Modern Snob

Knoll Kids Collection

2009-07-25T21:47:00.008-04:00

A scaled-down version of Saarinen's iconic Womb char.

Photo courtesy of Knoll/Vastu

As any good modern snob, I've been teaching by 6-year old daughter about classic mid-century modern design from the time she could talk. She now can authoritatively point out the work of George Nelson, the Eameses, Saarinen and Breuer. Maybe she deserves her very own Womb chair (see above) or Barcelona chair made by Knoll especially for kids. For those in D.C., you can find out more about these tike-friendly versions at Vastu on 14th Street.

Mid-Century Mod Wallpaper

2009-06-06T21:49:00.007-04:00

Bradbury & Bradbury Atomic Doodle in Turquoise

This piece in the Washington Post's Express says wallpaper is hip again. The article quotes Heather Cole of wallpaper company Bradbury & Bradbury saying: "It's very contemporary to paper one wall. It's like an art installation." I have bad flashbacks to the 1970s wallpaper hanging in my house in New Jersey growing up, but after seeing these 1950s Atomic Age patterns and these from the 1960s, I may be willing to cover up some of my white walls.

Fallingplastic? LEGO Does Frank Lloyd Wright Designs

2009-05-24T21:42:00.004-04:00

Now you can get your kids hooked on modern architecture at an early age with new sets by LEGO based on Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum and Fallingwater. Read/listen to the NPR story here.

Two MCM Sites on 2009 National Trust Most Endagered List

2009-04-28T15:39:00.005-04:00

The Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles and Miami Marine Stadium were included in the National Trust for Historic Preservation's 2009 list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, which was announced today in LA by National Trust President Richard Moe and actress Diane Keaton, who has been working to save the Century Plaza.

From the National Trust:

Century Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles, Calif.— Opened in 1966, the 19-story curved hotel, designed by renowned architect Minoru Yamasaki, who would later design New York’s World Trade Center twin towers, has been a prominent Los Angeles landmark for more than four decades. Despite a $36 million facelift just over a year ago, the hotel’s new owners now intend to raze the building and replace it with two 600-foot, “environmentally sensitive” towers.

Miami Marine Stadium, Virginia Key, Fla.— Completed in 1963, Miami Marine Stadium is both a South Florida landmark and an icon of modern design [Hilario Candela was the principal architect]. Built entirely of poured concrete and featuring a dramatically cantilevered folded-plate roof, the stadium is a sentimental favorite of many Miami residents. After sustaining damage during Hurricane Andrew in 1992, the stadium, a prime target for developers, closed and has since suffered from years of deterioration, vandalism and neglect.

Good piece from the LA Times on the history of Century City and the hotel. Learn more about Miami Marine Stadium and see good historical photos here.

Palm Springs Looks to Make First Historic Designation

2009-03-04T06:37:00.003-05:00

It's cold, so how about something about Palm Springs? "A mid-century modern structure by architect Rudolf Schindler, a 1930s ranch house built for ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and the city’s first apartment building, now a restaurant, are among the buildings on a short list to become Palm Desert’s first officially designated historic site," The Desert Sun reports here.

Hot Fjord

2009-01-29T21:51:00.007-05:00

The designs of Jens Quistgaard, the Danish industrial designer who died nearly a year ago at the age of 88, are hot. Dansk, which introduced Quistgaard to the United States has reissued the very flatware that launched in the company in 1954. According to the New York Times obituary, "Dansk was founded in 1954 by Ted Nierenberg, an American entrepreneur and engineer. ... Mr. Nierenberg was visiting Copenhagen, where he caught sight of hand-forged flatware by Mr. Quistgaard in a museum. It was made of stainless steel with teak handles, an unusual marriage of materials at the time. He sought out Mr. Quistgaard, persuaded him that his singular creations could be properly mass-produced, and Dansk was born."

You can buy the reissued Classic Fjord Flatware for $59.95 for a five-piece set at the Dansk website. Dansk also has reissued Quistgaard's 1955 Kongo flatware set of black enamel and stainless steel. Modernism also reports that Dansk will soon be selling Quistgaard's No. 810/811 teak ice bucket. The reissue will be made from acacia, a fast-growing wood.

Check out Teak Pepper, a blog focused on collecting Quistgaard and Dansk by Mark Perlson, the author of Danish Pepper, a book on Quistgaard's teak pepper mills.

Case Study House #9 by Eames and Saarinen For Sale

2008-12-25T05:45:00.008-05:00

Can you imagine owning Case Study House #9 by Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen and its merely your guest house? The home, built for Arts & Architecture Publisher and Editor John Entenza who created the Case Study House program, now serves as a guest house (I can't believe it either) to a massive contemporary by Barry Berkus. Both houses can be yours for $14 million. As a number of people here on Curbed LA commented, this situation calls for an ironic twist: tear down the new house and keep the old one. CSH #9, by the way, sits next to another famous home in Pacific Palisades designed by Eames and Saarinen, Case Study House #8, better known as the Eames House.

Happy Holidays

2008-12-25T04:58:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to say Happy Holidays to all of Modern Snob's readers. I wish everyone a very healthy, prosperous and modern New Year. Thanks for reading.

