A funny thing happened the other day, this guy walks into a bar... Oops...Sorry,that's another story. This is actually a true documentary ...

By: Carol Sveilich Reflections from a Glass House, A Memoir of Mid-Century Modern Mayhem is an intimate and detailed story of growing up in the Silicon Valley, in the 1960s. Sveilich shares her story in incredible detail, making her very easy to connect with. In many ways, this felt like sitting down with a friend, […]

Thanks for stopping in and checking us out! A Modern Line is devoted to the restoration/ refinishing of Heywood Wakefield Modern furniture a...

Immerse yourself in the captivating world of midcentury modern glass made in America through an exquisite collection of over 690 stunning color and black-and-white photographs. This meticulously crafted book seamlessly guides readers through two distinct sections: the first delving into the realm of glass manufacturers, and the second exploring the realm of glass decorators and designers. Within these pages, discover a comprehensive panorama of renowned glass manufacturers such as Bischoff, Blenko, Cambridge, Duncan & Miller, Erickson, Fenton, Fostoria, A. H. Heisey, Morgantown, Paden City, Seneca, and many other notable names that have contributed to the midcentury modern glass legacy. The realm of glass decorators and designers is equally illuminated, featuring the artistic contributions of luminaries like Stan Fistick, Fred Press, Gay Fad, Ben Seibel, Russel Wright, Eva Zeisel, and numerous other master artisans. This exceptional volume not only showcases the breathtaking beauty of midcentury modern glass but also explores the diverse techniques employed in its creation. Experience the artistry of cold glass decorations, including intricate paintings, elegant decals, meticulous cutting, delicate etchings, and a myriad of other surface embellishments. Encompassing a stunning array of colors and crystal, the book unveils an enticing selection of giftware, stemware, and tableware. Marvel at the enchanting vases, exquisite candy dishes, alluring smoking items, and an array of other remarkable objects meticulously crafted for purposes beyond tabletop use. Delve into the world of drinkware, where textured tumblers and other captivating vessels await your discovery. Whether you are a connoisseur of fine glassware or simply an appreciator of artistic beauty, this compelling book is an essential addition to your collection. Prepare to be enraptured by the allure and craftsmanship of midcentury modern glass, elegantly presented in this definitive volume.

There's hardly anything I love more than saving a great piece of furniture and being able to bring, particularly mid century modern items, back to life! I literally live for this stuff and here's the newest success story. My recently acquired early 60's Telefunken stereo console was just gorgeous for the cabinet alone and the stereo seemed to function just fine. Just had a turntable issue which has now been resolved. I went ahead and turned it over to a local audio shop and now pretty much eveything on this is up and running nicely! The cost of the repair work was more than the price of the unit, but I think worth the investment. A month or better ago I had told the tale of bringing in some great Adrian Pearsall pieces at the behest of a consignor. I advised up front that getting these up to speed could be a bunch of work to sell and it was coming off the sale price. Well, the slat bench went pretty quickly and I still have a couple of pieces still in the store in what appears to be the the original ebony finish, but the dinette set had been lanquishing in storage waiting for my attention. My consignor was under the impression these were of an original and a rare finish. Although a very stunning design, I seriously doubted it's originality. The finish covered the bottom steel taps on the chairs and table (this would have been the last application from the factory after finishing) and the installation screws were mismatched attaching the backs to the frame. There were also more staple holes in the wood than what I ended up pulling the fabric off the seats and backs. More proof that these were not original! Not that I planned on keeping the same finish, just a bit of justification for taking some liberty with these pieces. This has been one of the most daunting refinish jobs I've undertaken! Undoubtably, the frames on these are solid walnut. That didn't neccesarily make the job any easier. Whoever last refinished these put down a very heavy coat of white paint and had somewhat antiqued over the finish which was heavily embedded in the wood. I even resorted to some citrus stripper which turned out to be a major mess in itself. After way too many hours, here's how we stand currently with a bit of stain... In the next couple of days these will get 3-4 coats of satin lacquer and should look pretty swell. I'm on the hunt for some appropriate upholstery as well to really make these pop! The table is on the bench and hopefully will be done soon as well. When I finally finish this set it should be totally stunning! Keep your eye on the prize and all the work will be worth it? I certainly hope so! 

