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December 08, 2009
October 18, 2009
Case Study Homes
Ever wondered what all the hoo-raw was about the Case Study Houses?
Well, here are pics of nearly a dozen of them. When you see this many all at once, it becomes apparent just how revolutionary they really were.
October 08, 2009
Maraschiello on MCM
Frank Maraschiello is the vice president of the 20th-Century Decorative Arts department at Bonham’s, New York. Recently we spoke with Maraschiello about Mid-century Modern design, from George Nelson’s famous marshmallow couch to Eames chairs to the furniture of George Nakashima.This is an excellent interview. Read the whole thing.
Mid-century Modern used the technology of mass production to produce good-looking pieces of furniture out of the latest materials. A number of these materials became commonplace after World War II, so the idea was to make things affordable. These were not “custom-made pieces.” When you bought a Tiffany lamp, even though that was a production piece in its day, it was also a handmade piece that cost as much as $500. That was a huge amount of money. It was not for general consumption. The Ruhlmann chair from the ’20s could cost as much as a house it went into. These pieces were made for the really, really wealthy classes.
Did you know that during the Nixon-Kennedy debate, both men were sitting in Hans Wegner chairs? Me neither.
October 05, 2009
He Bids, He Scores!
Mid Century Modern Atomic Indy: Mid Century Modern Chair Score
When you score, you score.
BAZ has a nice list of San Francisco MCM shops, too:
Mid Century Modern Atomic Indy: MCM Furniture San Francisco Bay Area
Includes one - Farnsworth - I haven't been inside yet myself.
October 04, 2009
Nothing Like the Good Old Stuff...
...to let a condo for sale put its best foot forward.
The furnishings are on loan from Retro@home, a nifty MCM purveyor across the Bay from me in Emeryville, CA. (Just up the street from the Ikea, if you know where I mean...)
September 27, 2009
I Don't Know...
Why anybody would want to name a piece of furniture after the wrong end of a sheep, but anyway...
It looks okay. But at $750, I can't for the life of me imagine why somebody wouldn't want one of these, for $475, instead.
Of course, I'm old school when it comes to MCM.
September 25, 2009
You Don't See A Lot of Eichlers With Pools
343 Devon Drive, San Rafael | Eichler listed by Renee Adelmann
And while, if you live in Texas, the 800k price tag may knock your teeth back a bit, for California it's extremely reasonable. This one would have gone for 1.5 million three years ago.
(via Renee Adelmann).
September 24, 2009
Cash On the Barrelhead, Though
Apartment Therapy DC | Crate and Barrel Living Room - $700 Washington DC Scavenger
The lousy economic climate is putting a lot of good stuff on the auction block at very attractive prices.
Easy Peasy - Just Ask
LivingEtc: Child size Eames rocker?
My son has just had his first birthday and I was thinking of using some of the money he got to buy a child size Eames rocker for his bedroom as I have seen various other designer chairs in mini sizes. But I can't find one. Anyone got any ideas?Sure. I dunno if Herman Miller ever actually made any, but you can get one from Vitra that looks pretty good today:
You're welcome.
September 23, 2009
Hard To Find
Lushpad - Pair of 1961 Charles & Ray Eames La Fonda Armchairs.
These chairs have never been my favorite Eames pieces - something about them makes them seem as if they were put together using leftovers from other projects - but compared to a lot of the dreck flooding the so-called "modern" market today, they are still works of genius. These have been at Lushpad since mid-summer, priced quite reasonably at $700 for the pair. I'm surprised somebody hasn't grabbed them. As I say, they are fairly hard to come by.
May 03, 2008
Check This One Out
The report must have hit Harold Prinz right in the gut: "A non-conventional house on a non-conventional lot."Via reader Emily Bennett comes this gorgeous photospread of a wonderful mid-century home in Dallas that almost didn't get built.The Federal Housing Administration was flatly denying financing for the modernist architect to build his own dream home.
Standing in the hot sun and gazing at the undeveloped lot at 5016 Maple Springs Blvd., Prinz couldn't help but bite his lip. His wife, Jeanette, remembers squeezing his hand.
April 02, 2008
Floored
FLOR does the legendary Alexander Girard. Click the pic for more.
April 01, 2008
All Things Neutra
The king of California mid-century architecture may no longer be with us, but his family firm continues apace. Click the pic for more.
March 28, 2008
Not Bad
If you have the financial wherewithal to buy whatever you want, and are looking for one-stop shopping for licensed editions of iconic MCM pieces, you can do a lot worse that checking out this place. Free shipping on everything, and lots of good pics.
March 27, 2008
Good Job!
Miller Links
Modern Snob: Herman Miller's Discovering Design
This Herman Miller site is cool. Simple as that.Yep, simple as that.
Modern Snob is new, but it's pretty cool, too. I just added it to the MCMI blogroll.
Plans Ahead
Want plans to build your own mid-century modern home?
MCM In England
It may be Jolly Old, but check out that Eames Aluminum Group low table in the center there.
March 22, 2008
RAR! RAR! RAR!
I've been having a pretty good month, furniture-wise. Just yesterday I picked this puppy up at the Goodwill for ten bucks: A marked Eames RAR rocker with padded leather upholstery in fine vintage condition. The leather is a bit faded out in places, and has one or two very minor scuffs. I'm of two minds as to whether to re-dye the leather and fill the scuffs, or just leave it as is - it is, after all a vintage piece. If you want a piece that looks brand new, you should probably go to Design Within Reach and buy one.
Anyway, here's a pic:
Neat, huh?
March 20, 2008
The Tugendhat Chair
Mies Van der Rohe Tugendhat Lounge and Pavilion Lounge Specifications
Not a very well known chair, but without a doubt, one of Mies' best.
Nice
The Mid-Century Modernist: Saarinen Tulip Table and Eames DCM Chairs
There's something very fitting about mixing the Scandinavian designers and Eames. I love the grouping above.
In my own kitchen, however, I have the opposite approach: Four Jacobsen Series 7 chairs grouped around a vintage Eames aluminum group table.
I like'em both.
March 17, 2008
Sail Away
In the mid-century period, even the ocean-going steamships went modern. Check out that herd of Bertoias grazing in the lounge!
March 14, 2008
Luscious
From the awesome The Mid-Century Modernist comes a gorgeous photospread of an iconic but not well known chair: the Executive (Time-Life) Chair by Eames for Herman Miller.
Don't miss this one.
March 12, 2008
Wow!
Retro To Go: Stingray mid-century-inspired rocking chair
I love this chair. It looks as if an Eames shell rocker went off in a corner and mated with a Vignelli Handkerchief Chair, and then had the result styled by George Mulhauser.
In other words, it's derivative as hell, but that doesn't make it any less beautiful.
February 19, 2008
Well, Now You Know
The Paranoid Section Blog » Blog Archive » Saarinen 50th birthday.
To celebrate this, i just got the very hard to find Saarinen ashtray to match our dining room set.
I had no idea such a thing as a Saarinen tulip-base ash tray even existed. Did you?
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