Motel Room Postcards of the 1950s and '60s
Amid some ill-considered carpets and drapes, the motel interiors pictured in Roadsidepictures’ glorious set of postcards do feature a few bright spots. To wit (clockwise from top left): Saarinen-esque table and chairs bring sophistication to an otherwise banal space; a daring color scheme contrasts warm wood paneling with cool blue; a homey, modern sitting area transforms a motel room into a living room; and simple wall-mounted lighting is a tasteful alternative to bulky bedside lamps.
A long-time Flickr friend, Roadside (Allen) has one of the most comprehensive collections of mid-century subjects and found ephemera on the Web. Highlights include his sets of vintage electronics, advertising and packaging, signs, supermarket signage, the La Concha Motel, and other postcards.
The motel postcards idea is wonderful and brilliant. This is just the kind of thing I like to see in Mid-Century design. I love the campiness and the fun of it, especially the travel aspect. The motel rooms look wonderful. I stayed in a motel outside of Toledo, OH in the early 90’s that had red velvet curtains and a round bed and all the mid-century motel campiness one could desire. We should start a campaign against redecorating!
These are awesome. Similarly, we caught a movie on cable called “Vacancy”. It had awesome Danish Mod/Mid Century motel furnishings in it. It’s a gore thriller, so the lighting was set pretty dim throughout the movie. IMHO, it was a blast just to watch it for the set design. It also had quite cool end credits.
Great cards. I loved them. Wow! I’d love to stay in a room like any of those. That’s right up the alley of what I dig. Thanks for posting them. Cheers!