Mad For Mid Century

A small mid century collage by yours truly. I call it "Embracing Routine".  6"by 6" by 2" canvasIf you're a Mid Century product of Florida, like me, you probably grew up in what's fondly known as a "ranch style house".  Our friends over at Wikipedia define the ranch abode as " a domestic architectural style  originating in the United States. The ranch house is noted for its long, close-to-the-ground profile, and minimal use of exterior and interior decoration. The houses fuse modernist ideas and styles with notions of the American Western period working ranches to create a very informal and casual living style."   In addition to the above, the Florida ranch house  usually came in pastel colors with what we call a "Florida room".  This is kind of like a family room with lots of windows. 

 Although not as grand as the house above, my childhood home shared several elements.  Our Florida Room ceiling had a similar wood treatment and it also had a stone feature wall.  We had lots of green and brown and that EXACT furniture.  The authentic flooring would have been terrazzo, like ours.  I never knew it was cool then but now it's all the rage.  Think about it, there are lots of these houses still around!  Mid-Century has firmly established its niche in design history and has left its mark on our culture.  We've got MadMen, Modernism Magazine, the website Atomic Ranch and numerous blogs. MOD_CVRIf you're looking for that 50s vibe in the kitchen, keep it simple.  Door styles were just flat and were either a warm wood finish or painted.  Guess what? Wall ovens with a separate cook top were much more common in the typical Mid Century kitchen.  Today most homes have ranges.1950s ad for Caloric ovens (bad name, huh?) atomicpattern2Throw in a little atomic patterning and you're there.  If you are really embracing this you can get the vintage look for your refrigerator.elmira_lg(2)Elmira Stove Works has introduced the latest addition to its retro Northstar collection, the French-door refrigerator.  By combining iconic 1950s-style with the modern amenities of contemporary appliances, this new model is larger capacity than previously available in the line.  It comes in a full-depth model as well as counter-depth.  You don't have to get red.  It comes in nine standard colors OR you can even get it custom-colored (for a price, I'm sure).