Miami: 82 and sunny. Chicago: 27 and…enough said. 

Nice weather can definitely change your outlook on everything—even design. Still, the Miami Modernism Show, for which I had escaped the comforts of 14 inches of snow to attend, was a disappointment because, with the exception of only a handful of the 60+ dealers who had come from all over the country to display and sell their treasures,  “modern” meant more post-Industrial Revolutionand Art Deco than Mid-Century, Pop and Post-Modern.

Seriously, the whole time I walked the show, I pined for Chiasso: the style, the quality and the down-to-earth prices. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeesh. You would have fainted when you saw some of these price tags!  I mean, I’m as sentimental as the next modernista, but I’m no collector. I choose to live this way because of how it looks.  So, why, all things considered, would I choose vintage when I could have NEW for a lot less?

Here are just a few comparisons:

Pay hundreds of dollars for a “swivel” lamp (imagine the hips of Ms. Lovely Hula Hands gyrating) when you can get a swivel chair?

Do you really need a big red shoe that just sits there and does nothing when you can get one that serves you cake?

Lastly, most every piece at the show that had a mate wassold exclusively in pairs. What is this? Noah’s Ark? Can you imagine Chiasso telling you that? No way. In fact, some of the patio chairs are such a great deal, it’s like getting two for the price of one.