The Maxwell Moment: Tips for Sliced Bread and Wet Watches

This week we delve into the archives for another pair of tips for your kitchen. Spreading butter on sliced bread can lead to torn slices and tears of frustration. Prevent that tsouris by buttering the slice before you cut it!

Your watch is a delicate piece of machinery, even if it is just a cheapo dollar store purchase. Keep it running well by taking it off while doing the dishes and hanging it on a cup hook you install in a handy spot by the sink!

Creative Decorating the Craigslist Way - Treasures for Tuppence

Hi people! Sorry for the long silence. I've been so busy helping Ben launch The Obscurity Factor that I haven't had a lot of time to post. I've also been doing a lot of Craigslist shopping lately. It's been a very fruitful period of acquisitions from the site. I've been shopping for my apartment and my mother's place. The results have been quite impressive.

The time has come to set up my dining room. I've become convinced that the big, beautiful Windsor chairs I wanted to use are just too large for my apartment, so I've banished them in favor of these little ballroom chairs. They're ubiquitous at weddings and the like, but are rarely used in the home. I plan to give them a makeover to resemble the hutch they're posed in front of - ivory base coat and green detailing with aged affectations. I got quite a bargain on these. They came from two different sellers, but were only $10 a piece.

Now most of you know how much I love to entertain, so a good bar cabinet is a must. I spent some time looking for one and came across this from the 1970's. It has a caned front and plenty of room for libations and their accouterments.

It also has a flip up top with a bin for your bottles and a laminate work surface with an inset ice bucket. Very chic! This one was $100.

My mother recently moved into a new apartment and is gradually replacing old pieces with new. The apartment is much more modern than their last place so I've been helping her find pieces that harmonize. I came across this dresser was lucky enough to snag it for her. She's so pleased with it and it makes quite the statement in the bedroom! The body of it is walnut, but the facade is actually molded plastic. It's really beautifully done and very solid. You can't tell even examining it closely or touching it. This was also a bargain at $500.

Finding deals on Craigslist is time consuming, but it can be done.

- Keep your search terms broad but narrow down the search platform - for example, say you're looking for a vintage refrigerator, search for the term "vintage" only in appliances. That will weed out all the non-vintage refrigerators, but will not weed out the listing with "fridge" or refrigerator misspelled in them. If you're searching for vintage also use the term "retro".

- You have to make it a mission. I search for the items I need every night and email or call the ones I like right away.

- Persistence is the key. Sometimes the sellers aren't that motivated, so you may need to email them several times.

- It really helps to have a car. If you can look at the item and take it away the same day you can usually strike a deal. I enlist the help of friends and family. You can also join one of those rental companies like Zipcar.

- Don't be shy about bargaining, but do it in person. If you have the ready cash the seller is usually willing to give a little - a bird in the hand...

Your results will depend on the market you live in, of course, but I've done some regional searches and found that there are interesting pieces to be had in small markets as well as large. The key is to keep looking.

Here are some of the great Craigslist items that are up right now in the New York area:

This looks like an Adrian Pearsall couch. (Thanks to Pam at RetroRenovation.com for the heads up on Pearsall)

This all-in-one kitchenette is really unique. It's the perfect solution for loft living or for an office that doesn't have a kitchen.

These great Geneva metal cabinets are also up for grabs here in NY. The price is good too.

When you're on a budget, or just looking for something unusual, Craigslist can offer great opportunities. I've also been so delighted with the pleasant human interactions the transactions sometimes provide.

What have you found on Craigslist?

Knit Picking - Collecting and Wearing Vintage Knitwear

I've become sort of focused on dress knitwear from the 60's lately. It was a huge part of the fashion business in the 50's and 60's, with chic women wearing knit suits and dresses as an alternative to more restrictive woven garments. But far from the relaxed casual dressing of today, these knits were delightfully dressy and totally coordinated. I've been collecting a few for myself and also have a few for sale on eBay right now. This is one that I'll be keeping.

Isn't it charming? I love how the double breasted detail appears to be a jabot at the neck and is reflected in the pleat detail in the skirt. I plan to wear it with black patent shoes.

This one is a Butte Knit. They were an extremely popular knitwear company in the 60's and 70's. Almost every woman owned a Butte Knit outfit of some description. This one is from the early 80's. I love the chemise cut and electric blue color. The details are nice as well - self bound button holes!

