MID-CENTURIA : Evelyn Ackerman Mosaics

MID-CENTURIA :
Art, Design and Decor from the Mid-Century and beyond: Evelyn Ackerman Mosaics

www.midcenturia.com

Iconic mosaic works of the period. Design duo Jerome and Evelyn Ackerman were prolific artisans who virtually defined Mid-Century Modern home decor. Taking inspiration from Charles and Ray Eames, the husband and wife team decided to go into business themselves. Without a doubt, Evelyn's mosaics are her best known pieces.

My walls suddenly seem so neglected.

A Danish Modern Time Capsule - Up on eBay

Look at all the Mid Century items this seller has for auction

One Corner

One Corner (16/365), originally uploaded by aabbbiee.

I love Flickr. It lets me spy on so many fabulous vintage homes lovingly restored out there. This corner of Aabbbiee's looks so modern... yet so cozy!

A Danish Modern Duck Hunt

So most of what you bring home from your vintage shopping are treasures that you just happen upon, becuase you happened to be in the right place at the right time. That's what makes it fun. However, there's always a few wish items, lurking in the back of your mind which you are ALWAYS scanning for, sometimes for years before you finally run across the prize you're looking for.

One of my hunts has had me keeping an eye open for a set danish modern ducks. Which brings me to another family history lesson! Okay, so you can all skip down and pick up at the next paragraph at this point... but I'll still have my little stories to tell ;) Dad loved Danish Modern. He collected it. One of the items he'd bought was a set of wooden ducks with metal wings. Growing up, I remember those wood & metal ducks hanging from our walls well into the seventies, always poised in flight... can you see one flying off in the picture below?

Ummm, yeah... that little guy in the photo is your's truely.

Anyways, a long search is over. I found a set of the birds on eBay, identical to my Dad's (insert a big sigh of satisfied relief here), destined to once again hang upon the same walls.... Just another piece of the old home being restored back to it's natural Mid Century state.

Now what's the next thing on my wish list?... does anyone know where to find Italian-Modern cafe curtains??? ;)

Hip to the Jive Cats

Here's the mewest addition - my two ultra cool cats are ready to greet any and all honored guests to the pad. The vintage metal wall plaques were made by Sexton, they are as classic an example of 50's feline art as you can get. These two hip & happening Siamese cats have gold collars and a woodtone finish.

I know, I know... I'm breaking the most basic of the retro decorating rules - Groups of Three." But my set is missing the third smallest figure of the complete group. And I think these two alone fill out their narrow wall space quite nicely. Besides, the other most basic rule of No Clutter is no less dog-matic (err... pardon the pun) to each and every follower of modern style, is it?

My cats are slightly scruffy from age... they could get a breath of new life (one of their Nine lives, perhaps?) Aside from a tin of tuna or a saucer of milk, maybe a sleek smooth coat of satin-finish black paint is just the thing they yearn for?

Rex Ray

Retro Artist for Today

REX RAY | rexray.com


I saw this print come into the store four months ago and sell out in a week. More came in, time passed, but I kept gravitating to this print. I can't explain it, I just like it, except to say Art is a personal thing. It speaks to me... "take me home!" so that's exactly what I did.

According to his biography, Rex Ray is a San Francisco based fine artist whose paintings and drawings have been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums. He is also a celebrated graphic designer. His highly collectible artwork is coveted in design as well as art circles. Abstract and handcrafted, with a retro-futuristic mid-century feel, Rex Ray's meditations on fluid forms are a rare combination of sophistication and decorative appeal.

You can strive to be totally Fifties in your decor, but I think you lose out on whats to come, the exciting, and the looking ahead that made up so much of the Modern movement. Don't lose track by looking back. Pull in something brand new among the vintage.

Mermaid Chalkware on eBay

Norcrest 50's Mermaids Wall Plaque Pair, for those oh so bare bathroom walls. I think this little bit of kitsch should help my bathroom undergo a completely new attitude change.

Atomic Wall Masks on eBay

Oh the drudgery of shopping online for hip-happening items for the home! Here's a another recent find that appeals to my budget:

Three Midcentury Modern Eames Era Black Ceramic Wall Masks won for only $4.95. These each measure about 2 X 4 inches. Very cool, especially on my wall ;)

Out with the old, in with the Modern!

Time to bring out some Eames-era furnishings from storage. I began collecting (okay, hording) Mid-Century-Modern-Atomic-Retro items back before they came into such demand again, and never quite got over it. The good side is much of it that I got cheap requires a good sized price tag now. The down side is a couple of pieces suffered from a leaky roof. Regardless, it was like getting re-aquainted with old friends again.