15 February 2011

readers digest again ...

November 1964 ... great articles, quotable quotes, unbeatable advertizing ...



new chairs ...

So our farmhouse decor is decidedly stuck on a theme - pretty much everything in the lounge and dining areas is woody and/or forest-green.  It's a scheme that gives the room a calm sort of cave-ish feel, and it definitely links nicely to the eucalypts that grace the view from every window.
It sort of just worked out that way, started with our super-amazing dining chairs, who have reigned for a few years now ...

... and we have let fate keep it rolling - the right piece, with it's original upholstery in the right green.


So we felt pretty lucky to come into possession of a set of dining chairs this week fitting the criteria.  They're a style we have always admired - Model #26 by Parker, made in 1963 - and of the set of 4, there are 2 needing serious restoring.  In the interim, of course, the other 2 were looking for a home (guess it will be temporary - once the damaged pair are back to full health they may have to join a matching table we have in the shop).
We have seen these chairs a few times over the years, and always thought they were enormous ... almost too big for a regular room.  Just last week we brought in a new dining table however, and the table's pretty much big enough to bring any chair down to scale.
So there you go - another bit of 60's green fabric that means we need to make space in the house.  Thanks universe!

11 February 2011

no accounting for taste ...

For some reason we have come to love these woven wall-hanging things. 

We have collected a few over the years - always pretty large-scale, and in nice mixes of natural tones.  We now have 5 or 6 of them around the farm - all different, but definitely tied together thematically.
The thing is ... we have tried them out in the shop a few times - thinking that they are great pieces of mid-century decor, perfect for a 70's den - and folks just don't seem to like them ...
... maybe it's just us - hopefully folks will get it one day!

Very excitingly, we found a fantastic new one last week - super fantastic, don't bother denying it!  it came straight into the house, and found it's perfect spot immediately.
Craft ... art ... science?

06 February 2011

skram-azing

Our old (2005) laptop kind of clapped out about 12 months ago (crippling!), but after a couple of weeks at the doctor's it's back up and running with some fresh ram and we're all happy again.
One fun thing about reviving an old computer is revisiting forgotten folders of images and folders ... found a photo of a crazy-looking chair by a company called Skram ...
It's a pretty irresistible shape - like a cartoon of a 50's danish design?  Went off googling to see what they have been up to - plenty more kooky stuff out there.  They're based in North Carolina, USA, so we are far enough away not to be tempted to blow the rent on a mad chair (again), but would love to see some of their pieces in the flesh.


Wow.

readers digest ... social barometer


We have been collecting vintage Readers Digest mags for a few years now ... great and dated articles, and those invaluable opportunities to Enrich Your Wordpower being great motivators.  But the advertising is a major highlight ...


All of these are from the same issue - June '61 - but seriously, every month is just as good, even the '80's ones.

Seriously.


a special mention goes out to the marvelous Caterpillar corporation for telling it like it was - the headline says it all - "Today's bush - tomorrow's farm" - helping us tame this once overgrown land of ours.

As the saying goes ... read 'em and weep.