No Pattern Required

Wow, so many great resources!  Thanks Jan!

Sometimes we have to bite the bullet and buy new for our MCM homes.  Thankfully, there are a lot of  ‘new’ MCM furniture and accessories out there, albeit the prices may be overboard for us on a budget. However, even if we can’t afford new, the following pictures can be used for free as a reference point in finding the real McCoy.

Roomandboard.com has some dandy MCM lookalike furniture and accessories, but, alas!  They are expensive.  This is the Reese sectional sofa that comes in different fabric colors as well as leather.  Button tufted furniture is very MCM.

Speaking of button tufted thingys, accent pillows also carried that design. SmithandNoble.com has them in a variety colors.

Replicas of George Nelson’s wall clocks are available, too from Bellacor.com.

Look at the lighting from Lampsplus.com!  The sconce  in the center is an exterior light.

Looking for one of those quilted fitted bedspreads?  Touchofclass.com has them in different colors and sizes and yes, matching button tufted pillows!

Aren’t these cat bookends cool?  Bellacor.com sells them and not on the cheap, either!  But for some reason, modern cat sculptures and wall decor were very popular.

For the MCM kitchen, here are some wonderful reproductions of those dish towels and square tablecloths courtesy of Retrobarn.com.

Did you know that our favorite MCM furniture, Heywood Wakefield, is making their Streamline furniture series again?  Visit their site at Heywood-Wakefield.com and check out the furniture.

There are even reproductions of classic toys like Slinky (in the brown box) and Lincoln Logs.  Wish Mattel Toys would re-issue their fabulous clown jack-in-the-box that came out in the late Fifties.  I would love to have one of them again and sit for hours turning the handle on the tin box, listening to Pop! Goes the Weasel and be surprised when the clown popped out!

Scrambling around for some last minute gift ideas???  Here are just a few retro gifts that I have found that I just love! 

This adorable kid-sized pink play oven from KidKraft is just the absolute cutest.  One of Tom’s co-workers found it and suggested that Tom buy it for me for Christmas.  Of course, I thought it was a great idea, but Tom didn’t go for it.  It is on sale right now at Target for $99 with free shipping.  There is a matching retro pink fridge, but it looks like it is sold out most places.  This also comes in silver and red, if you are lucky enough to find them in stock!

For the retro guy or coffee lover on your list, I recommended this Chemex Coffee maker, Tom considers it one of the best presents he has ever gotten!

Still producing the same coffee maker as they did in 1941, Chemex continues the tradition of brewing an amazing cup of coffee in a functional work of art created by Peter J. Schlumbohm, Ph.D. The Chemex site states: Few products in this century can match the flawless blending of design and function of the Chemex®.  Its visual elegance has earned it a place in the permanent collection of New York’s Museum located in Corning, New York.  The Chemex® coffeemaker was also selected by the Illinois Institute of Technology as one of the 100 best designed products of modern times.

Pretty neat, huh? Pam at Retro Renovation did a post on these earlier in the year, and I bought one for Tom which he absolutely adores.

How many of you watch 30 Minute Meals on the Food Channel.  What Rachel Ray uses as her “garbage bowl” on her show is actually a great replica of the vintage melamine mixing bowls that have become so pricey lately.

These bowls are available on QVC right now for $15.72,  which is much cheaper than the price for vintage, which can run between $25-$45.

And finally, for your best friend, your sister, your mom and even YOU, check out the selection of dresses at The Red Dress Shoppe. I have been drooling over some of these dresses, and at under $100 each they are a steal.

The “Memphis Blue” $89.

The “Cosmopolitan”, $79.

The Bella, $98.

And, my favorite:

The “Peggy”, $58.

Good luck with those last minute retro gifts!!!

Here are some super cute atomic offerings right now on Etsy!  I adore that razor!