The Italians were particularly adept at knits. They made some extremely beautiful suits and dresses. This is one of them. Instead of being wool, it's a linen/acetate blend. I love the little double breasted vest with the hip belt. It's such a 60's mod detail.

This one is the piece de resistance. I've had it for several years and have worn it a few times. It's also an Italian knit - very fine gauge wool and trimmed with genuine polished branch coral. I was really floored when I found this set. It's so unusual! Look at how lush the coral is.

This piece has some really beautiful hand sewn couture details. It's such a beautiful outfit.

Knitwear is a fun category to collect. Things to look out for are moth holes - they tend to be more prominent on knitwear than wovens and felting under the arms. Stains and spots can be carefully spot treated with resolve carpet cleaner applied sparingly with the blunt end of a flat toothpick before dry-cleaning and hanger marks on shoulders can usually be steamed out with an iron - especially if the garment is wool. With care, vintage knitwear can be around for several more generations!

I have a few more knitwear pieces up for auction right now, among other things. Have a look!

Put a Little Spring in your Sleep - Restoring a Sofa Bed

Don't get me wrong, I love my new vintage sofa bed. The problem with buying a used sleeper sofa is that the bed is frequently pretty uncomfortable. This was the case with mine. The middle of the bed sagged horribly - so much so that I had to be creative about sleeping positions, lest the bar in my back cut me in half. I've started to take steps to rectify that, however. The first one is to replace the springs that hold the mattress deck taut.

The spring on the right is one of the old ones. You can see how stretched out it is. On the left is a new spring, all shiny and ready for service. I found the new springs at Planet Bed. Count the turns in your springs and then find the match in their catalog. Over the years these springs can become sprung, allowing the deck to sag in all the wrong places. Replacing them isn't a complicated procedure. It does take a bit of muscle and some ingenuity, however.

I had intended to use pliers to pull the springs into position. The tension is too much for the pliers, however, and they kept slipping from the grips. I ended up using the sturdy hook on a good quality wooden hanger to pull them tight. The first hanger broke after I was about half done, but the second one survived to finish the job.

So did it help? Yes, indeed! It's revived the bed beautifully, actually. The deck doesn't sag anymore and sleeping in it is much more pleasant. Taking the time and effort to revitalize something old instead of throwing it out and buying something new is a good step to take to combat the disposable nature of our consumer economy. My reasons for doing it really had to do with how the sofa looked, but it's been a lesson in sustainability as well. Why not try and upgrade something you've been thinking of replacing? If you do, I'd love to hear about it.

$25 and a Dream - My New Credenza

Hi people! I've just added a new credenza to my furniture collection. I was very luck to find this for the amazing low, low price of $25 on Craigslist.

Here it is surrounded by yet to be unpacked boxes and furniture that I still need to get rid of. It's lacquered and probably dates back to somewhere between 1975 - 1981, which is perfect for the decorating scheme I'm going for.

I love the drawer handles...

...and door handles. They're rounded rectangles and are beveled in, then lined with a brass plate. Some of the plates have a bit of corrosion on them, but replating them won't be a difficulty if I decide to do it. They're small and shouldn't cost that much.

The base is interesting too. It features an inner block and an outer leg structure that sits below the body of the piece, which gives it the effect of floating above the legs - a lot going on there.

All in all, I'm very pleased with it. There's a boat load of storage in it and it has just the right look to it - modern with just a slight touch of Chinoiserie. So the moral of the story is if you live in a big city and are willing to travel to the hinterlands of it, you can take advantage of some remarkable bargains on Craigslist. I spent a month or so going through the listings for credenzas before I found this one, so it takes patience, but it can pay off. This is also how I found my sofa earlier this year.

What have you found on Craigslist? What are you going to start looking for?

Paintings Before Painting - Artistic Motivation For My Renovation

I've needed a pick-me-up for the apartment, what with all the boxes and unfinished renovation projects staring me in the face lately, so I decided to unpack some of my artwork. I didn't realize how much I missed it! It's so nice to see it on the walls, even though nothings finished yet. I thought I'd share the pieces I hung with you.

This is one of the first ones I put up. It's one that was featured on my television show and belonged to my grandparents. It's a Katz acrylic and is a loose representation of a clown. Normally I run screaming from clown paintings, but this one is so abstracted that I really kind of like it.

