join Jim, Margaret, "Princess", "Bud" and "Kitten" in their very first year as everyone's favorite 50's family. On DVD for the first time ever, this 4-disc set contains the Complete first season.

The 26 episodes are crisp for the most part, and with the original as-aired opening titles, these are a far cry from my badly degraded video recordings made off of CBN twenty years ago! The series has been alive in syndication almost constantly since production ended, that is until TV Land pulled the plug on the Andersons and fans of the TV series have been in withdrawls since.


One of our favorite episodes included in this collection is Bud's Motor Scooter - it's hard to pick a favorite, they're all classics. Juniors been listening to the original radio episodes for the past two years, and now he has a full collection of the tv series to enjoy.

Dream Get-aways

How about these for swanky get-aways? I can picture myself lounging in a shaded built-in patio, sipping on a icey margarita...

I can always dream, can't I?

It was the Space Age - It was the Atomic Age - It was the Age of Moderness

The empty shell of a giant V-2 rocket which blasted free from earth's bonds five minutes before plunged into the broiling sands of the New Mexico desert.

Americans were striving for the unattainable, because they knew they could attain it. It was a day for Forward-Thinking. For all the post-war fears over seas, emphasize at home was on the positive. Both the American dream and the sky were the limit. Architects, designers and artists fed off these ideals and fed them back to a ravenous public. This is what came to be the mid-century design movement.