Vintage Living

I thought I'd kick-off the middle of the week with what I hope to be a weekly edition of Vintage Living. I want to give you pictures from vintage or retro pads that inspire me, make me laugh or teach me something about design. So here we go...

The cover of the April, 1970 issue of House Beautiful.  A fun colorful trip through some fab interiors. Notice the way the trianges go from the mini blinds up to the ceiling. And that light fixture is FABULOUS.  The use of color is outstanding. They didn't really have a neutral in the room.  But it works, the contrast of the yellow and orange continues everywhere, in the built-in, the cocktail tables, the sofa, the floor, even the patio furniture. But really 1970? Do you think you might have overdone it? Nah, you were having fun. Life was good, everyone was feeling groovy and it shows. To quote Sally, when asked by her son about her partying when he was a child she simply replied, "It was the 70's!!"  I mean really, what did we expect. Ok, well I wasn't born in 1970, but I did arrive in this decade.  Thank you 70's for my birthday and for my love of color. I see where it comes from.

The color doesn't stop....it keeps going and going....Check out the kitchen on the right it has an enormous round skylight centered in the ceiling, red and foil wallpaper that takes you  visually to the light while reflecting it, hanging pots that grow herbs and pulley up and down and Vinyl floor tiles that repeat the shape of the island.  In the kitchen on the left and the garden room below are more inspiring uses of color.

The more modern space on the left is my favorite, I love the use of rattan or cane as it brings in a natural element to a very artificial environment. And the last two are amazingly eclectic.  Love the yellow chairs above and the yellow walls with pops of white moulding in the living room below.  It makes an otherwise traditional interior rather fun.