I Need/Want a Mid-century Console

As I write this I am binge-reading Manhattan Nest. It's better than Netflix. It's completely addicting. And it's got me thinking...thinking about my room. My room is a far cry from a design project, let alone a renovation, but Daniel's words have me convinced that I need to make some changes around here. Right now that means nervously re-stacking piles of books atop piles of cardboard boxes I can't get rid of because I'm running a serious storage deficit. But I've found my (dream) solution: a mid-century console.

The idea came to me, as all ideas do, while I was masturbating browsing Pinterest. Thanks to home tours on Designsponge (above left, ph. © Kelly Ishikawa) and The Design Files (above right, ph. © Annette O'Brien) I have a plan: buy a console (pragmatic!) and hang some abstract art—the large-scale painting previously seen here—above it (pretty!). I already have a lamp to sit atop said console and a pair of dream bookends that might make an appearance.

Urban Outfitters has a reasonably priced mid-century-ish option (with fugly metal legs I'd have to replace...and, actually, maybe some knobs are in order) while West Elm stocks a fancier, prettier, priced-just-out-of-reach media console with lots of storage space. My favorite option (below right) is the most expensive, natch, and is located in California to boot.

I've scouted the Brooklyn Flea the past two weekends, but that's not enough time to yield any decisive leads. I know one guy there who has good, negotiable prices, but stock is inconsistent at best. Le sigh.

Look how happy this couple is with their midcentury console! Is that so much to ask for?

Ok, I have some more updates re: actual progress being made in the bedroom (painted walls! bedding!) but am going to save that for a later date. Until then...

Mid-Century Modern

I've had this post gestating in the back of my mind for awhile now, because I am ~*obSesSEd*~ with midcentury furniture. I don't technically know what defines it (how mid is mid?), but I know that I like the look of it. Part of it might also be its ubiquity in every home to which I find myself really drawn, homes with clean lines full of natural materials and natural light bouncing off white walls, with lots of plants and antiques. It's a versatile aesthetic that can lean towards the bohemian end of things, which is why I feel it suits me really well. My bedroom can be a multilayered souk and my living room can exude Danish Hygge; the space itself more of a gallery for the calculated layering of mementos, art and artifacts.

One home I've found myself really falling for is Morgan Satterfield's California desert oasis (photos above; click through for the original post). Satterfield's blog, The Brick House, makes even DIY photos look interesting, plus she has a wicked sense of humor and an incredible eye for art, textiles, furnishings, decor...you name it. She's basically the interiors blogging messiah and her home is my digital temple. Too much? Maybe. Satterfield also works as an interiors stylist and her projects, including Husky Ranch (as seen on Design*Sponge, below) have a deliciously handmade feel with Southwestern flair.

But I digress...the internet is a big place and I have to admit that it isn't just Satterfield's home that has me swooning. I loved finding Spanish designer David Delfin's home on Yatzer. Again: white walls, natural materials, plants, great art—and midcentury furniture.

And below I've pulled two more inspo images for us to ruminate on. The first, from Modern Thrifter, is just a pitch perfect deskscape. (Are we saying "deskscape," now? Can we?) I love the gold accents in the home accessories; below that we have Azzedine Alaïa's Paris bedroom. Maybe, at the end of the day, a little spartan for my tastes, but that lighting fixture and the mint green armoire are almost too good to be true.

Saarinen tables and Eames lounges, oh my! How do we feel about this mid-century madness? Like this post? Check out more of my living entries, then check out my design boards on Pinterest!