We all enjoyed stylish Courtney’s fantastic typewriter light, and today, we are truly treated to visiting her home in this House Without a Key installment. Each room presents a medley of eye candy, complete with vintage treasures that all have a fun story to tell. Without further ado, I welcome you to chic Courtney’s casa, located “inside the loop” in Houston, Texas.

My coffee table serves as a rotating library for all of my favorite-of-the-moment art books. Right now I have it paired down to a box set of vintage Japanese books, which we do pick up and read from time to time. The fireman’s hose is one of my favorite oddities. It’s never been used, so the brass ends are still wrapped in their original burlap. I also have a thing for vintage science posters and found the Genetics chart while rooting around a prop shop on Houston Street in New York City. I like to hang them from curtain rod holders so they stand out from the wall and have a three-dimensional feel.  (pH note: I love Courtney’s combination of old and new, and the genetics chart is such a refreshing piece of conversational art!)

I’m still as in love with Anthropologie’s Ditte Sofa as the day I bought it 2 years ago. It’s deep enough to fit my 6’5″ husband and long enough for us both to stretch out. When Elle Decor dubbed it “the best make out couch,” it was an immediate buy for my husband!

For our second anniversary, we drove to Pieces in Atlanta and invested in some furniture. We love our woven fiberglass chairs and because they’re insanely light, we’ve dragged them all around the house for additional seating where needed. The metal medical cart in the corner is our makeshift bar. With two shelves and a drawer, everything fits perfectly and it’s even mobile!

In the 70s, my Dad worked at a bank in Louisiana that was undergoing a remodel. When they started tossing Bertoia chairs to the curb, Dad snagged 6 for his unfurnished patio. 30 years later, I had them chromed dipped at a local metalworks shop. My dining buffet is from the now defunct Storehouse and the lamp is a thrift shop find. The vintage orange and white enamel cocktail set is from Austin Modern and the mirror is an old Kirkland’s purchase my mother-in-law had in her previous house.   I love how big and gold it is! We’re huge John Derian fans in this house as he’s one of the few artists my husband actually loves as much as I do. We exchange his pieces every holiday and it’s a fun common interest. My favorite are his Hotel Algonquin series, one hangs above the frog.

My husband and I love to ride our bikes around the neighborhood on weekend mornings. Someone was having a yard sale and I almost flipped over my handlebars when I saw this ratty art easel that’s covered in layers of paint and oil. For $3 it didn’t pay to leave it behind, so my husband rode the rest of the way home with it over his shoulders. I have a few funny (and granny) needlepoint embroideries and the hawk was a perfect fit for this nook in our bedroom. I, too, have the ubiquitous “For Like Ever,” but I don’t care. I love the fluorescent colors and teen slang, and it brightens up our overly brown room. My nightstands are a dirt-cheap Craigslist find and I had my husband build up the bottom so they’d be 8″ taller. They’re now more suited to our bed’s height and I use the extra room underneath to shove unsightly things like routers, modems, and endless cords; no one’s the wiser!

In Round Top, Texas, I found these neat hotel door numbers and knew I had to bring some home. I hunted down numbers to spell out our anniversary, “4″ “20″ “5″ (we were married 4-2-05) and placed them above each bedroom light switch.  (pH Note:  How incredibly sweet and romantic!)

My “office” is located in the second bedroom, so it tends to be a more personal space for me than any other area. When I moved to New York, Mom framed a print of she and my grandparents in 1958.  (As seen against the right wall). My Grandfather, Arthur Ory, owned an appliance store in Louisiana and won a trip to NYC for selling them most Fedders Air Conditioners in his region. They put his name in lights on Broadway and I feel like the luckiest girl in the world for having this piece of family history in my house.  (pH Note: If only every office could be so personalized with stress relievers and nostalgia. Mixing old and new perfectly is certainly Courtney’s forte!  Doesn’t the vintage mannequin somehow look appropriate amongst her laptop?)

Thank you SO much Courtney for graciously inviting us into your inspiring home!

Prepare yourself for a visual journey through mid-century modern delight!  Barry Smith, of STUDIO SMITH, a communication design firm, was kind enough to open his office doors for a Room Without a Key tour.  Generous Barry also shared a fabulous secret with us, especially for those in the Chicago area: Jubilee Furniture Company is an amazing source of mid-century modern treasures at garage sale prices!

Barry, with his excellent taste in vintage design, now takes the {pH} floor in taking you through his inspirational office!

Left Photo: This art is by the American born Black Finnish artist Howard Smith.  Howard Smith moved to Finland 45 years ago and has made an impressive career in Finland as a designer of ceramics and textiles. The Howard Smith art from Goodwill, the lamp from a mental health sponsored thrift. Right Photo: Various shots around the redesigned and refreshed office space. (pH Note: It’s great to see all the mid-century modern elements together in context!  I’d also like to call dibs on that amazing lamp.)

(pH Note: This “secret” box is what drew me to Barry’s office in the very beginning). The box is painted metal from IKEA.  I left the key in it for effect. Fun to see people want to open it. I keep vitamins, extra light bulbs, plus coffee and tea in it. It really looks like an electrical utility box, right?  (pH Note: Industrial magnet clips keep the fabulous Moo cards in place.)

Left Photo: Newest, best ever vintage score. 80 bucks. Original, signed Le Corbusier LC2 Petite, serial number 1370, with original Cassina Spa manufacturer label (pre-Knoll licensed model), and the Atelier International label to boot. (pH Note: What did I say earlier about his fantastic mid-century modern source secret?!) The magazine rack is a mid-century modern piece, dated 1951 and designed by Richard Galef for the company Ravenware. Thrifted via Goodwill. $1.99.  Right Photo: Featuring Vintage Ben Seibel Pyramid small pitcher and compote dish, Canonsburg Temporama mug, store exterior signage, 3D star, sweet Federal Glass packaging. I often swap these items out for new things to start a discussion with fellow colleagues and internal clients. One, to share good design and to show how it can be obtained cheaply, often for less than the price of a Starbucks. (pH Note: So true!  Especially if you have creativity and good taste.) Two, it’s a subtle way to mentor younger designers and grow clients about the value of design. Also, to tangibly show that real people were behind these everyday items, and to promote the idea of a designer as curator. (pH Note: Amen! Good design is timeless.)

Left Photo: (My first) Catherine Holm score!  Right Photo: Looks like this Caslon clock uses one of my all time favorite fonts. This Caslon flip clock works really well. It makes nearly no sound, and just beyond this photo on the right is a dial which turns continuously, counting down the seconds. The only sound is a
rather unnoticeable tick as the minute hand falls down to expose the next number. This clock is really everything I like about mid-century design. I especially enjoy the colors against the stainless body.  (pH Note: the typography is so attractive, and the tiny tick downwards must bring subtle vintage charm to the office’s ambiance.)

THANK YOU so much Barry for the wonderful experience of your office that is a true tribute to great design and mid-century modern inspiration!  For more design eye candy, visit this set of studiosmith’s photos.