Mid-century modern

One of the best accounts I follow on Twitter- me and nearly a quarter million others -  is Zillow Gone Wild, which showcases some of the crazier listings on Zillow. Sometimes the house has a crazy setting. Sometimes it's crazy on the outside. Sometimes it's crazy on the inside. 

One of my favorites was a place which had the master "suite" in a pretty open loft. Okay. Not a ton of privacy, but if you're mostly there without company, so the loft's open. Not for me, who likes enclosed spaces, but whatever. Not a biggie. What really set this listing apar wasn't the wide-open loft, it was the fact that it brought the open concept concept to the master suite, and had the shower, bathtub, and toilet, sitting right there next to the bed. Seriously, I don't care how much you adore your partner, who wants to do their business - or observe your beloved doing their business - right out there in the open? Not to mention, it might be pretty chilly in the winter to take bath or shower in a 600 square foot room. Brrrr.

The gem listing on Zillow Gone Wild the other day was a 3 BR, 2 Bath house for sale in St. Cloud, Minnesota. And its sweet 2,140 square feet are going for the low, low price $250K.

I'm not wild about the mint-green paint color, but I am completely enamored of the little elf-house vibe of this honey of a 1940 bungalow. I don't even mind that the construction is cinder block. The may even be a selling point. 

But the best part of this house is that when you open the front door and find yourself in a mid-century modern dreamscape.

Back in mid-century, if 9-year-old me had designed her ideal kitchen, this would have been close to perfection. (I even have the steer horns that hung above the bar in my grandfather's saloon to hang over the sink.)

Oh, I wouldn't have done pink. I'd have gone with turquoise. And, as much as I loved Westerns - I was a devoted fan of Wagon Train, Maverick, Range Rider, The Rifleman, Sugarfoot, Cheyenne, and myriad other TV shows set in the West - I probably wouldn't have selected cowgirl-themed wallpaper and curtains. When I was crushing on cowboys, I didn't generally envision myself as a cowgirl. In my fantasy world, I was more of an alluring town girl in a calico dress, rather than a rootin'-tootin' pistol packin' Annie Oakley type with boots, cowgirl hat, and fringed skirt. Which is sort of too bad because, in retrospect, the cowgirls likely had more fun than the in-town sweethearts baking cherry pies to cool on the windowsill. 

But those pink cabinets! Swoon! (Even though mine would have been turquoise.)

Pink is the theme through much of the house, ranging from baby pink, through bubblegum, and on up to raspberry.

I wear (some) pink. But I don't do pink. My decorating leans towards neutral walls, of shades of blue and green. That said, I'm thinking of repainting one of my bathrooms pink. A very pale, very subtle, barely a blush shade of pink, but pink nonetheless. Still nothing when compared to the house in St. Cloud.

But even there the aesthetic occasionally veered off the pink palette. 

Let's give one big Yowza to that wallpaper. And that screeching yellow wall isn't especially restful. But I'm okay with the blue-green wall-to-wall. And with the glass brick wall you can see a bit of to the left. (I LOVE glass bricks. My friend Joyce's childhood home was a  little midcentury ranch with glass bricks in the kitchen and the bath, and I had serious envy of this look. I do have a glass brick vase, but it's not the same as a wall.)

The true high point to me of this room is that chaise longue, which looks a bit LeCorbusier. Even the pale butterscotch leather works for me. Wonder if the owners will leave it behind.

Not that I'm going to buy a house in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

But if this was a little closer to home, I'd give it some serious consideration. 

Not that I need that big a place. And not that it would make any sense to sign up for a yard, sidewalks, and a driveway to take care of. And not that I wouldn't have to recolor all that pink out of the picture. 

Still, this is such a great house, and I'm majorly in love with it.

And, yes, it may be Zillow Gone Wild, but the bathrooms have doors.

Is St. Cloud too far away for a vacation house?