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Hello to all you hipsters and lovers of indie style!
I'm Babs, from the mother/daughter team at RetroBabs Vintage.
At RetroBabs we have a love for ALL things VINTAGE and our shop has a bit of a "Mid-Century Modern" VIBE. Bec and I scour thrift stores, resale shops, antique malls and estate sales to "find" the items of our dreams and - we hope - YOURS.
Will we find that Eames era chair or that groovy piece of Italian pottery? It is always a roll of the dice and we feel like big game hunters!
I love the vintage revival of mid century modern furniture in home decorating. I know I am not alone in this love; with shows like "American Pickers", "Antiques Road Show" and "Storage Wars", folks are addicted to the treasure hunt for the "find". Mid-century pieces are especially HOT.
On one of our shopping trips, or hunts, I found these two wonderful pieces of history: A Viko Baumritter chair and ottoman. Both were covered in a fabulous, mustard yellow, Naugehyde-type fabric. The fabric, original to each, had a nubby-nylon feel.
The chair and ottoman were made a bit later than some of the standard and more well known mid century modern "big wigs", (ie., Eames, Wegner, Jensen, etc).
Baumritter furniture was a little less expensive and made for the common man, the suburbanite; they were just lovely and sturdy pieces of furniture.
It was hard to believe that they could look so good after 50 plus years but they did.
I had found a treasure and I had visions of these two adorning my living room.
Sadly, I no longer own this chair and ottoman; the mustard color was not actually my style and I could not bear to change the original fabric! I wanted to keep them but I couldn't make them work in my decor. I have to admit I jumped the gun a bit, but I couldn't resist the purchase! It was the thrill of the HUNT.
Bec helped me decide it was better to sell them and let them be a "find" for the next hunter and lover of the MOD.
My point is that vintage can be current and hip as long as the piece is in good condition and still bears some of its original charm. It can be recycled, upcycled and refurbished, but it is a definite "SCORE" if one finds a piece in perfect, original condition. Just make sure you can work it into your decor!
At RetroBabs we are thrilled with how folks take the eclectic route and mix mid-century, modern pieces with family heirlooms, antiques and their new furniture. It keeps Bec and I going when we get emails and letters from our customers telling us how they have mixed an item in and now it is their favorite piece.
Here is an example of what I mean:
This is actually Bec's apartment! Notice the vintage mid century modern plywood chair mixed in with her new furniture decor. Not to mention her wonderful wedding gift of the handmade, wooden coffee table, compliments of her brother.
Bec was included in a design competition for ApartmentTherapy.com.
I cannot say she won... but I was one proud Momma!
Vintage can be stylish, modern and eclectic so check out our shops at Indie Style Guide. Happy hunting! Let us know what you "score" and "find" on your next HUNT.
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Love Barb's style? You can find RetroBabs Vintage on Facebook!
