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.

Walnut Magazine Table

From eBay seller simplymod : Outstanding vintage modern magazine table, c. 1950s or 60s. ... The wood is pretty solid walnut with smooth soft rounded edges that are very inviting to the touch.

08.10.08

Deupree Residence, New York

“ Deupree Residence, New York ”, recently submitted to our photo group by Superbaka

03.10.08

Mid-Century Furniture (and Playmate Delores Wells)

Surrounded by the plush blue rug, brick fireplace, and wall unit shelving is Delores Wells , playmate of the month for June 1960 as photographed by Don Bronstein. Please pardon my censorship (thanks to Picnik for the shapes), but I thought it would be hasty to assume all my readers are appreciative of nudity, however tasteful.

28.09.08

Cavour Writing Desk by Carlo Mollino

He learned that ancient Egyptians decorated their future tombs, and that’s what Mollino did with his 18th century apartment. in 1960, in the hills above Turin, the city he lived in all his life, Mollino acquired a two-story villa (“Villa Zaira”, today called “Casa Mollino”). ... The furniture that Mollino designed were often one-off pieces produced specifically for the client whose house he was decorating, so many of his existing examples of his work are rare today.

27.09.08

Floating Milo Baughman Desk

A follow up to my last post: Anne Weiss has more than a beautiful house , she’s also got a much better than average mid-century modern eBay shop . My favorite piece in the current offering has to be this Milo Baughman , one of those great desks from an era when the back (with open display shelves) was important as the front (facing the user).

23.09.08

Anna Weiss House, St. Louis

Fellow mid-century modernist Anna Weiss is a newcomer on the blog scene and her site promises to be a daily stop. ...The house has a very open floor plan, so the living room opens to the sitting room which is also the dining area.

09.09.08

Kitchen Illustrations from the '50s

This stuff comes from the period before modernism matured, but these illustrations from magazines like Better Homes & Gardens and Good Housekeeping at See Saw are too charming to ignore.