a couple of months back, i started browsing craigslist on a whim. i’d always wanted a vanity in my bedroom, so i could perch at the mirror in the mornings to get ready, perhaps while glamorously wearing a robe. and as luck would have it, the very first search result was for the perfect little mid century vanity. i was actually surprised to find one from that particular era, since i’d figured such things had gone out of style by the 1950s, but lo and behold there it was in all of it’s sleek, modern splendor. it was being sold individually or as part of a set with two matching wardrobes. i wasn’t in the market for such a thing, so i hopped in the car to pick up my little dresser and called it a day. but don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone? joni mitchell had it right. i almost instantly regretted that i didn’t buy the whole set, and now i can’t stop obsessing over finding one. the only catch is that by the 1950s, people definitely had closets and weren’t in the habit of keeping their clothes in giant wooden boxes. leave it to me to set my sights on some totally random piece of furniture that turns out to be rare and hard-to-find.

so while i scour craigslist and the local green sheet, here are a few inspirational images that are keeping me motivated to find my perfect wardrobe.

image above via freuden von freuden.

adrian and simon

my attic

post-patternism

after yesterday’s quick decor post, i realized that i hadn’t caught you up to speed on where we are with the house! we’ve just been settling in and slowly unpacking for the most part, but i thought it might be fun to share some of the “before” photos of the house in the week prior to moving in! as i’ve shared before, the house was built in 1926 with one major renovation done in 1970. it’s got tons of vintage features like crystal door knobs, the original hex tiles in the bathroom, and beautiful vintage windows throughout. i was immediately drawn to it because it had not been updated with the standard builders grade cabinets or granite countertops, and it still maintained a lot of it’s original integrity. something that i could renovate to fit my tastes and restore to it’s original vintage charm.

our first task? ripping out the terrible brown wall-to-wall carpeting that was covering the original hardwood floors. we knew there were wood floors under there, but it was a mystery as to what kind of condition they were in! i had been itching to get in there and pull it all up the entire time we were in escrow, and i can’t tell you how satisfying it was to finally get rid of that stuff! fortunately for us, the floors were in pretty decent condition, so we were able to move in. unfortunately, they’re still going to need to be refinished!

the moment of truth. pulling up the first corner of carpeting to reveal the floors underneath.

my hands were sore for days after pulling out every single staple from the floors with a pair of pliers. it seemed as though there were thousands!

i was most concerned about adam’s bedroom because even before we pulled out the carpeting, i could tell that a wall had been removed between the original room and a service porch. fortunately, the wood floors ran all the way through the room, but it definitely needs to be refinished along the area where the walls and closets had been. there were also a few holes where there had previously been hot and cold water pipes and what appears to have been a water closet! kinda gross, but it cleaned up pretty well, and i’ve covered it up with rugs in the meantime. also note those heavy seafoam green drapes straight from 1970! imagine this room after they set it up that year, complete with green shag carpet!

those vintage crystal door knobs are my favorite!