Mid Century Floating Sofa Before & After

You might remember I picked up this, rather my husband, picked up this mid century floating sofa last year.  We loved the look but really hated the 80's-ish covers of denim blue with yellow piping. Eck!

Well, it took a loooooong time to get around to it, but I finally dragged myself Los Angeles' fabric district and purchased a soft turquoise blue knubby upholstery. I found someone on Craigslist who recovered it for $60.  I purchased foam to make a back rest in lieu of all pillows.  I made the small Ikat throw pillows with fabric I purchased downtown as well. (I should do a whole post on the fabrics I saw!  Wowza! I was in fabric heaven.)

Anyway, what do you think? 

Before

After 

I'm still debating whether or not I should keep the foam backrest or make 2  more throw pillows for the back, like the original.  Your opinion? 

Sea Urchins as Mid Century Decor.

There is something about the sea urchin that I find so beautiful.  Beautiful enough, that I want to display them in my home.  Apparently I'm not the only one either, because lately I've been seeing them pop up everywhere.  

It's actually not a new design, but one that garnered appreciation in the mid century.   From the starbursts to the C. Jere pom-poms, the design of long extending spikes from a center base, has been loved for many decades.   I've always loved vintage starbursts, so the urchin love must be run-off from that?  It's as if the sea urchin is the starburst's cousin, right?

Nate Berkus for Target. 4" Sea Urchin in White Or Gold. 

I saw these in Target on Sunday but didn't get them. Ugh, why?  Now I need to go back.

Oly Cast Resin Sea Urchins in 10", 11"and 25" circumference.

Hmmm, I feel a project coming on.  I'd like to try and recreate these with some clay.

Zhush Gold Ceramic Sea Urchins $25. Also available in white and silver.

I'd go white! 

Sea Urchin Bowl at Element Clay Studio @ Etsy $82

Brass Urchin Accent at Furbish $45

Gorgeous!  I can see this atop some vintage home decor books. 

Set of 3 Brass Sea Urchins Wall Art Clayton Gray $100

Move over C. Jere Pom Poms, you have some competition! 

Interested in the real thing?  Check out Ebay for Sea Urchins with Spikes.

Sea Urchin Chandelier ELLE Magazine

Holy shhhhhh, that is gorgeous!

In searching the above image I found it on an awesome blog called My Hands Made It, plus a tutorial on  how to make your own here. Saturday project!  I can't wait to give this a try.  Look how beautiful hers turned out below:

If you're into sea urchins/starbursts too, and you enjoy making things head over to google and do a search. You'll find multiple how-to-make-your-own urchins. Have fun!

The Otherworldly Architecture of Zaha Hadid.

My new heroine;  Zaha Hadid, female architect, has designed some of the most incredible buildings I have ever seen, unfortunately not in person. Check out her incredible space age designs, many of which  look undeniably mid century modern:

Beko Masterplan: A swirling complex of apartments, offices and leisure facilities on the abandoned site of an old textile factory in Belgrade, Serbia. The cluster of buildings will also accommodate a five-star hotel, a congress center, galleries and shops, as well as underground parking facilities for visitors and residents.  

Custom home commissioned by model Naomi Campbell and her billionaire fiance Vladislav Doronin.

Currently in the works; Dubai's Performing Arts Center.

Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center in Baku, Azerbaijan, serves as a library, museum and conference center.

Maxxi, the National Center for Contemporary Arts in Rome.

Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati, Hadid's first US project. 

In the works; a prism home in London. 

Zaha Hadid:

Courtesy Business Insider  and Dezeen

Chair Love.

Dreamy chairs on Los Angeles Craigslist.....

Folke Ohlsson Dux Lounge Chair and Ottoman $1850 

TH Robsjohn Gibbings Widdicomb Style Mid Century Modern Chair $625

Adrian Pearsall Lounge Chair $795

Adrian Pearsall Arm Chair $595

Scoop Chair $250 

Danish Modern Lounge Chair $525

Ronald Reagan's Mid Century Modern Home. $5 Million

This is my dream home....an expansive mid century modern ranch in the hills of Los Angeles.  I can dream!

Ronald Reagan's former home is for sale for....wait for it.....$5 Million.   It sits on a hilltop in Los Angeles' pristine community called Pacific Palisades.  It's nice people....very nice...


Get your drool cloth out...this house is gorgeous. It needs a wee bit of updating, and I'll have to buy some new furniture....... smile....I wish....

Designed by architect William R. Stephenson in 1956, the mid-century house was a ‘General Electric Showcase House’, meaning it was filled with all sorts of energy-saving devices, including gadgets for controlling temperature, light, etc., that were, at the time, considered state-of-the-art.

realtor.com

Sublime MCM Living Room.

This room is so sublime I had to share.  Clean, bright, minimal without being plain, warm and inviting.  Check out that patterned wall!  Courtesy here

Minimalist Modern Barstool Hunt.

Happy New Year everyone!  I've had the bug to change some things up in my home for awhile now, so I'll use the new year as an excuse to "freshen up"...right?   

My latest hunt is for modern, minimal, backless barstools.  Say that 5 times fast.  I've been browsing Craigslist obsessively, just waiting for that ultimate score to pop up and pounce on. Hasn't happened yet. ;D  

In the meantime, I've browsed and found some pretty dreamy chairs, but put a huge emphasis on the "dream" part. Check out the prices for beauty like this!  Oh, my champagne taste and beer budget conundrum.  Sigh.  

Smith Barstool $449

Kami Barstool $498

Crescent Barstool $130 

Not too badly priced actually

Carney Barstool $480 for 4 

Not bad either, but I only need 2.

Knoll Twist Stool $723

Knoll Chip Barstool $523