Flashback Monday: Reston Design, By The Book

V. v. exciting news for lovers of antique design trends, like "books." Our favorite correspondent: The Peasant From Less Sought After South Reston, discovered that a 1960s-era book on home decorating included an entire section on mid-century modern design, all devoted to Reston and fancy New York City designer J. Frederic Lohman, A.I.D.! Knock us over with an earth-toned feather, and "peep," as the kids certainly no longer say, these cool photos from one of Reston's earliest model homes which Lowman furnished with all the special touches, some more special than others:

Without rabbit ears, that fancy big-screen-for-the-1960s teevee would be about as good as picking up (all four) DC TV stations as the fillings in your teeth. But we have to admit, those storage units are pretty sweet, even though it looks like the one in the middle is being used to store an upside-down chandelier. COMPUTER, ENHANCE:

But wait, there's more!

Save for the regrettable throw pillows (and thank goodness these photos are in black and white, lest we be blinded by a rainbow of burnt oranges and mauves), the decor is shockingly tasteful, though we bet those scoliosis-shaped chairs were incredibly uncomfortable. And that inverted chandelier is apparently sentient and reproducing. COMPUTER, ENHANCE:

But this "book," it turns out, has words in it, too, and The Peasant took the time to read them! Here's what it said:

There is no way mid-century modern can compete with the refined style of the swinging 1970s that once defined exquisite taste in our beloved New Town -- shag carpets! pink bathrooms! avocado hued kitchen appliances! -- but the furnishings of this Reston house took home design to its highest pinnacle, since as the book put it, the rooms shown are "fine examples of the style, livability, and comfort that can be achieved with modern furniture and furnishings."

Please to note also that in this chapter's short introduction, there is mention that designer Frederic Lohman decorated not just four model homes in Reston but also "the Country Club's clubhouse, the Bottle Club, and the Hospitality Center." We are left wondering what and where, exactly, the Bottle Club was. Did our pioneering forebears, in best Don Draper style, sneak over after a hard day of work to secretly have a snoot or two in such aesthetically pleasing surroundings before returning home to the missus and the little nippers for a tasty TV dinner of Swanson's turkey with all the trimmings? Alas, we shall never know. 

An exhaustive internet search for the "Reston Bottle Club" yielded random restaurants and the top-rated "Purple Glass Recycling Container" (5 stars, IFKYK). 

But wait, there's even more!

We identify with the plant cowering behind the chair in the corner; it's seen some things. But wait--

JUMP SCARE:

Yikes. That's enough old-timey design, and "books," for us for a while, the end.