I want to have an affair with these Mad Men-style time capsule homes

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#Homes & Tours#mid-century modern#real estate#retro/vintage#tv

Photo courtesy of Realtor.com
Photo courtesy of Realtor.com
Homie and guest-poster Julie F sent me an email that just said “OH MY GODZZZZZ” with a link to these Mad Men-style time capsule homes. Since Mad Men came back on the air (and it’s pretty much the only TV show that I haven’t freaked out over publicly) I thought I’d ignore everyone who said they hate real estate posts, and cater to my fellow real estate boner-having Homies.

Actually, you don’t need to love real estate to enjoy this post: lovers of the mid-century modern aesthetic will also get turned on just reading this excerpt:

With the beginning of the final season of AMC’s award-winning show on the horizon, we’re taking a look at Midcentury Modern homes that offer a throwback to the days of the three-martini lunch and the definitive styles revived by the show’s creators. Scandinavian décor is back in vogue, bright fabrics and fabulous prints aim to catch the eye, and wood paneling and furniture flaunt the bare minimum in terms of finish.

To see all that and more, head over to Realtor.com, and then come back here and let’s indulge in a little Mad Men home decor talk. I don’t know about you, but I’m totally coveting ALL of Don and Megan’s apartment.

About the Author: Megan Finley Horowitz

@meggyfin @meggyfin

I'm a 40-year-old potty-mouthed writer with late-diagnosed ADHD and a shit-ton of anxiety. I live in my hometown of Los Angeles with a husband, a daughter I never planned on having, and a senior rescue dog. Anything else you need to know can be gleaned from my instagram and my TikTok.

Comments on I want to have an affair with these Mad Men-style time capsule homes

      • I used to go by it every day on my way to school and wonder what it was like inside. It did NOT disappoint. Oh the cocktail parties I would have in that living room if I had that house….

    • Ok, amazing, but quick question from NZ about USA realestate situations

      That is amazingly cheap for a house, well compared to here – most houses that I am looking at are 230-250k minimum.

      Is it super hard to get mortgages over there?
      I mean we have a relaitively low deposit (10% minimum) threshold that banks will look at. But we also have an overinflated housing market – Kiwi’s have a thing about owning land and once they own land they have a thing about own rental properties and being landlords which has caused our housing market to boom… a little harder than anyone likes.

      Im just wondering what the markets are like in other countries?

      • It’s 20% for a deposit now, it’s a new-ish thing the government has brought in. In Auckland a 3br house is on average $500k+. I’ll never own a house!

        • Hey Lena,

          We thought that also but you can still get LVR homeloans with a min deposit of 10%, you just have to be the first in the pile that the banks look at each month. There is also the Welcome Home Loan that is run with the Govt and Kiwibank to try and get first home buyers into their first home (though i think the limit in Auckland/Welly/Queenstown is either 400k or 450k).

      • I’m very interested in the responses to this. Husband and I have put a deposit on a tiny block of land in a fantastic location in our city and are paying $300,000 just for the land. It’ll be another $200,000+ to build. On 350m^2! Land in Perth, AU is ridiculous!

      • Hi so I’m the one originally from that area. That is stupid cheap for most places in the US as well. That house is in North East Ohio. Its in the middle of the rust belt, the area that was heavy on manufacturing in the past and due to the economic climate and outsourcing has been in steady decline since the 1970s. (The most internationally recognizable city in this area is probably Detroit, but Cleveland and Pittsburgh are also rust belt, Canton is equidistant between those latter two). Surprisingly, that area was also hit really hard in the 2008 ‘great recession crash’ this further pushed down housing prices along with a huge amount of foreclosures in the area. This house is actually over priced for a similarly sized house in the area just because of its character. Let this listing blow your mind: http://www.homesandland.com/For-Sale/CANTON/1211_18th_St_Northeast/27630082.html

        Now a similar house in a different non rust belt area (and coincidentally where a friend from the same hometown could find employment ): http://www.homesandland.com/For-Sale/STONY_BROOK/36_Spencer_Ln/25880514.html

        Also, the home tour last week (West Virginia college town house) is my house. I’m in Appalachia, mountains and mining and natural gas, jobs but not high paying, very working class area. That house (3br, 1.5bath) is appraised at $140k, a little high for the area because of proximity to the university, but not outrageous for the state.
        Part of the reason I am unable to realize the dream of owning the hous is I know that the odds of finding a job in the area are slim…. so regional variation has a LOT to do with that price.

      • OK I wrote out a long long post with links to examples and things but it seems to have gotten eaten, so a shorter reply on my lunch break.

        This house is in Northeast Ohio, which is part of the rust belt. Due to a lot of factors property values here are extremely low. Due to its style its actually priced high for that size home. You can buy a decent but dated 3 bedroom one bath brick ranch home for around $70K in the same neighborhood.

        Pick that home up and put it on one of the coasts, or in a big city anywhere (Canton is not large) and the price goes way way up.

        Long story short the US is HUGE and the different regions all have different housing markets.

  6. I am a pretty big Mad Men fan, and I am a huge fan of mid-century modern style. I’m not the biggest real-estate junkie, but what this made me think of was how much I love it when museums have a section devoted to mid-century modern (and earlier 20th century) furniture and decorative arts.

  9. I would love to deck my apartment out in midcentury style. I am trying to add touches as I can, and then as I have more income, invest in big pieces.

    My style is sort of a blend of art-designed pieces (mostly my own art) and vintage furnishing.

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