Interior Decorating
Burlap Interior Design
Much as the enthusiastic Mr. Namkin or the dapper corporate icon Mr. Deburco wished it, burlap was not fated to become the next hot interior design fabric. As we all know, burlap was too closely associated with beatniks to be wholly respectable.
Article source: The Record (Hackensack, New Jersey) 01 Oct 1954, Fri Page 24
Article source: The Monroe News-Star (Monroe, Louisiana) 06 Mar 1962, Tue Page 12
Article source: The Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin) 30 Jan 1960, Sat Page 6
Posted By: Paul - Fri Apr 08, 2022 -
Comments (2)
Category: Fads, Interior Decorating, Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, 1950s
American Look
Your head will be spinning with Midcentury Modern designs by the end of this film. A Utopia that never was.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Feb 03, 2021 -
Comments (1)
Category: Business, Design and Designers, Recreation, Interior Decorating, 1950s, Cars, Yesterday’s Tomorrows
Candle Tunnelling
Candle tunnelling is the phenomenon of candles burning down in a tunnel around the wick, rather than burning down evenly across the entire top surface.
image source: reddit
Tunnelling occurs if, the very first time the candle was burned, it wasn't allowed to melt all the wax on top. This creates a "memory ring" in the wax. The candle will subsequently tunnel down this ring.
The solution, therefore, is to make sure the 'first burn' is done correctly. According to osmology.co:
How long this takes depends on the diameter of the candle.
I realize now that I've been burning candles wrong my entire life.
I learned about this phenomenon via tywkiwdbi.
Posted By: Alex - Thu Jun 25, 2020 -
Comments (3)
Category: Domestic, Interior Decorating, Weird Facts
Breaking Up Housekeeping
Article source.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Jan 12, 2020 -
Comments (0)
Category: Architecture, Domestic, Divorce, Interior Decorating, 1930s
Follies of the Madmen #443
A toilet seat is never, ever going to resonate with "jewels."
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Sep 10, 2019 -
Comments (4)
Category: Business, Advertising, Domestic, Interior Decorating, Body Fluids, Excrement, Flatulence, 1960s
Cannabliss Wallpaper
Scratch-and-sniff wallpaper that smells like marijuana. Available from Flavor Paper.Just a wild guess: most of the people who will buy this already have rooms that smell like marijuana.
Posted By: Alex - Tue Aug 20, 2019 -
Comments (0)
Category: Drugs, Smoking and Tobacco, Interior Decorating
Footprint Rugs
A fad in the early 1970s. I can't find them available for sale anywhere now, however.
Posted By: Alex - Thu Sep 20, 2018 -
Comments (7)
Category: Interior Decorating, 1970s
The Advertising Chair
When the chair rocked, visible adverts scrolled in the arms of the chair. So much for our age having a monopoly on intrusive ads.
Complete patent here.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Sep 12, 2018 -
Comments (0)
Category: Inventions, Patents, Technology, Advertising, Interior Decorating, 1900s
Procession of the Holy Carpet
A vanished, rather homely and charming rite of the Islamic religion.
Full essay here.
At the beginning of the century, there were several types of popular ceremonies in Egypt that have disappeared or faded with time. One such ceremony is the procession of “El Mahmal” or “The Holy Carpet.”
The yearly celebration involved the Egyptian government manufacturing a new cover for the Holy Kaaba and offering it to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. After the cover is prepared in the factory, a large ceremony takes place in Cairo, where a parade organised by the Egyptian army tours the different districts of the city.
The parade included a caravan of decorated camels carrying the Holy Carpet, as well as many other gifts. After the caravan ends its tour in Cairo, it starts its long trip, guarded by the Egyptian army, across the eastern desert, then on to the Suez Canal and Sinai till it reaches Palestine.
From Palestine, it goes directly to Saudi Arabia, crossing its northern borders to the heart of Hijaz, then to Mecca. Normally it reached Mecca before the pilgrimage season, where another ceremony takes place that ends with the covering of the Kaaba with the Holy Carpet.
Posted By: Paul - Sun May 06, 2018 -
Comments (0)
Category: Religion, Interior Decorating, Middle East, Twentieth Century
World’s Largest Sofa
More on the sponsoring company.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Dec 27, 2017 -
Comments (8)
Category: Excess, Overkill, Hyperbole and Too Much Is Not Enough, Furniture, Interior Decorating, 1960s
| Who We Are |
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |