Thinking about the Mid-Century Modest Manifesto

I was just reading Pam Keuber's Mid-Century Modest Manifesto over at Retrorenovation.com. It's funny, but our house is like a Mid-Century Modest home grown up. All the features of a modest 50's house, only bigger than 1000 square feet.

We talk sometimes about how we bought the both the house I grew up in and the house his dad would have loved (only better than either). But really, we bought a house that appeals to our sensibilities; one that speaks to the optimism and thriftiness of that time, and the strong "retro" gene we have.

Aqua walls - REALLY!

This weekend I painted my kitchen Sherwin Williams "Tame Teal". It looks fabulous. They may call it "teal" but it looks an awful lot like mid-century aqua. Yumm. I wanted Aqua Boomerang countertops, but he Really Didn't. So now, I'll get my aqua fix on the walls, and have more neutral counters.  I'm not at all unhappy about that. I tend to get tired of colors and repaint, aqua countertops could have limited my creativity. Can you envision other fabulous retro color schemes?

Philosophy

When we moved to this house, we were really excited about the mid-century vibe. Our first thought, and even our first changes (re-tiling the windowsills in the living room) were as true as we could get to the spirit of the house.

Things change. 18 months later, our updates are starting to reflect the reality of life in the 21st century and the abundance of new products available and new ideas in design and living. As a person who over-thinks everything, I found myself slightly troubled by the drift from our original impulses. So, I found myself formulating a philosophy or principles to guide our updates. So here's our priorities:

• Use original or period materials, patterns, ideas etc. if possible and or available
• Use modern equivalents when functionality, comfort or unavailability of mid-century components arise
• Use modern equivalents when materials reflect an aesthetic the builders would have appreciated and they fit in with the room
• Use modern equivalents for non-visible updates (such as plumbing, wiring, etc.) or when required by code

How does this work out for us? Pretty well, for example:

• We both agreed that we wanted the living room to be as true as possible to our mid-century vision. We interpret that as seeking out period pieces, or modern equivalents for furnishing it, keeping the pinch-pleat drapes (I've acquired a fondness for them), and having a brother-in-law who is also a furniture maker create a wall shelving unit for us (planned, but not completed). 
• The baths on the main floor would also remain as original as possible. 
• I, however, am unwilling to live with our original 1961 kitchen. So, the small refrigerator was replaced with a larger one, requiring relocation. I also chose a glass tile for a back-splash. Why? It helps tie together the mosaic tile floors in the kitchen and dining; and reflects the copper in light fixtures. It carries colors of all of those. It's also prettier than Formica.