Jamie Janosz

When we fell in love with mid-century style, it meant giving our plain-jane, modern, split-level home a retro feel. I also quickly learned that reproduction modern items could be pricey, and (sometimes) we couldn't find or afford what we needed to make our vintage look complete. After reading some other decorating blogs, I thought I'd share a few of our quirky, mid-century, do-it-on-the-cheap projects. Project #1 - What do with a long, plain hallway? Our hallway was basic beige and the major view out of our living room. We decided to paint it a soft aqua green, and panelled it halfway up with an inexpensive bamboo paneling. We trimmed it in a slightly darker molding to match the pre-existing molding in the home. Probably the biggest improvement was giving some detail to the far back closet door. While I loved the storage for sheets and blankets, the door way was dark and blank. I faux painted - with simple light ivory paint, measuring out a HUGE diamond...

This is a story about our vintage sofa. Milt and I - in our quest to redo our living room in mid-century style - found this amazing sofa at a local thrift shop. We love it, even though our 14-year-old daughter would rather have a comfy sofa that she can lay down on without falling in the crack. We've had this for about four years now. Then, yesterday, I stumbled on a fellow blogger who is renovating a mid-century home in Miller Beach, Indiana, with her husband. She posted a funny blog about things she regrets not buying at thrift stores. There was our little sofa. I couldn't believe it :-). I had to send a quick "after" photo to Brooke to show her that, even though she might have regretted not purchase the sofa, it had ended up in a good home. It is well loved - and it introduced me to another vintage blogger. Here she is with her super cool blog! www.millerbeachmodern.com Check her out!