just checking

Thursday 24 February 2011

Tulip armchairs, check.  Produced by Knoll in 1956, check.  Upholstered in black leather, check.  Need, check.

Images:  Kiss the Design

Three threes

Tuesday 22 February 2011

Three chairs, each with three legs.



Images: Danish Furniture (Wegner's Three-Legged Chair) icollector (Eiermann's Model SE42), Danish Funiture (Poul Kjærholm's PK0)

Paper, rock, scissors

Monday 21 February 2011

We just love these paper models of the Ro-Ro Rocking Chair.

Images:  designboom

Danish delights

Friday 18 February 2011

Today, Ib Kofod-Larsen, who designed storage and seating for the Swedish market in the 1960s but did not really attain any commercial success.  Huh??  Maybe his organic design was to extreme for the Swedish taste at the time?
Credits/Images:  Deconet, 1st Dibs, Antiques Plus, icollectantiques, Deconet, Andrew Romano

Contrast

Thursday 17 February 2011

Black on white with Bertoia's Bird chairs, white on black with Eero Saarinen's Womb chair.

 
Images:  The Brick House, Omahku

Well educated

Wednesday 16 February 2011

Why didn't our school chairs look as good as these ones from Holland?  Perhaps if we'd been able to sit on chairs like these - chairs which, in our humble opinion are reminiscent of designs by Friso Kramer, or perhaps Jean Prouvé - trigonometry and double algebra would have been a slightly more joyous experience!
Images:  Fuse

get knitted

Tuesday 15 February 2011

Knitted stools, that's all.



Images:  Claire Anne O'Brien

Modern romance

Monday 14 February 2011

What better day to share with you the romance behind two couples who changed the face of design?



What began as an encounter between a young art student and a married teacher, lead to a love affair that spanned nearly four decades and changed the world of design forever.  Charles Eames was a married man when 27 year old Bernice Alexandra Kaiser walked into his life.  Bernice, or 'Ray' as she was affectionately known, left art school abruptly after only knowing Charles for four months, and they were soon wed - one month after Charles' divorce was final.  It was a romance that spawned some of the world's most iconic furniture, architecture and film.  Thirty seven years of passionate collaboration ended in 1978 when, at the age of 71, Charles Eames died.  Ten year later to the day, Ray died too.



Often called the British version of Ray and Charles Eames, Robin and Lucienne Day were design powerhouses.  Unlike their American counterparts they didn't operate as a team but created stunning works independent of one another while working side by side;  each serving as the other's muse.  They met at the Royal College of Art in 1940 and their passion for design drew them together, and pushed one another to create innovative and original work.  Pioneers in textile design and ergonomic seating design, the body of work the pair amassed over five decades is impressive and inspiring.  Lucienne Day passed away at the age of 93 in January 2010, and Robin passed away later that same year, aged 95.

Credits/Images:  Lushpad, Interior Design

Come fly with us

Thursday 10 February 2011

Imagine a place that is passionate about Modernist furniture from the likes of Eames, Herman Miller, Knoll, Eero Saarinen, Harry Bertoia, Ernest Race, Ercol, Kandya and George Nelson.  OK, now imagine a place that sources and sells Modernist furniture by each of these designers.  Oh, and imagine a place that will hire out its designer furniture so you're able to set the scene for, say, a hot date that's on the horizon!  Well, we've found such a place.  Yes, yes!  And their latest offering, an ultra rare set of Beaubourg Chairs, simply blew us away.

 
Designed for the Pompidou Centre in 1976 by Michel Cadestin and Georges Laurent, the Beaubourg Chair was conceived by Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano and the final form was created by Cadestin and Laurent.  It was chosen as the winning chair by a jury headed by Jean Prouvé. 

Credits/Images:  Firefly House

spot the monkey

Wednesday 9 February 2011

The architect Yngve Ekström is a superb representative for light, Scandinavian design and a significant contributor to the definition of  'Scandinavian Modern'.  Ekström's breakthrough came in 1956 with the 'Lamino' easy chair, in which he combined austerity with lightness, beauty with function.  The owner of the apartment below must certainly be a Ekström fan, as we spotted both a Lamino chair upholstered in a comforting grey sheepskin and a black Arka chair with horseshoe backrest.



Did you spot Kay Bojensen's teak monkey?

Credits/Images: Bloget Inspiration, Deconet

Laid back

Monday 7 February 2011

This Danish modern recliner made us look, made us stare, made us loose our ....... uh-hem!  With its combination of beech wood frame and sculptured teak armrests, the back adjusts to three positions depending on whether one wants to be relaxed, really relaxed or extremely relaxed!



Images:  Look Modern

colour chart

Thursday 3 February 2011

Following on from our monochrome shell collection post about the moulded shell chair designed by Eames, we couldn't resist sharing this 'Eames Fiberglass Chair Colors' chart for Herman Miller which dates from c. 1962.


The standrd shell colours are:  OG-Olive Green Dark, OC-Ochre Light, RU-Raw Umber, SB-Seal Brown, RO-Red Orange, NB-Navy Blue, LY-Lemon Yellow, GR-Greige, PR-Parchment, SF-Sea Foam Green, EG-Elephant Hide Grey.

The contract shell colours are:  BK-Black, TC-Terracotta, LG-Greige Light, OD-Ochre Dark, MG-Grey Medium, PN-Pink, GL-Grey Light, TQ-Turquoise, LB-Light Blue, MB-Medium Blue, TL-Tan Light, TD-Tan Dark, LS-Sea Foam Green Light, BY-Brilliant Yellow, YG-Grey Yellow, KG-Kelly Green.

Credits/Images:  Eames Office

hung over

Wednesday 2 February 2011

The Valet Chair by Hans Wegner for Johannes Hansen, is a super stylish yet practical chair designed with the suit wearing gentleman in mind.  With the back rail shaped like a coat hanger to hold a jacket, the seat swings upwards on beautifully crafted hinges to allow a pair of trousers to be hung over it and there's a storage box beneath the seat.  So, more than just a pretty face!

 


Credits/Images:  1st Dibs 

The Eames?

Tuesday 1 February 2011

According to The Style Pages of The Times Deyan Sudjic, director of the Design Museum, has an enviable collection of iconic chairs;  among them Aalto's K65 low back stools, Hans Wegner's Wishbone Chairs, Le Corbusier's LC4 chaise longue, Harry Bertoia's Diamond Chair, Gerrit Rietveld's Red Blue Chair and a Ron Arad Rover.  So, one might think choosing where to sit could prove to be a tricky conundrum, but not for Sudjic as he "likes to sit ......... in the Eames chair".  

Huh, which Eames?  You never mentioned an Eames!



 

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