Ultra Swank - Retro Adventures

1950s

That Time When Bubble Houses Were the Future

Old house plans are one thing that enthusiasts of by-gone eras always seem to look at. It’s fun to imagine yourself living amongst the lines drawn in your house plan books. Instead of squares and rectangles, what if you were to live amongst circles and round edges? In architectural terms you might label that Googie style. So without further ado, I would like to present...

Skate Crate – Taking Skateboarding Back to the 1950s

Roll down the sidewalk like you own the town with the retro inspired Skate Crate. Modern design meets the roots of skateboarding. Skate Crate takes skateboarding’s original concept of a 2×4 with metal wheels and a fruit crate and fuses it with modern designs and components, creating a smooth ride and stylish mode of transportation. The initial product line includes both easy-to-build and decorate DIY kits...

Mid-Century Desert Hideaways – Two Palm Springs Hotels

Forget your worries for a while and travel back in time to a place where iconic Mid-Century design and architecture can still be enjoyed and gloriously relived. Located in the famous desert utopia of Palm Springs in California, the Orbit In and the Horizon Hotel boast a chic vintage presence combined with ultra-mod amenities worthy of the most à la mode contemporary hotel. Enjoy drinks by the...

Vintage Caravan Style – The Only Guide You Need

Lisa Mora, editor of her own caravan publication Vintage Caravan Magazine which showcases vintage caravan styles and designs has just recently released a book which collects everything you need to know about vintage caravans. Her book Vintage Caravan Style is dedicated to vintage, classic, retro-styled and custom caravans and those who love them. “Lisa grew up enjoying what she describes as a gypsy lifestyle, travelling...

Confessions of a Wannabe Scandinavian
Written by Patricia Greenwood in Interior

Confessions of a Wannabe Scandinavian

Okay, I’ll admit it. While many in America have a pre-occupation for everything Irish, I have a pre-occupation for everything Scandinavian. Perhaps it began as an undergrad student during British Lit I when I was introduced to the Viking tale “Beowulf,” story of a fearless Geat leader from Geatland, now part of modern day Sweden. Perhaps it was years of tormenting high school students with...

Marty Milner – Ginger Kid Extraordinaire

My son is the classic movie aficionado in our household and it’s always a treat to see what he will come up with next. I had been complaining about the unusually severe winter we were having here in Upstate New York and he countered with a movie which featured some of my favorite actors from the 1950s and 1960s, probably so he didn’t have to...

Merry Retro Christmas to You All

The Holiday season is upon us, so it is time to pull out all those swanky and kitschy retro christmas advertisements from the past! These hand drawn illustrations are so awesome. Produced in mid century America they perfectly depicts the happy-go-lucky mentality of those decades. Which one do you like the best? From all of us, to all of you – Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah...

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