It's a Mod, Mod World!

What's modern now? When I was growing up and petitioning my diocese's priest to let me be an altar girl, I remember asking my mother, “How can I take that man seriously? Look at the design of his church.” It was a humble, pitched-roof structure that actually boasted groovy 1960's style that looked a lot like our homes—all angles and walls clad in shag. I begged my poor mother to let me attend St. Paul's Cathedral, where the Gothic flying buttresses and classical statuary would certainly welcome an altar girl. It was all, of course, to no avail, but she encouraged me to try Taosim, and I was left free to drape my bedroom in hippie batiks and beaded curtains, while burning incense at a frightening pace. That was my idea of modern, all the while quickly giving up several more Eastern religions; none of them, unfortunately, supported my need for more platform wedgies and mini-skirts. Here's how other locals recall early forays into modern style.

JAMES DEADWYLER
“When I think of modern, what comes to mind is my childhood bedroom with my faux-leopard bedspread and a lion-shaped pillow! Thinking back, we have now cycled through animal prints about 10 times—everything always comes back!” —Deadwyler is the owner of Deadwyler Antiques at ADAC. DeadwylerAntiques.com

CAROLYN O'NEIL
“My very first impression of modern is—and was—my mother's 1960's redo of our living room and dining room with Danish Modern furniture! Perhaps a reaction to her upbringing in Scotland, surrounded by antiques and lace, she swept the past behind her and boldly chose to embrace ‘modern times.' I remember sleek, exposed wood on all of the furniture with beige-toned fabrics for the sofas and drapes, accented by bright, sort of nubby fabrics for the accent chairs. One deep orange and the other grassy green. The room was accessorized with African art, including a zebra skin and tribal masks. But of course, the most modern thing in the room was a color TV!” —O'Neil is the author of The Dish: On Eating Healthy and Being Fabulous! CarolynONeil.com

NORMA VAUGHN
“I grew up in Calhoun, Georgia, in Gordon County and the height of modern were those sweet dinette sets in Formica and chrome. I remember so vividly the plastic-upholstered chairs with painted flowers—very Pop Art—on the backs of them. I just saw the table and chairs in a design magazine and now I'm wishing I had saved that set. Who knew?” —Vaughn is the showroom manager of Lacey-Champion Inc. at ADAC. LaceyChampionRugs.com