Find the mid-century home of your dreams

MCM houses are the "in" thing right now. So where can you find your little patch of MCM heaven?

Here are some areas in Dallas and some tips for finding the MCM house of your dreams:

1. A nice collection of MCMs can be found on the "Disney Streets." These streets named after Disney characters (think Cinderella, Pinocchio, Dwarf Cir., etc.). These streets are bordered by Midway Rd., Royal Lane and Northaven Rd. in North Dallas.

2. Another collection of MCMs can be found in Lake Highlands. The first area is bordered by Walnut Hill Ln./Kinglsey Rd., White Rock Trail and Audelia Rd. You can also find MCMs, specifically Ju-Nel homes off of Easton Rd.

3. In East Dallas you can find a nice little collection of Cliff May homes in "urban pioneer" territory off of Andrea Rd.

4. Realtor Mark Milikan over at Dallas Mod also has listings for MCM houses and a nice overview of neighborhoods that have many of MCM homes.

5. When the Architect and I were looking for a home we used Zip Realty. This website allows you to set up searches based on year the home was built, location and amenities.

6. Go to the White Rock Homes Tour or the Dallas AIA Homes Tour. The White Rock Homes Tour focuses on MCM houses in the Lake Highlands/White Rock Area and the Dallas AIA homes tour focuses on new modern construction. Both are excellent opportunities to see renovations of MCM homes and get ideas for renovations to your existing home or for your new dream home.

Winspear Opera House

Yesterday KERA 90.1 had quite an informative review on the progress of Norman Foster's Winspear Opera House in Downtown Dallas. Jerome Weeks talks about the red glass that will be used to clad the outside of the auditorium. Listen to the story and view a video about it here.

Where to find MCM furniture and accessories in Dallas

Here is a list of my favorite places to scout and new MCM furniture:

1. Century Modern in Deep Ellum - We have bought a couch, two club chairs, some bent plywood chairs, and Eames lounge chair and a Danish style teak credenza. The owners are extremely nice and their prices are quite reasonable.

2. Lula B's Antique Mall on Lower Greenville Ave. - Be prepared to spend some time picking through stuff and go back often. Not a lot of "designer" furniture, but they do have a selection of furniture and accessories from the time 50s-60s.

3. Collage on Industrial Ave. - This place has some beautiful pieces. Mostly high end and in pristine vintage condition. I like to browse through here, but unfortunately I can't afford much of what they sell.

4. Smink in Inwood Village - You will find new editions of classic MCM furniture. Think Saarinen tables, Knoll credenzas, Eames lounge chairs.

5. Design Within Reach on McKinney Ave. - You will also find new editions of classic MCM furniture here, in addition to new modern designs. Get on their mailing list - they periodically will have evening receptions with wine and food to introduce new furniture lines or have speakers talking about architecture and design in Dallas.

6. Craigslist - I troll craigslist a few times a week. I have picked up the Case Study bed from Modernica, 6 original Eames fiberglass chairs, and a 50s dinette set. My favorite search terms: Eames, mid-century, Danish, teak, Herman Miller, Saarinen, Knoll, Heywood Wakefield, art deco.

7. Ebay - When looking for furniture I use the advance search function to limit my search to my local geographical area. This is where I pick up my Viking glass vases and search for Blenko glass.

8. Metro Retro Furniture in Pasadena, TX - This place is near Houston. I haven't been to his warehouse yet, but just from browsing his website, he has one of the largest inventories of MCM period furniture I have seen.

Does the internet really need another blog?

Probably not. So why did I decide to populate the internet with another blog? The reasons (in no particular order);

1. I am a fan of mid-century modern architecture and modern design.

2. I think there is a lack of design blogs that focus on architecture and design in my corner of the universe - Dallas.

3. I need a hobby that is completely unrelated to my profession (law).

4. I wanted a place to share the renovations my husband (The Architect) and I are doing on our MCM home.

5. Some people might actually care what I have to say on things affecting architecture and design.

This will be a place for me to share with you interesting things concerning architecture and design, hopefully with a Dallas slant. You will also get my musings on other things such as music, cocktails, and whatever else might catch my interest at the moment. Occasionally, I will update you on the renovations I am making to the MCM home I share with the Architect. I hope to post daily, but if I am absent it is probably because I am traveling for work. Fridays will be devoted to the art of the cocktail and what your weekend plans should be.

One more thing. You might be wondering why I called this Quadrille. Squares are my favorite shape. End of story.

Welcome!