More Mid-Century Furniture from Marché aux puces de Saint-Ouen

The Marché aux puces de Saint-Ouen is both and indoor and outdoor flea market. The nicer stuff seems to be inside, although the stuff outside is still amazing. Here are some more of the finds at Marché aux puces de Saint-Ouen.

Mid-Century Furniture in Paris, France

I've mentioned Marché aux puces de Saint-Ouen a few times because of the Futuro House there and the mid-century travel brochures that can be found there, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. We spent a whole morning walking the market and enjoying all the beautiful mid-century furniture. That is, until we became so angry about not being able to bring any of it home. At one point I had to say, "I can't look at this amazing furniture anymore; there's no way we can ship it home and no way I can find anything like it back in the States."

This is just the first few minutes at Marché aux puces de Saint-Ouen. There are more photos to come. Also, some of the photos were taken quickly/on the sly because at one point my wife whispered into my ear, "People are starting to notice the photos and you're not getting the friendliest of looks."

Shave Like Selfridge

As I was writing about one of the reasons I like mid-century homes, I realized that I could apply the "always know what's in fashion" logic to other parts of my life. Parts that I'm not great at, like clothing and fashion. I've started working on a wardrobe that will last me forever because it's not dependent on the latest fall colors. It's a mix of mid-century American and English styles. It's a work in progress and my closet is a mess, but I'm finally getting "a look," which is new and kind of interesting.

The one thing I can refine quickly is my facial hair. (For those who have never seen my face, I grow a full beard in about a week.) However, mid-century facial hair was pretty much nonexistent, and I'm too lazy to shave every day. I could go the beatnik route, but I don't think a chin beard or a neck beard is right for me, or the wardrobe I'm putting together. I need something a little more manicured.

That's where Mr. Selfridge comes in. Not the actual Mr. Selfridge, with his amazing muttenchops,

But the Jeremy Piven version from the show Mr. Selfridge.

Jeremy said that for the current season, "I tried to up my beard game." And up it he did.

Here's the electric-razor formula for your own perfect Jeremy Piven Mr. Selfridge beard:

• Sideburns, from the bottom of your ear up: Guide 2, 1/4" cut
• Face: Guide 1, 1/8" cut
• Neck: Shaved
• Mustache: Let grow, but keep trimmed and turn up at the corners of your mouth

It's maybe a little more layered than most modern facial hair styles, but it's not actually a lot of work. It took me less time than a standard shave. And it may not be an authentic mid-century facial hair style, but it looks good and looks good with the look I'm trying to build.

Futuro House in a Flea Market

One of the things we stumbled upon at the Marché aux puces de Saint-Ouen (besides some mid-century travel brochures) was a Futuro House. I took French in college, which means I don't speak a word of it anymore, so I assumed the sign that said Futuro House just meant house of the future, which looking at it, makes sense.

And the velvet rope just made me assume it was some kind of one-of-a-kind art piece that you weren't supposed to touch or enter. However it turns out that the Futuro House is a real space age house, with its own Wikipedia page. This is the only one in France (maybe, my broken French really wasn't helping with that sign). The part that I could understand is that the Futuro House is made of fiberglass, was designed by a Finnish architect, Matti Suuronen in 1968 and that only 100 were manufactured.

You couldn't go inside, but you could peak your head (and camera) in to see all the space age furniture and lighting.

Another Reason to Own a Mid-Century Home

Not too long ago Pam over at Retro Renovation gave plenty of reasons to own a mid-century home. They are all very true and very good reasons to live in a mid-century neighborhood. All of them apply to my own experience, but there was one reason that I bought a mid-century house wasn’t included in the list: With a mid-century home you always know what’s in fashion.

Whenever you self select into an era, fashion or design that has passed, you self select out of everything else. Which, for me, makes everything much easier. There are no new options coming out (unless you go truly mid-century modern) and there's plenty of reference material to research what things should look like in a mid-century home. It lets me have a cohesive look with much less effort.

For example, if I want to buy a new sofa, my options instantly shrink from millions of potential sofas to thousands of sofas that were made in the 1950s or look like they were made in the 1950s. For me, that’s a good thing. It’s a real paradox of choice situation. Having a mid-century home lets me focus and find the sofa (or whatever) that’s perfect for both me and the look of house.

Sure, sometimes that means not being able to buy the exact option you want, either because it’s no longer manufactured or because its so rare that it’s out of your price range. But you can usually find a decent substitute or reproduction, or if you’re really patient, wait till you find it at the right price.

Of course, this reason is based on the assumption that you want the interior of your home to be appropriate to the house itself, but I think for a lot of people, that’s the case.