Catch the
MID-CENTURY
modern vibe These Pictou homeowners invite you to step back in time BY CRYSTAL MURRAY PHOTOS BY STEVE SMITH/VISIONFIRE
C
indy and Andrew Blair put all of their effort into capturing an unmistakable vintage vibe for their new home in Pictou, N.S. Walking through the front door is like stepping back in time. The sleek ranch-style house they designed and built two years ago features modern efficiencies but is dialled in to the mid-century modern style. “Someone told us that our oven looks like a 1950s Chev married a jukebox,” laughs Cindy. “I think that the greatest joy in this house is the way it makes people feel when they walk into it. It’s just so fun.” While Cindy carried the retro vibe through the entire home, the kitchen is the real show-stopper. Mint green vintage-inspired appliances, a checkerboard chrome set, authentic Bakelite dishes, and pops of colour highlight hallmarks of the mid-century modern period, covering roughly 1933–1965. Author Cara Greenberg coined the term mid-century modern, which quickly became part of the design lexicon. Her book, Mid-Century Modern: Furniture of the 1950s, says consumers who wanted function and style for their small post-war homes influenced the look. Decorating an entire home in a period style would daunt many homeowners, but the Blairs ran with it. This is the third home Cindy and Andrew built and designed in 25 years of marriage. They furnished their previous homes with plans for a future sale. “I decorated with what everyone else wanted,” says Cindy. “Always a white shaker-style kitchen and traditional elements. When we decided to make the move to Pictou, I knew that this was finally the house that I was going to decorate for me. I always loved retro and I wanted to take a big step in that direction.” Cindy’s décor choices weren’t her only big step. Her new home is on a different coast. A British Columbia resident her entire life, Cindy met Andrew in Manitoba in 1994 when she worked as an RN and he was in the province doing aerial surveying. They married and started their life
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together on Vancouver Island. After Cindy retired, they looked east for that change. Andrew had ties to Pictou and always hoped to return. He lived his first decade around the corner from the home they now share in the harbour town’s west end. Over the years, Cindy visited her husband’s family in Pictou, and says the local architecture charmed her. “We decided we wanted to start from scratch, but we wanted to be in the area where Andy grew up,” says Cindy. “There is very little if any vacant land in town. Especially land that is
