by Don Weberg

Built in 1947, this unique home was designed for a New Years party Frank wanted to host when '47 gave way to '48, and this proved quite a deadline. Workers worked round the clock to make sure it was built in time, and it was. When the Sinatra family sold the home, it fell into a state of ruin for quite a long time; however, the house has been restored to wonderfully presentable condition, right down to the piano shaped swimming pool. Needless to say, if modern architecture is your thing, it's possible that Palm Springs is where you need to be.

While zipping around, we noticed that the Convention Center happened to have a Modern Furniture Show and Sale going on. Timing, or the vibe of the city, we knew where our next stop would be, and what a stop it was. The space is smallish compared to that of the Los Angeles convention center, but an extremely nice place to host an event such as a furniture show.

The Convention Center hosting a Modern Furniture Show and Sale.

Dealers from all over the country were on hand showing some of their original and reproduction furniture and decorator's concepts. It was like going into an Ikea from years ago. But, like all things collectible or vintage, the pieces were not cheap, not by a long shot. One sofa was priced at $6,500, while a massive piece of artwork had a tag of $45,000. No, they weren't joking. While these dealers need to make mortgage payments like all of us, this is the price trend of certain periods. For a while, about 10 years ago, the big heavy décor from the 1970's was en vogue, and pieces demanded hefty prices that people paid happily for. Now, it looks as though the in thing is the 1950's and 1960's modern designware, and for good reason.

For years, the modern look was out of fashion, shunned by designers and decorators the world over for many reasons. However, despite that some of the pieces were not well built, thanks to thinnish legs and simple lines, the furniture was very fun and highly stylized. Today's reproduction components are often better built, thanks to technology, and cheaper while offering a very unique design. Even just having one or two Atomic style pieces in a living room filled with contemporary furniture can make the room feel less claustrophobic, and a little more chic. There is even a rather new magazine covering such a lifestyle, Atomic Ranch, who was on hand at the show. (CONTINUED...)