Modern? You'd be surprised

                  Modern?..........  You'd be surprised




          The items on this page are icons of contemporary design, and yet.....they are all from 1929-1960. They have stood the test of time and they are all presently produced, to the exact specifications of the designers. 


        




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The Panton S  Chair

   The Panton S Chair..1960


Designed by Verner Panton in 1960, this single-form injection moulded plastic chair has been mass produced since the 1960's and is still widely copied today.

Panton studied architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Art in Copenagen, graduating in 1951. From there he went on to work for Arne Jacobsen.
You can find the real thing at Design Within Reach, and this polypropylene, non-fading chair comes in Red, Chartreuse, Black, Ice Grey , Tangerine, and White and it is $260.
http://www.dwr.com

Stacked Pantons in all the available colours.

The Barcelona Chair.....1929

The Barcelona Chair by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1960) is a classic that is still commonly used in contemporary settings, but it is actually an antique! The chair was designed in 1929 as a seat for the King and Queen of Spain at the German Pavilion at the International Exhibition in Barcelona.

The Barcelona Chair, 1929

It is still made to the architect's specifications out of a single cowhide, and it is supported by cowhide straps, which are dyed to match the chair. Bright hand polished chrome and individual leather buttons complete the simple yet perfect chair. It won a design award  from MOMA in 1977,  48 years after its introduction.
Photo: TD Canada,    Cadillac Fairview

Building the TD Center, Toronto

The famous Cantilever Chairr

Mies van der Rohe was a perfectionist to the enth degree. His buildings were designed down to the last detail, furniture being an integral part of the whole.


The Building of the TD Centre , Toronto, ON
was a triumph for Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
This building is what he referred to
 as "Skin and Bones architecture" and is
 one of many that brought architecture into
 the modern age. This was his last major work
 and you can still admire his Barcelona Chairs
 in the lobby of the bank today.
He stipulated that it was to remain true to his design and it has.

               "Less is More" was coined by Mies van der Rohe


Corbusier's Pony Chaise Lounge LC4....1928
photo:  http://www.cassinausa.com/quick_lounge.html


This incredible

   ,

  Lounge chair is as current today in design as it was when it was first introduced in 1928  as furnishing for a Villa in Ville d'Avray.  This Chaise is hair-on-hide mattress with a leather headrest, and chrome base. Each one is different depending on the hide and it is produce in Italy.  Le Corbusier's proper name was Pierre Jeannere and he designed this lounge as a "Resting Machine"



Noguchi Table....... 1948

photo:  http://www.hermanmiller.com/Products/Noguchi-Table

Noguchi Table 

Isamu Noguchi

Check for this
signature when you are buying a Noguchi Table. There are hundreds of inexpensive imitators out there.  this stamp was added to all pieces in 2003, before that, you take your chances.  You can buy this iconic table by Herman Miller, at Design within Reach for $1399-$1439 depending on your choice of size.


Henning Koppel Design for George Jenson......1952


photo:  http://www.georgjensen.com/global/living/masterpieces/masterpieces-henning-koppel-kande-poleret-stal
This stunningly beautiful and stylistically simple water jug is a copy of Henning Koppel's 1952 design. He was one of the most in demand designers, working for George Jenson. It is reproduced in polished steel and it is part of the Masterpiece series, developed in 2008 to coincide with Koppel's 100th birthday. It will set you back a bit over $400. It is also available in Gold  $910, and Copper $620.  If only we had an original.................



            The Alvar Aalto Three Legged stool......1932
                                                Made in Finland by Artek  $260 US.

Alvar Aalto developed the technique in the early 1930's to bend wood in this unique and practical design. They could easily fit into any room today, and you can cover them with your own material for under $400 or choose from ready made.

 Photos: http://scandinaviandesign.com/Alvar_Aalto/



Alvar Aalto was born Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto in Kuortane, Finland in 1898 . He was an architect who received his degree in 1921 from the Technical University of Helsinki. He was responsible for Artek, along with Marie and Harry Gullichsen and they developed the bent   wood cantilevered chair.


Today Aalto's designs live on and flourish at iitalia.










Contemporary Looks, now over 60 years old.  It is interesting that all of these items were developed by architects  who also dabbled in furniture design. A beautiful building design could be ruined with the wrong choice of furniture and the design of the furniture to fill the buildings was an astute move on the designer's part.

Unhappy Hipsters, It's lonely in the Modern World

I love tongue in cheek humour, this blogspot  kept me in front of the computer until I'd looked at every page. .                                                    unhappyhipsters.com

                              


The caption for this photo is  "She paused for a moment and, with a shudder, realized the tri-trough sink was reading over her shoulder again".  Photo: Misty Keasler: Dwell  
Filed under you never know when/what you need to wash.   That really tickles my funny bone!!



