Dizzy

I am totally in love with this Sergio Rodrigues Diz chair from Vintage and Modern Brazilian dealer Mercado Modern. Designed in 2002, it pays homage to many 20th century styles and would fit perfectly into the unique architecture of The Cool House, perhaps near the Michel Arnoult game table. The asking price is actually something of a bargain - they retail for almost double. Dreaming....

Modern meets Historic

I stumbled upon this fabulous modern addition to a typical residential house in an historic area near downtown Atlanta and was mesmerized by the shapes and the light. Designed by architects Brian Bell and David Yocum of the modern architecture firm bldgs, the Ansley Park Glass House is a stunning space that neatly juxtaposes the 20th and the 21st centuries.

There's a cool pool to beat the Atlanta heat - its shape echoes the square lines of the new addition - and the original 1910 building.

The living space is open inside, while walls of glass flood the rooms with light. I love the soft grey-blue tones of the MCM furniture that contrast with the dark fireplace/bookshelf.

A view from the suspended staircase: Dark woods on the walls and floor give a solid feel to the space - how fabulous is the Nakashima-inspired table paired with the Saarinen Executive Side Chairs?

Possibly my favorite part of the renovation, the kitchen balances cool stainless steel cabinetry with warm wood countertops, where the staircase floats behind like a transparent sculpture - awesome.

The square roofline of the original house seen through the rectangular wall of glass: the harmonious synergy of historic and modern.

It's Friday so hop on over to Julia's Hooked on Houses Friday fest

Steelcase

Since I got my sinfully scarlet Steelcase chairs last week I've been coming across the American manufacturer's modernist office furniture everywhere.

Founded in 1912 as the Metal Office Furniture Company, Steelcase got its new name at the height of the mid-century modern movement. Their website doesn't have much information about the designs from the 1950s, 60 and 70s but a few evocative photos can be found at the milestones section.

There's better luck searching for images of catalogs from that era: A selection of red office chairs with a contrasting yellow desk from a Steelcase catalog

or this yellow chrome armchair, from the early 1960s. (If you are hungry for more MCM images the Mid-Century Modernist has a post here).

Of course actual examples of Steelcase MCM furniture often come up for auction, on ebay, or at 1stdibs. Prices vary widely - as does the condition of the furniture.

And if you prefer your work space modern rather than modernist, The Steelcase Design Studio is still producing solid, ergodynamic office furniture. For more info on new products visit their blog.

Scarlet Seat

Around the middle of last week I got a call from the Awesome Designer to say she was on her way over with a couple of things she thought might fit in The Cool House. Full of eager anticipation I danced around in the driveway until she pulled in but nothing prepared me for the treasure she had stashed on the backseat of her car. Luckily The Guy was home to help because these two 1970s Steelcase chrome and wood armchairs probably each weigh more than she does. They are unbelievably solid and so comfortable that I've been sitting in one pretty much non-stop while Jefke the cat has taken over the other.


I've seen them before in black leather but the scarlet fabric seats and backs really add something special to the design and they fit in so well with the overall color scheme in the den that either the design gods were waiting for this moment to bestow a smack of style on the room or it demonstrates once again that you should always befriend a designer who has impeccable taste and knows how to persuade you to add another jolt of color to a room.

Georges Briard réchauffé

A knock at the door, and despite the barking dogs slavering to get near him, a smiling postal worker happily handed me a large parcel that I opened straightaway. Inside, carefully packed with protective bags and newspaper this Georges Briard Chafing Dish - a gift from the very generous Priscilla, who reads this blog and knows about my Georges Briard obsession. I wonder if she knows that someone else on Long Island also loves the gold leaf and crisp nature-inspired mid-century patterns of this iconic home furnishing designer?
Many, many thanks Priscilla!

Desert Steel

Just a taste of the work of Donald Wexler, architect of the part pre-fab, part customised Alexander Steel Houses in California. From the documentary "Journeyman Architect: The Life and Work of Donald Wexler" by award-winning director Jake Gorst.

Pierre Paulin Dies

Iconic French designer Pierre Paulin died June 13 in Montpellier, France at the age of 81. Although he began his career designing for Thonet-France, he is most famous for his abstract and sculptural fabric covered foam on metal frame furniture that was produced by Dutch firm Artifort in the 1960s:


Ribbon Chair


Mushroom Chair


Little Tulip


Orange Slice


Tongue Chair



In the 1970s and 80s, two French Presidents, Georges Pompidou and Francois Mitterrand, invited him to furnish rooms in the Élysée Palace, and President Nicolas Sarkozy paid tribute to Paulin declaring "he made design into an art form". Last year a retrospective of his work "Pierre Paulin, le design au pouvoir" was held at the at La Manufacture des Gobelins - Le mobilier national in Paris. His designs are in the permanent collections of museums worldwide including MoMA in NY and were used in the futuristic Elrod House setting of the 1971 James Bond film “Diamonds are Forever”.


