Owl Bank

On eBay for $50, a pottery bank from Sweden. 4½×4½ inches.

Sunny November Home

“ Sunny November Home ”, recently submitted to our photo group by The 10 cent designer

06.11.08

Mid-Century Modern Film from 1958

No narration, no explanation, just effusive 1950s music and example after delightful example of modern furniture, architecture, and industrial design. Thanks Alina and free associate .

05.11.08

Dieter Rams and Cold War Modern at the V&A

I may have to take a trip to London just to see the V&A Museum’s Cold War Modern , “the first exhibition to explore international developments in modern art, design, architecture and film in the context of the Cold War”. The microsite offers several videos, including these two from white hot industrial design guru Dieter Rams.

02.11.08

Norman Cherner Illustration

“ Norman Cherner Illustration ”, recently submitted to our photo group by Scott Lindberg

01.11.08

Mid-Century Modern Knits

Perhaps not Audrey Hepburn caliber, but they strike me as the sort of everyday thing she would have worn off camera, and the colors and patterns are undeniably of their time. More fashion delights to be found below and in the Vintage Craft & Needlework Magazines group on Flickr.

26.10.08

Nelson Slat Bench in its Natural Habitat

“ don’t stop ”, recently submitted to our photo group by †mariana

25.10.08

Speakers from Holland, 1979

“ mini speakers ”, recently submitted to our photo group by rudezindel

20.10.08

"Design from Scandinavia" Celebrates 40 Years

Danish publisher World Pictures recently celebrated its 40th anniversary with a special issue of their excellent magazine Design from Scandinavia and they have generously made the entire issue available as a PDF. ...We also present some examples of the hottest trends on the Nordic design scene where many promising designers are displaying their talents, wriggling free from the functionalist ideals and challenging convention to blaze new trails.

16.10.08

Hula Wallpaper by Barbara Hulanicki

The lamp is an FL/Y by Ferruccio Laviani for Kartell. ... I'll have to do a special post on this classic soon.

13.10.08

The Retrofuturism of Woody Allen's "Sleeper"

Woody Allen’s “ Sleeper ” (1973) had such elaborate sets and costumes that the film ran behind schedule and came in over budget, even though the final cost was still only $2 million. ...An amusing bit of trivia from Sleeper’s IMDB page: after the movie was released in one country outside the USA as “Woody and the Robots”, Woody Allen inserted a clause in all of his subsequent contracts that his movies’ titles could not be changed by other parties.

12.10.08

Wenger Furniture and the 1960 Presidential Debate

The candidates sat in Danish modern chairs conceived by Hans Wegner, the famous designer, and spoke from behind skeletal lecterns that resembled music stands and offered no place to hide. “The whole set was extremely modern, and that gave a sense of faith in the future,” recalled Carl Magnusson , a furniture designer.