Caption: As he stuggled to read against the glare, the cat sprawled on the cool bricks, reveling once again in the superiority of feline over human.                     
Photo: Samatha Contis; Dwell

                       It gets better on each page, I had to check out all 60!!

 

Caption:  In spite of his expertly honed tantrum-throwing skills, she remained transfixed by her slick new kitchen appliances.

Photo: i19 Interior Architects; Australian Design Review

I love their uber modern interiors, although I don't think that I could live in a lot of them. The total lack of clutter in many modern spaces makes me nervous and edgy.  Now I take it too extremes at times, with the clutter bandwagon, but things scattered around always make me feel more comfortable.   What on earth do they do with their junk mail?


Caption: The Ultimate unwanted-guest room.

Photo: Matthew Williams: Dwell                       Filed under over-staycation

After ridding the home of parents, siblings, or any soft objects, the child was at last free to moonwalk with her mini Panton Chair.

Photo: John Gollings; ArchDaily



Caption: She left, for good this time. And sadly, he knew it, he knew it was becuse he had refused rockers for her chair.

Photo: Joaj Canziani: Dwell                          Filed under another one bites the dust

                             This Blog spot is certainly one worth following, I will now eagerly look forward to each new posting with anticipation. I hope that you check it out and love it as much as I do.

unhappyhipsters.com

This site welcomes submissions from the public, so start searching those magazines and applying your witty comments. They qualify that everything must be credited properly, makes sense. So get out there, start publishing!!!

Art is Everywhere

Art is Everywhere!!!!

I love to shop, who doesn't?   My greatest joy on a shopping spree is  usually  the store displays.  The creativity of some of the windows is astounding. This is an antique shop in Islington,  London, the tableau presented does exactly what it was created to do.... it lures you in for a closerlook

 and tells a story.

What a story these costumes could tell.

Were they part of a theatrical production on the west end, an opera or just remmants of a dance recital?

             I loved the ways that the colours complimented

                         each other, and the headless mannequins   just   added  interest to the scene.

          Standing at attention in a tiny alley, they are as beautiful as any oil painting in the Louvre.

Bombarded with colour in the fall, Canada   does not have exclusivity on fall foliage.  Brightly coloured house boats on the Regent's Canal brighten up anyday, sunny or not.

This is near Little Venice and is a delightful place in the center of London.

You are transported to a place that seems like it's from another century,with swans gracing the canals,   and the loudest noise you hear is a bicycle's bell  on the riverwalk.

Red shoes in a Harrod's windows. Simple, effective, eye catching.

Colour, Colour, Colour, what is not to love about this combination.

                        Amusement park colours in the fashion world.  
                        This window is a visual delight and was even more enticing at night with the lights on.
                        The fluorsescent colours popped, what imagination......once again art is everywhere.

Marylebone High  Street always has colourful window displays.

A small town atmosphere, in the middle of a bustling urban center, eye candy.

Isn't he lovely?

One of my favourite haunts for art is in the world's cemetaries. This young man is in Brompton Cemetary, in London's King's Road area. I used to visit him in everyseason, and over the years, I watched as his skin changed with the addition of a bit more moss and lichen. It doesn't seem to marr his beauty, nor does the acid rain, or the ever present crows and pigeons.
                               My greatest fear for him....vandals. He should be in the Victoria and Albert Museum, but here he stands day and night, sun and rain, standing guard over someone's long departed loved one. The Victorian Cemetaries in London are a treasure trove of art, stone angels, cherubs and symbols of all kinds.

Brompton Cemetary is one of the best pick-up joints in the city of London.....if you are gay. It can be a lonely and somewhat inimidating place on a dark and gloomy day, and there are men lurking in many of it's dark corners. Our motives for being there are disimilar, but all are drawn by the eerie beauty. On a warm summer day,  there is no nicer place to have your picnic lunch (although officially I think it's a no,no).

I have no idea what these plastic items are, but they were so beautiful with the sun shining on them that I had to take their picture.  I'm fascinated by blue glass, or in this case plastic. It is such a calming colour, blue Christmas lights are also a  favourite of mine. Blue LED lights would be most welcome at my house, all year long...... unfortunately, the neighbours don't share my sentiments. I have to make due with the glow of my treadmill's readouts in the middle of the night.

Art is everywhere. Bright coloured feathers and a camera.

The Victoria and Albert Musuem Gift shop.