Target Home Decor: Mid-Century Modern Resurgence

I know some might find this hard to believe, but up until a few weeks ago I hadn't been in a Target in years!  Yup, it's true.  Why?  Well, because I'm a TJMaxx, Homegoods, Marshalls, Ross gal!  Anyway, I stumbled in there looking for a coffee maker and I ended up taking a wide-eyed detour through the home decor department.  Whoa!

Things have really changed haven't they?  In other words, Target has upped the ante when it comes to their home decor!  From furniture to lighting to accessories, I was enthralled.  Damn you Nate Berkus.  I love the mix of various metals and woods!  As I mentioned in my previous decor post,  Mid-Century is coming back with a vengeance, and all the designers and retailers are hopping on the bandwagon - which was certainly evident throughout Target's home department.  In many ways I'm thrilled, but in many ways I'm annoyed because this means everything becomes trendy and mass produced (read: played out), and eventually gets discarded for the next trend that comes along.  I don't like the disposable nature of our society.  I like to collect special pieces over time - family antiques and thrift store finds, trash pile treasure and Craigslist scores that I cherish.  Of course, that doesn't mean that I don't buy new things at the store, because I do.  However, I've learned over the years that many of the things we buy have the tendency to rapidly become dated and transient if not chosen wisely.  That is, trendy pieces become overrated and overused and then lose their unique character that made them attractive in the first place.

Anyhow, all this is to say that even though Target has some gorgeous stuff, a lot of it will likely be cast aside in the near future, in favor of trendier trends.  That's sad, because Mid-Century design is timeless and classic, which is the main reason why it's making a comeback.  By comparison, I highly doubt cheap 80's/90's formica bookshelves and particle board furniture will ever make a raging stylish comeback.  However, things that were made with passion, good design and quality materials will never go out of style.  My point is not to sound holier-than-thou or preachy, but it's to make you really think about the things you buy and bring into your home.  It's easy to see all this pretty stuff and make a mad-eye-bulging-dash towards the isles with your card in tow, tossing in all your heart's desires...  And therein lies the problem, it's a process of amassing mass-produced things in excess just because of their sparkly-new appeal, accessibility, and role in the current trends.  Anyway, I digress, I guess I'm just annoyed that corporations are cheapening a timeless style/design and turning it into a mass-produced conveyor belt of China goods.  Then again, what should I expect from such a major chain retailer?  Ugh, why am I bitching, I bought one of those things, so let's get on with the pretty sparkly things.

And with that, I'm sure you realize this is NOT a sponsored post, this was just me gawking and playing design paparazzi during my lunch break one day.  Did I buy anything?  Yes, only one thing though, I kid you not.  Scroll on for the lucky winner, and shame on me because it just so happens to be one of the trendier items (I see it all the time in images of home decor on Pinterest).  No, I'm not a hypocrite, I'm just human, and I really love the allusion to the ocean and the optical illusion they create.  So scroll on and enjoy the eye candy...

Drool....









Heart be still, brass brass everywhere!





















Classic simple Mid-Century lines, sexy tapered legs...  This isn't the most amazing table, but it pays decent homage:










Salt and Pepper shaker paradise... 





At $2.99, now I'm wondering why the heck I didn't get this adorable Fox...  Ok ok, because it's one more little trinket I really don't need.  Waaaaah









Oooh copper and marble!  The copper is a little too bright, clean and perfect for my taste, but these lamps are kinda cool...

I was thisclose to getting this lamp, I really love it... But I had just bought a lamp at Ikea and I really had no place for this one, but believe me I grappled with the thought of just getting it and making up some crazy justification and/or attempting to return the Ikea lamp. But then that would mean I'm consuming for the sake of consumption and that would make my rant at the beginning of this post quite hypocritical. Grrrr








I really liked this lamp too, however the base was very light and it seemed as though it would easily tip over if adjusted in a clumsy/aggressive manner (ehem, that would be me).









Aaaaand the winner or my heart's desire?  These sea urchinesque metal pieces, which can be mounted on the wall or used on a tabletop, for example the intriguing crown on a stack of books:




Even though they're pretty common and popular in design these days, I don't care, I love them and I think they will stand the test of time - providing versatile textural dimension for years to come.











 



Oh Paris, my heart aches for your loss...



(All images in this post were taken by Inspire Bohemia at a local South Florida Target, this is not a sponsored post.)