This is an easy topic for me–looking at previous posts, it should be abundantly clear What Inspires Me: The Past.

Not just any piece of the Past, though, will do–only the Mid-Century. Specifically, 1940-1962-3.  (There are some very particular parts of the 20s & 30s which appeal to me greatly, too, but for day-to-day inspiration, it’s just the above eras.)

Once upon a time, Good Manners were the Rule, not the Exception. Women wore gloves when they went out of the house and men wore hats. There were no kids in pajamas pants at school or anywhere else in public. If you drove a convertible, you could park it on the street with the top down and it would be fine…

I could go on and on, but do you see where I’m going? There is a Grace and Elegance about that time that I find sorely lacking in this one…

My inspiration for our daily life comes from that time–our clothes, our home, our leisure pursuits.

...we do a lot of this...

...and this...

...some of this...

...and as much of this as possible...

Like most of the other bloggers participating in this mash-up, most every post I write is about what Inspires me…this was such fun!

Please visit ChromaLab tomorrow, for another installment…and drop by the Master List @ sfgirlbybay for lots more inspiration!

Legendary Interiors & Illustrious Travelers Aboard the USS Normadie.

(from the South Street Seaport Museum web site:)

The S.S. Normandie was the epitome of Art Deco-era style and sophistication – the largest, fastest and most glamorous of the so-called “floating palaces” of the early and mid-20th century. Normandie was an ocean-going ambassador of French culture, design and stylistic prowess. Upon her maiden Voyage in 1935, she was heralded as a triumph of the modern age and inevitably became the pride of the French Line as an estimated 100,000 spectators lined New York Harbor for her triumphant arrival. Her innovative, award-winning hull design was rivaled only by her unprecedented interior luxuries. Normandie’s legendary three-deck-high First Class dining room, a marvel of the Art Deco era, was perhaps the most awe-inspiring feature of her interior design. At three hundred five feet long, it was longer than the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. The room, which could accommodate 700 diners, boasted twelve tall illuminated pillars of original Lalique glass flanked by thirty-eight matching columns along the walls, and 20-foot tall entrance doors adorned with bronze medallions by artist Raymond Subes. Other standouts included a winter garden replete with exotic birds and plants, an 80-foot-long indoor swimming pool, and the first theatre at sea. The interiors spaces were filled with grand perspectives, spectacular entryways, and stunning long, wide staircases. The finest First Class suites featured dining rooms, baby grand pianos, multiple bedrooms, and private decks. A defining roster of Art Deco masters that worked on her fittings, furnishings, and accoutrements includes René Lalique, Hermés, Jean Dupas, Jean Patou, and Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann.The exhibition at New York’s South Street Seaport museum will feature original interior works by the famous Deco artists that beautified her decks, showing visitors just why Normandie captured the imagination of the world before her tragic end in 1942. The displays will also showcase original furnishings, rare passenger photographs, video footage, voyage logs, uniforms, fashion accessories, and commemorative items from Normandie’s maiden voyage.