If I had more time, energy…

and perhaps a bigger bank account to fund my interests…

I would have loved to study architecture

{it’s funny, because I keep pushing the field on Husby

since he also shares the same love, and is the artist in the family.

I think it would be a fascinating field to explore once he retires from the fire service in 20 some years – –

looks like you’re never getting a break, Husby!!}.

As you may have seen from some of my previous posts,

I am infatuated with Scandinavian design.

My other love is mid-century modern – – which stems back to my parents.

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My mom has been in real estate most of my life.

She got bored easily

{which she claims is a sign of intelligence – haha!}

and when it wasn’t time to move,

she redecorated or moved furniture around when my dad was on business trips.

We never stayed in a home longer than three years growing up.

My parents flipped houses before it became a popular thing to do.

I have countless memories of going to open houses with my parents

and listening to them talk about the pros and cons of each, while sipping their drink on the veranda.

I used to share in their excitement and grow eager to have a new bedroom to make my own

{I actually love change as an adult and get super bored being in the same house or area too long {thank you, mom, for that character trait}! We’ve stayed put since the kids have started school; however, I dream… {on a daily basis} of change… whether it’s new décor, a new home, or moving to Costa Rica… among other places}.  

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My parents were definitely more minimalistic in their sense of style and design.

I grew up with one of these chairs in our family room, which I hope to own at some point

{wishful thinking}.

{Eames Chair Image Via: Herman Miller}

My favorite house that we lived in, during the later part of my high school years, was in Fullerton, California.

Not only did it have an amazing ocean and city view

{which was always a must},

it also was a piece of mid-century modern architecture.

Dressed in floor to ceiling windows,

it was also adorned with a beautiful vintage pool on the side of the house.

This particular nest sparked my love of design from this time period.

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Although there are many mid-century architects I adore,

Cliff May

is one of my favorites.

He is known as the father of the California ranch-style home.

Every room in the house has a connection to the outdoors,

erasing any lines of separation.

Floor to ceiling glass walls were a signature of his,

along with functional living and entertaining spaces.

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I found a gem of a website {SoCal Modern}

a couple of years ago that has a photo gallery of mid-century homes,

lists current modern houses for sale {in the Southern California area},

and gives a valuable list of resources

  {from brokers, architects, designers, magazines, furniture & accessories, preservation, and more}.

Here are several homes {all in Long Beach, California}, designed by Cliff May in the mid 1950’s

that I found on that particular site.

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{images of the above house via: socal modern – house one}

{three images above via: socal modern – house two}

{two images above via: socal modern – house 3}

{three above images via: socal modern – house 4}

{three above images via: socal modern – house 5}

{four above images via: socal modern – house 6}

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For those of you that share in my love for mid-century modern design and architecture,

I hope that you thoroughly enjoyed the photos above!

For those of you that fancy other design styles…

I hope that it ignited a new found appreciation for these vintage masterpieces!