One of the things I notice when looking at postings of rooms on mid century modern Facebook groups is displayed artwork that seems off. Well who am I to say what is off, well, in addition to being a design snob I also have 40 years as a professional designer. I will take the opportunity […]
Finding Edmund Jorgensen About a year ago Barbara and I found two rosewood coffee tables that had ceramic tiles set into the entire top. They were in the warehouse of one of our Danish importers. We bought them on the spot. The tiles were attractive, they were rosewood and the price was reasonable. I asked […]
The Wishbone chair by Hans Wegner is a hot item these days. It was inspired by historic Chinese chairs. Debuting in 1949, it was the first of Wegner’s chairs for Carl Hansen & Son. If I scroll through the online photos on dining interiors I am certain to see a set of these iconic chairs […]
A few weeks ago I made the statement that in general, the scale of Danish Modern furniture suited smaller spaces. I also said that I’d, in the future, discuss this in more detail and with a little history. Well, the future is now and it’s the topic of this week’s blog. After World War II, with […]
You’ve heard of Teddy Bear Picnics well I’m imagining serving up a Jens Quistgaard’s Picnic. Jens Quistgaard, a Danish designer and sculptor, is best known for his tableware (in this case picnicware) designs manufactured by Dansk from 1954 through the following 30 years and some continue to be produced today. Jens Quistgaard is synonymous with […]
There is nothing that will ruin a roomful of beautiful modern furniture (or any furniture for that matter) more than the miss matching of the scale of the furniture with the scale of the room where it resides. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen this simple mistake destroy the ambiance of a beautiful […]
The uses of screens serve various design functions: to create privacy, to divide space, to frame a view, and to control light. While architectural screens created to filter harsh sunlight have early roots in Islamic architecture, we also see screens used in early Churches to create private areas that allow for secluded views. One of […]
In the MidCentury and Danish Modern furniture market today and in the past there is a premium price paid on matching sets of pieces. The understandable reason for this is that over the preceding 60 years many of the original furniture sets have been broken up and relative to the mid 20th century, few of […]
Embracing the modern style in the 1950’s was part of the post WWII American “Promise for the Future”. The climate of hope and an advertised encouragement to living, and affording, the good life, created a new marketplace for modern design in America. Introduced into the American imagination by both reality and fiction, mainstream America was […]
Photos above, Le Corbusier building, Villa Savoye, Poissy-sur-Seine, 1929. Source:ecomanta.com Is Modern design a Movement, Style or Fashion? Lately I’ve been thinking about how the names we give things are important to the understanding we have about what we are talking or writing about. This may sound obvious, but truly, it’s critical to communication. I remember the […]
