Trying so hard to restrain myself...

images from atomicranchdinogal

I have found that as my taste changes one thing remains constant... my love of mid century modern design. Looking back I think it all started over my summer vacations as a kid. I'd watch a 2 hour block in the early morning of I Love Lucy, Bewitched, Brady Bunch and Leave It to Beaver before I'd venture out to play. The images of the neat, clean lined interiors with star burst mirrors and funky lamps left an impression in my heart.

Blending these pieces is always a challenge. Restraining myself from creating an entire room that feels super kitschy is difficult. Currently I am working on my sun porch. Its a total mess right now. I have a great starting point though which is a patio set that belonged to my grandparents. It just screams loungy-cocktail, which is the vibe I am going for since the porch is right off the pool and I celebrate summers in New England with almost as much enthusiasm as I do Christmas. (I freakin' love Christmas for those of you who don't know me.)

So this is the sofa...

There are also two more chairs, and I'm thinking of upholstering the whole group in these two fabrics I picked up on fabricguru, although I do love the turquoise vinyl.

Now for my ongoing struggle... I found this great spaghetti pendant lamp at a flea market at Todd's Farm in Rowley, MA. (Check out Julie Richard's fabulous design blog Shelter for more on the flea market . I met up with her there and she was

taking lots of photos to share!)

I fell in love immediately. As soon as I paid for my new purchase the internal dialogue began...

"This will look so great with the patio furniture!"

"See, you are doing it again. You are going to way over do it with the 50-60's look."

"But it looks so fun!"

"Just keep it simple, this isn't set design. You're not designing a time capsule."

And on and on... So now to incorporate these pieces with out it looking like an overdone mess.

I have put myself on a leash and will post pictures of the finished space when I'm done.

I welcome any suggestions!