Mad Men Season 6 Episode 4 ‘To Have and to Hold’ Mad Style behind the scenes

I’d be crying too if my dress was this ugly.

Actually there was a lot of interesting textile this episode. The patterns, the colours, the contrasts reflected the conflicts happening in each of the story lines.

The pace was frenetic, we’ve a lot to cover so let’s a go-go back to the late 60’s.

Mad Men love to get down with brown

This is the ultimate tone-on-tone in late 60’s style. The black shiny door, the black shiny stools. The various textures found in the woods, the wallpaper (different in the entry from the kitchen), the lampshade. Not to mention the bold colour blocking of orange and blue in the kitchen.
Zou bisou bisou indeed!

This secretary spent a lot of the ep crying too, but who cares, check out her curtain print instead – great array from mushroom, through tan to ruby red. It would be great in a holland rather than curtains though and would work well to soften the hard lines of modern furniture.

Bert’s office is a great example of how the trends at the time flowed through to every generation. His office clearly looks expensive, with some great Asian-inspired pieces – reflecting Bert’s well-travelled self. Nice tea set.

The ‘power matching’ or rather mis-matching of horizontal stripes in the couch, vertical stripes in the wallpaper, a traditional print in the curtains is a frenzy that was popular and ubiquitous.

Harry mimics this frenetic clashing in his business suit. His office however is a more mature design to Bert’s. The colours are tamer, the furniture traditional and the patterns more subtle. Harry is no Louis XVI. All European references and old-world reproductions. He clashes wildly to his environment in terms of style, though not colour.

His environment reflects who he wishes himself to be – important establishment – a partner – while reflecting the tastes of big name clients like Dow.

Notice how only the CEO’s light is shining. He is the head of this train and he is the light it all shine’s by. Note the black leather chairs, black leather a feature of furniture at the time and seen in many fashionable sets. This office has been recently refurbished – wood paneling, black leather etc.

The amber glass ashtray in the foreground stands out for its cultural time-stamp but also slightly off in this Napoleonic environment.

Mad women smoke – a lot

Stemware hasn’t changed much. It looked a little bulkier then but really, if you didn’t break it you can use it for decades. Dining seating fabric on the other had is so ugly, I had to blur it for sanity.

Megan’s chilling on the kind of couch I spent many a lazy university-days afternoon on myself.
Note the bronze ashtray!

Don’s apartment has an expensive mid-brown sofa in fabric.

Pete’s apartment has the cheap vinyl version.

I love how the client fits the apartment so well – he matches the glass and the plaid throw with his jacket!

Mad Men are Mad about blue too

Pete’s apartment glass dividers close up.

The foyer of SCDP. Fantastic abstract art and a simple design settee that’s off-set by the glorious royal blue colour. Note the yellow lamp on the left – very popular colour and bridges the blues, greens, tans and organges perfectly.

Here’s the blue and yellow combination again. It can be used with white, wheathered woods for a beachy feel or in rectangular patterns for this vintage feel.

Here’s a blue chair – a wing-back.

More blue chairs

Blue glass accents in the light & ashtray.

Here’s more blue glass.

In the cool downtown nightclub we see the combo of the royal, iridescent blue, seaweed green and the textured mustard couch. I’m guessing the couch is from an earlier period installed deliberately to create an ironically nostalgic feel for clubbers.

Note the round end table with the sci-fi leg.

Mad about sleeping in
What do Don and Joan have in common?

A love of gold relief sculpture above their beds as art. Note the yellow amps again. This time with a square, abstract design shade. Very nice.

Mad, mood lighting

Chairs in this scene are hard to see but the curved backs and dark wood would look great in a kitchen today. Very mid-century, as are the tables with the chrome edging. This place, like the nightclub, is meant to evoke an earlier era – though not as ironically, just nostalgically.

Nice lamp Joan!

You too Harry! Ken clearly likes the colour combo of the lamp too – he is wearing the same colours!

Mad Details

Green and gold wallpaper is not only a great Olympic marketing idea for Australia it sets a great backdrop for Harry’s green suit (colour of money right?) and is, in its own right, quite exquisite and delicate pattern.

Unlike Joan’s salmon walls, though these haven’t been updated for a while as the apartment looked the same last season – despite Joan’s financial success.