Mid-Century Landscaping

I'm not in love with everything they did to this house, but as someone who has big plans for his backyard, I like to see mid-century landscaping ideas.

Done: Find out what water stain in nursery closet is/fix it

I spent the weekend cleaning out the attic and while I was up there I figured I should check out what caused the old water stain on the ceiling of the nursery closet. A few extra trips up and down the ladder and I placed the stain directly below the AC drip tray/overflow pan.

After checking that there were no holes in the tray, I'm calling this to-do item done. We had the unit professionally inspected and adjusted this year and there were no major problems and as much as I'm in the attic, I've never seen a drop of water in the tray. I'm guessing the stain is from an older HVAC unit that has since been replaced.

That's the thing about inspector's list for older homes - sometimes the problem is already fixed, only the proof that it once existed is still there.

Urban Mid-Century Furniture and Design

I'll be honest, I haven't been in Urban Outfitters since I was in college. So I was surprised to find out that they're a decent place to find relatively inexpensive mid-century furniture. Chairs, sofas, tables - they've got a pretty good mix of furniture with mid-century design. You can see for yourself here.

Mid-Century Austin Find: Another Broyhill Sculptra Credenza

Austin is turning into a hotbed for Broyhill Sculptra credenzas. There's another one available on craigslist.

Mid-Century Austin Homes: 87 Rainey St.

Sure, this home is more modern than mid-century, but I have a little crush on the Rainey St. area of Austin.

Mid-Century Austin Find: Broyhill Sculptra Credenza

You can find a vintage Broyhill Sculptra credenza on Austin's craiglist if you act quick.

Update: This one went fast, the posting has been deleted.

Mid-Century Modern iPod Player

We needed an iPod to play our son's Rockabye Baby! lullabies on. But I wanted this extremely modern technology to fit in with the rest of the mid-century look and feel of the nursery. And because it was for a kid's room, not cost an arm and a leg. But, because I'm a nerd, still sound good.

We found the perfect player: The iHome iH15
Which reminds me of this cube pendant light

As an added bonus for a kid, the iHome iH15 lights up and changes colors, making it a great night light.

Mid-Century Walkway

Added to our to-do list recently was to take out the current wood walkway and put in a new one. The current walkway is nice(Sweet animal statues moved with the previous owners.) But with a little one running around now - or more accurately in a few months, we'd like some more green space.

So we're going to lose the walkway from the back patio area to the hot tub (the one coming towards you in the photo) and have a single walkway from the carport. We're also going to get rid of a good bit of the stone, only keeping the section against the fence where the plants are, and change the covers on the ground lights (the things that look like upside down pots... because they are upside down pots).

Thinking is cement block form, I drew up some possibilities

Then I went online to find pics of what things might look like

I still can't decide, but I think we're got some good options to work with, once we actually start the work.

Last image thanks to Retro Renovation.

Mid-Century Austin Find: Mid-Century Coffee Tables

There are some good deals on Austin's craigslist if you're in the market for a mid-century coffee table."Vintage mid-century coffee table with tapered legs, brass accents in a cool textured design. Sturdy and in good condition." You can find this mid-century coffee table here.

"A very cool vintage coffee table it is on rollers & it swivels the top is simulated wood grain the base is chrome it measures 36" diameter & 16" tall." You can find this mid-century coffee table here.

Mid-Century Carport Patio

The top half of this carport/patio is pretty much exactly what I want out carport to look like once we turn it into an outdoor living area. Minus the safety railing since we'll be on ground level.

Mid-Century Tree Topper - Final Decision

The mid-century tree topper decision has been made with two words from one important lady, "the star."

But being a mid-century design nerd, I had to make sure the first star I found, the Mr. Christmas starburst tree topper, was the best star for our tree.
Turns out it was. But I found a lot of great images of mid-century and mid-century modern tree toppers and thought I should share.

Old House, New Year

As the year starts to wind down, we're doing what all good home owners are doing: adding to next year's to-do list.

We've got new, big plans for the kitchen - some that involve taking out half a wall. And with a little one in the house now we want to have the front and back yard in shape for when he starts moving/running around on his own. Since we never use the carport to park a car, we also thought it'd be nice to turn that area into a covered livable space.

All of these projects won't get done in the coming year, but I'll continue to use this site to dream about perfecting my mid-century home and catalog the mid-century design finds I come across.

Mid-Century Modern Art for a Travel-Themed Nursery

I have an amazing artist and designer friend who recently gave our son a gorgeous new print to hang in his travel-themed nursery.
You can buy her art here.

Mid-Century Tree Topper

Our tree is in need of a mid-century topper; one that matches all of the mid-century ornaments.

The hardest part is deciding between a star
And whatever you call these things