apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Honestly - I think you folks take mid century too far.

There are lots of nice looks that could be covered as well that are ignored.

It's getting boring where every other post is Eames or Danish teak...

I'm sure lots of lurkers agree.

Hey - I like MCM, don't get me wrong, but I like liot of other things too, and it'd be nice to see more variety on here so please don't take this as being negative, it's not meant to be. :->

boomer - feedback is always welcome, and we do take comments into consideration when we're trying to brainstorm topics and stores to cover. just let us know what you'd like to see more of and we'll search high/low for places that might suit you (and other readers) better.

OK, thanks for taking that as a kind of backhanded constructive comment. Glad it didn't backfire.

Here's a suggestion - how about a survey?

You could have a survey with a list of design styles and see which ones get the most votes.

Myself, I like anything except 80's. Or anything even remotely Disco.

"Eclectic".

A survey would be interesting, since there's some evidence from Smallest, Coolest voting that MCM isn't the universal favorite of people who voted in the "Northwest" division (unlike in NY and LA, where MCM reigns supreme).

There seemed to be support for a more "traditional" look. Since it's not quite PB or Williams Sonoma Home, I'm at a loss for anywhere in the SF area that sells relevant stuff, unless you score big at a flea market.

Not only that but the pictures above seem tacky and uninspired compared with the outstanding (in my opinion) use of classic mid-century design in this house tour:

http://la.apartmenttherapy.com/la/house-tours/house-tour-steven-and-johns-original-splendor-028353

I'd much rather see truly classy high-end MCM than tired old stereotypes.

The more I think about, what's lacking here (the store above) is "elegance". The house tour above exemplifies elegance in my opinion.

No matter what style, elegance is always preferable. That's why I watch "Divine Design" but never "Design on a Dime".

If people get inspired by something high end and elegant, it doesn't take many brain cells to find a less expensive alternative that looks good.

Boomer, I checked that link out that you posted, & yes that is a pretty nice place down in LA.
I love MCM, either as the meat & potatoes, or as salt & pepper.
It's up to people to decide how to use it intelligently & thoughtfully when creating a space.

The modern design style that apartmenttherapy touts is fun but a little dull after a while.
Why is Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel the only other furniture resource that you can think of?
Those companies just make low-quality furniture for the masses.
Once upon a time, people aspired to Baker and Hendredon among others - which included well-made modern pieces. I do have some pieces from makers of modern furniture too, don't get me wrong. But I check to make sure that the finish is hand rubbed, not sprayed on and, even if it has veneers, there is solid wood underneath, not ply wood.
What happened to having a few antiques and a few flea market finds with some high quality new furniture mixed in?

It seems like the people who run this site admire style over substance.
What I like is a more sophisticated European style which takes pieces from all eras and takes risk with color.

I have to post my first comment since I saw this piece about my favorite place to get well-made mid-century reproductions. Apparently I'm not alone; Inside was voted best furniture store in the Bay area by Bay Guardian readers this week.

http://www.sfbg.com/bob/2007/readers.php#furniturestore

I originally found them when I was inspired by Candice Olson’s use of Sputnik lamps on Devine Design and I went in search of a local vendor. I got the lamps and over the course of 2 years furnished much of my home, and my mother's, with some great pieces from Inside that will last us a lifetime.

I agree that MCM gets too much press these days. But after looking at the alternatives, I find myself returning to mid-century.

boomer – I’m not sure that your comparison of Inside’s showroom floor to someone’s home filled with years of a difficult to obtain collection is entirely fair. Not everyone can afford the time or money required to collect to that level and variety. Steve and John’s home is gorgeous, but I don’t think I could shop there.

I found Inside to be filled with classic pieces, cleanly arranged so that each piece speaks for itself. Not everything sold there is a reproduction. They also represent some very interesting pieces by young and cutting edge local designers. The store certainly warrants a visit.

Happy, For antiques and vintage pieces, check out Scavenger finds from craigslist and eBay, which are featured on all the AT blogs every day.

We do tend to veer towards M-C-M (because it's typically more affordable and well-scaled for smaller spaces) but we also search for more traditional antique pieces that fit these criteria as well.

http://sanfrancisco.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/scavenger/index