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1 Inside: Visitthe admen atwork for moremidcentury mar-vels, plus design-ers’ favorites L4

In anticipation of the show’sthird-season premiere at 10 tonight,we asked David Marks, designerand proprietor of the 20th centurydesign shop Room 4 in San Fran-cisco’s Mission District, to give ustips for integrating “Mad Men”-style vintage into the home.

We also sought direction fromAmy Wells, the show’s set dec-orator. Wells, who refers to vintagecopies of House Beautiful magazineas well as old Sears and Mont-gomery Ward catalogs, often passesby the iconic stuff in favor of thereality of what most people pur-

chased. You can do the same.“Don’t only look for name

brands because there’s a lot of fab-ulous stuff out there that doesn’thave a name attached and doesn’tneed a name attached to it,” shesays. “If you want to get the look,be very open-minded and don’tlimit yourself. There are wonderfulthings out there everywhere.”

Room 4 is at 904 Valencia St., SanFrancisco; (415) 647-2764. room4.com.

E-mail comments tohome@sfchronicle.com.

More or Less: Feather the nestwith space-saving tables L3

Home&GardenSan Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com | Sunday, August 16, 2009 | Section L

Green:Energy-smartupdates L3

By Chantal LamersSPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

When it comes to the AMC television series “Mad Men,” themeticulous set decor is almost as captivating as the story line.The show about Madison Avenue admen takes place in early1960s New York, when around-the-clock cocktails, tie-neckblouses and tapered-leg furnishings were mainstream. Thanksto Banana Republic, you can dress the part, but we’d rather live“Mad” style, three-martini lunch optional, of course.

At home with ‘Mad Men’ — the Drapers’ living room

_1 Sterling Cooper Creative Director DonDraper and his family live in a pre-dis-posable era, so it’s not surprising to seea neutral sofa, which can be modernizedeasily over time by changing the throwpillows. The sofa’s details come in thesubtle pattern and cool shape: two chicL-shaped kinks.

_2 The Draper home may bedecorated with classic piecesthat have some longevity, butthe Drapers don’t skimp on thelatest technology, like this hi-fistereo console. (Notice the greatuse of display space. The topdoubles as a bar.)

_3 Blue grass-cloth wallpa-per adds color and textureto the room. If you’re un-willing to commit yourselfto papering an entire wall,designer David Marks sug-gests framing remnants ofvintage wallpaper.

_4 To add a bit of cohe-siveness to any look,choose some items withsimilar details. Here, thepoints in the simplevalances mimic those inthe lavish burl wood topcoffee table.

_5 The house is in-tentionally layered withpurchases and familyheirlooms dating back tothe ’30s, from the sculp-tural cranes to the wallsconces and cylindricalAsian vase.

Don and Betty’s bedroomThe centerpiece of the Draper bedroom —a cool and sultry turquoise tufted velvetheadboard — can be replicated somewhateasily, says Marks. If you’re handy with asaw, he suggests cutting out a silhouettesimilar to the Draper headboard, or simplyopting for a basic rectangular wood piece.(You’ll also need batting, fabric and astaple gun.) On the other end of the pricespectrum, JonathanAdler.com has a simi-lar version called the Woodhouse bed,customizable in any fabric. Marks sug-gests pairing the headboard with linensthat have a sheen or pattern to contrastthe solid, matte velvet.

‘Mad’ stylehits homeFill the ice bucket and give a nodto interior design of the early ’60s

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Sterling Cooper offices_1 Roger Sterling might be pouring a soda here, butit’s an exception to the show’s habitual office booz-ing. Highball and lowball glasses, chronically grasp-ed by the admen, are signatures of the era’s ubiqui-tous cocktail culture. Masculine ice buckets, shakersand sets of themed or gold-accented glasses areeasy to come by at flea markets and vintage stores._2 Incorporate decorative objects like this artsyglazed studio pottery lamp paired with a neutraldrum shade.

_3 Go for large, original pieces of art high in contrastto the room’s furnishings and accessories, saysMarks. For midcentury acrylics, oils and lithographs,he says check out Lost Art Salon (lostartca.com) inthe Mission District.

_4 Create classic wood panels by installing sheetsof thin, lightweight maple plywood with a rich wal-nut stain. Marks recommends painting the wall withan accent shade first, then spacing the panels abouta quarter-inch apart to show little bursts of color.

Don Draper’s office_1 Customers who purchaserotary phones typically don’t usethem to make phone calls, saysdesigner David Marks. Rather,they are reminders of the dayswhen answering the phonemeant being tethered to a desk.

_2 Vintage globes, balancingon an old brass pedestal orLucite stand, can double as art.Many of Marks’ clients alsocollect vintage cameras theydisplay as sculptures and as anode to obsolete technology.

_3 Streamlined,industrial office sup-plies from staplers tocalculators and tapedispensers are styl-ish, functional andaffordable finds.

_4 Goosenecklamps are easyto come by.We love thisdual coneversion inmatte black.

_5 For a mascu-line desk, choosesomething classicalong the lines ofa luxurious Her-man Miller EamesSoft Pad Chair.

‘Mad Men’ style is at home at the office, too

L4 | Sunday, August 16, 2009 | San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com

The must-havesWe asked vintage dealers around SanFrancisco to name their ideal, must-have piece of midcentury furniture.Here’s what they said:

“The Papa Bear Chair by Hans Wegner isa really fabulous combination of straightlines. It’s well designed to be sturdy, so akid can be on each arm and then Dadcan plop down in the middle. It’s also socomfortable and so practical.”

— Melanie Shain, owner of Past Perfect, 2224Union St. or 2246 Lombard St., San

Francisco; (415) 929-7651

“Credenzas and cabinets. I just love thearchitectural aspect of them. We al-ways look for pieces with clean lines, a(simple) look without a lot of ornatedetails. This is great because you canuse it as a sideboard, a bookcase or anentrance piece.”

— Larry Martin, owner of Robollo Home at1776 18th St., San Francisco; (415) 575-1776.

robollo.com.

“The Eames Lounge Chair. It’s theultimate men’s chair. It combines ele-gance with style and comfort.”

— Michael De Angelis, co-owner ofMonument at 573 Valencia St., San

Francisco; (415) 861-9800.monument.1stdibs.com.

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