For those of you who appreciate Heywood Wakefield furniture pieces manufactured during the period from the late 40's through the early sixties, this post is for you! I'm going to give you (for free!) my take on the proper procedure for refinishing this particular piece of furniture. Some have said to me, hey, A Mod, why are you giving away your secrets? Isn't this counter productive to you getting jobs? Trust me, I started this process ten years ago and I don't think any of my advise will adversely effect my business as far as future clients. You won't learn all I have to share in a couple of posts and frankly, I really don't mind sharing some tips. I know there a lot of you out there that need some advise and prefer to go the DIY route. You have to start somewhere. I love anything that has to do with mid-century modern, but for those of you who follow along, I specialize in H/W repair and refinishing. We recently took in a M197G wishbone table for refinishing (see our last post for the starting point) which I guess could be considered 'part 1'. I'm going to share with you my normal procedure for this piece. If you have a short attention span, have little patience and time for long term projects, no space and not some basic tools and would prefer immediate gratification, I could safely say this post may not be up your alley. It may however give you a greater appreciation of what it takes for the job at hand! And you may even end up being a client if you'd like me to take care of your pieces :) With that said. lets get started... Here we are bottoms up. This is going to be the starting point for this or any other H/W refinish tear down. General rule of thumb...taking apart, start from the bottom. Putting back together start from the top and work back to the bottom. I can't stress too much on the importance of labeling where each piece comes together and making sure to label all the screws and other relevent hardware for location on your piece. Tape screws together for particular applications and label them, along with making sure to mark where each piece was removed from, in whatever markings works for you to remember. I normally use either a number or letter system that is hidden under the reconstruct that will be easy to decipher when I reassemble. I normally mark the drop leaves under the hinge points. It may seem redundant to mark each hinge, but in the sanding process, it's easy to accidentely sand off some of your original marks. Better safe than forgetful...the difference in an 1/8" in screw length can put an incorrectly placed piece of hardware right through one of your newly refinsihed tops or split another piece. Take your time and make sure it's right the first time...Same goes for piece placement...these pieces, although milled at a factory, were hand assembled by humans not machines. Screw placement was done by hand and not a computer and each piece has some variations. Put it back where you took it apart from, and it will save you a bunch of headaches reassembling! When you have taken apart as much H/W as I have, you will find situations where you have removed all the obvious screws that seem to be holding pieces together and it still won't budge. Don't try and rip these pieces loose as there is likely something you missed. Granted, there are some pieces that have had a bit of glue applied and may need a little help breaking free (normally end table legs), but if a quick pop from a rubber mallet doesn't break it free, there's another cause. All of the wishbone tables I've encountered have a screw through the side apron to the outside pedestals. These are covered by a flush wood plug and as they are behind the butterfly support are not obvious. After you have clipped your tables "wings", remove the butterfly supports and you should be able to see where this screw is located. The easiest way to remove these plugs and other flush mount plugs found on a lot of other projects is to run a course thread drywall screw directly through the center of the plug. With a bit of luck, the screw will hit the top of the existing culprit screw and will back most, if not all of the plug out of its location. This is a lot cleaner removal than attempting to "dig" the plug out and will normally inflict a lot less damage to your piece. Even if it doesn't come out completely intact, you will have a lot easier time removing the remnants...this particular "tip" is great for all kinds of applications... As of the the night before last, I had the tables drop leaves removed and the two outside pedestals taken off before my drill battery gave up the ghost and had to be put on the charger. I normally keep a backup charged, but after going through multiple sets of batteries, have opted to just replace one at a time as they die. It's gotten cost prohibitive and if you don't use every single day, these don't seem to hold charges as well and although I use one regularly, I can afford to wait an hour or so for charging. I was close to shutting it down for the evening anyway. Got back on it last night though... Last pedestal removed, table aprons dismantled and marked...and we are ready to begin the fun of taking off our projects old "clothes". Here's a better pic of the steel gear mechanism for this table. The first time I refinished this particular table, I took more completely apart at great time, expense and headache. I actually took the wishbone areas of the pedestal apart (not recommended). I've learned more than a few lessons on how far to go as to what you "really" need to tear down and still do a great job! In my humble opinion, this is as far as you need to go for disassembly for your successful refinishing. We had some really needed rain this evening that allowed me to get this post done without feeling too guilty about not getting more accomplished. Post #3 to come soon for those interested! I think I'll title the next post something along the lines of the "bare" facts. Catchy? As always, thanks for taking the time to take a look...

A funny thing happened the other day, this guy walks into a bar... Oops...Sorry,that's another story. This is actually a true documentary with some pics about a recent/ongoing project. A customer of ours was interested in selling a H/W bed and although she decided to keep the bed, she had a couple of things to refinsh. This is a synopsis of the refinishing of the first of two nightstands. It's a Kohinoor M148 which were made from '48-51'. I've been refinishing H/W for about the last 9-10 years and although there are people out there that have been collecting and selling longer, I think I've seen I think almost every condition that it can be seen. At this point I have refinished hundreds of pieces of mine as well as many pieces for other clients. If you have an interest in buying and refinishing H/W you are welcome to follow along... I have no idea what my client paid for this piece but if I saw it in a yard sale in the condition it's in, I might go $20 max. It's in realy rough shape. Scale of 1-10 I'd probably give it a 3. Now let the fun begin.... First we are going to disassemble... This nightstand does not appear to have been refinished. It was originally champagne but the client would prefer in wheat. Not a problem as this baby is going back down to her birthday suit anyway. The piece has a couple of major flaws. There are divots in the front of the drawer pull that are either factory fills, which I doubt, or are holes that someone has used wood putty to fill, although long ago. There are also heavy stains on the right side facing on the top. I would guess to be either an oil or ink of some kind. These are the kind of flaws to watch out for when considering buying a piece. Not the ideal candidate but I've worked on worse pieces! I've found that a lot of cabinets don't need to be completely dissaembled, however, if there is a back panel that needs to be done or an interior space, it's easier to take it all down as it was in the case of this particular piece. Not a bunch of fun to take down but will be worth it in the longer term.. Now that we have the patient in pieces and laid out it's time to break out the sander. I don't use chemical strippers. You are going to have to sand these pieces in the long run anyway and it's messy, expensive, and environmentally a non-starter. That said, you need to be careful of what grit paper you use and where it's most efficient. Large flat surfaces are ideal for a 60 grit start. You can cut to the chase, so to speak, and not make any structural changes. The last thing you want to do is take away the beautiful and graceful lines that make this furniture desirable. However major blemishes are more quickly and easily worked out with a lower grit paper. I use 150 in the second stage and work over the same areas and more towards the slightly more delicate spots taking care not to "reshape" the existing lines. I finish with a 220 for the balance also taking great pains not to change the lines in the pieces. Here's our subject first after the first go round and again ready to start putting down it's new "clothes".  Here's how we look after the first sand. Dark stain is obvious on top left corner of top piece. This is deep in the wood and will not sand out. Divots in the drawer pull smoothed out and shouldn't look too bad after refinish but will likely show a bit but not enough to detract from the overall job. Trying to rectify is likely to make matters worse than better. Just hoping the toner in the finish will knock down enough it won't be too noticable. I've determined the top is a good candidate to try some wood bleach as this stain needs to be at least lightened as best as possible and there are enough other questionable areas that could stand some lightening as well. Although the results were less than perfect I did manage to lighten the stain appreciably and it helped with the rest of the dark areas of the top as well.   Looking much better but sometimes you can only do so much! Have to wrap up this particular post for now. It's time to layout our pieces and get ready to apply our empresses new "clothes". I doubt her owner will recognize this piece as the one they brought to me a couple of weeks ago. Stay tuned if you feel so inclined as I will be continuing the final processes and posting of the work with more pics of our lady totally done. For those of you who follow this blog and may have tried to post before, I apologize as a friend of mine made me aware that her posts would not take. I've changed my settings and now anyone interested may post any comments, after review, and please feel free to contact me with any questions at [email protected]. Thanks for taking a look!

There's hardly anything I love more than saving a great piece of furniture and being able to bring, particularly mid century modern items, back to life! I literally live for this stuff and here's the newest success story. My recently acquired early 60's Telefunken stereo console was just gorgeous for the cabinet alone and the stereo seemed to function just fine. Just had a turntable issue which has now been resolved. I went ahead and turned it over to a local audio shop and now pretty much eveything on this is up and running nicely! The cost of the repair work was more than the price of the unit, but I think worth the investment. A month or better ago I had told the tale of bringing in some great Adrian Pearsall pieces at the behest of a consignor. I advised up front that getting these up to speed could be a bunch of work to sell and it was coming off the sale price. Well, the slat bench went pretty quickly and I still have a couple of pieces still in the store in what appears to be the the original ebony finish, but the dinette set had been lanquishing in storage waiting for my attention. My consignor was under the impression these were of an original and a rare finish. Although a very stunning design, I seriously doubted it's originality. The finish covered the bottom steel taps on the chairs and table (this would have been the last application from the factory after finishing) and the installation screws were mismatched attaching the backs to the frame. There were also more staple holes in the wood than what I ended up pulling the fabric off the seats and backs. More proof that these were not original! Not that I planned on keeping the same finish, just a bit of justification for taking some liberty with these pieces. This has been one of the most daunting refinish jobs I've undertaken! Undoubtably, the frames on these are solid walnut. That didn't neccesarily make the job any easier. Whoever last refinished these put down a very heavy coat of white paint and had somewhat antiqued over the finish which was heavily embedded in the wood. I even resorted to some citrus stripper which turned out to be a major mess in itself. After way too many hours, here's how we stand currently with a bit of stain... In the next couple of days these will get 3-4 coats of satin lacquer and should look pretty swell. I'm on the hunt for some appropriate upholstery as well to really make these pop! The table is on the bench and hopefully will be done soon as well. When I finally finish this set it should be totally stunning! Keep your eye on the prize and all the work will be worth it? I certainly hope so! 

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We were recently contacted by a couple who are downsizing in a big way for a one of a kind life adventure. They are planning a year long plus excursion across the country on bicycle and are divesting of pretty much everything they own. And boy, do they have some nice stuff to divest of! As they are big mid century lovers, the house had plenty to choose from. I don't think my pockets are going to be anywhere near deep enough to take too much off their hands, but I'm hoping we can come to terms on at least a few items to buy and hopefully get them to consign what we can't afford. This post is actually more about the house they've been renting than their stuff. And sadly, I did not bring a camera, so the pics are all not so great phone stuff. Still...this house is, lets just say, fabulous! Everything in this kitchen looks original 50's. From the counters to the cupboards to the appliances and tile work! From the occupants descripton, the stove is a bit iffy, but everything else is in working order. Totally fell for the ribbon glass in the cupboards. Could I be in love? Yup, the bathroom is just as great as the kitchen! Everything thing in this house looks pristine! No renovation required here, just some TLC to make sure it survives another 60 years! It makes my heart glad that the owner has not decided to demo and remodel! Hope they don't ever have this in mind going forward... Just a couple of pics of what the residents have up for grabs...there was too much to try and document on the phone and I just grabbed a couple of pics of stuff I'm personally interested in. That said I'm interested in a lot of stuff available! From the top, if not an original Adrian Pearsall rocker, this looks like it should be. Could not find it in the online catalogue. It has a locking mechanism that allows it to rock or be a stationaty piece. A really nice Heywood Wakefield small dinette. I'd never have thought this particular table could be used this way, but it looks great and functional with the two rayback chairs in the space. What appears to be an Adrian Pearsall cocktail table base although I'm not sure the glass is original. I've seen this configuration before with the same glass. If we can come to terms with the owners with their great stuff, I will be posting again. Rainy weather has somewhat stalled the 50's atomic dresser and chest but I've made some progress and should be able to post the 'finished' job soon... As always, thanks for taking a look and feel free to comment. Don't feel hesitant about my moderating my posts. I've had way too many people attempting to scam the blog with crappy ads. If it relates to the discussion I will definetely put your comments up!   

I was hoping to get started on some blonde H/W modern line pieces I've had just waiting for my attention especially the king size storage he...

From Christmas Ideas 1967

Mad Men hand cigarette smoking mid-century modern pop art wall art

Number 2 in a series of Mid century inspired wild flower Illustrations. This print celebrates all things botanical is perfect for those plant lovers out there, The print is created with sumptuous colour and Geometric shapes. Available in various sizes. All Mr Watson Design illustrations are inspired by a love of all things mid-century as well as a love of music and film. Prints are professionally printed on high quality 230gsm archival giclee paper. Available in 8 sizes: A5 size: 210mm x 148mm A4 size: 297mm x 210mm A3 size: 420mm x 297mm A2 size: 594mm x 420mm 5"x7" 8"x10" 11"x14" 16"x20" Please allow 5-7 working days for UK shipping, 8-15 working days for international (please allow up to 4 weeks). We would love to see your Mr. Watson Design print in its new home, please tag @mrwatsondesign in your Instagram posts or leave some feedback for our shop. Thanks!

There is always something pending in A Modern Line world! Finally got caught up on other customers projects and started jumping back into ...

This week's inspiration stays in the bathroom. More specifically the shower details - because while a soak tub looks gorgeous...

It is whimsical eye candy for your garden or outdoor living space, but maybe not practical lounge seating. Young and hip Los Angeles designer, Kyle Schuneman of Live Well Designs, created this super cool moss

As you've surely heard by now, Newsweek is celebrating the return of AMC's Mad Men on Sunday with a Mad Men-themed issue with a retro cover and loads of retro ads. Fast Company has posted 21 of the ads—some of which are original from the period, while others reimagine modern-day campaigns as they might have looked in the '60s. After the jump, check out four of our favorites. The Dean Winters "Mayhem" ad for Allstate is particularly great. Check out the rest at Co.Create.

If Mid-Century Modern decor is your signature home style, then check out how to create the perfect bold mid-century modern gallery wall by following these tips!

Subtle and sophisticated, the Crittenden Outdoor Wall Light by Generation Lighting is inspired by the simple lines of mid-century modern design. Boasting durable, all-aluminum construction, this sconce will make a bold minimalist statement whether used indoors as part of an entryway or as an outdoor light guiding the way. The fixture purposefully directs light downward, ensuring a concentrated brightness to properly accentuate your home.HighlightsDark sky friendly; Designed to emit no light above the 90° horizontal planeSupplied with 6.5'' of Black/White wireSuitable for indoor and outdoor useTitle 24Energy Star Rated (only for LED lamp)

Focusing on exterior details can be the key to an affordable update that allows the original design to shine.

PATIO PARTNER BBQ COOKBOOK RARE 1957 SPIRAL-BOUND "TIME CAPSULE" FIND! - FUNKY AND FUN! First Edition (4th ptg.) >>> Mid-Century Modern Meat Mayhem and More!!! Condition: Note that vintage softcover books are quite fragile, and are graded accordingly. Covers- G Spiral binding- EX Text- EX Illustrations- EX Please inspect photos carefully, as they are an important part of the description - and feel free to contact me with questions. Thank you!

my article on 'SEX AND HI-FI' in Ultraswank www.ultraswank.net/music/sex-and-hi-fi-let-me-show-you-my...