A shout out to Modernist Australia who made themselves known to me when they told me about this piece of theirs in defence of fibro beach houses after I wrote about my own love for my grandparents’ old beach house. You might want to know about Modernist Australia as well?
We don’t own a modernist house because we’re not even almost filthy rich, but we do own a sweet, little mid-century house and I get very excited when I see a bunch of things that appeal to me all tie in together. The Modernist Australia site reminded me all over again that sustainability, affordable housing, open-plan family living, Scandinavian style, indoor stone fireplaces, conversation pits, 70’s craft, and geometric patterns are all part of the same movement. So, even our current thing for kitchen gardens is all geometric patterns and sustainability.
Either mid-century or Twin Peaks, one of them was probably the first sustained interest Bill and I shared together as a couple. You know, besides the usual sex and squabbling that sustains you when you’re a 20-something couple. I really love modernism, as you may have noticed if you’ve ever seen my Pinterest boards. Fortunately, Bill and I started collecting vintage pieces years ago when people still thought it was useless old rubbish and you could buy it for a song. (My mother, who thinks if it isn’t antique it isn’t of note, is still baffled by the whole thing; she will be perusing a market stall with me and pick up some monstrosity, look uncertainly at me and say is this what you like?). Bill has a brilliant eye, he can size up a higgledy-piggledy garage sale and emerge with a lost treasure in about five seconds flat. As with most things, we’re very competitive about rummaging, and he always wins. But Bill and I have pretty much stopped collecting, everything is way too expensive for us now and we’re broke and besides it is time to consolidate and make vegetable gardens.
blue milk 
I found it’s best to stop looking, so as not to break my heart over The Perfect Sideboard That Can Never Be Mine. But I still believe in serendipity, with the knowledge that one day something beautiful and otherwise expensive will be tucked in the back of a garage sale for $10.
I find my garden is a nice and wild counterpoint to the lines of my furniture, the little I have of it.
I also love modernist design, and mid-century, but I doubt it’s because of anything I grew up with. Soviet union refugees generally couldn’t acquire any good design pieces! Once we’ve finished renovating our house I hope we still have some dosh left to buy some good pieces.
I also love me some art deco glamour!
I love the fibro beach house, that was our last place, but ended up stressing too much about the asbestos aspect (after a contractor sanded and cut into it, against all the rules)… got to be so careful. I have convinced myself that our new (1920s) place is a fine fit for the mid-century furniture but it is probably a little odd… oh well. Lucky the house is so tiny we can’t fit any more chairs or sideboards, ’cause you are so right, it’s outrageously expensive these days!! I have total chair envy of yours though…