That Was Then . . . Baker Furniture Ad, May 1952

It's not often that I see a product in an old ad and immediately know exactly where to get it, but I've had my eyes on this pair of chairs for awhile. Available at the well-edited Daniels Antiques (formerly on Ashland Avenue in Lakeview and now in a scaled down showroom on Damen in Bucktown).

The chairs, with a different upholstery, would be a show stopper.

Look for a review of Daniels Antiques soon.

That Was Then . . . 1001 Decorating Ideas 1965

1001 Decorating Ideas - 1965

Some people don't shop vintage because they think everything will appear dated and tired. While this might be true sometimes, it's far from a universal rule. And to prove it, I've attached an image from a 1965 issue of 1001 Decorating Ideas. Look at the room color, lines on the chocolate chair and the pattern on the floor. All are back in a big way.

Throw in a zebra print, and this looks like it came right out of the new Williams Sonoma Home catalog. I've included an image from House Beautiful, which recently ran a story about the home of Patrick Wade and Dave Demattei, who are both executives with Williams Sonoma (and who know a thing about style and trends).

So another lesson that the more things change (grid patterned vinyl in 1965), the more they stay the same (grid patterned rug in 2008).


House Beautiful - 2008


New York Spaces - April 2008

That Was Then . . . Or Is It Now?

Is she waiting for the pills to take effect or is she waiting for the milkman? And is that a 42 inch flat screen TV on the dresser?

This story from an old House Beautiful advertisement took me by surprise. My first thought was that the room looked very "today", very "now" as we say in the design world. My second thought was to question how they got their hands on a flat screen in the early 1950's. Alas, it's only a mirror (and Praise Hera, because how gauche would it be to have a television in the boudoir?). And why does she look so depressed, sitting there and gazing out the window?

The second image (below) is decidedly less "now" and does much to clear up why she seems so lethargic - she's a domestic slave. I do envy that she finds the time to read (I have a pile of books piling up on my nightstand).

That Was Then . . . 1950-something House Beautiful

Speaking of Jayson Home & Garden, this fauteuil chair, from an old House Beautiful ad, looks like something that might be available at their shop. I guess even reinvention gets reinvented.

That Was Then . . . House & Garden 1947 (Nelson)

July 1947 House & Garden Nelson article.

Continuing our mid-century modern series, House & Garden's July 1947 issue profiles prominent designers of the time. Herman Miller, says the magazine, touched off Nelson's "stored-up impatience" with much of the day's furniture. It's interesting to view today's classics in an introductory content.

If you have old magazine ads or articles that are relevant today, send them to Strange Closets, and we'll spotlight them in an upcoming "That Was Then," post.

That Was Then . . . House and Garden 1947 (Eames)

A page from the July 1947 issue of House & Garden.

Mid-century modern was all the rage in the July 1947 issue of House & Garden. "For the first time since 1941, significant collections of new furniture and fabrics are for sale in shops across the U.S.A.," says the article.

House & Garden profiles Eames (shown), Nelson, Wormley, Sanders and a number of other designers and calls their work "forthright," "substantial" and "more honestly functional than any previous important collection of American furniture."

I think most agree that this style has withstood the test of time far better than most and has transcended mere trends of the time.

What do you think? What are today's classics in-the-making? Does modern American home design have anything comparable to the mid-century modern movement? And what makes a trend become a classic? Are trends by their very nature not substantial?

That Was Then . . . Bad Carpet Advertisement

Wow, this is making me a little nauseous. It's hard to believe this is actually an advertisement, isn't it? Back in July of 1947, somebody actually paid House & Garden money to put this on the back cover.

It's amazing how trends and tastes change over time. I often wonder if I'll cringe in forty years when I look back on photos of the home I love so much now.

Am I wrong about the carpet? What's your bad carpet story? Did you make it work? If so, how?

That Was Then . . . Edgewater Beach Hotel

The grand West Lounge looks dramatic and elegant. I vaguely recollect visiting there and relaxing with a glass of wine in front of that giant fireplace. The dark ceiling, fireplace and black horizontal awnings make the room seem less cavernous and more formal, without losing the grandeur. In new construction condos or houses, the vaulted ceilings can make the space seem grand but cold. Tricks like this can help thwart that effect.


Essanay Studios photo (from Wikipedia).

My theory is that I lived my last life in Chicago. "I" was probably born around 1900, making me 74 when I died, right before I was reborn. I love vintage stuff, especially furniture and accessories from the 20's - 50's, which makes sense as they were my most active years.

