Scout's honour

So the tiki went up, finally (see previous two posts) but not because we totally made up our mind. No, we have a friend that's in PR, see, and he's been helping us with promotional work for Ethel (see other previous posts). He got us an "in" at Canadian House and Home magazine, which is our version of Better Homes & Gardens. So, we had to take a few quick scouting shots and we didn't want the new guy leaning against the wall or in a closet. So he got hung...but I still think he may spend 5 months of the year outside. Anyhow, here are a few of the scouting shots we took; yes, we tidied up a bit, but, mostly, they're pretty honest and show how we live in the Playhouse. We start at the foyer, looking as one would when they enter the front door (which is on the side) of the house. Enjoy: Up the stairs and you'd be in this room, the living room. That half wall with the Danish teak chairs looks down onto the foyer. The dining room:One floor below, you'd be standing here, behind the bar, looking out to the lounge: And we sent this one of the bedroom:
Yes, we sent one of our bathroom, but you'll have to look that up on your own, since we posted about it back in Feb. 08...you've got to do a little work, right? ;-)

So, we'll see what happens. They're a pretty conservative magazine but they've got a new, younger editor. Stay tuned!

Wishy-Washy Playhousers

It's like this: We'll talk ourselves silly when deciding on which of our three favourite restaurants we're going to eat at. Sometimes we give up, go home and make Puttanesca. So despite all of your efforts to help us determine where to put our new tiki, we haven't done it yet. Why? Well, mostly because I'm now starting to think he'd be one too many tikis inside the house. There's already one in the foyer that you see when you walk in, and then one attached to the side of the bar. So, in great Charlie Brown wishy-washy fashion, I'm now starting to think he'd be better as a backyard sentry. Check this out:

That's the same as the little photo on the side of the blog. So what about placing him in between the patio doors and the square window, on the brick? That square window, btw, is the one that lines up with where the bartender is standing inside. So it's appropriate. And, one day, we hope to have a pool back there, whether a full glorious kidney or just a little lap-pool.

Anyhow, I'm thinking with a little Thompson's water sealer he'd be good to go. But he'd probably have to come down in winter months, no? In Toronto, it can get to be as cold as -10 C in Jan/Feb so wouldn't this palm wood suffer? Does anyone else in a cold climate have an outdoor tiki they could comment on?

I won't run another poll to determine if this is a good option. I just wanted you all to know why we're stalling....

Mr. Blobby meets Mr. Tiki

Okay, okay, we hear you. Mr. New Tiki is going to go over the doorway to the Lower Level Lounge, since 42% of you voted for that option (Sinatra, you get second place, probably for the first time in your career!). Maybe, once I've figured out a way to hang him there WITHOUT putting a nail through that beautiful dark wood paneling, he'll be the inspiration for an actual name for the room! We'd love to call the LLL something else, but, like a nickname, it's better when you don't make it up yourself, you know? We're still waiting for someone to come over and say, "Wow, this room should be called the ______!"

Anyhow, I'll post a pic once he's hanging sentry over the door. Until then, check this out:

That bad boy would cost at least $100 if not $150 at the hip mid-century stores (one of which we now own) but we found it at a thrift shop for $14. Maybe folks thought it was too 80s, but we knew right off it was a blobby, asymmetrical mirror from the 50s or 60s. Check out how it echoes the shape of the African dancing plaque above! Anyhow, it's up on the wall that'll be opposite Mr. New Tiki; there was already a mirror in that spot that Retrogirl absolutely hated. Well, the mirror was okay, it was a square affair with some nice random criss-crossing stringy things in the frame (check the previous post), but what she really hated was how the clerk in the store treated us when we brought it back saying the mirror part was threatening to fall out of the flimsy frame and crash onto our cat. He hummed and haaa'd and took his time fixing it, cursing us under his breath the whole time. And he still didn't fix it very well and I had to put waaaay too much clear caulking on it to ensure feline safety when I got it back home. Needless to say we don't shop there anymore!

And needless to say this hallway mirror is much cooler....and blobbier.

Meet Mr. New Tiki

Meet Mr. New (Year) Tiki. Hubby here. The great thing about the wife now owning a midcentury modern furniture store (see previous posts) is that stuff comes to US now! Sure, we still have to go get about half of it, but neat things like this big guy (see next pic for scale) show up and don't cost us a lot of $$. If you read this blog, you're aware we collect tiki stuff. Mugs, mostly, but we also have Joe Moai outside the front door (concrete), and two resin tikis from WalMart (we don't shop at Wallyworld but we were tipped off about these guys)--one sits facing the foyer and the other completed one side of our bar downstairs in the lounge. Anyway, here's the scale of Mr. N(Y)T, with Retrogirl's hand for reference:

So you see, he's BIG. And raw and unstained. And I think I like him that way, so no stain and no paint. The big question, tho', is where to hang him???

I've set up a poll at the side of the blog. PLEASE VOTE or leave us a comment. Here are the options, as I see them:

1. Right above where he's sitting now, on the chartreuse dining room wall; only problem is there's a "black & white" theme goin' on there and he's raw palm wood, meaning kinda yellow.

2. The blue wall to the side of the dining wall, up above the passthru to the kitchen. May not see him way up there, unless you're eating.

3. Over the front door. Middle of picture, beside the small painting. You'd certainly see him from the living room, and he'd be a sort of guard over the door.

4. Over the entrance to the hallway that leads to the bedrooms. We'd move the two small dancer plaques, of course.

5. Over the opening (there is a pocket door actually) to the Lower Level Lounge. Makes sense, and he'd stand out against that dark wood. And we do have a tiki bar down there. But for some reason, here I see working only if he'd have red, light-up eyes. Don't ask me why; maybe like a beacon luring people downstairs!

6. On the wall you see (dark wood) as you look into my office. It's actually a closet. I'm sitting at that desk right now while I type this.

7. Down in the Lower Level Lounge itself. We'd move the small orange painting and place him beside the Sinatra movie poster. Did Ol' Blue Eyes like tikis? Did he ever drink a Mai Tai??

Okay, I don't want him to be homeless for long, so I'll just leave the poll up for a week. Vote away...and THANKS from your friends at the Atomic Playhouse.

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2009!!!

We at the Atomic Playhouse hope this year has been as good to you as it has been to us. Isaac came into our lives and so, too, did Ethel. It's been an (atomic) blast and here's hoping for more of the same in '10. To all of you out there in the blogosphere, we send our best wishes and all the love in the world...we have plenty to spare.

New Ethel Blog!

We've just launched the Ethel Blog!
Please see the link on the left for store information, news, gossip and design projects. And yes, I promise we'll get back to posting regularly here at the Atomic Playhouse!

Ethel gets press!

Hey everyone,
Check out the Style North blog (link on the left) to read all about my new store (and to see a not so bad picture of me as well!) We're gearing up for our launch party so things have been pretty hectic around here. For those of you in the Toronto area, we hope to see you Thursday night at Holiday Wanderlust!