Handmade Modern: Mid-Century Inspired Projects for Your Home (Turtleback)

by Todd Oldham (Author) "We can learn a lot from birds; they are nature's own talented decorators and home renovators..." (more)
Key Phrases: Birch Veneer Plywood, Charles Harper, Mod Podge (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Qualified do-it-yourselfers can go retro with enough projects by legendary designer Oldham to fill entire rooms. Taking inspiration from such mid-century designers and artists as Isamu Noguchi, George Nakeshima, Alexander Girard and Florence Knoll, Oldham revisits modernism in the new millennium. Bold, vibrant, unpretentious and suitable for small urban spaces, Oldham's pieces for the bedroom, living room and "reading room" play to function as well as form. Projects are rated for "ease level" on a scale of one to five, but readers unskilled in using jigsaws and sewing machines are left with rather unfulfilling tasks, such as a sand-art incense bowl or kaleidoscope art glass. However, those with the know-how and the right equipment in their tool boxes (Oldham suggests "mod podge" and a "respirator" as must-haves in any "basic" toolkit) can create an all-in-one room divider with "floating" boxes for storage space, an illuminated end table which is at once a display case and a light source, or a hand-quilted body pillow to go on top of a platform bed. Step-by-step photos illustrate techniques, and full-page pictures of finished rooms show how various pieces can be eye catchingly mixed and matched. Oldham is not out to create a revolutionary new aesthetic here, but is simply using elements of modernism that have endured—namely comfort, utility and visual panache. (Apr.)

Product Description
Love the look of mid-century, modern, retro design, but don't feel like dropping two weeks' pay on an Eames chair? In Handmade Modern, Todd Oldham shares his passion for mid-century modern homes with over 52 do-it-yourself projects for anyone who loves crafts and longs to add character to every corner of his or her home.

Todd Oldham has received accolades during an impressive career bringing couture fashion and elegant design to a more inclusive and broader audience, first in MTV's "House of Style", and today though his line of housewares and school supplies for Target, and his line of home furnishings for La-Z-Boy. In Handmade Modern he offers cutting-edge makeover plans for the office, kitchen, living room, bedroom, and closet, all designed to be both fresh and enormously practical. In this beautifully designed full-color book, Todd tackles each room in the house, starting with a beauty shot of each room, and then breaking the room down into its components, each one a do-it-yourself project. In the living room, for example, he takes you through projects with a difficulty range of 1 through 5:

a space-saving freestanding bookshelf (5) matching end tables (4) reupholstered pillows (2) Lucite picture frames (2)

Each project is charted through step-by-step photos and instructions until the fabulously mod end.

Handmade Modern promises to revolutionize the way the reader looks at his or her own home and capacity to beautify a space. Chic, accessible, and fun, this is the achievable new look of modern home design.

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Product Details

• Turtleback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Collins Design (April 12, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060591250
• ISBN-13: 978-0060591250
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #134,942 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Modern and retro-inspired projects, October 20, 2005

By	Red Wood "film producer" (Omaha, NE.) - See all my reviews

I just received this book. I'm into retro style and believe in the mismatched standard(where everything isn't perfectly matched). I don't mean with colors or patterns, where everything is just too loud, etc. I just mean that it's fun to use different textures and not have to be boring(as many of today's furniture styles). I also love the midcentury modern furniture because of this. Oldham's book is partially items that are similar to his 21st century mod line of furniture stocked in Target stores and partially retro-inspired pieces. The retro include the room dividers(although some of his materials are just too bulky for me, so I'd swap them), his daybed with built-in book storage underneath, the hanging lanterns(which one could tweak and actually make shapes of their own-which I love!), a corduroy pillow(could choose a more retro fabric, if one wishes), a really cool credenza(again, could be tweaked into a different look, if so desired), and, of course, his use of different shades of wood(very midcentury modern). I love his look into that midcentury modern simplicity of the paintings, too. All in all, there are only so many of these inspired items in the book, but I still think it'll be usefull for the direction I am taking. The really neat item is the smokestack lamp(check out any book on old Vegas and compare this lamp with the original Flamingo casino's tower, which was also lit at night-so cool!) It's true that it takes a decent tool box, but how do you build furniture without that? Check out another cool book on mod and retro, Matt Maranian's "Pad", if it's simpler projects so desired(although, even here, some tools are necessary). I mean, if this is the biggest complaint in these reviews-oh, brother! He breaks everything down for the reader! What more is necessary? I'm not Mr.Handyman, either. So what? Oldham's items in Target-and other company's modern furniture lines-are expensive! This isn't. Not to mention, if you're into the retro stuff, check out eBay's prices for the real deal. Crazy! Although, with books like this, a cheaper retro fix-it-up piece is plausible(from a thrift store, collectibles shop-often referred to as "antique shops", garage sales, estate sales, and flea markets).

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars good for those of us with design-lust on a budget, May 17, 2005

By	J. Threadgill "jthreadgill" (Phx, AZ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm not experienced with building furniture at all, but I don't find this book scary. It outlines the materials you'll need, dimensions, tools, and specifies meterials. I'm hyped to get ahold of and play with my first power tools in order to start on some of these projects. There are also sections on noteworthy designers and their styles, so if you aren't familiar with post-modern design you get a little bit of a history lesson as well.

The thing I'm most excited about is the guide to building floating-box bookshelves, as I certainly can't (and would refuse to) spend $1,600 on the designer bookshelf it mimics (*coughcoughBluDotcough*..."design you can afford," my ass!)

My big complaint is this book could have used more attentive editing. For example, on page 93, the last step of the storage bench instructions ends with: "Be sure that the" And that's it. How frustrating! Be sure that the what?? Crap! Now I'll NEVER be sure of...whatever it was! It makes me worry that there are other errors, perhaps in dimensions or other instructions, that I wouldn't notice until I'm in the middle of trying to build something.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great eye candy, February 18, 2006

By	anon - See all my reviews

The projects look great, but intimidating. The materials would be pretty expensive (not counting the tools) & I would hate to mess up & I'm an accomplished diy-er! All the great projects are hard 4/5 skill level. Everything under a skill level 4 is kind of lame for lack of a better word.
Nice pictures to look at for inspiration though.