This is another interesting painting. It's by an artist named Sonnenberg. I've done some research, but have only been able to find one Sonnenberg painter. Her work is different from this piece, but it dates back to 1963, so she could have been doing quite different paintings back then. I like the dark whorling quality of the piece. It sucks you in.

I like this one for it's somewhat morbid, pensive quality. the features of the man are so nicely rendered and the use of color is so beautifully applied - the hint of green reflecting up into the man's face. I love the angular, 1950's quality of the style. There is no signature, so it can't be traced.

This piece is interesting in its use of a heavy impasto texture. The bright red cape of the bull fighter is almost three dimensional. Bull fighting was a somewhat cliche subject for painters in the 60's, but this one has a very nice style to it. It's more unique than most of them. Avery Penn is another artist I haven't been able to find online.

The last one is a print. This also belonged to my grandparents. It's a Camille Graeser. He was a Swiss artist and had a very modernist sensibility. I really like mathematical precision of this piece.

Hanging these pictures has helped me to get motivated to do some of the preparatory work for the contractors. I think it's because of the change of scenery. If you have some projects you've been putting off, why not try shaking things up in your visual world? Hang some pictures, re-arrange some furniture. It can help give you the momentum to make the changes you want to make!

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream Pt. 2 - My New Sofa Bed

Hi people! Well, I've taken another step toward a completed apartment. I bought a sleeper sofa today.

I found it on Craigslist and it was only $50! I've been scrolling through the sofa bed listings there for a week or two, looking for a vintage sofa that would have the right flavor for the scheme I'm planning. It wasn't easy! Sofas tend to be somewhat perishable, so finding one dating back that far is tricky. I waded through relatively new, and somewhat bland offerings from Crate and Barrel and Jennifer Convertibles, slightly older models from the 80's with lots of over stuffed cushions and button tufting, and leather sectionals with recliners built in. I knew if I kept at it I would find what I needed. Indeed, this little model appeared this week and I was intrigued enough to take a look.

The proportions are very 70's, but it's simple enough to be somewhat timeless, so at first I wasn't sure if it was period or not. The owner had bought it second hand as well, but was under the impression that it had been new in 2004. Further examination proved this to be false, much to my pleasure!

Ball casters always look 70's to me. They were on everything that wasn't nailed down back then. This piece has them on the front, but not the back. This was my first clue that it wasn't new.

The graphics on the mattress clinched it. The space age logo and tag line "Motif - Contemporary as Tomorrow" just screams 1970.

It's upholstered in a mottled faux brown suede, typical of the period and the inside of the frame sports an inventory tag with a swatch of the upholstery stapled to it, and the inventory numbers typed on it with a typewriter, which is further evidence of it's pedigree.

I'm excited to welcome it into my home and will eventually reupholster it to suit my decorating scheme. I'm thinking dark grey with contrast piping. I'm also going to replace the mattress with an Air Dream. It should make sleeping in it almost like sleeping in a real bed!

Time Travel Made Possible - A Trip to New York in 1971

I live on 23rd Street, across from the Chelsea Hotel. Today, they're shooting a film with the hotel as a backdrop. It's Cinema Verite, due to be released in 2012, about the lives of the Louds - the subject of America's first reality television show in 1971. Lance Loud lived in the Chelsea Hotel, so they're doing a lot of different set ups. It's fascinating to see what they've done to 23rd St!

They're using so much of the street for background and they've redressed the store windows to reflect the period.

This one is normally an ink cartridge store. I love the stickers that say they accept Bank Americard and Master Charge

This one is a salon.

I've been having fun photographing the changes, and if you frame the shots just right it looks like you've shot a period photograph. The only giveaway in this shot is the extra holding her iPhone.

The period effect is exaggerated with a little work in photoshop. This photo of extras in front of a bank with a VW in the foreground looks period enough as it is, but remove the color and add a bit of blur and some grain...

...and it's like a news paper image from 1971

Here's another remarkable shot. I took this one from my fire escape during one of their shots. The cars are all period. The only giveaways are the crew members in shorts and the new stroller on the sidewalk. Give it the same treatment and...

...after a bit of a crop you have a 70's film still.

