If I had more time, energy…
and perhaps a bigger bank account to fund my interests…
I would have loved to study architecture
{it’s funny, because I keep pushing the field on Husby
since he also shares the same love, and is the artist in the family.
I think it would be a fascinating field to explore once he retires from the fire service in 20 some years – –
looks like you’re never getting a break, Husby!!}.
As you may have seen from some of my previous posts,
I am infatuated with Scandinavian design.
My other love is mid-century modern – – which stems back to my parents.
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My mom has been in real estate most of my life.
She got bored easily
{which she claims is a sign of intelligence – haha!}
and when it wasn’t time to move,
she redecorated or moved furniture around when my dad was on business trips.
We never stayed in a home longer than three years growing up.
My parents flipped houses before it became a popular thing to do.
I have countless memories of going to open houses with my parents
and listening to them talk about the pros and cons of each, while sipping their drink on the veranda.
I used to share in their excitement and grow eager to have a new bedroom to make my own
{I actually love change as an adult and get super bored being in the same house or area too long {thank you, mom, for that character trait}! We’ve stayed put since the kids have started school; however, I dream… {on a daily basis} of change… whether it’s new décor, a new home, or moving to Costa Rica… among other places}.
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My parents were definitely more minimalistic in their sense of style and design.
I grew up with one of these chairs in our family room, which I hope to own at some point
{wishful thinking}.
{Eames Chair Image Via: Herman Miller}
My favorite house that we lived in, during the later part of my high school years, was in Fullerton, California.
Not only did it have an amazing ocean and city view
{which was always a must},
it also was a piece of mid-century modern architecture.
Dressed in floor to ceiling windows,
it was also adorned with a beautiful vintage pool on the side of the house.
This particular nest sparked my love of design from this time period.
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Although there are many mid-century architects I adore,
Cliff May
is one of my favorites.
He is known as the father of the California ranch-style home.
Every room in the house has a connection to the outdoors,
erasing any lines of separation.
Floor to ceiling glass walls were a signature of his,
along with functional living and entertaining spaces.
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I found a gem of a website {SoCal Modern}
a couple of years ago that has a photo gallery of mid-century homes,
lists current modern houses for sale {in the Southern California area},
and gives a valuable list of resources
{from brokers, architects, designers, magazines, furniture & accessories, preservation, and more}.
Here are several homes {all in Long Beach, California}, designed by Cliff May in the mid 1950’s
that I found on that particular site.
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{images of the above house via: socal modern – house one}
{three images above via: socal modern – house two}
{two images above via: socal modern – house 3}
{three above images via: socal modern – house 4}
{three above images via: socal modern – house 5}
{four above images via: socal modern – house 6}
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For those of you that share in my love for mid-century modern design and architecture,
I hope that you thoroughly enjoyed the photos above!
For those of you that fancy other design styles…
I hope that it ignited a new found appreciation for these vintage masterpieces!
