When we visited a producer recently, we were surprised to discover that his office contained a proud display of all the sort of furniture Whitley and I grew up with—circa around 1957. There was a dining table with chairs that looked like they were out of the old cartoon show the Jetsons, and framed fifties movie posters. I remember when my dad, who was certainly no esthete, painted our refrigerator turquoise, and there was, indeed, a turquoise refrigerator in the office! Whitley says that the couches and chairs could have come right out of his father’s den.  My own house was themed in pink. When I returned many years later, I saw that it had been returned to the original white with green trim. What were we thinking back in the fifties, anyway? Although I do miss those two-toned cars, if only because they were so crazy looking.

This collection of furniture is considered antique. But it doesn’t seem that way to us. It seems fresh and new.

All of this makes us realize that, as we get older, we are becoming antiques ourselves. Most of the furniture found in antique stores is older, though, from the Victorian era. It must have been true then, too, that when older people walked in, they saw their youth, just as we did. Ghosts linger in old furniture, even when it is in a new place.

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4 Comments

  1. Love the new diary! it is
    Love the new diary! it is Thought-provoking on many levels. RE: “What were we thinking back in the fifties, anyway? Although I do miss those two-toned cars, if only because they were so crazy looking.”

    I think period environmental “art” like furniture, knick-knacks, etc. provide a kinda balance to the lives people lead at the time. TV brought us together in the 50s in a way that is quite unique to our world. The streamline “modern” furniture styles and lines in lamps or whatever provided a kind of calm to the complex issues people in that decade were facing. and, perhaps, the more that the mainstream media and the workplace molded us into a kind of uniform nation, people were more open to “expressing themselves” thru bright or unique colors.

    Just some thoughts your diary brought in me . . .

  2. Anne, I LOVE your insight!
    Anne, I LOVE your insight! Got me to reminiscing about my own childhood, and all the bright, saturated colors, abstract graphics and TWO-TONE cars, which I LOVED! It just seemed to fit the “rolling sculpture” designs of the Fifties.
    If your office looks like a Fifties-themed palace, may I suggest a “Kitty-Kat” clock which is reminiscent of Felix the cat, and has moving eyes and tail to mark the passage of time?
    Thank you so much for the time-trip back to my childhood!

  3. Thank you, Anne. I wandered
    Thank you, Anne. I wandered down memory lane with you, and so enjoyed the leisurely walk.

    Such truth unveiled with gentleness and humor.

    I suspect antiques help us realize both that which has lasting value can’t be bought with $ but through experience and can cost so very dearly. Some antiques may provide a connection to a time/ experience/people which has importance for a myriad of reasons. Books do this for me.

    In the end, i guess it all speaks of the limits of a lifetime… and putting things into perspective.

  4. What a delightful thought,
    What a delightful thought, ourselves as antiques. Something to cherish and eventually, pass on to those to our loved ones. Maybe a few musty corners, bends and scratches aren’t such a bad thing at all, but marks of character. Thank you for that insight.

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