Even the new stuff I buy has vintage lines. If I were more ambitious, I'd write an epic novel about my time in Chicago during the 1920's, when it was the Hollywood of the day and Uptown and Edgewater were its Beverly Hills. Essenay Studios was located on Argyle in Uptown and the building is still there (No doubt I was well-known there).

Stars like Gloria Swanson and Charlie Chaplin actually lived in Chicago and hobnobbed at the Edgewater Beach Hotel, which was the like the Bel Aire Hotel, right on Chicago's northside in Chicago's gentrifying Edgwater neighborhood.

According to WTTW.com's article on the Edgewater Beach Hotel, which was demolished in the late 60's:

"During the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, the Edgewater Beach was Chicago's place to see and be seen. Countless weddings, proms, dances and other events drew neighborhood residents. On any given night, you could rub elbows with celebrities such as Bette Davis, Tallulah Bankhead, Nat King Cole, Perry Como, Marilyn Monroe, and major sports figures including Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, to name a few. All the big bands played there – Tommy Dorsey, Xavier Cugat, Wayne King and many others. Hotel manager (and later president) William Dewey "was a showman," says historian Kenan Heise. 'He was good at booking top names into the Edgewater Beach, and that was very much a part of its allure.'



From Flickr member JJ_Clickr

The hotel was almost a city within itself -- it had its own radio station, print shop, chocolate factory and even a heliport. Newsreels show that it had a state-of-the-art film studio as well. There was even a distinctive green motor coach that shuttled guests each day to and from Marshall Field's downtown. And the hotel had a seaplane available for the illustrious and well-heeled who didn't want to take the bus!




Postcards like these are available for sale at the excellent Cafe Press.

But by the 1950s, the Edgewater Beach, like many traditional establishments, found itself at odds with the times . . . Management, maintenance and financial problems mounted, and the original owners sold their interest in the late 1940s. Symbolically, the elegant Marine Dining Room was replaced by the Polynesian Room. (Employees who were trained in serving fine cuisine disdainfully referred to the new restaurant as 'that chop suey joint.') With the advent of television and air conditioning, the hotel drew fewer and fewer guests, and in December 1967, the owners abruptly shut it down. Demolition took over a year. . .

A trace of elegance still remains at the Edgewater Beach Apartments, built in 1927, the last of the original structures left on the property. And as you walk by, you can almost hear the big bands playing – just as they did in the glory days of the Edgewater Beach."

I loved staying at the Edgewater Beach (I think), and I'd love to see more photos to jog my memory. If you have more postcards and photos, send them in, and I'll feature them in an upcoming post.


Old postcards are cool and a great source for quirky artwork. The Edgwater Antique Mall (north of the Broadway Antique Mall) on North Broadway, has a good selection.

That Was Then . . . House Beautiful May 1952

House Beautiful - The Cover, May 1952

I stumbled across some old home decorating magazines on Ebay, and I couldn't resist. This House Beautiful from May of 1952 is interesting for both its differences and similarities to current design trends.

The amazing thing about these images is how contemporary the settings look with a few minor alterations. Every "new" period felt new until I reached a certain age (25 - 30?) and starting noticing cycles in fashion (the 80's were the 50's all over again). Now the combinations are new (sometimes), but the same looks keep coming back over and over.


Check out this ad copy (click to enlarge). They are so RIGHT. That dining room IS gay and informal. If the duck dinner didn't give it away, the plaid seat coverings would; they are masculine but stylish. I didn't realize that people were so accepting of gay folk back in May 1952.

Check out the Henry Wakefield ad (below), for a good example. Greek Key, (a classic pattern that makes its appearance on the wall and coordinating pillows) is everywhere now, enjoying a big comeback but with such a vengeance that it's almost certainly poised to quickly pass back into obscurity.

Williams Sonoma Home is one of the retailers pushing Greek Key (see photo below). Although one of my favorites generally, WS chose overkill in favor of subtlety in this arrangement, and Greek Key chair on top of a Greek Key rug equals Greek Key overkill. Too much Greek Key is like too much Greek food; it takes too much time to finish the flaming cheese and it gets all congealed and chilly (if one could use that word to describe food [but alas, one cannot]).




Top/Left: Henry Wakefield advertisement.
Bottom/Right: Williams Sonoma Home Greek Key patterns

Back to the issue in general, I am stunned by the contemporary lines and cool fabrics. Whatever happened to all this old furniture? This isn't the stuff I see in antique shops and second-hand stores. Is it all in some big landfill, waiting to be rescued?

Do you notice design trends recurring? What is the average length of time before something comes back? Send in your vintage magazine pictures, and I'll use them in a future post.