In the Mood for Retro

I'm a huge fan of modern, contemporary style.  I also like old things.  There's something classic and unique about them.  From vintage jewelry to furniture, I'm all about a great find.  

Modern Home magazine recently did a feature piece on a Miami-based designer, Doug Meyer.  He renovated a 1950s classic ranch style home and let it bleed retro.  His trick?  He painted mid-century modern pieces with lacquer paint--fun colors like orange and grass green.  The lacquer paint gives it a new, crisp clean finish, if done with a steady hand.  Remember those traditional-looking chairs from your grandma's 1960s dinning room?  He recovered them with a plastic-like vinyl green fabric and painted the chairs the same color.

I just love the creative mix of old and new, but I also love the strain it takes off the environment.  With a little imagination, we can all be a bit greener and learn to see things a little differently.  

Love the shabby chic look?  Look for an older piece of furniture with good lines.  French country or even older American are good curvy styles that look great when painted.  Try sanding off the paint in areas to give it that rustic, shabby look, and finish with an oil seal.  All it takes is a little sweat effort, some imagination, and time.  You'll save money, help save the environment, feel good about a job well done.  

Then again, you could always hire someone to do it for you!