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When we sit down at the dinner table, we don’t really think about who designed the tableware – the plates, bowls and serving pieces. Chances are you purchased the table settings you use today based primarily on size, color and pattern. But as with every piece of decor in the home, a designer or group [...]
Introduced in 1936, Fiesta dinnerware was casual yet inexpensive tableware in solid colors. One could easily mix and match colors to create a beautiful spectrum on the dinner table. The line was discontinued in 1972, but was revived in 1986. The original line featured just five colors – red (which was actually an orange), blue, [...]
Timeless Decor If you’re like me, you probably have a bunch of albums (yes, albums, not CDs) or 45 rpms sitting in the closet or attic, warping and gathering dust. All your favorite bands growing up. The Who and Led Zeppelin, perhaps. Maybe a box filled with Motown acts. Or, like me, pressings of Bowie, [...]
If you’ve been looking for the perfect way to upcycle that thrift store clock, Shelly Leer at ModeHomeEc walks us through her restyling of a Goodwill timepiece. The result is a beautiful, modern style wall clock that leaves us drooling. While this project might just take you an entire weekend, it would definitely be time [...]
Illustrated designs, especially of fruits and vegetables, were common on kitchenware, small appliances and textiles in the 1960s and 1970s. Among the most popular designs were mushrooms, which picked up speed and held momentum well into the late ’70s. While painted and embossed ceramics were popular, bigger and bolder was also common. Painted cookware, canister [...]
Viva Las Vegas! The “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign was created by Betty Willis in 1959, and even today represents the city of lights and the famous Las Vegas strip. Still quite young, the Strip represents the significant changes the US underwent after WWII. As Frommers says, Las Vegas promoted itself “as a town [...]
Retro Planet’s new line of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) typography signs are definitely unique. These original signs bear words like “kitchen,” “bath,” “cupcakes,” and “laundry”, and are great for do-it-yourselfers and creative people. You can paint a sign to match existing decor or just go wild with patterns and custom techniques. Crafty person that I am, I took [...]
More than any image or sound, we are driven by the words we see. This is why so many restaurants in years past bore neon signs of simple words. A brightly-lit sign that read EAT or Coffee could be easily seen from the highway and got us thinking that we’re hungry or need a break. [...]
We’ve seen lots of great ideas for design placement and re-purposing of tabletop gumball machines, but this idea for an aquarium is brilliant! This project isn’t for everyone – you may need to get help with some of the steps, like using a glass cutter. The end result, though, is so worth it. Don’t have [...]
Looking for a creative way to put grandma’s old fabric on display? This simple yet brilliant idea posted at The Purl Bee is also inexpensive. Crafters used newly produced fabric, but well-stored pieces from decades past will add nostalgia. Other materials include wood embroidery hoops and fabric glue. You could also paint the hoops and [...]
If you’re appreciative of vintage lighting, especially from the atomic era, you’re going to love walking through 350+ lamps posted at Retro Renovation. A few months ago the site asked readers to upload their table lamps, garnering hundreds of shaped, logo and character lamps. There’s plenty to drool over, including this one sporting a patterned, [...]
Best known for his unique, neo-primitive artistic style, Joel Nakamura’s work has graced the pages of Time, US News & World Reports, and several other publications. It’s his colorful, compelling renditions of a reptilian monster that caught my eye. Nakamura’s Atrox looks akin to Godzilla, as well as all those Japanese monsters we saw in [...]
Schwinn is a name synonymous with bikes. Founded by the German-born Ignaz Schwinn, a mechanical engineer, and his partner Adolph Fredrick William Arnold in 1895, the Arnold, Schwinn & Company struck while the iron was hot and started production when bikes where huge in America. But their big boom didn’t come until the 1950s and [...]
There’s a big trend these days with graphic designers “retro-fying” modern media. Among the most popular projects was a series of retro ads for Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Skype. San Paulo firm Moma Propaganda created the fake ads as part of a “Everything Ages Fast” campaign for Maximidia Seminars. You can see the social future [...]
