Save the Sixties: Phoenix man preserves time capsule home

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - It was a feel good moment for one Phoenix man when he discovered yet one more piece of the 1960s. In fact, his home is full of them and Miles McDermott has spent years not only collecting the 60s, but helping others restore, preserve and showcase their homes from that same decade.

No, this isn't your grandparents' house -- with its hanging lamps, classic fireplace, dated kitchen and console television. It belongs to a 20-something millennial with an eye for mid-century treasures.

"Grandma had some sweet taste," said McDermott, whose love of 1960s design started when he was younger. His mother collected antiques, and in design school, he got his first taste of the era with a hutch.

"It was a feeling that I can relate to NASA, finding a planet with life forms and its own language. It was just an entirely different world," he said. "And I didn't understand why we didn't make it anymore. It just didn't make any sense."

Over the years, the collecting continued: clocks, chairs, electronics, chandeliers -- all of them now fill his central Phoenix home. Inside, it feels like a time capsule.

"I have people coming in here and they say I grew up with all of this stuff,' said McDermott. "Everybody slows down. Like they are stuck. They go in slow motion to try and observe everything because there is nowhere else where you can see this."

McDermott feels the electronics from that era are like nothing we make today.

Back in the 1960s, there were only three networks and that was about all the options people had. TVs were pricey, costing well over $2,000 in today's dollars and they were built like furniture.

Watching a program back then was an event. Homes had just one TV and families gathered around to watch. Times have changed.

"Back then, we were concerned about form and function, where as now, we are concerned about how many and how cheaply we can get out as fast as possible," said McDermott.

But furniture like this is still in high demand by collectors and fans of the era. McDermott's goal is to put it all on display.

"I want to restore more homes in the valley so people have a chance to experience it.. they can stay in it," he said.

To get started, he's raising money through his website, SaveTheSixties.com, for his first house, one he'll eventually turn into a tribute to the 60s.

"A lot of people don't know that they like this style until they are immersed in it," he said.

If you think most of this stuff belongs in a dumpster, think again. McDermott says he has been offered thousands of dollars for some of his pieces.