When you live in a Lustron, you’re part of a story. The tale begins in 1948, when the Lustron Corporation debuted its prefabricated, all-steel homes manufactured in a former airplane plant in Columbus, Ohio. The company imagined an American landscape drenched in seafoam, pink, harvest gold, and the other enamel hues of its mail-order ranches, but it sold only about 2,500 over three years.
Photographer Charles “Chuck” Mintz picks up the Lustron story today, documenting people who are holding onto these quirky, increasingly rare homes. He has traveled the country over the past couple years shooting portraits of more than 100 inhabitants. After the jump, I’ll show you more samples from his series, including his shot of me and Andrea on our patio.
If I ever build a house, I’ll drop a stack of Cliff May home photos on my architect’s desk for inspiration. In southern California, May was a pioneer of building characteristics that we think of today as the hallmarks of midcentury modern ranches — clean lines, open floor plans, and an indoor-outdoor feel. So on a recent trip to Los Angeles for Andrea’s work, we spent an afternoon in Long Beach cruising May’s Rancho Estates tract neighborhood, built in 1953-54.
The Rancho homes have opaque facades and high privacy fences that reveal little about their interiors. If you’re nosy curious like I am, you can mine real estate sites such as Rancho Style for photos of light-soaked rooms, swanky pools, and lush courtyards. Although I had to imagine what modern treasures lay beyond the walls, I gleefully shot the sculptural plants, rock gardens, colorful gates, and vintage cars visible from the street. Unless otherwise noted, all photos were taken by me from public property.
As often happens with dramatic overhauls, my bedroom reboot started with one piece. Over the summer I had the succulent poster I co-designed with Leah Duncan framed to hang over my bedside table. Problem was, the color palette wasn’t jiving with anything else in the room. We were overdue for new bedding and accessories anyway, so I did a revamp using black, white, gray, and pops of yellow and turquoise.
Below is my side of the bed. We already had the Heywood-Wakefield furniture and vintage ceramic lamp. I’d been wanting a tray so I can set down my earrings, ponytail holder, etc. before I hit the pillow. I styled it with a mini blush planter by Sea & Asters and brought over a Kostick bronze star sculpture from the living room. Geometric patterns to contrast with the botanical art were a must, so I chose a Pendleton wool lumbar pillow from Robin Cottage. The gray braided duvet cover and shams are from West Elm, and the yellow Sketch Grid pillowcases are Room Essentials from Target.
Below is Andrea’s turf. The two bedsides used to be mirror images, so I wanted to play with asymmetry by giving him an art cluster and a different lamp. The bird print is his own photograph, hung with gold gem magnets by Lynn Lunger (aka Una Odd). The Minerals print at top right is by Happy Red Fish, and The Last Summer is a painting reproduction by Kiki and Polly. The hanging planter is by ceramist Cathy Terepocki.
see my revised vanity, an amazing navajo rug, and other photos after the jump
For nine years, our Lustron has needed curb appeal like leafy greens need ranch. Last month we worked with Plants Creative Landscapes here in Decatur to finally put some “ranch dressing” on our bland front yard.
Scraggly gardenias were hiding the porch, and the linear layout didn’t complement our boxy home.Curvy beds, sculptural plants, and boulders bring SoCal style!
Since the bones of our ’49 prefab are slick and boxy, we created softness with three curvy beds. Taking inspiration from all those modern landscapes I’ve been ogling on trips to Southern California, I picked a topiary pine, a blue agave, and boulders as my must-have focal points. We filled out the beds with shrubs for year-round color (wintergreen boxwood, variegated yucca, gold mop false cypress), sculptural perennials (variegated iris, autumn ferns), vivid grasses (blue fescue, dwarf acorus, silver liriope), and cascaders for the retaining wall (chartreuse creeping jenny, pink-flowered phlox). Black bark mulch makes everything pop.
It’s amazing how many looks can be achieved with two lenses and a frame. Like our clothing, shoes, and hairstyles, eyewear evolves radically with the times. The Los Angeles optical company Hotel de Ville is dedicated to preserving vintage glasses and designing new silhouettes that salute memorable moments in fashion.
Photo via Hotel de Ville.
Whereas a chain optical store may turn away vintage glasses or ask you to waive its responsibility for any damage, Hotel de Ville specializes in old specs. Its services include mending broken frames, making Rx lenses, adding tint and mirror coatings, and even creating one-of-a-kind glasses for the fashion and entertainment industries. It also has its own brand of vintage-inspired frames, like these:
Hollywood Boulevard and Newmar, two original frame designs by Hotel de Ville.
I’m inspired by the way HdV employees use their blog and Instagram feed not just for self-promotion, but as a visual record of remarkable eyewear. They post mainly historical images of musicians, actors, models, and even comic characters who, even if I don’t recognize them, tell me something about their era and story through their shades. This may be just a clever sales strategy, but to me it feels personal, as if true fans are swooning along with me over Twiggy’s avant garde glasses.
Photos via Hotel de Ville’s Instagram feed and blog.
I was in LA last week for work, so I popped into the Beverly Boulevard boutique to snap a few photos and get my Tura cat-eye glasses adjusted. They’ve been sliding down my nose all summer–the blazing Atlanta heat must have warped the aluminum!
Salesperson Sylvia made a quick frame adjustment at no charge. While she coaxed my shades back into a head-hugging pose, I admired the small but glamorous showroom that evokes both an antique apothecary and a starlet’s dressing table. Follow me after the jump for photos of the interior and inventory.