It's been fun to see all the hard work they're putting into this film. I'm looking forward to seeing it. It's a fascinating subject!

Mid Century Style Straight From the Source - My Grandparents Glamorous House

Have you seen HippyKitchen.tumbler.com? I was introduced to it through Twitter last week and browsing through the nostalgic pictures of vintage 60's and 70's kitchens I was reminded of my grandparents house on Westchester Park Drive in Springfield, Ohio. Don't get me wrong, they were anything but hippies - you couldn't get much more establishment than my grandfather. It was just the vintage quality of the photos that brought it to mind. Their house was a big inspiration to me, and I still find myself referring to it when I work on design projects. I pulled together a few photographs of it to share here, and as I unpack and find others I may share them as well.

Here's the living room. They had a long, low wall that divided it into two different conversation areas. One was two steps lower than the other. The wall was covered with an ever growing collection of objet d'art. Notice the Asian symbol on the door. It was a feature throughout the house and coordinated with the symbols set into the poured terrazzo floor. I love the Hollywood regency hardware on the cabinet doors!

Here's another photo of the living room, looking the other way. That's my grandmother, by the way. The two white poles in the background are actually the chimney for a fireplace. It was never used because it smoked up the house. In the background over grandma's shoulder you see an Eames lounger, and to her right, the base of a Saarinen chair - their dining set. That far wall was warmly paneled in wood.

Outside was a terra-cotta tile patio that took up the whole yard. It was surrounded with a low concrete block wall that was plastered and painted to match the terra-cotta. The yard was lit with all sorts of colored flood lights in bullet shaped fixtures. Grandma is standing in front of a sun screen that my mother made panels for. The design she used was one of my drawings of a boy fishing in a stream - why I chose that subject, I have no idea...

Set into the patio was a kidney shaped pool. My grandmother used to swim the breast stroke in it every day, all summer, careful, of course, to keep her hair dry. That's my grandfather on the left. Behind him were three red wood cabanas with corrugated green fiberglass roofs. One was for the filter equipment, one for pool toys and the last was for changing. They had sliding wood doors with primitive style figures of bronze depicting hunting scenes on each one.

I think this is where I got my love of MCM and Hollywood Regency. It was a glamorous house and my grandparents entertained a lot. I still have some of the things from that house, and I was pleased that on a visit to Springfield, when we drove by, it looked like the new owners appreciated the mid-century style of the house.

It's fun to revisit old photos. They can help you detect how you became you! Why not dig into some of your own?

Trim and Tubing - A Match Made in Heaven

A few months ago I featured a craft project from Conso Trimming's 1001 Decorating Ideas Magazine. While leafing through another issue I came across this project which is reminiscent of both that project and the Mexican style terry cloth mirror from a few weeks ago. This project has so many possible applications and is such fun to make!

These columns are perfect for framing a window or doorway, but they can also be used as posts for a headboard, table legs or on a smaller scale as accents in a centerpiece or even candle holders! They're made with heavy weight paper tubing - the kind carpets are rolled on. You can usually get the carpet cores from carpet and rug stores, stop by and ask.

Once you've gotten your tubes, test them out for height. If you want them to be a specific length you may have to cut them down to fit. This can be done with a saw. This project is great if you have lots of trims left over from other projects. It doesn't take a lot of trim to encircle the tube. Keep in mind that if you want two tubes that match you need to have twice as much trim. The trimming used in the above picture is all about bright colors, but imagine how beautiful it would be done in monochromatic white or even all black!

Wrap your tubing with the trims and glue them in place with Aileen's Fast Grab Tacky Glue, then stand them up in place and you have an instant statement! As shown in the picture, when put at a window they can dramatically increase the height and add some drama to your architecture. I like the table leg idea also though. If you have a table with 4 ordinary legs just sheath the legs in the trimmed tubing for a festive touch for a Mexican dinner, or for good!

The sale continues on eBay. New listings go up tonight (7/21/10) at 9 eastern! Be sure and have a look!

Cook and Clean with a Piece of History - Vintage Appliances

I bet you're all curious about how the apartment is coming along. Well, it's going slowly, but there have been some advances. I've been making plans and finding deals on some items that I'll be putting in the new kitchen when I remodel it. Some of those items are vintage appliances. Now, most people go all mushy when they install brand new top of the line appliances. Not me - I melt into my shoes at the sight of well preserved or restored appliances from yesteryear. I've been lucky enough to snag two of the three that I'll need for the new kitchen!

