Kenwood Mid-Century Lazy Susan for our Mid-Century Modern Lifestyle

Look what Chuck got me for Christmas! A vintage mid-century modern lazy susan in flawless condition, in a fabulous period-appropriate pink and black color scheme. It’s Space Age-entertaining in style—perfect for our house.

I did some research and found this little gem was made by the Shawnee Pottery Company in Zanesville, Ohio between 1955 (coincidentally, the year our house was built) and 1961, when the company went out of business. It’s labelled “Kenwood” underneath, a brand that Shawnee sold to upscale stores. I just love the exuberant styling. It even turns, like a flying saucer that happens to hold Swedish meatballs and dipping sauces.

Chuck found it at SLO Consignment Furniture, which happens to be near his own C W Quinn Home showroom. The craftsmanship is incredible. Look at the hand-painted marble pattern. For all we know, the original owners of our house may have had something like this when they entertained.

Saving Mid-Century Tile In Our New Bathroom

The second bathroom is done! This is one of the only places in the house where anything was salvageable: the 1955 tile on the vanity. Chuck went to a lot of trouble preserving the tile and selecting a color scheme that coordinates with this highly-specific shade of green. Notice the black strip of tile on the bath surround on the opposite side? It reflects the black tile border around the vanity; another one of Chuck’s signature design details.

When we bought the house, most of the interior was a dingy mess that went straight into the dumpster. But we were pleasantly surprised to find the apple green tile in this bathroom in mint condition. The vanity just needed a new faucet, hardware and coat of paint. Here’s a picture taken in January, shortly after we bought the house. We instantly knew we had to keep the tile, which perfectly fit the mid-century modern character of the house.

Here’s a close up of the vanity after Chuck’s refresh. With fresh white paint, a new but retro-styled faucet, and stainless steel hardware, it joins the 21st century. Notice the new terrazzo floor that replaced the dirty brown linoleum. The hardest part of the bathroom remodel was finding a floor that coordinated with the tile.

Matching it in a solid color would be impossible and inadvisable, as that would be a lot of intense green. We lucked out by finding a terrazzo with green stone chips that blended perfectly. And with the new deep soaker tub we added, it’s a mid-century bathroom with every modern amenity.