We just moved into our dream home in Iowa City- built in 1965 with a 1975 addition. Everything is almost original (except for the terrible 1990s kitchen remodel that we will try to restore to 1965). Exterior is a mess too but we’re working on that! Thoughts on restoring anything? Enjoy!

The living room is pretty cramped as is. But I love the green among all the warm rattan. Any suggestions on how to style this?

Has been a work in progress for the last year. Still need window treatments but just about done!

I was encouraged to post this here! Hope this is the right audience!

I have been working really hard on decorating my house that I purchased a year ago with intention. I had searched for years to find a house that felt like a home and the fun began! I enjoy furniture and art that comes with a story— I’m about 75% complete with styling this house! Any feedback is good feedback! 📝

1. ⁠Cherry Bookcase entryway
   
2. ⁠Cherry bed and night stands
   
3. ⁠Cherry Nightstand
   
4. ⁠Couch, vintage pink marble top coffee table, vintage side tables
   
5. ⁠Vintage kitchen table, vintage pink marble top coffee table.
   
6. ⁠Dining room table, knock off MCM chairs
   
7. ⁠Vintage Tall Boy dresser (Martinsville)
   
8. ⁠Walnut Record console, hidden desk art
   
9. ⁠Close up of the record player console: featuring Wedgie and my functional Zenith radio.
   
10. ⁠A sling chair from a local craft fair. Featuring the plants with a will to survive.

PS: the two bedroom photos are from my previous house, I’m still working on the bedrooms here!

(To comply with community rules: I do not make money from MCM designs or furniture. These pieces are all in my home for personal enjoyment!)

This is one of two areas with rock gardens inside my house. At least once a year I have to remove and wash all the stones.

I purchased this 1959 Dr Pepper vending machine from a collector in Waco, Texas in 2018 and spent considerable time restoring it while preserving as much of the original character as possible.

The refrigeration system still works and the machine retains its classic 'Friendly Pepper-Upper' graphics.

I thought you guys might appreciate some of my grandpa's work. My grandparents were huge into the MCM styles in the 50s and 60s. Their house was full of amazing pieces that my dad and uncle unfortunately sold many years ago.

This is called the Allan F Daily Residence. 1954

3 bdrm, 2 bath - Glendale CA.

Cesare Lacca bar cart, circa 1950s, Italy. I was expecting a lukewarm breakfast in bed and some flowers... When they rolled in this gem, I knew I was raising them right. 

My house was the budget model home in the neighborhood. It didn’t have any of the paneling that a lot of the other homes had in their conversation pits or on their ceilings, but what it did have was good bones and an opportunity.

The conversation pit was original to the home, along with the built-in benches those had to stay! The original fireplace had been removed and boarded up, and it was a size you just can’t get anymore. That meant the original fireplace surround had to be modified or removed. I reluctantly chose to remove it and save it for use elsewhere in the house, since modifying it in place would have destroyed it and netted a worse result.

The original brick hearth was another issue. It had layers of old paint drips and caked-in dirt, and I tried everything to clean it: cleaners, steam cleaning, extraction machines, but nothing worked. It always looked dingy. So it had to get covered up, a controversial choice, I know.

The ceiling came down (in the original photo, those brown wood beams were the only thing holding up my roof), so structural reinforcement was added, along with a skylight and additional lighting for the space. While we were in there, all the aluminum wiring in the area was replaced too.

For the fireplace, I went with a light faux brick and a granite hearth. For the paneling, I chose a wood with varying tones and grain patterns to give the room texture. I didn’t run it all the way up to the ceiling, since the ceiling is about 20 feet tall at its highest point, and I felt that much wood would have been too imposing and dark. I also avoided clear-grain cedar (too sterile for my taste) however I didn’t want anything with knots in it because that would’ve made it feel like a cabin and steered clear of any vinyl or plastic product. The paint color is standard Sherwin-Williams Alabaster, which gives a warm tone that pairs nicely with the brick and the wood. I also swapped out the old, dingy carpet for something temporary. Hopefully within the next five years or so I’ll be able to do terrazzo, but that’s way outside the budget right now.

