The Mid Century Modernist's Holy Grail

Yesterday I died. And then I wound up in mid century modern heaven.

But first, how I got there:

Lula B's (one of my favorite antiquing stores) opened a new location on Riverfront drive. Naturally, I had to go visit sometime. Sunday afternoon was as good a time as any...especially since my mom had seen some chairs on Craigslist that were there that she wanted to check out.

We had heard legends and tales about the antique/vintage shops on Riverfront, but never dreamed such a monstrosity. We drove up on what seemed like a pretty shady area. Bail bonds abounding. We spotted Lula B's and pulled in to a parking space. What's that? ANOTHER store I've been dying to hunt inside is right next door?! I had seen many ads from White Elephant on Craigslist and knew they had great stuff. And again, had been planning on going.

We perused White Elephant first. Many of the booths: not my favorite time period or style. Several of the booths in the back corner: MY STYLE. (No, we haven't reached heaven yet. Keep hanging in there.) Beautiful pieces. Retro wingbacks. Cane chairs. Old dressers painted red. It was fantastic.

But it was already 4pm, and everything closed at 5. So we had to keep moving.

Lula B's had gorgeous pieces galore, as always. We looked at the chairs we saw online and decided they weren't what we needed. Mom found a retro microphone.heh. NOT 300 yards. We walked several stores down, past a bail bonds place and some other shady storefronts and decided it was best to get back to driving.

We reach Moderne. Nothing special from the outside. Honestly, we weren't expecting much. But were we ever wrong. Right from the front entrance: lucite tables, tulip chairs, record cabinets and more. Some old honky tonk song was playing on the radio. Not exactly fitting for the store, but oh well. The more we walked, the more there was. Area after area was just piled with buffet pieces like I've never seen, dining room tables, nightstands, Eames chairs, Herman Miller. There was so much you really couldn't even see it all.

We get to a back room where it appears that people are working on different pieces. We ask the owner, who introduced himself and gave us 3 business cards, if it's okay to go in. It is. The first thing that catches my eye:

Beautiful. Unlike any chair set I've ever seen. Mind you, two weeks ago we already purchased a pair of chairs for the new living room. But here they were. The PERFECT chairs. Okay, so they look like space-age Jetson chairs to the untrained, non-designer eye. But I see its potential. Reupholstered in two different chenille-like fabrics.

We were truly overwhelmed by the gargantuan inventory of pieces that Moderne had.

But back to the chairs. WE WANTED THEM. BAD. And they were more than what we usually pay. (Honestly, a steal for something in that good of condition and that unusual) But it's still a lot of money. We wandered around the store for at least an hour before making the big decision. Mom felt nauseated and had to sit down. (Note: Mom usually has no problem when she spends, it's my dad who turns green.) It was a mix of astonishment and having to make an impulse decision.

In the world of antiques, you can't go home and think about it. You just have to go with your gut because it probably won't be there tomorrow.

So...we bought them. Reupholstered, they will go perfect with the new couch. But what about the other chairs we already bought? Well, looks like we are going to have to sell them. They weren't right.

In case you couldn't tell, I love antiquing. I'd rather shop for furniture at Lula B's and Moderne or an antique mall that smells like Love's Babysoft and sometimes has no air conditioning than for clothes at Forever21 any day. I want to be Sarah on Sarah's House. On another day, I will definitely be conquering the rest of Riverfront.