A Few Words From Max Humphrey, Maven of Modern Americana
Joyful nostalgia guides the work of the Portland-based designer and newly-minted author.
My book, Modern Americana, is organized by design element rather than by project. In the excerpts below, you’ll find ideas from the “Utility” chapter. The book is as much about style and styling as it is about interiors. It’s meant to be read front to back, back to front, from the middle out or upside down. Don’t follow my rules—or anyone else’s!
The handmade aspect of rope objects reminds me of knitting. Photographs by Christopher Dibble.
When I was a kid growing up in New England, my parents would drag me to antique malls on the weekends. If I was lucky, there would be a pinball machine in the lobby, because otherwise it was the last thing in the world I wanted to be doing on a Saturday in the summertime. I’ve read about interior designers who had subscriptions to Elle Decor when they were in kindergarten, but I wasn’t that kid. I was in the woods blowing up my G.I. Joes and playing video games. Fast forward to now and my favorite thing to do on the weekend is drag my family to junky antique malls. Someone said that interior design is autobiography. For me, it’s nostalgia.
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Photographs by Christopher Dibble
Any piece of furniture that can do two things is helpful, and vintage trunks are a perfect example of that. Most of us have found one in the attic at one point or another, where it might have been used to store old Halloween costumes or family albums or the National Geographic collection someone couldn’t bear to get rid of. Use one as a coffee table, place it at the foot of a bed, or throw it in the back of the SUV instead of luggage on your next vacation for a nostalgic road-trip vibe.
Photographs by Christopher Dibble
Any piece of furniture that can do two things is helpful, and vintage trunks are a perfect example of that. Most of us have found one in the attic at one point or another, where it might have been used to store old Halloween costumes or family albums or the National Geographic collection someone couldn’t bear to get rid of. Use one as a coffee table, place it at the foot of a bed, or throw it in the back of the SUV instead of luggage on your next vacation for a nostalgic road-trip vibe.
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Photographs by Christopher Dibble
The handmade aspect of rope objects reminds me of knitting.
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Photographs by Christopher Dibble
Windbreakers are easy to grab for morning walks on the sand in a coastal Oregon beach house.
Photographs by Christopher Dibble
Windbreakers are easy to grab for morning walks on the sand in a coastal Oregon beach house.
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Photographs by Christopher Dibble
“Farmhouse” refers to the way these sinks are installed with the exposed apron. They can work in a rustic, traditional or modern space, depending on the kitchen. These were designed to be big before there was running water. They’re also good for giving your newborn a bath.
Photographs by Christopher Dibble
“Farmhouse” refers to the way these sinks are installed with the exposed apron. They can work in a rustic, traditional or modern space, depending on the kitchen. These were designed to be big before there was running water. They’re also good for giving your newborn a bath.
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Photographs by Christopher Dibble
Several kids can crowd around this double cast-iron wall-mounted
Kohler sink in my clients’ upstairs bathroom. The tile pattern was inspired by a vintage trade blanket. I had to source the tiles from a couple of different vendors to get the colors right.
Photographs by Christopher Dibble
Several kids can crowd around this double cast-iron wall-mounted
Kohler sink in my clients’ upstairs bathroom. The tile pattern was inspired by a vintage trade blanket. I had to source the tiles from a couple of different vendors to get the colors right.
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Photographs by Christopher Dibble
Pedestal sinks are a handy choice in a powder room; they’re sculptural and space saving. You still see them sometimes in old-fashioned hotel rooms that have a sink. The old ones are cast iron with a porcelain finish. The hot and cold faucets were spread out so you wouldn’t clunk your head when you were washing your hair.
Photographs by Christopher Dibble
Pedestal sinks are a handy choice in a powder room; they’re sculptural and space saving. You still see them sometimes in old-fashioned hotel rooms that have a sink. The old ones are cast iron with a porcelain finish. The hot and cold faucets were spread out so you wouldn’t clunk your head when you were washing your hair.
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Photographs by Christopher Dibble
Rope is a universal and versatile design material. It brings to mind everything from sailing to swings to Indiana Jones’s lasso. Rope detailing can be highly nautical, ultra-western or super rustic. Some traditional ways to use it include as upholstery or as an accent material—a rope-covered cabinet handle, for instance.
Photographs by Christopher Dibble
Rope is a universal and versatile design material. It brings to mind everything from sailing to swings to Indiana Jones’s lasso. Rope detailing can be highly nautical, ultra-western or super rustic. Some traditional ways to use it include as upholstery or as an accent material—a rope-covered cabinet handle, for instance.
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Photographs by Christopher Dibble
You can dedicate an entire room as a home office, or you can just carve out a corner of your kitchen. All you really need is a comfy flour-sack stool and a flat surface for your coffee cup. Surround yourself with stuff you love so work doesn’t feel like work.
The Lucite desk in this upstairs loft is transparent, so you can still appreciate the setting.
Photographs by Christopher Dibble
You can dedicate an entire room as a home office, or you can just carve out a corner of your kitchen. All you really need is a comfy flour-sack stool and a flat surface for your coffee cup. Surround yourself with stuff you love so work doesn’t feel like work.
The Lucite desk in this upstairs loft is transparent, so you can still appreciate the setting.
There’s a quote on my website, “Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.” The best compliment I get is when someone says they saw a picture of a room in a magazine or online and they knew I designed it before reading the caption. It’s like when you turn on the radio and you hear “She was an American girl raised on promises” and you know it’s Tom Petty from the first note. There’s no one else it could be.
You can dedicate an entire room as a home office, or you can just carve out a corner of your kitchen. All you really need is a comfy flour-sack stool and a flat surface for your coffee cup. Surround yourself with stuff you love so work doesn’t feel like work. The Lucite desk in this upstairs loft is transparent, so you can still appreciate the setting. Photographs by Christopher Dibble.
