Photo Friday: It's the Little Things Edition (Mid Century Interiors)

Good morning!

Well, we made it to Friday! Hope you're having a good one so far. I've been up to the usual, digging through flickriver for things that might catch your vintage-loving eye this morning...a tall task, but I'm up to it! This user's stream is full of vintage pictures, detailing a young family from the late forties' to the seventies', but, as is my wont, I was most interested by the backgrounds of a lot of the photos, which feature decorating touches that are worth giving a second (or a third, or a fourth) look.

Let's get started:

This is the photo that originally caught my eye. While the pretty cake, tablecloth, favors, and the teeny little birthday girl herself are all as cute as they can be-- ARE WE SEEING. THE MURAL. ON THE WALL. My heart just did a flip. Topically enough, I tried in one of my idle moments the other day to see if you could search online or ebay for these type of full-wall mural wallpaper scrolls without paying $1,000,000 USD for them, but had trouble even locating what I was talking about. Is there a formal name for this kind of decorative paper? I've seen it again and again and again in slightly more chi-chi estate sale houses I've been to-- they usually feature huge peacocks or weeping willows bending low over some colonnaded antebellum house or some other similarly romantic setting to gaze at wistfully as you enjoy dinner in your formal dining room. This one, though, is extremely desirable to me for its bird cage full of white doves, tropical plants, and flowering branches. See it again in the photo of the cool looking lady below:

It reminds me of a paint-by-numbers or those Turner prints of flamingos or cockatiels except more vivid in color. Aaaand....I want one. Maybe I could find a paint by numbers version of something like this but simpler and do it on my own kitchen wall. There was an amazing post by Kate at Scathingly Brilliant where she did something similar in her home's bathroom. It can be done!

This photo is from Christmas at the family's house, and while one of their young sons looks over the construction set he's received from Santa, I am emphatically mouthing the words "OH. MY. GOD." over the sidetable to his left. Do you see it? Once you see it, you can't un-see it! Here and ever after, I'll be looking under clothing racks and checking living rooms at estate sales just ONE MORE TIME to make sure there's not a loin-cloth'd, Art Deco man holding up a piece of glass and a lamp somewhere in the house. I can't believe that the Lord in his infinite wisdom would see fit to keep me and something this kooky a part, so maybe I'll find one of my own some day!

In this photo, I thought, "Nice looking older guy!", and then, "Nice RCA tv, there!" and then, "What is he sitting....oh, man..." It's a rattan Danish-modern style rocker! Perfect for watching tv in. I found a similar one here on the internet, but it still doesn't hold a candle to the one in the picture. It's funny, because every time I see one of those weird white rockers (which, I know is based on an actual chair from the actual time period), I think "that would look like it was from outer space in my house, even with my current crazy design". This, however! THIS I could live with!

This house from the photo set has the most beautiful patio area ever (including mural of lemon tree, thankyouverymuch), PLUS a glassed in, green-house like pool to the left of the picture! Such luxury! I love the idea of being outside with all the light and greenery, but inside away from all the mosquitos and yellow jackets with this kind of set up. Bee-yoot-iful.

Now they're just showing off. WHAT A GORGEOUS CREDENZA. Ugh! I'm sure if I ever get to see one of these in real life, someone will have painted it teal and switched out the fixtures with like DIY dinosaur heads or something else stupid. How elegant does this look with its simple decoration (Buddha, enamel bowl, awesome fake plant in vase) and a backdrop of white pinch pleat curtains? I want this.

How about the love seat the man and his cocker spaniel are sitting on? I think this is pater familias of the whole gang, and doesn't he look sharp in his bow tie? I like how the aforementioned furniture piece is a) vinyl without looking tacky or outdoorsy AT ALL (eat chips on this one all you want kids! Just be careful not to tear it!) and how the black metal frame of it looks appropriately atomic-age.

Last but not least, this house that looks like a postcard and a perfectly fitting guy and his fifties' convertible in the driveway. Bid time return! This is exactly the kind of joint I want to live in!!

So, what did you think? Did your jealous bones come out at all looking over any of these pictures? Will I ever find mural wallpaper at a reasonable rate? Be sure and look at the whole photostream some time when you get a chance, there are a ton of neat photos upload for your viewing pleasure.

That's all for this week! Have a great weekend (FLEA MARKET WEEKEND, THANK GOODNESS...maybe I'll see you out there!), and we'll talk on Monday! Take care of yourselves, til then.