The Post Office gets its design on

One wouldn't ordinarily expect such a thing, but apparently there is a little patch of hipness somewhere in the depths of the navy blue monolith that is the U.S. Postal Service. Behold, the "Pioneers of Industrial Design" stamps. Dreyfus, Loewy, Wright . . . they're all here. Well, at least twelve of them are here. And these are Forever stamps. That means that much like the designs featured upon them, these stamps will never go stale. So send a letter to your grandma, or write a thank you note. Then you'll have a reason to go pick up a sheet or two of these beauties. They'll be available in July, which by my clock will be here in about 17 minutes. Saddle up. Or click here and order them directly:

http://tinyurl.com/industrial-design-stamps

What's in the antique stores this week.

I was in town with some time to kill earlier this week, so thought I would make the rounds.



Urban Suburban is in the former Crestwood Antiques location, in the shopping center on the corner of Crestwood Blvd. and 56th St. The folks inside tell me that the mod items their dealers get in tend to sell and get gone pretty quickly (as I would expect for Crestwood, the nerve center of hipness in the 'ham). So this is a place to pop into with some regularity.

First, this amazing china cabinet. With an amazing low price (under $300). It might not be there anymore.



How fun would these be for a summer picnic? I'm just not sure where to get the tiny cartons of milk:



Other goodies:















Then over to Fifth Avenue Antiques. How about this funky hifi?












And finally to Hanna Antiques, one of my favorite haunts, and where the mister and I had a booth back in the day:

LOVE this sideboard:





And these little patio lamps:



And there are seven -- SEVEN -- of these chairs. The upholstery is unspeakable, but that can be fixed:

























Go forth and shop!

Corridor X Marks the Spot

White brick, floor-to-ceiling windows, massive granite fireplace, in-ground pool . . . in West Jefferson. Who knew, right? At least now you do. And for a mere $204,000. It sits in the middle of 7.5 wooded acres, a hop, skip and a jump from Corridor X. You know, this used to be one of those areas that you just couldn't get to from here. Corridor X has changed all that. So, if your idea of swank involves serenity now, pack a lunch, drive out there and check this place out.

http://tinyurl.com/4960-Freewill







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And a little something in Vestavia. This one's pretty nifty, and only $249,900.

http://tinyurl.com/2225-garland

More mods on the market: both Mid-century and More Recent

Hardcore mods are few and far between in the Magic City. So when you find one with nice bones and a couple great features, and it hasn't been remuddled or Frenchie-fied beyond recognition, you add it to your list. Here is a new listing in Vestavia that I really like. $319,900, 4/4, big wooded lot, just off Shades Crest. It's a winner:

http://tinyurl.com/204-Montclaire




An entry from the Tiny Kingdom. Some Frenchification, to be sure (hard to avoid in the 35213 zip, but you know this already) but could be really nifty. 5/3 for $368,000 -- that's reasonable in Mt. Brook dollars:

http://tinyurl.com/3813-Rockbrook




A nice ranch in Crestwood. A little ungainly from the front, and a time capsule inside, it has some nice original features remaining, and is big with a nice big basement for only $209,900.

http://tinyurl.com/1028-54th-st-so




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Sometimes newer houses are cool. Here's a contemporary home (ca. 2002) in Redmont, on Altamont, with a killer view. There's a definite reference to Louis Kahn's Esherick house (or at least I see it) with the peek-a-boo street side and the expansively glassed rear. Swap Kahn's espressive use of wood for more contemporary metal, add in a cool $1.395 mil, I think you'd be very happy here indeed. http://tinyurl.com/3508-altamont

Esherick street view:


Altamont street view:


Esherick inside out:


Altamont inside out:


Esherick rear elevation:


Altamont rear view (no complete elevation shots possible absent a crane or helicopter. But there's a bonus shot of the view as some compensation):





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I've featured this English Village home before. At the time, I noted that there isn't much recent construction like this in the 'ham. I can think of only a few homes that are similar. And it appears that the field of potential purchasers is equally small, or smaller, as it remains on the market. But I think it's super cool, even at $699,900, so here it is again:

http://tinyurl.com/2211-20th-ave-so