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From Flame to Flicker: Inside a Working Neon Shop

You walk into a neon shop expecting nostalgia. You leave thinking about chemistry, electricity, municipal zoning codes, and 1940s craftsmanship. That’s what happened when I toured Morry’s Neon, a family business opened in 1985 by Morry and his son Glen, a business built on a neon legacy that began in 1946 when Morry first started bending glass. Established the same year America decided diners, drive-ins, and optimism were perfectly reasonable things to mass-produce, Morry’s has

Route 66 at 100: Why the Centennial Is Igniting a New Era of Retro Road Trips

As the Route 66 Centennial approaches, something interesting is happening. This isn’t just an anniversary tour or a nostalgia lap. It’s a full-scale reawakening of interest in the American road trip—one rooted in history, preservation, and the lived experience of the road itself. The centennial is acting like a spotlight, illuminating not just the highway, but the stories, architecture, roadside culture, and communities that grew up along it. And people are paying attention. Travelers want

Los Angeles Potteries: A Whimsical Walk Through Mid-Century Ceramic Dreams

From our retro coffee table to yours comes a great book – an awesome gift or something to pour over in our own home! Suppose you’ve ever spotted a cookie jar shaped like a hamburger or a canister set with tropical fruit motifs and thought, “I remember that design!” or “I have to have that design!”. In that case, you’ll want to get your hands on Los Angeles Potteries: A Collector’s Journey through Artistry, Craft,

El Cortez Hotel: Where Vintage Vegas Still Lives

Opened in 1941, the El Cortez Hotel & Casino is one of Las Vegas’s oldest operating casinos — and one of its most authentic. In a city obsessed with reinvention, the El Cortez is a rare survivor, maintaining its vintage spirit while still feeling alive and relevant. Preservation That Matters In 2013, the El Cortez earned its place on the National Register of Historic Places, and it’s easy to see why. The building’s Spanish Colonial

Help save our pink bathroom

Well it seems life has dealt us a card and we’re going to remodel our PINK bathroom in the next month. We know the tile has been falling off the shower wall for a while, but finally our plumber has determined that the plumbing for the whole shower has to go. So, it’s a rip out and remodel -s eriously we can’t save the tile in the bath. We could save the tile in

Interior Decorating, lesson on color

Taken from the “Better Homes and Gardens Decorating Book” Copyright 1956, we thought we’d turn Mid-Century Photo Friday into a learning experience. This week we tackle color – which if you’ve seen full color photos in the 50’s, they had a different interpretation of. I wonder how many interior decorators still follow the following rules? As usual you can leave a link to your Mid-Century Photo Friday in the comments.

Help save a hip Wisconsin Motel

We love preservation efforts here at Mid Century Style Magazine and Motels are our secret passion – ok, maybe not so secret! 🙂 Christi and Mike are trying to save a fabulous atomic Motel in the Bayfield/Ashland area of Wisconsin and if you help them out you can get room credit for a great spot on Lake Superior when the motel opens! Christi is a former restaurant server and currently a vintage reseller in a shop

Help Save The Wallbank House in Belcaro

As much as I love the Denver Metro area, it lags behind in some areas, and one is being able to designate this house as a landmark so it can be saved! Photo by 5280 Real Estate: Gorgeous, isn’t it? The Wallbank House in Belcaro, a 1958 Usonian-design by Tician Papachristou and Daniel Havekost.According to Shannon Stanboro of 5280mod.com, The Denver Landmark Preservation Commission is holding a public hearing on Tuesday, December 7, regarding