This Year's Model

Before it's out with the cold and in with the new, here's a look at Elizabeth Beveridge's pick of the coolest fridges on the runway. Me, I prefer the Philco, but they weren't featured in this show.





[From Woman's Home Companion, May 1947]

Curly Wurly wishes you and your family a happy holiday season and a happy and healthy 1948!

Meet Me In My Dressing Room

Before there was MTV's Cribs, there was Woman's Home Companion's March 1947 issue. The magazine featured a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse at celebrity dressing rooms. Can it be that these meticulously decorated dressing rooms were the standard? Two of my favorite spaces belonged to co-stars Margaret O'Brien and Judy Garland. Margaret O'Brien's area looks more like a dollhouse or a whimsical play area with its carousel motif. Judy's is characteristically stylish. Look at how the bright colors of the sophisticated settee complement her lovely red locks! And does she really have time to page through her library while on the job?





In other news, head over to my other blog for a chance to win $500 worth of handpicked (by me) books from my favorite publisher, Chronicle Books. This year, Chronicle Books has extended their Happy Haul-idays contest to include a charitable element, so not only will one lucky blogger (and one of the blog's lucky readers) win a matching set of books, but Chronicle will donate $500 worth of books to a charity of the winner's choice. If you're interested in seeing the books I chose and entering to win my selection, comment on the linked post. And, if you're a blogger, you may want to enter the competition yourself!

Resolution #2: Renovate!

Changing your surroundings and moving into a $7,000 house may not be feasible at this point in the year. Maybe you already have a house, but its uninspired furnishings and odious walls make you want to pull your hair out. It might be time for a renovation! Just call on the trusty Family Circle for a few ideas from their 'Mild Makeovers: Home Edition' section!

First up is the model kitchen. Sue Shumeyko (pictured) had her cabinets, countertops, and appliances outfitted with a stylish combination of birch and copper-finish. Not only does it look a dream, but it also has the latest gadgets: can you believe this state-of-the-art kitchen has an undercounter dishwasher and a two-door refrigerator!? As you can see, these new conveniences allow for a lot more in the way of free time and counterspace. Here Sue is exploring her other love, flower arranging! While Sue is cutting flower stems, Sue's exuberant husband, Ted, tests the temperature of Junior's dinner on his wrist (bottom left). We also catch a glimpse of their shiny new wall oven unit!


In 'The house of many ideas' by Evan Frances (Family Circle, January 1956) we are treated to a smorgasbord of sheer speculation. From the copy: 'Here's what happened to a termite-ridden old house when its owners put their dreams into the hands of a sound architect.' Does the phrase 'termite-ridden old house' describe your current living situation too aptly? If so, you'll want to pay particular attention to this article welcoming us into the (frankly.. a little bohemian) Schrieber's hot new digs.


Some before and after shots. Below, a daybed, a hi-fi, and a Hollywood hunk poster? I think a teen-ager lives in that room!

I'm sure you'll agree that there's a lot of room for improvement in your life, and Curly Wurly is devoted to showing you how to fancify every aspect of your existence! Our resolution series will soon be addressing topics such as eating better than ever in the new year and how to become the life of the party!

It's Never Too Late

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 81% of all Americans over the age of 18 make a New Year's resolution. Single Americans are 63% more likely to make a resolution than their married or divorced counterparts, and homeowners are more resolution-prone than renters.

Since change is ostensibly the theme of the week, now is the time to revisit and reenergize those resolutions that have probably fallen by the wayside in the past two weeks. For the remainder of the month, Curly Wurly will be your one-stop resource for information regarding the most popular resolutions. Remember, it's never too late to make a change, as my recent Dr. Phil-approved fortune cookie fortune can attest.

The first resolution guide is this very topical article on becoming a homeowner, '7 Budget Houses From $6,700 to $9,700'. Yes, your dreams are within reach with this January 1956 article from Family Circle! The original article was written by Joseph B. Mason. Unfortunately, I can't decipher the artist's signature. House designs are all by Robert A. Jorgensen.


Mason suggests that this two-story would be the perfect setting for Romeo and Juliet. I'm sure, in an alternate play, Ma and Pa Montague would have been quite at home in this cozy farmhouse throwback.


If a secluded outdoor paradise is what you're after, this cute one-level (top) with its large terrace (with barbecue) will be a favorite hangout for friends and family! Or, if your dream-come-true is to own a house that includes a 'roomette', look no further than the 'salt-box' house (bottom)! This 728 square foot cutie is all ready for your dolls to move in right now!


Now, here's some style! These two mod designs (with carports!) are smart options for any young couple!


Finally, here we have another cool modern design (top). I can agree with the description: 'There's a zest to this two-bedroom design that holds special appeal for young people.' The smallest house of the bunch looks like one of the biggest (bottom). The roof is made of marble chip!

All of these houses would be quite affordable considering our current economic downturn, but I notice that there's no way to tell the price of each design, how you can buy one of these dwellings, or if any of them were ever actually constructed. But, you must admit, the price was right!

If you already have a home, stay tuned for hints about renovations, and more popular resolutions will be covered throughout January. Change will come not only as you get better but also as it gets better!

Kitchens of Distinction

In the same October 1955 issue of Family Circle as the featured article, Show house on a tight budget, there was another piece about kitchens that would go splendidly in your mid-century model home! Here is Here is our newest model kitchen by Jessie Bakker.

Feast your eyes on some of these modern amenities that are making their way into many homes across the country! (Click pics for full-size, readable article)

Also, I would like to thank Lidian, of the fabulous Kitchen Retro blog, for awarding me with an I Love Your Blog award!!

