50/60's furniture

My g/f and I have moved in together and she has jumped on board the tiki thing with me and we are doing the whole place up tropical style with lots of tiki and palm tree stuff.
Prob is that we need new furniture and want to go the 5o's/60's route but I'm not sure what to call the style of stuff we like. I guess atomic age or retro future would work but can anybody tell me what the real name is so I can research it more deeply?

[ Edited by: AlmostHuman on 2004-10-19 12:43 ]

Hey AlmostHuman,
Not sure where you're located, but if you're in a more metropolitan city type area you might want to start looking for for some vintage furniture shops in your vicinity. Otherwise, lookup "Midcentury Modern".
I beleive that's what the kids are calling it nowadays.
It's a broad term but you'll get lots of sites to sift through of various dealers and such.
Have fun and remember... Collect what you like.
Aloha,
:tiki:

hi there...I'm in Houston Texas and have a lot of places local to look in i'm sure. I'm just not sure where though. I'm gonna just dive in and go from there.Thanx for the the info.i'm sure it'll make this a bit more on the E-Z side...

Try Danish Modern and Eames Era. Danish Modern's a known style and Eames Era is a term thrown about quite a bit.

Howdy AlmostHuman!
You should go check out the Ikea store in your neck of the woods. Sometimes they have new furniture that's pretty darn mod.
As for finding 50s/60s (vintage) furnature in your area, all I can say hit up garage sales, thift stores and antique stores (which will obviously be higher).
If you know anyone of the hipsters in the art car circut you could ask them where the find thier digs.

Hey A.H.,
Don't know if this will help...

Mid-Century Pavilion
2215 Washington Ave., Houston
713/863-1986, [email protected]

Aloha,
:tiki:

Hey AlmostHuman!
We are avid collectors of vintage modern furniture and design. Have been for quite a while now. We have quite a bit extra– send me an email and let me know what you are looking for. I might have some stuff that would work for you. If not, I might be able to help you find what you are looking for.
-Duke

Hi there y'all...I wanna say thanx for all the cool informatiion.I'll fire off a email and see what's what in a couple of days when I talk to my g/f and see exactly what exact direction she wants to go with this. (Those of you who have been married or in a long term relationship will understand)

Dude, I totaly understand that. Mywife and I just bought a house out side of Lubbock and we couldn't afford a cool ultra modern house (just out of my price range). So we got this 1940's "mission/arts & crafts" style home. She was woried that our mod furniture wouldn't mix well with the house. I informed her we can mix it and it should come out looking like a Frank Lloyd Wright style.

Thanx to the info y'all have given me here I have found a whole lot of places to check out. I have also learned that prices can vary widely...This is gonna be fun to try to sort thru though...

Keep this in mind: Your furniture tastes and needs will change over time so be prepared to work different pieces in and out of different rooms and even be open to trading in things you no longer want or stuff you find along the way. (Like good garage sale buys that are not your type of keeper pieces.) That way you can keep the price more affordable at the retro stores where you will surely find stuff you can't do without. Most of all...have fun looking and don't rush it!

Save the Tikis!

[ Edited by: 8FT Tiki on 2004-11-02 17:39 ]

The best places to get mid-cent furniture is estate sales. Check the local paper under Garage Sales. You can usually get very good deals on the second or third day.

Best places for mid-century modern furniture in Houston are:
Mid Century Pavilion on Washington, between the Pig stand cafe and downtown (yes there is a place called the pig stand, if you don't believe me rent the evening star with Shirley McClaine, they filmed a scene there, but I digress..)
Mid Century Modern on lower Westheimer, at Dunlavy or Woodhead, I can't remember. They also have a warehouse in Pasadena. Design within reach in the River Oaks shopping center, and lastly, Metro Modern on Milam just below Elgin. If you don't see what you want, talk to Karen at Metro Modern. She's a lot of fun & would be a good resource for anything 50's & 60's. The Blue Bird Circle shop and The Guild shop are GREAT resale shops where you can sometimes pick up things cheap. Also, I am trying to get the word out about the mods in a great near Southeast neighborhood. For fun check out the website http://www.glenbrookvalley.com There are some great photos in the gallery.