Vintage Spaces :: Darren Bradley’s Living Room

I browse Flickr (among many other sites) daily for vintage finds. Lucky me! I came across photos of Darren Bradley‘s living room re-design, in which he showcased his amazing vintage pieces and stunning style. Lucky you! I caught up with Darren to get the scoop on his one-of-a-kind space and his own addiction to vintage.

Your living room is a vintage wonderland! What was your inspiration when creating this space?
Thank you! So glad you like the space. Hunting for vintage pieces is one of our favorite hobbies, as you can probably tell. It’s nice to hear from people who also appreciate it, since the usual reaction is that we’re nuts. Our primary inspiration for the space was probably the wonderful photos by Julius Shulman. My first interest was always photography – primary architectural photography – and I’ve long revered his work. I’m sure the decor and furnishings of the houses he shot rubbed off on me.

Second, I love old movies and TV series from the 50s and 60s. The sets of those movies like “The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit” and “Bachelor in Paradise” is pure eye candy. I guess I wanted to recreate that look. The hard part is to make it look authentic and comfortable, as if it was a photo taken from the period – and not just like a museum of vintage furniture. Not sure we’ve been entirely successful there but it’s always a work in progress.

What is your favorite vintage piece in the space & what is the story behind it?
My favorite vintage piece is usually the last one I found. In this case, it’s the Broyhill console/credenza cabinet from their Brasilia Line. It was made in the early 1960s, when architect Oscar Niemeyer’s completely new capital city of Brasilia sparked the imagination of people around the world (there were lots of films shot there as it was being built). The front of the cabinet is directly inspired by the graceful parabolic arched pillars on Brazil’s Presidential Palace there. It’s also a beautiful piece, made of solid walnut.

One thing you notice about vintage is the quality is generally so much better than what you find in furniture today, and that’s definitely true with this piece. Broyhill Brasilia furniture is fairly common in the US and is becoming quite collectible. But this particular piece was made in very small quantities and despite years of searching, I’d never found one until now. This was was located with the help of the folks over at Brasilia Connection.

Where do you prefer to hunt for vintage?
I browse a lot on line, but typically only buy pieces I see in person. But I travel a lot for work so that helps me to see lots of different dealers and stuff. My favorites are Boomerang for Modern, Klassik , and Soho in San Diego, Deja Vu and Xcape in Long Beach, all of the great shops like Studio 111 and Hedge in the Palm Springs area, and Modernicus outside of Alexandria, Virginia. Craigslist and eBay are also good sources, as long as you can check the stuff out in person first.

Have any advice for our Vintage Addicts?
My advice to Vintage Addicts would be to avoid filling your space with only well-known, marquis pieces to avoid having your home just look like a showroom of mid-century modern classics. There are lots of great mid-century chairs, artwork, and case pieces by totally unknown designers out there that are just fantastic, and don’t cost a lot. Then, sprinkle in a few marquis pieces. This is what really gives the space an authentic feel. (I’m not necessarily very good at following my own advice in this regard).

Also, don’t be afraid of color. As long as you stay in period-appropriate tones (light blues, mustard yellows, avocado greens, oranges, etc.), it all works together quite nicely (at least we think so).

Finally, decorate with what you like. Don’t get a piece just because somebody told you it was a name designer or a good investment. After all, it’s your space and you want to like it and feel comfortable there!