This is my new Caloric dishwasher. I believe it's from the early 1970's and is my latest find. I needed an 18" dishwasher for my small kitchen and thought I would have to go with a new one that had a panel front and controls on the top edge to keep the vintage quality of the kitchen intact - and then this came up on Craigslist! It's a simple, basic dishwasher, but it has a very retro look to it.

The controls are set into a brushed aluminum panel that's printed in black. I love the fine red and blue lines around the shiny chrome buttons. Everything is metal - including the interior, which is plastic on the later model dishwasher in my kitchen now. All this for just $30!

Now this little item will be the centerpiece of my new kitchen. It's a vintage 1960's Frigidaire Flair stove. These babies are the rock stars of vintage appliances. There are online communities devoted to them, they're well documented online, and one of them was featured in Samantha's kitchen on Bewitched for years. I found mine in Delaware. I did an event down there in April and picked it up the day after. It needs a bit of cleaning, but I'm up to the challenge!

I love the control panel. It's so glamorous! The stove features a gull wing glass oven door that opens upward and a pull out drawer with a counterbalanced baffle that has the burners on it. Look for episodes featuring the restoration and installation of these little beauties in the future!

Using vintage appliances in your home renovation can have many advantages over new. They're frequently built more solidly and are made to last longer than new ones, and can cost considerably less - like my $30 dishwasher find. They're also saving these relics from the landfills and not contributing to the consumption of our resources in the way that new manufacturing does. Above all, they make for a unique kitchen - one that no one else is likely to have! I've found mine on Craigslist, but you can also scour your local thrift shops and Habitat for Humanity stores for treasures, and keep an eye on the real estate section of the paper. When an old house is sold, the kitchen is frequently remodeled and you can sometimes get the old appliances for nothing! Now all I need is a 30", panel front Sub Zero refrigerator and I'll be all set!

This weekend I'll be in Denver for my appearance with Fresh City Life. If you're in town I hope you'll join me! It's going to be lots of fun.

Needlepoint - Not Just for Men Anymore!

Back in the 60's and 70's needlepoint was as popular as knitting is now. It was enjoyed by housewives, celebrities, free wheeling single girls like myself - even football players! And the interest in the medium made fertile ground for talented designers who created beautiful projects for themselves and others. It was such a popular hobby that books were published and magazines had countless features on the craft.

What I like about needlepoint is it can be easy or difficult, simple or complex. You can decide how involved you want to get in fancy stitches and shading, but simple projects can be equally as compelling.

This bandana pillow is a good example of simple. The design is easy to recreate. It's from one of my favorite needlepoint books from the 70's - Better Homes and Gardens Needlepoint, 1978.

Slightly more complex are these needlepoint flowers from the same book. The petals are each done individually, then wired and taped to a stem - such a pretty detail in a room!

Of course you can get as complex as you want to. Also from BH&G This freeform design breaks all the rules and is a lovely example of needleplay.

Our last Better Homes example is the beautiful kresh done in an abstract style. The detailed shading and elegant painterly quality of the faces is just lovely - so modern and sophisticated, yet still retaining a sense of humor.

Men took to needlepoint in the 70's, like they're taking to knitting now. There was quite a faction of male needlepointers, The most famous was perhaps Rosey Grier, the LA Giants tackle.

He loved the art and published a book all about it and the men who do it.

Here's Rosey with some of his projects

Another talented male needlepointer was Louis J. Gartner, Jr. He published a book in 1970 (Needlepoint Design, A House and Garden Book) that featured some of the beautifully detailed work he did.

This is a good example of his work. Notice the sense of depth he was able to achieve in a medium not unlike digital photography. Each stitch is like a pixel. Take note of how he uses the diagonal tent stitch (the basic stitch in needlepoint) to his advantage by lining them up to create a pin that holds objects on the wall. I particularly love the shadows cast in this still life.

Needlepoint is due for a revival. It's languished in the land of teddy bears and folk art long enough. If you're interested in the more creative side of needlepoint look on eBay or Amazon for the books mentioned above. I also have a few books on the art for sale on Etsy. Have a look at those too!

We did an episode on the art of needlepoint a few years back. Here it is again if you missed it: