First House After College!

Hey guys!
I'm going to be graduating in May, and am really excited because I've just finalized my first house after college! So of course I have to share my pics and excitement! I'm actually going to be renting a house from a best-friend of mine in central Upstate NY. (in a small village called Starkville). Its about an hour west of Albany.. She's an artist who recently bought an abandoned church to fix up into her home and studio. Being in the middle of Upstate NY, she got the property for $17,000! Not only is the church incredible, but it came with an "extra"- the original parsonage! Can you imagine getting an extra house with your house? Since she doesn't need an extra house, we've worked out a deal where I'm gonna rent (maybe rent-to-own) the parsonage, likely in exchange for repairs or work done (any work I do will count towards rent). I'm actually already very involved in the local community as I go up there constantly throughout the year, and love it! Very slow pace of life (which I love), yes very economically depressed, but it feels right.. Lots of country, little towns, old buildings and old things.. There's a local cafe we go to on the weekends and know everyone by name, people wave as you drive by, neighbors help out....its so not like that where I grew up in modern suburban maryland..

Anyways, here's the house! It's a little 1865 Greek Revival farmhouse! Thankfully still has its original windows and wood siding, and so many cute details! (porch details added circa 1890)




Even though its much older than most of the furniture I'm into, I kind of like the contrast between the more 1940's-60's stuff against the olderness of the house... And it already fits in a lot of ways.. don't those look like 50's starbursts carved out in the gingerbread trim below? Meant to be ha! And yes, this pic also shows how much work she's gonna need....all I can say is water has not been this home's friend!

I love the front door (but gotta get rid of that modern screen door!)

And the back! So cute.... for some reason some of the siding on the back was replaced with plywood, but that'll eventually get dealt with....All the stuff there will get moved out when I start moving in late spring....

And a little bit of the backyard :)

And finally, in context- with my friend Wendy's church next door!

As some of the pictures have shown, she's definitely a project, but I'm excited! I'm gonna start work this winter to try to make her livable for when I move in after school.. Poor old girl needs a LOT... her plumbing works...ish... her electric has been updated, but there's no heating system, plenty of leaks, and a foundation that needs to be stabilized...The inside's also a mess (she's too packed now for pics).... There's not tooo many original details left inside (besides original doors with iron latches!) but that just means I can make it my own and vintage it up to my heart's content!

Wish me luck! I've been waiting my whole 21 years for a bunny cottage I can call my own!

The Ultimate Haunted House

In the spirit of Halloween, I figured I'd share one of my favorite houses with you guys- the Webster Wagner Mansion in Palatine Bridge, NY. Whether or not this place is really haunted, it sure looks the part! Built in 1876, the home was built for inventor Webster Wagner, who invented the sleeping and parlor cars for the railroad, in addition to a ground-breaking ventilation system. Basically, he was largely responsible for improving the comfort of railroad travel. Is it somewhat ironic that after he built this home, he died in the same car he invented, in a fiery train crash in 1882.

Today, the mansion is in a terrible state of decay, but surprisingly is not abandoned. It is actually currently lived in, though the owner is somewhat of a recluse. A few years ago, half of the porch collapsed, followed by a portion of the third and second floors collapsing over the parlors due to water infiltration. The mansion is still standing, but on its final legs. While its future looks grimm, I hope someone will come along and save it..it would be sad to see such a part of local history lost...

Beautiful Damage

So, this past summer I was walking around the antique flea market in Bouckville, NY (VERY yummy), and came across this forlorn little lampshade. It wasn't really for sale by itself, it just came with an older floor lamp that it really didn't go with anyways. But I was struck. For me, the star was this shade. I snatched it up for $5 and carefully carried it back to my goodies pile.

Now some people have thought (and likely will think) I'm crazy. You should have seen some of the looks I got carrying this thing back! But I don't care- I just love it to pieces. And JUST the way it is. That's what makes it so good! It started out as a fringed lampshade (1920's?) but has practically become this (IMHO) work of art! I mean its just like this wierd sculptural faded floofal from another time....like shredded or faded elegance... That pink floofal in the middle is fantastic and I love the edges of fringe that remain along the sides. It really has this abandoned building kinda feel to it...

While I'm not sure what I'm gonna do with it, I gotta do something good...I'm open to suggestions! I don't want it to be a lamp again (besides, it would burst into flames) so I'm thinking of just hanging it somewhere...maybe over a table over something?






P.S. here's a sneak peak of a 50's pink dinette I got at the same flea market! Isn't that pattern outrageous?! There probably won't be any pictures soon since its stored in Upstate NY at a friend's house (where I'll be moving), so a taste it the best I can do for now! With that being said, I know officially have too many dinettes and need to sell off the excess children! If anyone's looking for a 50's dinette in the Maryland-ish area, let me know! (I have a couple in storage and a nice red one ready to go).

Update on Life and a vintage patio set!

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been gone for forever! This past year has just been...well... packed isn't a strong enough word! In addition to surviving being an architecture student, I've just had a ton of other stuff going on as well.. This summer I helped a friend do a couple art shows and also volunteered to help an architecture firm do an exterior conditions report on a really cool house I have to post about some time... I also found the house that I'm going to be renting after school! I have to do a post coming up- I'm so excited! Its a little 1860's former parsonage in a village in Upstate NY. It needs a ton of work, but has a lot of potential! I'll be renting from my best friend up there, who lives in the old gothic church next door!

And then this semester is going on.. This is my first break, after our big first-half-of-the-semester project. To give you an idea of what studio is like during the final days of a project (the charette), I was working literally nonstop for a week, all day and night at the architecture building, and the last 3 days I slept 2 hours. Not a very pleasant experience! Besides the fact that I don't remember what i said during my presentation, I actually had a very good review, so I was happy. Here's a picture of me from last semester with my charette hat on, and a model from a previous project..

But anyways, during the charette I actually picked up some vintage yum-yums on the way to get art supplies! I was on the highway when my vinta-vision kicked in and spotted this adorable vintage dinette set at a yard sale! ( seen from the highway through trees in a neighborhood behind some bushes!). I instantly found my way to the yard sale and snatched them up for a tidy $35! I was thrilled as I was looking for a set just like this actually! And $35 is my kind of price! I'm thinking of painting the little armrest wiggles a color, or maybe even striped!

I'm free!!! And thinking of living in a vintage trailer...

First off, lemme just say,

I'm FREEE!!!

Well, for the most part at least. Studio is over! And winter break has basically started. I have one final exam still in a week, but I have plenty of time to just relax and study with classes being over...

So what's been on my mind lately? Well, vintage trailers....specifically, BIG vintage trailers! More like mobile homes really....

I'll be graduating college in a year and a half, and I love the idea of starting out after college in a vintage trailer! I could find one with outrageous 50's styling, fix it up, and make it my own little vintage oasis...

I am quite enamored with this 1959 Richardson that's been rotting away in a storage yard nearby my house here in MD... She may not look like much, but I just LOVE that angled end styling... She is very very rough, but in a way that might be better, since I could be free-er to stray away from the original-ness without feeling bad. Not to say I would ever make it modern, but as a designer and architecture student I would love the opportunity to redoe the inside with vintage things to create an entirely new (but vintage) atmosphere. It currently has really awful dark, fake wood paneling that I know is vintage, but I just can't stand... I could probably get that Richardson for free (or close to it) too... I hate to admit I'm not the biggest fan of her booty though. She basically just ends flat. It almost looks unfinished, or like someone modified it to just be a flat wall. I very much prefer the wild angles like the front end has. Because this trailer is so rough, I wonder if I could even modify the rear end design, maybe put in sort of balcony thing or add tapers or something... but make it look original. It would definitely require skill in metalwork to do it right, but that's something I'm very interested in and do want to learn. (I'll hopefully be taking some classes on at least welding soon). Oh, and while there's no pictures, in what's left of the living room is a very cool angled room divider...

I actually like the idea of living in some bizarre little collective grouping of vintage things. Like instead of one house per say, lots of little vintage rescued buildings and trailers...altogether in some little compound....like abandoned diners, little cottages, old train cars, vintage trailers, and other vintage oddities, some of which were never intended to be houses... I just think it would be such a fun and varied living experience. And I have seen all sorts of examples like the ones I mentioned listed for sale, often relatively cheap if you have a place for them.

But yea, here are some pictures I've been oogling over for inspiration. What I usually do is find certain images for inspiration when thinking of something like this. In a lot of cases, it's a singular thing or idea in an image I'm in love or am fascinated with. I love the idea of taking a lot of the ideas from these inspiration images and combining them in different ways.

Inspiration Images

LOVE this early 50's Landola! In this image what really strikes me is that sketched in patio/cover thing. I love the angled beam that extends past the roof line, and the play of the sever angles against the curved shape.

Below is another very cool patio covering idea.

The below Glendale has a similar angled front end (though I like the Richardson's better!), but this also has a very cool rear! I wonder if it'd be possible to to something like that to the Richardson. Also, love love this outrageous paint job!

And the chartreusy color of the one below...LOVE...

This one pictured below is a very rare 1959 Spartan Carousel...regarded by many as one of the holy grails of vintage trailers due to its excellent construction, styling, and outrageous floorplan! In addition to the large picture window on the end, which I love, the floorplan revolves around the kitchen in a way that had never been done before or again...