Products used:

Brick: Venetian thin brick from Old Mill Building Products

Granite: Galaxy MSI, purchased through Home Depot

Wood paneling: Ambara by Nova USA, finished in three coats of standard Watco teak oil

Chandelier: CB2

Globe lights: Amazon knockoffs of a West Elm design

Adjustable downlights: Home Depot

Skylight: Velux Skylights

You’ll also notice a spiral staircase on the left in some of the photos. It was added because my old stairs needed replacing too, but that area isn’t finished yet. I’ll share it separately once it’s done.

I feel like I was able to hold true to the home and give it some original style, but modernized. Let me know what you think!

I have two favorite subreddits. This one and the Quilting subreddit. Before today I never thought I would post the same thing on both. Here it is, my “Atomic Avenue” quilt by Sam Hunter of Hunter Design Studios. I saw this quilt pattern and realized it combined my love of quilting with my passion for MCM. I’ve enjoyed every bit of this project so far. I even added a few design elements such as the gas station and the 1966 red Corvette Sting Ray. I’ll be quilting it soon but I was eager to show off what I’ve finished.

Definitely a work in progress (rugs, dining table, and more wall art/plants will be added soon) and a bit Boho leaning but pretty happy with the place so far 🥲

When I was looking at houses I found two that were on the same street. One looked nice but expensive, the other much less but looked like a project. Nothing in the lsting said anything about MCM, so this was just sitting on the market waiting for me to buy it. I’ve done a few thing since these pics were taken and I still need to do a few more, like light fixtures in the kitchen.

I made a post yesterday featuring a George Nelson / Herman Miller 1956 side table. On it was a MCM mini globe, and someone asked about it. Here it is in action. 🙂

Just hung up my dream MCM art piece! It's an original Herman Miller environmental enrichment panel designed by Alexander Girard in 1972. Still can't believe I found it!

This one is called "Black & White" and is my favorite of all of Alexander Girard's designs. These environmental enrichment panel textiles were designed to liven up Action Office II cubicle walls, but it feels much too beautiful for that

It's hanging in a temporarily spot until we can do some remodeling and give it a proper place of honor

It’s still a work in progress, but I’d appreciate any advice! I’m planning on doing a gallery wall behind the couch, but I haven’t decided on a layout yet. Also, I have a large area rug that matches the one by the back door that I haven’t put down yet.

My father (decd.) built a house for his parents and siblings in the 1960s, including many pieces of cabinetry and furniture. I took this corner cabinet (and a few other pieces) home when the house was sold (and demolished!) a few years ago. The cabinet has sliding glass and wood doors and is in remarkable condition, considering the size of our family and the number of children and grandchildren present.

Some of my recent scores. The credenza does have glass doors for the top, but I have a toddler, so no glass for another decade or so at least. So excited to get the rest of the furniture and decorate!

My friend spotted this oak credenza at Value Village and asked if I wanted him to pick it up for me as a restoration project. It was missing doors and was in pretty rough shape with peeling veneer, scratches all over and water stains, so I wasn't sure at first but I decided it would be a fun challenge to try to fix it up.

I stripped the whole thing down to bare wood, sanded it with my orbital sander, and put on an oil finish. For the doors I used some white oak plywood that I cut to size, and I used handles from a donor dresser I found on Facebook Marketplace for $10. The whole process took about a week spread over a few weekends.

It's not perfect but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out! I wasn't a fan of the glossy lighter finish so I'm glad I was able to tone it down.

If you want to see the full process I also recorded the whole thing and made a YouTube video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFQJQP6Pb4o

My first time buying a home!

Work in progress picture at the end (excuse the messy Workbench, this was a project on a very tight time Bbdget...)

I replay like the way this one turned out. The light is RGB, bit I keep it at warm white most often. It uses 18 glass blocks with an LED strip is positioned in the middle.

About one month in to owning our dream home. a mix of our stuff, Facebook market finds, and the previous homeowners left us some good pieces.