His last design, the Flower Chair for Magis debuted at the ICFF May 2009.

Futuro House Auctioned

A mid-century icon, one of the original podlike Futuro houses by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen was sold June 2 by Wright as part of their Important Design auction. The prefabricated house had an estimate of $50,000-$70,000, far less than the 140,000 euros another Futuro house fetched at Christie's in Paris less than two years ago.

A sort of futuristic cabin, Futuro houses were light (made of polyester plastic and fiberglass), easily transportable anywhere by helicopter and first used as ski lodges or summer homes. From 1968 fewer than 100 Futuro Houses were built, but they ended up in places as far flung as Belgium, New Zealand and Mill Creek Park Willingboro, NJ. They were sold in the United States for between $12,000 and $14,000 but by 1978 tastes had changed and oil prices had made them uneconomical to produce. Originally designed to sleep 6-8, equipped with a kitchen and, as an upgrade, a fab fireplace, Futuro houses have since found other uses - as media rooms, gas stations, even the "special room" at a strip joint - but you can still stay in a Futuro vacation house in the woods near Milwaukee, Wisconsin to get the full alien spaceship experience.

For more information and a complete history of Futoro try to find a copy of the book and dvd package: Tomorrow's House from Yesterday By Marko Home and Mika Taanila

Egg Chair (Leather)

Vintage leather Arne Jacobsen Egg Chair 1958. Drop. Dead. Gorgeous.
One of a pair at Wright's Important Design auction. Details here.

Georges Briard

Bit of a Georges Briard obsession at the moment. Jascha Brojdo, his real name, designed housewares, notably glassware in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Because it was mass produced finding it isn't difficult, pieces come up all the time on ebay, or at local flea markets often for only a few dollars. I love this mid-century glass dish


Who could resist the gold pattern - so retro.

Then there's the ceramic kitchenware, which I think I like even more


Georges Briard Seashell Cheese Plate and Knife. Seashells, appropriate for The Cool House, no? Good thing as they are both mine courtesy of ebay.

Counting Chairs (and tables)

Mid-Century Modern Furniture Poster

This competition from The Mid-Century Modernist has occupied all my spare time since Friday. I thought, at first glance, that it would be easy, after all I am mid-century modern girl, right? All I had to do was correctly identify every piece of furniture in this James Provost illustration. Well, it's proved a lot harder than I had imagined and I'm at the frustrated stage. I'm not doing this for the prize, by the way. I could fork over the $10 for one of the posters without any problem, it's the satisfaction of knowing I can look at any design classic and know the designer, the name, date and who manufactured it. I've poured over all my design books, re-read all my museum catalogues and spent so many hours online that I may need a new prescription from my optician but I'm still a table and three chairs short of a full poster. If someone doesn't win the competition soon and put me out of my misery I may well give up being uniquely modern and opt for a life of chintz and toile.

Three Words I Can Never Utter Again

1:20 minute: "...now I want to be mid-century modern girl".

Dammit, I loved MCM furniture when the only place you could find it was a dumpster, at the time it was considered worthless junk. Then it became mainstream. It's been over-exposed for a while, this Noguchi coffee table is styled into TV shows and advertisements and you can spot a Saarinen Womb Chair in practically every issue of surviving decor magazines, but from this moment mid-century modern is officially over. Whatever shall I do?

Lieb House finds its new home

A month ago I posted this piece about the the start of the journey to move the Robert Venturi Lieb House from the Jersey shore to the north shore of Long Island. The beach cottage, which had been in danger of demolition, has been purchased by Deborah Sarnoff and Robert Gotkin, who plan to use it as a guest house to their own Venturi designed home. On Friday it succesfully completed the second leg of its journey from Manhattan's South Street Seaport to Glen Cove NY, a move that was documented both by news teams and by cameras for a forthcoming film Learning from Bob and Denise by James Venturi, son of the architect.
You can see the whole move in a New York Times slideshow and read the rest of the article here.
There has been a lot of discussion on architecture blogs about whether this is a judicious move, if the removal costs are justified in a recession and whether modernist beach houses should be preserved. I think you know which side of the argument I come down on but I'm interested to hear what you think. If you had the means to undertake such an endeavour, would you do it?

Saari I couldn't be there

I waited a long time for this photo of the Gateway Arch that was designed by Eero Saarinen and built between 1963 and 1968. Of course I really wanted to see it for myself but I entrusted The Guy to use his iphone to capture the definitive architectural statement. What can I say? Archn't you disappointed I didn't take the trip to St Louis too?

Sunny Valentine

Guess what else I'm missing this month? The Valentine's Day coinciding Modernism Week in Palm Springs. We tried to go last year, and the year before. We promised ourselves we'd make it this year. As usual we left it too late. (Oh shut up moaning woman, you have a great life!). Yes but this year the architect William Krisel will be getting his star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars. Quatch. We will go one day. Until then there's always youtube

Floating a Beach House

Well this certainly puts my attempts at restoration into perspective. Imagine the amount of money and the stress for the architect and new owners as the Robert Venturi designed 1969 Lieb House is hoisted from its home on the Jersey Shore, placed on a barge and floated up the East River, around the North Shore of Long Island to Glen Cove, where it will eventually be used as a guest cottage to another Venturi house. All this being dependent on the City of Glen Cove giving the project a permit. At the moment the iconic beach house is stuck in a parking lot. For shame. If it gets the go-ahead I'm going to cheer it as it sails in. Go Lieb House!
The NY Times has a story on the move here. Further background, plus a video of the initial stages of the move, here and from Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates here.

Inspired by James Bond

Gadgets and gimmicks ex-Formula 1 racing driver, Sir Stirling Moss, calls the super amazing, ahead-of-their-time features of his early 60s home in Mayfair, London. Need to relax? Sit in the den and access the TV behind the paneled wall. Hungry? Press a button and a table descends in front of you with dinner laid out. Want a relaxing bath? Another button fills your tub while you finish watching that TV programme. Too tired to climb the stairs? Step into the carbon-fiber elevator designed by the Williams racing team and be whisked to your destination. Super-efficient and super cool, too.

Vacation in a Krisel Home

After blogging about William Krisel recently I really want to go to Palm Springs and tour some of his houses. Then serendipity strikes. It seems not only could I go look, but I can actually stay in one. This completely restored 1957 Alexander House can be rented by the night, week or month from owner Chris Menrad.
It seems there are plenty of other mid-century modern vacation homes out there if you know where to look. Time Magazine has selected a few, including Frank Sinatra's desert home from the Rat Pack days. I hear the happy sound of cocktails being poured right now.

Leisurama Now

While Jake Gorst was over at The Cool House I got him to sign my copy of Leisurama Now: The Beach House for Everyone 1964- that had arrived the previous day. The book by graphic designer Paul Sahre, is a comprehensive look at the Leisurama phenomenon, which for Sahre began the day he started looking for a summer rental on Long Island and wound up at Culloden Shores at Montauk where some 200 Leisurama homes form a beach community.
Gorst, who wrote, directed and produced Leisurama - A documentary, contributed a chapter to Leisurama Now on the architect Andrew Geller who, as a designer for the firm Raymond Loewy Associates, was responsible for making the Leisurama homes both appealing and easily mass-produced.


The mid-century prefabricated homes were sold by Macy's and came complete with a murphy bed, lamps, color-coordinated linens and even a toothbrush. Sadly the one thing Paul Sahre failed to find as he researched his book was an authentic Leisurama toothbrush, but everything else is photographed and documented in the book, which is a nostalgic snapshot of part of the American dream - owning a second home at the beach.

William Krisel, Architect

You read it here first: sometime soon you will be able to see a documentary about renowned west coast architect William (Bill) Krisel. I know this because The Cool House played host to Desert Utopia film maker Jake Gorst, as he shot an interview with the architect's son. How cool is that? The son of one mid-century architect and the grandson of the architect of my house together at on a warm Saturday in July?


Krisel with partner Dan Palmer, is probably best known for the butterfly roof tract homes he designed for the Alexander Construction Company in Palm Springs between 1956 and 1965. These homes played an important part in popularising what has come to be known as mid-century modernism. Other more expensive homes were often landscaped with cast concrete screens that are so evocative of modern Californian architecture.


In 1962 he designed The House of Tomorrow for Robert and Helene Alexander, which was featured in Look Magazine. It became known as the Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway Palace when the singer rented it as a California getaway for himself and his bride Priscilla.
If you want to own a Krisel and Palmer home originals sell for close to $1,000,000 but they can be hard to find. You can also buy a re-released Butterfly House with updated modern amenities through Maxx Livingstone Ltd.

Until the documentary is released you'll have to make do with this fascinating video of Krisel talking about his life and works at the Dwell Conference in 2006. Enjoy!