I mean just LOOK at that! How cool is that ROUND kitchen! With pink appliances, no less! Still not a fan of the wood paneling, but that kitchen is to die for...

The ceiling is also bumped down and then pulled back up to reflect the space below...and good lord there's even a Sputnik light tucked away in the recess! Oh! Incredible!!!

And the image below is just so happy and ridiculous I LOVE it. I'm kind of interested in combining some of the ideas from this image with the above one. Both are based on circles.... I love the high kitsch factor of this one and that little round covering thing held up by candy cane poles!

And this pink kitchen has the coolest angles in those cabinets (and in the layout itself). Not to mention its pink!

And I just kind of like this silly little wooden arch transition piece from an earlier 40's trailer...

Finally, I could only find an example in a vintage toy, but I love the little caboose covered balcony thing in this trailer!!!! Something like this also might be a possibility with the Richardson...

So anyways, just wanted to share some of what I'm currently oogling over! Lemme know what you think!

Lots of new goodies!!

(P.S. If 2 of these posts show up in your blog feed, pick the top-most one. Some slight blogger issues..)

As crazy as architecture has been, that sure doesn't mean I've taken a break on finding and rescuing new vintage goodies!

In the above pic, I scored that 50's endtable and an amazing Kroehler swiveling chair for $15! The chair is incredible, but of course I don't have a picture of it... I agreed to take the chair and endtable right away to get it for $15 at the thrift store, just kinda forgot what car I was driving hehe... the guy's face as he carried out the chair to the car was priceless... It was a "cozy" trip home to say the least...

Haven't painted or decorated much in the above room, but just putting vintage stuff in the room makes it instantly better! This table set is one of my all time favorite pieces...The lines of the table, the blonde wood, and that outrageous original striped vinyl! This one's definitely a long-term keeper! (Can you believe the seller wanted to reupholster them?! Yes, there are a few small rips on the seat part of some of them, but those stripes! Oh! How could you even think that!

And scored this awesome melmac set on ebay! $30 got me a lot! This is only a third of the whole set! (the other half is pink and yellow!!!)

I got the following stuff at the same place I got my sofa set in the living room...

Love this 60's string owl! I forget what these are called, but I love it! It'll go great against the soon-to-be pale chartreuse wall in the family room.

LOVE these 1940's pisner glasses! A set of 8 in perfect condition for $10!

And of course filled my appetite for kitsch with some awesome salt-n-pepper guys! I love the bowl of fruit- the pineapple and lemon come out ha!

And aren't these awwsh? The seller's mother made them in the 50's, and she was going to throw them away!

And an incredible score for $3!!! This amazing vintage tin rocket ship!! It's supposed to light up and drive around (it sort of does...ish). I hung it on the wall...I LOVE this!!!

And got me some killer vintage shades!

Also rescued him from the dumpster at my school! I use him in the office now! Love those boomerang arms...

Also scored this incredible Zenith Porthole TV!!!!! Ok actually I don't have a picture of mine on hand, but this is the exact same year/model as mine, except mine's in better shape! It's gutted, but that just means I can hide modern TV guts behind the screen and no one will know (shh!).

Also got this later 50's Zenith recently. However, the more recent find of the above Zenith means I have to sell this later one(I can't keep em all, and love the literal round screen of the earlier one!). I have one guy really interested in CT... I have to see is UPS would ship this... (I would remove the glass and legs).

So anyways, I know that was a long post, but I'm so far behind and just wanted to show you all all the goodies I've been getting! And that's still not nearly everything...

I will say as much as I have I basically have the thing where I don't just want to get stuff to have it, and then put it in storage... its too hoggish when other vintage lovers could use and love it! So I'm really trying to sell the stuff I don't absolutely love...maybe I can make a compilation of everything to sell, put it in a flickr album, and put a link to the side here somewhere... What happens is I'll get something, and then a bit later find something even better to replace it. (like the TV's above). And I should sell it immediately but it just takes so much time... but I really do need to get on that...

And the vintage giveaway winner is...

Alrighty! After writing everyone's name's down the appropriate number of times and tossin' ya all in the blender, I shook it up (figured it'd be a bit hard to read if I blended ya!), picked a name, and our winner is....

MICK!!!

Woohoo!! Yea!! *cue confetti

As the winner of this vintage giveaway, just send me a message with your address and all and I'll get on that shippin' pronto!

I love these giveaways! I'm gonna try to do at least one a month, so for the rest of you, there's next time! And trust me, with the amount of stuff I need to find loving homes for, there shouldn't be a shortage of giveaways! (Its just so hard to find multiple items that are related somehow!)