This weekend and last, we helped a friend and neighbor, Laura, to build a zebrawood desk. It turned out well, no?
(Lots more pictures after the jump — and click on the pictures for larger, clearer versions)
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One of the defining features of an Eichler home is the set of globe lights that were original to the homes built in the 60s (the late-50s often had a pagoda-style light). We've learned the hard way the each tract has a slightly different design — some white, some black, some with domed celing mounts, some with cylindrical)… but one thing's for sure. If a bad 70s renovation found yours in the skip, then you were sort of hosed.
Recently, though, a few folks have brought these back to the marketplace. While there have always been corded choices from Seagull Lighting and a few others — even Ikea — these new versions from Schoolhouse Electric and Rejuvination Hardware come sthe closest with solid rods. The ones from Rejuvination are even customizeable, however, I'd guess the Schoolhouse ones could be made shorter if necessary.
Of course, you can always replace with reproduction Nelson Bubble Lamps, too.
Replacements for the globes themselves can be tricky (and expensive), so if you do buy a new set of lights, you might think to get another whole lamp for extras down the road.
Our friends Michael and Iris are on a work-junket in NYC and are looking to rent out their house… furnished! The house is in sunny Marin and is full of original covertable MCM goodies that makes stepping into the life of Don Draper all the easier. Drop us a line if you're interested and we'll connect you.
(Click the photos for larger, clearer versions)
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Our friend Ron Weaver (who also made our succulent planter) help out in fabricating a new fire pit for us.
I designed it, Ron fabricated it and my 11-year-old nephew Henry (and 7-year-old Oliver) helped to install it. It rocks (and it's filled with rocks… well, sand and decomposed granite, specifically).
It's made of mild steel and will hopefully take on a Richard Serra-esque patina over the years.
Here's a link to a higher-res PDF should you want to make one yourself. If you make one, drop me a line and let me know how it went.
We don't do a lot of product pimping here, but given how smitten I am (and how short the sale is), I thought I'd share.
Our old, crappy grill gave out and I stopped by BBQs Galore today on a whim to see what they had. I'd been thinking about a larger grill anyway (and glad I didn't buy one from the folks that made our old grill), so perhaps it was kismet — I found the T-grill.
The old grill was infrared and we liked that — it heated up fast and was nice to cook on. Who knew that they made an infrared grill so cool… and one that was under $500 (actually less than our old one). However, the sale (on the older "blue" model) is only on the the next few days… I think it ends the 31st.
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Unfortunately, we've recently had some poor experiences with the folks that installed our LG Art Cool AC system, so we decided to try a different contractor (JMT) and so far, I'm glad we did.
Interestingly enough, JMT was one of the two folks we considered for the initial install and they're who we called for the tune-up this time. Both times they've been to the house, they've been on-time (which should have been an initial positive indicator), so we hope we're in a good situation now with a responsible contractor.
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One of the nice things about living in Concord is the 80s-suburban feel it has… we have a neighbor that blasts Night Ranger and we have our own Ice Cream Man in a dusty GMC van. The later, Casie is very happy about.
Today, after planting the summer garden, I heard the familiar tune… (and it wasn't Sister Christian)
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There's always a new project afoot, isn't there? This time, the reassembly of a 1969 Honda S90 motorcycle.
Casie has spent the last few days putting some new goodies on ModApple including this neat Mid-Century piece by Aldo Londi. Check it out.
Last week, I bought a scooter from a nun. Really.
Any site self-titled as "Redneck"-anything needs to have at least one excessive-transportation-related post per year, right?
Well, In addition to two (yes, two) pickups, a vintage VW and a hand-me down Volvo (oh, and the 40 year old motorcycle in pieces in the garage), we've added a neat 1983 Honda C70/Passport to the mix (with plans to eliminate some of the others, so not to worry).
An odd link-up through CraigsList connected me to Sister-Barbara in Oakland and a few weeks later, I was scooting away. I've missed my old 1969 Honda Cub50 that I sold a few years ago, but it was a bit too underpowered for suburban city streets.
While not Mid-Century Modern, this is one seems to be in immaculate condition with very little rust and just a few scuffs. And really, the design of the Cub has changed very little since its debut in the late 50s, so it's not too anachronistic style-wise. The 83 model has a much more stable electrical system and a few updates that make modern-scooting a bit easier and safer.
It will make summer-time commuting to BART a bit more fun — and now the Rancho Del Diablo scooter club has reached a quorum (well, as soon as we can get Kyle's scooter running).
