The Story of the Highboard

Remember a while back I posted about this space and my search to find the perfect piece of furniture?

Well after months of stalking Craigslist and finding nothing in my price range that I liked, I was getting pretty discouraged. I saw a really awesome piece being sold by VintageMod365 but it looked too tall for my space, so I went to see it in person and kind of fell in love. Except the annoying play-it-safe side of me (that I try to keep gagged in the basement) kept whispering, "It's toooo mid-century maaannndiieeeee. People will think you are weeeeiiiirrrrrd." So I thought about it a few days, consulted my friends (who said I would be crazy to NOT get it,) and went with my gut and took the plunge.

It's a danish style teak highboard from the 1960's and it's in really great shape. And at just under four feet tall and four feet wide, it's the perfect size for the wall. But more than anything I love it because it's very ME. Even if that means I am weird.

At this angle you can see how the piece sits in reference to the family room.

Isn't she beautiful?

 If you live in the DFW metroplex and you're looking for a mid century modern piece, check out VintageMod365 on Facebook or visit their booths at the Allen and Inwood Antique Malls. They have a great inventory with new stuff all the time, their prices are fair (which is hard to find around here when buying mid century) and the owners Wade and Matt were very nice and accommodating.

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Evolution of Style

Remember when I shared with you my childhood bedroom styles and what our living room looked like in our first home? I thought I'd share a little bit about my design style in the time period between high school and marriage, because I can tell you're just dying to know.

Aside from a few semesters with roommates, I lived with my parents throughout my college years. I was also fortunate enough to work at Havertys Furniture for the majority of that time as well, and I learned a lot about furniture and the furniture business. Being a poor college student, I definitely couldn't afford most of the things there, but with the help of a healthy employee discount, I saved up to buy this bedroom set from Vaughan. 

Well, it was the 1999 version of this set, since they don't make the exact one anymore. But it was worse, if you can imagine that. Would I have picked out something different if I could have afforded it? Possibly. Would it have looked any better? Probably not. 

It's just sooo matchy-matchy, but I loved it then and that's all that matters, right? Also imagine sage green walls about this color... and solid sage green bedding. I really liked the color apparently. 

But the thing I was most proud of in my room were my black and white photo prints. I loved the thoughtful and whimsical photography of Robert Doisneau and other mid-century photographers, and I chose these four large-scale prints to put in my room. And honestly, the black and white photos up against the green actually didn't look too bad.

Don't you love the freedom in this piece? My favorite is the kid on the right with the tie and suspenders. He doesn't care that he looks like a dork. Nope, he's having FUN. 

Champs de Mars Gardens

Robert Doisneau

My degree is in music, so this one was a particular favorite. Don't worry about the hair. Save the cello!

Musician in the Rain

Robert Doisneau

And who doesn't think elephants shoved into telephone booths are adorable?

Trunk Call

John Drysdale

I love this photo because it's pretty obvious that he's not gonna make it, but man, he's going for it with arms outstretched. In a time of my life when there was a lot of unknown ahead of me, this photo really spoke to me.

Jumping the Puddle

Unknown

So there's a little bit about my design style in my 20's and what exciting things were in my room. What about you? How would you describe your design style in your college years? I'd love to hear!

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Poor Man's West Elm

I've been busy over here... but not with many home projects. I live in Dallas, and have you SEEN the amount of rain we've gotten in the last few weeks? It's crazy. We've stayed dry and really enjoyed the rain, but now the sun is here, school is almost out, and it's time to start the projects up again.

So the West Elm catalog came today, and as I was thumbing through I noticed a room that looked a little familiar.

Light gray walls, nice blue accent wall, linen upholstered bed, navy and gray patterned bedding, mid century side tables, glass lamps....

It kind of reminds me of our master bedroom.

So it's not EXACTLY the same, but a lot of the same elements are there. I would never ever dare say I can put together a room like West Elm can, but it did make me feel good about the choices I made in the room. Sometimes, well letsbehonest, ALL the time, I second and third guess my design choices. And it's even more frustrating when you have a thrift store budget instead of a West Elm budget, you know what I mean? So the fact that I could pull something together even remotely similar to West Elm before the catalog even came out, gave me a little design self-esteem boost.

Just call me the Poor Man's West Elm.

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