It was a time of the three-martini lunch, guiltless chain-smoking, and the trading of stuffy, dark, traditional styles for the bright, clean and airy look of mid-century modern (MCM) design.
This trend, reflected so evocatively in the Emmy-award-winning TV drama, Mad Men, is part of a larger shift that exemplifies the revival of mid-century modern design that is so in vogue today. A stunning bungalow in Ottawa's Glabar Park is a perfect illustration of MCM design. With an iconic butterfly roof, formed by two gables that dip in the middle, it showcases the movement's belief that design should be combined with functionality.
It's the California-modern home of Jane Daly, which she shares with her partner Art O'Neil and daughters, 14-year-old Biddy and Emilie (who is away at university). Walking through the front door into the bright, windowed living room, you can easily imagine the stylish couple sipping cocktails with Don and Betty Draper, making small talk while leaning laconically against the wood-paneled walls.
As both a chic trend-watcher and a member of Royal LePage Team Realty, Jane has always believed that a home is so much more than four walls and a roof. She feels her own personal approach to style is reflected in the values of this bygone era.
"It's an optimism, an innocent hope and a reaction to the staid, overly ornamented and dark styles in the early part of the century," explains the dynamic architecture enthusiast. "Instead of tiny leaded windows and dark oppressive wood details in homes that had little natural light flowing through, think feminism and civil rights. It was a time of revolution and change and it's reflected in the style. Who can resist that?"
Though the couple had been looking for a home in the area for a while, they knew this particular house would be perfect for them from the moment they saw it. For Art, owner of O'Neil Motors, a big selling feature was the three-car garage. Another big bonus was the fact that the home had never been renovated, so it retained its original integrity.
This was important to Jane who says, "As a realtor, I see so many homes that have been renovated to death, with no thought given to the home as a whole. It's really all about mindfulness and just taking the time to think about the flow when you're walking from one room to another, which is especially important in an open-concept home."
Inheriting the home intact, however, did present its own set of challenges. Pictures that had been hanging in the same spot for over half a century, left large marks and fading on the wooden walls. Finding a craftsman to restore the walls, plus walnut panels on cabinets and cupboards, took some time. Eventually they hired a woodworker who had crafted all the walnut paneling in the Supreme Court building. He painstakingly re-painted the grain onto the panels with small brushes, then re-stained and waxed them. The final result is both impressive and calming to look at.
"Using wood in large soaring spaces adds warmth and absorbs sound, so even though you are surrounded by space, there is quiet and calm," explains Jane, who adds that just looking at the California Redwood on the living room wall, posts and beams, makes her happy. The wall-to-wall industrial carpeting they installed is a good balance to all the wood and dramatic windows.
A quirky feature in the family room, which wouldn't look out of place in a Mad Men episode, is the covered bar sink. Built into the family room shelving, it's perfect for mixing highballs without leaving the party to go into the kitchen.
"No chotchkies, no fussy details, just clean lines and functionality. I have at least 30 percent of the stuff we moved from our old house still in boxes. I don't miss one thing. - Jane Daly
And this revival of mid-century modern isn't just popular with the young hipsters, says Mike Shaikin of Found Design, a re-sell home furnishings store on Bank Street in Ottawa South. Mike first began buying, selling and collecting in 2001 after finding a pair of the iconic Eames chairs in a thrift shop and hasn't looked back since. "What's really cool," he's noticed, "is people that originally owned this style of furniture in the 1950s and '60s, and subsequently sold it, are coming in and purchasing pieces and falling back in love with the design all over again."
The timelessness of mid-century modern is one of the things that Jane finds so attractive about it. More than 50 years later, the original simplicity, modernism, and quality of the home looks chic.
"So many of the fixtures -- light fixtures on the walls, bathroom cabinets, built-ins -- were so fantastic and modern, it was amazing to think that they were made in 1959," she says. "I recall thinking that this house must have been 'from space' when it was built, and I was trying to imagine what the neighbours in more traditional-styled homes would have been thinking!" The features of the home not only stood the test of time, they also manage to look modern a decade into the 21st century.
In the end, Jane believes, true style is not about following a trend or jumping on the latest bandwagon. It's about living in an environment, she says, where you feel free and comfortable
