Month: July 2020

July 8, 2020/Carderock Springs, Hammond Wood Kensington MD, Hickory Cluster, Hollin Hills Virginia, Holmes Run Acres Virginia, Mid-Century Modern, Moyaone Reserve Accokeek MD, New Mark Commons Rockville MD, Pine Spring Falls Church VA, River Park Washington DC, Rock Creek Woods Silver Spring MD, Truro Annandale VA, Wessynton /by Mid-Century Mike

Furnishing a Mid-Century Modern Home: Inspiration & Sourcing

A guest post on sourcing mid-century modern furniture from our partner, ATTIC.

Nothing completes a beautiful mid-century home like furniture and decor drawn from the same aesthetic. The simple, sleek lines of MCM furniture pair up perfectly with the modern, open and airy feel that make mid-century homes the gems that they are. The following post provides some inspiration, whether you’re just starting or continuing to furnish your home. We’ll focus on two spaces: dining rooms and living rooms.

We’re also going to introduce you to ATTIC, a one-of-kind resource that will help you find the best mid-century furniture from stores of the DC and Baltimore regions. After all, who wants to buy a “forever” piece of furniture without ever seeing or touching it? ATTIC makes that process so much easier. ATTIC is now available in cities throughout the country, but is owned and operated by a small team based right here in Washington, D.C. Its mission is simple — to make it easier for consumers to shop from small, local businesses.

Dinner is Served, In Style

Whether it’s with family or friends, the importance of meal time transcends culture. As such, dining rooms and breakfast nooks are often visual focal points in modern homes. And with pieces like those pictured here, it’s no wonder why. Rectangular, round, “boat-shaped”…small, grand, or expandable…mid-century dining tables come in a vast array of options. Likewise, some of the most famous furniture designs in history are those for mid-century dining chairs.

Rosewood Dining Table
Modern Mobler

Walnut Dining Set
Peg Leg Vintage

Teak Dining Table
CaribeCasual

Start your Search…
Dining Room Basics

Chairs: https://attic.city/search/dc/dining-chairs

Tables: https://attic.city/search/dc/modern-dining-table

Out of the Way and Contained, Beautifully.

Another fixture of mid-century furnishings are the elegant, yet practical storage pieces. Think long teak credenzas, tambour doors, and glass hutches. They keep your dish- and servingware accessible, but also serve as works of art in their own right.

George Nelson for Herman Miller Credenza
Fair Auction

“Sculptura” Walnut Credenza by Broyhill
Peg Leg Vintage

Modernized Mid-Century Style Credenza
Martha Leone Design

Start your Search…
Dining Room Storage

Credenzas: https://attic.city/search/dc/modern-credenza

Sideboards: https://attic.city/search/dc/modern-sideboard

Hutch Storage: https://attic.city/search/dc/modern-hutch

Have a Seat and Relax

Light-filled living rooms and fun-focused family rooms are other features of MCM homes. It’s only natural to adorn them with chairs that scream “grab a book, please!” The legendary Eames lounge chair is always a good and comfortable option. And then there are side chairs, many of which give you an opportunity to infuse your own style by personalizing them with upholstery of your choice. Whichever seat you take, when your eyes grow heavy, just lay that book down on your lovely coffee table.

1950s Plycraft Lounge Chair
Brain Washington

Norwegian Daybed Sofas
Mary Kay’s Furniture

Walnut Coffee Table
Hearthside Home

Start your Search…
Living Room Furniture

Lounge Chairs: https://attic.city/search/dc/lounge-chair

Daybeds: https://attic.city/search/dc/daybed

Coffee Tables: https://attic.city/search/dc/modern-coffee-table

The furniture pieces we’ve shown you in this post are only the tip of the iceberg. While MCM furniture and homes have some common characteristics, they also have significant stylistic range depending on the designer, material and function. Start to explore the options and you’re sure to find the right pieces to complete your home.

July 7, 2020/Moyaone Reserve Accokeek MD /by Mid-Century Mike

Sold: Historic Charles Wagner Design in Moyaone Reserve

This historic Charles Wagner Design in Moyaone Reserve is a mid-century modern-inspired 4 bedroom/2.5 bath home with studio space on 5 acres. Wagner was a noted modernist, who worked with Charles Goodman and Louis Kahn. The property, known as the Odell House, is designated as a historic property by the Maryland Historic Trust (MHT). We received multiple offers and sold it before it went on the market. (Photos by Tod Connell.)

“The Odell House is significant as the penultimate late-Midcentury-Modern residential work of Charles F. Wagner, Jr. in the Moyaone Reserve,” the MHT says in its designation. “Wagner is linked both to the colony’s early days (he was close friends with Alice and Henry Ferguson of Hard Bargain Farm) and the postwar reimagining of the area as an environmental preserve for family life. The Ferguson’s “enduring legacy of conservation and community”1 was expanded by Wagner and his colleagues after World War II. The persistence and desirability of Wagner’s aesthetic can be seen in the 18 total houses designed by him and built in Accokeek from 1946-1978. The Odell House’s significance is enhanced by its intact setting and materials and is further significant as an example of how Wagner’s aesthetic evolved to accommodate trends in Modern design and residential construction.”

This home features high ceilings, exposed metal I-beams, warm Maple floors, skylights, and walls of glass on two sides. 36-inch stainless Vulcan gas range. The seller has invested in many new updates including a shingle roof (2017), Carrier HVAC and furnace (2017), 6” galvanized box gutters (2016), full-lite doors (2016), electrical panel (2015), double-paned window glass replacement (2017), exterior staining (2017), Radon mitigation system (2017), commercial range, and much more. Plumbing for an additional bathroom in lower level. The house is on well and septic.

Moyaone Reserve is a heavily wooded community of 180 mostly mid-century modern and contemporary homes situated along the Potomac River contiguous to Piscataway National Park. Moyaone Reserve real estate–all homes on five or more acres–was designed by the likes of architects Charles Wagner and Charles Goodman. Moyaone is located in Accokeek, Maryland, just 20 miles south of Capitol Hill.

Month: July 2020

Dinner is Served, In Style

Rosewood Dining Table Modern Mobler

Walnut Dining Set Peg Leg Vintage

Teak Dining Table CaribeCasual

Start your Search… Dining Room Basics

Out of the Way and Contained, Beautifully.

George Nelson for Herman Miller Credenza Fair Auction

“Sculptura” Walnut Credenza by Broyhill Peg Leg Vintage

Modernized Mid-Century Style Credenza Martha Leone Design

Start your Search… Dining Room Storage