r/Mid_Century

Once a bustling rural community, most businesses in Home Hill are now closed and derelict. A walk down the empty main street reveals fragments suggesting former prosperity.

WSJ knows everything, guess I need to go back to ikea and Amazon furniture if I want to be eclectic and cool.

My brother is an architecture student so for his birthday, we did a tour of the Zimmerman and Kalil houses in Manchester NH, which are owned and maintained by the Currier Art Museum.

The Zimmerman House (1950) was bequeathed to the museum by the Zimmerman family after the death of its original owners. Some notable things about the house:

-A large stone near the front door of the home served as the fulcrum for the rotation of the lot; the stone itself was not moved from its original position on the lot

-The layered brick walls completely drown out the sounds of traffic on the busy road outside to a remarkable point, which was perfect for the couple as they were both talented musicians and hosted other musicians in their home

-There are multiple windows with mitered corners as to not break the visual lines when looking outdoors (according to the guides this confuses the Chipmunks quite regularly)

-An example of the mathematical repetition in the house: the ceiling slats are 10" wide with a 3" back board, and the fireplace shelves are 10" apart from one another and each shelf is 3" thick

-The radiant heat flooring was installed improperly and stopped working; when the museum came into possession of the house the floor was completely removed and the radiant system was restored (but done properly this time) and if you look very closely at the floor where it meets the walls you can see a slight difference in color between the old and new flooring

-The original floor tiles were tinted using colored powder and they were not properly sealed, resulting in the Zimmermann's dalmatian turning from white to pink after laying on the floor!

The Kalil House (1955) was purchased by the museum recently, after a patron of the Zimmerman House tour noticed it was for sale and donated over a million dollars to the museum so they could acquire and begin restoring it. It was originally built for Mildred and Toufic Kalil and ended up in the hands of their nieces and nephews, none of which who wanted to move in. Interesting facts about the place:

-This house is constructed primarily of concrete blocks that come from one of (I believe) 7 different molds which are held together with woven rebar

-A large rug in the main room was originally taken by the Kalil family when the house was sold but it ultimately returned due to its unruly size and the fact that several pieces were cut out of the edges so it could fit around the wall seating legs properly!

-The kitchen has an indoor charcoal grill and it vents through the wall into the fireplace

-There are several closets in the columns of the carport where Mildred Kalil had groceries delivered

-The bathroom shower is sunk deep into the floor which is wild considering Toufic lived there until he was 102 years old

-Unlike the Zimmerman house, the Kalil House was not preserved with the same historical focus and the museum is currently looking for period accurate appliances (Fridge, Dishwasher, Washer & Dryer stack) and a kitchen sink to install

-The patio wall was completely replaced recently due to a vehicle driving through the middle of it; in order to keep everything matched they opted to redo the entire thing instead of just replacing the knocked out parts (the silicone molds used for the replacement bricks can be found in the empty storage shed/guest space on the back of the lot)

I didn't get as many pictures inside the Kalil House and I wish I had taken more of the landscaping on both properties but it was a very cool experience that I definitely recommend to anybody in the area. Our ticket fees included admittance to the museum and they had a small display with more information about the Usonian Automatic houses and how the Kalil was assembled. My biggest wish is that we could have seen the homes fully lit but they keep the lighting low for conservation purposes, which is completely understandable, but it does make it harder to appreciate how the builds were designed with natural lighting in mind. I'd like to go back in a few years and see the progress on the Kalil House; one of the guides told us that the gardens are particularly beautiful in May so it will likely be a springtime visit.

Thanks for looking!

I found this at an antique store today for $40. I loved the colors and seeing its original carrying case and box sealed the deal. I realized later that this is from 1965 because of the label on the box. And when I opened the case, the blanket is in pristine condition. I don’t think it’s been removed from the case before. I thought it was a cool find.

This is one of the most unique plaques I’ve seen, I love that I could guess the era from a distance. Just nerding out a little.

It says made in Denmark on the bottom. I am unsure of the maker

The internet tells me my new table is a Danish draw-leaf made of teak. I’m wondering if someone could suggest the best method for treating the top. I have Danish oil and steel wool on hand but maybe there’s a better way?
Also, is it normal for the grain to not match across the three panels?
Any knowledge y’all can share would be appreciated!

My recent orange-crackle lamp and sunburst clock scores, sent me down a rabbit hole of redecorating my office in a mid-century modern-inspired look.

I'm working on finding a short 2 or 3 tier shelf or a small table for the wall on the right to decorate with some plants and maybe get the awards and random things out of the windows, and then I want to get some art for both walls.

Any other suggestions?

Looking for some info or possible value on this giveaway lamp I received. I think it’s the original shade because it matches so well.

I’m not looking for shopping advice (where to buy, which brand, etc), more aesthetic/design opinions. If those are considered one and the same, my apologies.

I recently found a great deal on a pair from a local seller and trying to decide if I should get one or both for the corners of the room. If I only got one, it would go in the left corner, replacing the floor lamp. I’m concerned it may be too much going on in the right corner and would maybe need to move the plant?

If this isn’t the right sub for this type of post and anyone has suggestions for a better audience, that would be great!