Ophelia's Gaze on the Second Life of Mad Men: artilleri's Retro Decor for the Discerning Virtual Housekeeper

When I started writing this series of articles, we'd originally planned to showcase only a handful of avatars. Back then, at the beginning of the season, characters like Faye and Megan weren't even blips on the radar, so as the weeks passed, more and more characters were added to a roster of avatars that had originally only been Betty, Don, and Joan. For all these articles and all these deliciously retro avatars, there's one thing left that I haven't touched on at all: Where would all these fabulously vintage-inspired avatars live in SL?

The most popular styles of interior design in Second Life have always been very edgy and modern, and in recent years have dipped into a shabby-chic beach house look, but if you're looking to decorate a house based on a more outdated standard of style the search for furniture can be frustrating and fruitless. Luckily, Second Life's unofficial Rockabilly Goddess and owner of the retro-inspired brand artilleri, Antonia Marat, also has a furniture and decor shop next door called artilleri Home [SLurl]. artilleri is one of the best places to shop for retro style for your avatar, so unsurprisingly artilleri Home is just about the best place to go for furnishings with a strong flavor of the '50s and '60s.

Keep reading for all the stylish details!

In the first picture, I've shown Megan standing with artilleri Home's Agathe vanity. The dress she's wearing is the beautifully sculpted Somer from Sand Shack Surf Co. by Emma Gilmour. Sand Shack is on the opposite side of artilleri, and is a great place to shop if you want a blend of 60s flair with modern casual style.

 

Next I've pictured Betty wearing one of artilleri's newer dresses, Bree, and standing in artilleri Home's Sonja kitchen set. You can also buy color-changing fridges and ovens to go with these kitschy kitchen cabinets (because who wants white appliances when you can have goldenrod?).

Finally, Joanie is standing by the Glasgow couch (and the display of available colors), and wearing the Peggy dress from Icing by Miko Omegamu, which I've mentioned previously. This couch comes in a variety of bright colors (to match your candy-colored appliances of course!) and even the throw pillows change colors and prints when clicked. The very geometric and angular design of this couch would make it quite at home in a hip young couple's sitting room, or in the reception area of a cutting edge advertising firm.

From avatar style to home decor, I hope you now have everything needed to lead a stylishly '60s virtual life. Keep your fingers crossed that there are plenty of dynamic new characters for me to create in SL next season, and until then, catch up on the rest of my Mad Men-inspired articles here:

• The Ill-Fated Dr. Faye Miller
• Megan Makes her Move
• The Precocious Peggy Olson
• The Legendary Roger Sterling
• Joan Holloway by day and by night
• Donning Don Draper!
• I've Got Betty Draper Eyes

Iris Ophelia has been featured in the New York Times and has spoken about SL-based design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan.

Comments

[SteveNelson]

Back when we were in Second Life, TROI Timtam & I created a replica of the Dunder Mifflin office from "The Office" from floorplans someone shared up online. When I came across the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce floorplan the other day, my first thought was - oh this would be a fun build. Too bad we sold off all our islands! Anyway, I hope someone has a go of it:
http://curbed.com/archives/2010/10/18/revealed-sterling-cooper-draper-pryce-floorplan-1.php
Steve/Kiwini

[cube republic]

Who would have guessed that baby boomers making replicas of their childhood houses would be a popular past time in SL!

[Ignatius Onomatopoeia]

Iris has the kitchen down COLD as Betty. It's spooky in fact.

I like the rockabilly style at artilleri, but to be honest, the Jet-Set era was not all about kidney-shaped tables. I can faintly recall it IRL.

As one critic of Mad Men said (NY Times? Atlantic? I forget) The Draper's kitchen shows the faux-Colonial-Williamsburg look that was WAY bigger for upwardly mobile families than the Moderne stuff that passes for "retro" today. That would be good in a bachelor bad (and don't forget the Dave Brubeck LPs).

Now if Iris can find a set of sculptie "Captain's Chairs," wagon-wheel chandelier, or an aluminum TV-dinner tray, let us know.

I need a nostalgia attack.

[Ignatius Onomatopoeia]

That's "bachelor pad." For a good or bad bachelor. And find us a martini shaker! Yowza!