Right back at you, Lidian! I'm a new devotee of Lidian's blog, and I can't get enough of it! If you haven't had the pleasure of discovering Kitchen Retro on your own, do yourself a favor and follow this link. I guarantee that you'll be there all night!

Show Home Showcase of 1955

Show house on a tight budget is an article by Joseph B. Mason published in the October 1955 issue of Family Circle. It showcases the thrifty but gorgeous mid-century modern home design of Tacoma, Washington-based architect, Robert B. Price. Joan Price, his wife, was responsible for the interior decoration. And it was thrifty, indeed. The full price (including furnishings) was $17,500! Don't you wish you lived there?

Let's take a tour! (Click thumbnails for full-size article)

1966 Kitchen Fashion Portfolio

Family Circle magazine has always been a welcome guide for homemakers (7,500,000, the cover boasts!), covering everything from cost saving cuisine families love to affordable fashions and home decoration. On that note, Family Circle ran this 'Kitchen Fashion Portfolio' in its February 1966 issue. Why, a lot of these solutions are still relevant today! You'll want to click on the pictures for more information on how these looks could be achieved in your own kitchen!

Nice countertops and really nice pans!


Add a wall area and some matching window treatments!


A great look for a 'junk snupper'!




Here's an advertisement from the same magazine that I thought would go well with this post. The product is Armstrong flooring. While the shiny floor does attract the eye, other things like the hanging pretzels, the garish 'barbecue' sign, and the odd bust that is placed much lower than all other room decorations might keep the eye for longer than intended.

1970s Decor (part 3 of 3)

Finally, the best part of the How To Make Your Windows Beautiful series is the pages of inspiring bedroom design ideas.

1. Luxury in Mustard Yellow


2. This one isn't too shocking. It is one of the many rooms in the book that looks like it's attempting to imitate the outdoors with green carpets and floral or botanical motifs.


3. This is the artsiest children's attic room I've ever seen! Unfortunately, the floor doesn't continue the pattern.


4. It's the coming of the Age of... Pattern!?


5. The top (left) room is a bit like a nightmare come to life. And more proof that yellow is great on the walls, ceiling, floor, bedspread, chair, and flowers!


6. A kind of sparse children's room. It looks like there's a full set of encyclopedias, though.


7. More colorful crimes


8. Certainly this is a room that no one could defend?


9. A hip way to deal with small spaces


10. The bottom two-bed room features 'hanging fabric panels under a boxed cornice-type valance to form ceiling-high "headboards!"'


11. Yikes.


12. The best thing about this room isn't the endless pattern but the odd poster hanging over the desk. I'm not sure if this is an adult or teen room. The poster and guitar case could suggest a teenager lives there, but the rest of the room doesn't seem to match.

Okay, that's it for this wonderful book. If only this book had thousands of pictures! I hope you enjoyed this stroll down designer memory lane!

1970s Decor (part 2 of 3)

More from the mesmerizing 1972 classic, How To Make Your Windows Beautiful. This set of pictures demonstrates the sophisticated way to decorate your dining rooms, kitchens, and other nooks.

1. Manor house elegance


2. This is what it would be like living inside a lemon and blueberry, respectively.


3. A very busy corner


4. A rustic dining room and two more blue and yellow rooms


5. You be the judge: a corner full of perkiness or a corner full of bad taste?


6. This room is kind of cute. Although, how many people actually have rooms that look like this?


7. I wonder if there are windows behind all of that curtain.


8. Bringing the outdoors inside. Who has shag carpet in that awful green anyway?


9. A classy little nook


10. The 70s were clearly all about patterns. Here is a bright pattern..


11. ..and a drab pattern.

1970s Decor (part 1 of 3)

I recently found a book so overwhelming, so life changing, and so loaded with full-color pictures that I'll have to devote three posts to its miraculous contents. Perhaps you're thinking that only a home decorating book from 1972 with almost 150 pictures could be that good. You'd be right! How To Make Your Windows Beautiful is an 'inspiring, all new guide for creating today's best window treatments.' Each picture, from the curtains to the furniture and other decorative pieces, offers an inspiring and awe-inspiring look at class and creativity in the 1970s. This first batch of pictures is predominantly living rooms, dens, and other designated lounging areas

1. The glowing front cover


2. A colorful introductory panel from the title page


3. An impressive start to the book, this room is meant to show off draperies with a stylish 'hand-woven look,' but the eye inevitably travels to the violent-hued carpet, the chic lucite furniture, and that fiber optic thing on the table.


4. The heading for this page claims that 'the best decorating is self-expression.' That surely doesn't reflect well on the designers.


5. Here the book discusses informality in room design. One definition of informality in decoration: 'A room where you can feel free to peel an orange.' I can't imagine this room achieved its purpose. Something about it is kind of disturbing. Plus, I don't see a trash receptacle for the orange peel.


6. Ornate, plush, and patterned


7. The lobby of a strange hotel


8. The main thing I notice about a lot of these settings is the mismatched furniture. The left side of the room (with the cool lucite items) doesn't go with the fancier chairs and coffee table on the right.


9. Astroturf makes great carpeting!


10. A modern minimalist look. This is probably the most stylish look in the book..


11. ..Unlike this picture. I think that's the family pet in front of the accident-waiting-to-happen coffee table.


12. 'Just a single "pow!" addition to a room can be the wonder-worker you're looking for'! The "pow!" addition to this room is a chain 'curtain,' apparently.


13. Finally, here is the Brady's den set up for a dinner party. Alice did a great job setting up those tiny tables!