anonymous

We know nothing about her other than she's Danish and her bentwood arms and legs swept us off our feet!

Image:  Circa Midcentury 

purple

Picture the scene ..... we're over on that well-known auction website doing a spot of window shopping as it were, and lo and behold we spot a purple flying Eames. Yes, that's right. Worth a look we thought. OK, so it turns out it's not a flying Eames, but the fact it's purple makes it a noteworthy specimen. According to the spiel, this colour = super rare. So, here's the deal (their words, not ours) - the colour was not a listed, mass produced colour at any point in Herman Miller's history and as such it's more than likely a prototype test colour or sample ..... making it possibly 'the rarest color ever'. How (potentially) exciting! Could this be true? Anyone know?

Images: Lounge 27

harry

We've never sought to seek out the man behind one of our favourite chair designs, and then this photograph popped up when we were doing essential interweb research - yes, you read that right - and, well, what a fabulous photo it is. Wonder what he's thinking?

Image: baisers volés

showing off

Some time ago we received an intriguing email from Domus Nova - an independent estate agent specialising in exceptional properties in West London - who were working on the fifth edition of their 'DN Magazine'. The focus of the DN S/S12 edition was furniture and their 'blogs' feature would detail Domus Nova's pick of the very best furniture and design websites ....... yes, yes, and they'd "love to include chairsmith within the 'Design Blogs' page". Crumbs! We waited patiently - OK, not so patiently - to see whether we'd make the final cut. And BINGO, we jolly well did! Hit page 80 and you'll see our name up in lights, and not only that, we sit along side some of the biggest and well-respected design-led blogs in the universe, namely Dezeen, Stylepark, Emma's Design Blogg and Design Milk - wowsers, what a role call! As you might image, we're very, very happy - DN Magazine is a real gem, full of interesting articles and features - including a guide to this season's furniture styles and design trends, interviews with five of the biggest names in furniture design and a useful design events calendar - as well as page upon page of creative and design-led properties. Sit back and enjoy!

Images: chairsmith © 2012

philosophy

OK, OK, we can't stop looking at the arm rests on this delightful rocking chair designed in the late 1950s by Illum Wikkelsø for N. Eilersen - those sweeping curves are captivating from whichever angle you choose to look at them.  But then that's not surprising as, according to Deconet, Wikkelsø's philosophy was 'that furniture should embrace the body smoothly and tenderly, and should be a delight to the eye but also be solid and durable'.

Images: Skandinavian Vintage

flamingo

As British design goes, the Flamingo has to be one of our all time favourites.  Not wanting to re-invent the wheel, the V&A has a fascinating insight into this classic design ..... 

"The Flamingo armchair undeniably shows the influence of international design trends on mid-twentieth-century British furniture design. Specifically, it recalls the form of the Womb Chair, designed by Eero Saarinen in 1948 and made by the American manufacturer Knoll. Ernest Race was a leading British designer of the post-War years, who introduced new materials and techniques to British furniture.  Unlike upholstered furniture from before the Second World War, this armchair is lightweight and slender. The volume of the chair has been pared down without reducing its comfort, and new foam-rubber padding has been used in place of bulky springs."

Image:  mrrobertware via flickr

green and orange

Original features abound in this stunning turn of the century apartment - high ceilings, herringbone parquet flooring, stucco and large windows.  All in all, the perfect setting for that eye-catching pea green chair and the pops of bright orange - two colours which we don't really like to see together, but here, amongst all the space and light, look so good paired with one another.

Images:  bo-laget 

sideways glance

First up, apologies for the lack of attention we've been paying to this here blog of ours.  We've been taking some time out to get our ducks - read house - in order, as the place was beginning to feel somewhat neglected and unhappy.  Bored with rearranging furniture, we're back on the case with something that made us do a sideways glance - this inspired patio chair which, with its clever use of flexible PVC threads that converge towards an open central space, creates such a beautiful and pleasing shape.

Images:  Popalipana via Etsy 

chair thing

A little midweek fun here with a Pop Art inspired design created from a single piece of die-cut, folded card.  In 1967 the designer Peter Murdoch came up with a range which was marketed as 'Those Things:  Fibreboard Furniture for the Young' and included Chair Things, Stool Things and Table Things.  Over 76,000 pieces were sold in six months in 1967, retailing at less than £1 each.  Despite several awards including Winner of Design Centre Award in 1968, the potential for mass-production was never fully realised - and as 'Pop' furniture was designed to be disposable, sadly few examples have survived.

Credits/Image:  V&A