My vintage typewriter collection has outgrown my home’s desks, bookshelves, and even stacked vintage suitcase “tables.”   While some will eventually find their way to other homes, I still need to find a way to showcase my beautiful collection without starting to use my dining table and kitchen counter as displays!

How about literally writing on the wall?  With brackets, typewriters become beautiful wall art, yet still retain their functionality for short bursts of upside-down typing, and  I especially enjoying viewing them from a different perspective.

magicfly adds splendid “color to the corridor” with this collection of cheerful typewriters.  It looks like 1D paintings now have some competition!

How can you display your typewriter collection if you have more than a dozen of these treasures?  If you are a writer, you should showcase them in your bedroom, which will certainly bring the power of typewriter osmosis to your dreams, as seen on HGTV.

Talk about a new perspective!  Before seeing them on a wall, did you ever know about all the facial expressions typewriters could exude?  Highlux did and captured this fantastic typewriter display on a wall at the Lyttelton Coffee Company.

Spotted by Kazi Noor at Anthropologie, even one typewriter displayed on the wall creates a charming and whimsical (written) conversation piece.

What do you think of displaying typewriters on the wall?  Where do you keep your typewriter(s)?

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“Vintage typewriter” conjures up connotations of tapping keys, assertive strokes, and the feeling that what you are typing is real.  The physical presence of your words through a typewriter, as well as the delightful announcement of the end of a line, can never be replaced by software programs that mysteriously lose your work into the digital abyss.

No wonder the literary greats composed works that still move us today!  We can only imagine Hemingway, Steinbeck, Twain, and Orwell hunched over their machine of choice late into the night, with furrowed brows and their large, trusty waste paper baskets overflowing at their sides.  If you are curious as to which piece of machinery your favorite Hemingway, Orwell, Steinbeck, or Twain novel was created on, here is an overview:

Ernest Hemingway: 1940s Royal

As one of the greatest American authors, Hemingway penned many of his novels on a Royal Quiet de Luxe, including Death in the Afternoon, Green Hills of Africa, For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, and many others.   Whether he was writing in Florida or Cuba, Hemingway utilized his trusty Royal typewriter to compose great American novels.  In fact, in his Cuban home, Hemingway kept his Royal in his bedroom – one never knows when inspiration will strike!

Hemingway’s trusty Royal, still in its leather case, was recently sold at an auction for $2750 in 2007 – which seems like a steal for this vintage aficionado!

Hemingway’s Actual Typewriter via Havana Journal, Writing Desk via Mr. Typewriter, Bio Photo via Gary Scott Thompson

George Orwell: Remington Home Portable

George Orwell was an overworked journalist around the time he began working on “1984.” It has been said that his Remington Portable (model #2) was his “right hand man,” and that his preoccupation with both the machinery and “1984″ led to his early demise. By the time the novel was packaged up to send to the publishers, Orwell’s physical health had deteriorated, and he collapsed – never to pick up a pen or use the typewriter again.

There are several photographs in circulation of Orwell seated at the Remington. The typewriter is easily identified by the gold lettering above the keys, and by the retractable toolbar which was intended to lower the profile of the machine for travel.

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Lovely Victoria of sfgirlbybay, one of my daily reads, posted a fantastic story yesterday on how we too can get the look of the Mad Men AMC series, which is beautifully set in the 1950s.  She was so kind to include my Etsy shop’s vintage industrial Pensar lamp in her furniture memo!  Thank you so much Victoria!!!    I am very honored to have my lil’ lamp pay homage to the fabulous style of Mad Men.

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As we start to bid the winter months goodbye, you can now dream about the hot, warm summer days that will soon be upon us.  Think about your cute summer outfits, drinking strawberry lemonade, and enjoying croquet on the lawn — and imagine just how cool and stylish your home will look with this 1950s Westinghouse fan, with excellent art deco style and chic design lines.

In immaculate condition, the 1950s antique fan is just as beautiful off as it is functional when it is on.  Whether you are adding flair to your vintage industrial office or your chic dining room, this vintage fan works hard to keep you looking cool.  Pick up this antique collectible at our Etsy shop here.

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