Mid Century Moment
30
Apr
We love all the orange in this 60’s Tappan ad! So “Mad Men!”
Tag Archives: 1960’s
Mod Bear Pit
20
Jan
An excellent pictorial of “Man Caves” from the 60’s and 70’s here.
Retro Futurism ~ 1960’s Motorola Ad
20
Sep
We want that floating TV! If only the future had really happened the way it was envisioned in this early 60’s Motorola ad illustrated by Charles William Schridde!
Retro Futurism ~ Concept Car
27
Aug
Gull Wing Concept Car illustration by Wayne Kady, early 60’s.
MCM Porn: Kitsch-O-Rama Kitchens!
23
Aug
We have a passion for vintage kitchen interiors and wanted to share some of our faves with you. Most of these date from the late 50’s into the mid-60’s. We prefer the more modern Laura Petri style kitchens over the early 50’s Lucy Ricardo versions. Some of these feature design ideas we’d be happy to use today!
We dig this orange and pink color combo!
Every home needs a giant asterisk in the middle of their kitchen floor!
Where do we start? This 1961 Formica Kitchen includes insulin shots for all guests.
“Oh it was nothing! I just threw on my pearls and whipped this little snack up in no time!”
Pre-dating the “Jetsons,” we are loving this 1957 Fridgidaire Kitchen of the Future!
“Yes, Madge, you cook us something while I paint another modern masterpiece!”
Why yes, that “back yard” patio looks quite realistic in this 1961 Hotpoint Kitchen ad!
SO Don, Betty, and Sally Draper!
Modern Bear Beach House
15
Aug
1960’s Beach House
Mid Century Porn: Vintage House Elevations
26
Jun
We have a thing for vintage house plans and illustrations from the 1950’s through the 70’s. They inspire us with ideas for decorating and designing our dream homes for today!
Mad About Mad Men Sets
04
Jun
We are drooling over Interior Design Magazine’s tribute to the furnishings and set design of one of our fave shows, Mad Men!
Set Decorator Amy Wells and Production Designer Dan Bishop have nailed the period perfectly from the show’s time span of early 60’s to 1969. Everything from furniture to distinctive props and wallpaper all come together to create “Mid Century Modern Porn” for us design addicts!
“On Matthew Weiner’s TV series Mad Men, the set for the New York apartment of Don and Megan Draper is a penthouse on Park Avenue. Photography by Eric Laignel.” – Interior Design Magazine
“Paneling in the reception area imitates walnut. Photography by Eric Laignel.” – Interior Design Magazine
“Its color palette is intended as a counterpoint to the hard lines of the architecture. Photography by Eric Laignel.” – Interior Design Magazine
“Custom cabinetry in the Drapers’ bedroom is walnut. Photography by Eric Laignel.” – Interior Design Magazine
“Paul Williams’s L.A. headquarters for MCA, 1939, inspired the agency’s new satellite office. Photography by Eric Laignel.” – Interior Design Magazine
Megan Draper serves cocktails to neighbors Arnold and Sylvia Rosen. Photography courtesy of Michael Yarish/AMC.
Inspiration from Vintage Sunset Books
03
Jun
At Modern Bear, we love collecting vintage Sunset books from the 1950’s through the 70’s. These specialty books were published by Sunset Magazine, and devoted to such subjects as landscaping, cooking, and do-it-yourself design projects. They feature a plethora of photos and articles that can inspire today’s Mid Century Modernist to recreate for their lifestyle today! One can find these books on ebay, etsy, and your local thrift and vintage stores.
Retro Futurism ~ Vintage Futuristic Toy Cars
21
May
One of our fave vintage collectibles is futuristic toys from the 1950′s and 60′s. These were mostly produced in tin and imported from Japan. This was during the “Atomic Age” when design and pop culture were obsessed with all things “Space” related and looking into the future. And while these toys may fall into the kitsch category, that is why we love them – their naivety combined with that super cool 50′s Atomic design is irresistible!
The Ford Gyron was a tin battery-operated car made in Japan in the early 60’s. It was based on the futuristic two-wheeled gyrocar first shown to the world in 1961 at the Detroit Motor Show as a concept car designed by futurist Syd Mead. The car could run forward and reverse while a red light in the rear blinked on and off. A switch underneath the car raised and lowered the roof.
The “XP-1960 Dream Car” was produced by Mattel in 1953. According to the Mattel catalog of 1953, the car was available in four futuristic colors of Red Blaze, Chartreuse Dreamliner, Black Diamond, and Blue Bullet. It was described as “The only car of its kind in the world of toys. Low slung, impact resistant plastic body. Permanent, high gloss chrome trim. BOMBER BUBBLE transparent convertible top. SPEED STREAK friction motor. 4 futuristic colors. Individually packed in eye catching 3 color box.”
You can see the beginnings of a 1961 Thunberbird underneath all the “futurism” going on! This 1959 Meiko “Future Car” certainly had the fins for space travel!
This rare tin friction car was based on the popular concept car designed by the Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company. It was originally designed by Ford Motor Company lead stylists Bill Schmidt and John Najjar Ferzely and built by Ghia entirely by hand in Turin, Italy, at a cost of $250,000 (2014 equivalent: $2,200,000) and displayed on the auto show circuit in 1955. In 1966 the car was modified by George Barris into the Batmobile, for the 1966 TV series Batman.
Enjoy this recent video of a toy Futura offered at auction:
Look for a future article here on Modern Bear on vintage Robots and other Space Age toys…