My SOM Obsession

2008-12-13T09:44:00.009-05:00

SOM's Lever House (Photo by David Shankbone)

I’ve become a little obsessed with the Skidmore, Owings and Merrill website. The firm, which was founded in the 1930s, and is still one of the leading forces in the world of architecture is responsible for some of the most iconic mid-century modern corporate buildings. Think Lever House, One Chase Manhattan Plaza, the U.S. Air Force Academy and the Manufacturers Hanover Trust building here on 5th Ave. among others. You can read about each of these and other projects here ( I search by year) and view galleries with vintage images.

Modern in Greenpoint

2008-11-25T20:38:00.003-05:00

I wish my parents followed the lead of the author's parents and snapped up Arne Jacobsen Swan and Egg chairs when they went to Denmark in the 1960s. Mike Albo writes in the Times about his parents' foresight and some hip stores for modern snobs in my native land of Brooklyn.

Saarinen's Miller House to be Preserved, Open to the Public

2008-11-22T06:02:00.004-05:00

J. Irwin Miller House - More IndyStar Galleries

Eero Saarinen's 1957 Miller House in the modernist mecca of Columbus, Indiana, is being donated to the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) and will eventually be open to the public. With the interior by Alexander Girard and landscape design by Daniel Urban Kiley, the Miller House and Garden was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2000. The house will undergo an 18-month renovation, which will include careful restoration of many of the original period details. Once the renovation is completed, the IMA will work with the Columbus Area Visitors Center to offer public access to the house and gardens. Can't wait.

Pre-Fab in the City

2008-11-22T05:35:00.004-05:00

While MoMA recently hosted an exhibition on pre-fabs, which included constructing five modern structures in a lot in the middle of the city, this Bronx couple built one for real. Regina and Bill Marengo replaced their 900-square-foot bungalow with an 1,800 square-foot home designed by Resolution: 4 Architecture, the designers of the original Dwell home.

The Designs of Ray Kappe

2008-11-08T08:58:00.006-05:00

Here's a house to drool over. It can be yours for a mere $5 million. Designed in the late 1960s by Ray Kappe, a highly regarded mid-century modern architect whose is still busy at 80. His own seven-level home built into a Pacific Palisades hillside was recently featured in Dwell. You can see a slideshow here. Some have considered the home the best designed dwelling in southern California.

After graduating from Berkely in 1951, Kappe's first job was as a draftsman on Eichler Homes for the firm Anshen + Allen. He also founded and directed the Southern California Institute of Architecture and designed more than 100 single-family homes.

If you can't afford the Canna Road home in Brentwood, take a look at Kappe's pre-fab designs. Very cool and definitely cheaper.

Original Dwell Home For Sale - $795K

2008-10-15T21:52:00.003-04:00

The original Dwell pre-fab home by Resolution: 4 Architecture is on the market for $795K. It's located here in Pittsboro, N.C., on 14 acres. Here's the 2004 Dwell piece "Prefab, Proven" on the how the Dwell pre-fab competition came to be.

Vitra Design Museum Celebrates George Nelson

2008-10-07T20:45:00.007-04:00

If you are not planning on flying over to Germany to visit the Vitra Design Museum's retrospective on George Nelson, here's a good video taking you inside the exhibit that opened last month to mark 100 years since the influential modern architect, designer, writer and teacher was born in Hartford, Conn. Hope the exhibit will make its way to the United States, but until then...

Building an MCM Birdhouse

2008-08-26T16:22:00.005-04:00

Want an MCM birdhouse to match your own home? Or are you like Chris in this video from Curbly? He says he wants to build an MCM birdhouse because he will never live in a modern home. Anyway, I hope the birds appreciate the design.

Modern Tools for Your Modern Home

2008-08-21T07:44:00.006-04:00

Design Within Reach is bringing you all the modernist tools you need for your hip modern home. Its new store, DWR: Tools for Living, will open in SoHo on Sept. 19 at 142 Wooster Street (Houston Street). DWR also plans to open another store in October in Santa Monica that will carry the company's home accessory line introduced last year. The stores will be "cash and carry" unlike DWR's furniture stores, which sparked some back and forth here at Apartment Therapy about actually having the cash to purchase some of the items.

Revisiting John Lautner

2008-08-01T22:01:00.006-04:00

An interesting New York Times review on the retrospective of architect John Lautner's work now at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. The Times piece includes a nice slideshow featuring some of Lautner's work, including the 1960 Chemosphere House pictured above. If you're in LA on September 14 and you're a big contributor to the museum, you can visit four of Lautner's homes for a cool $145.

Kitchen Redo in Frank Gehry's First House

2008-07-27T20:42:00.003-04:00

See the kitchen redo in this 1955 Sherman Oaks, California, home, which is said to be the first work of Frank Gehry. Wonder what he thinks about their IKEA cabinets and flea market glass tiles?

Good Lesson in the Age of the McMansion

2008-07-26T21:30:00.004-04:00

Eric Striffler for The New York Times

Architect Carlos Brillembourg said something quite profound in a July 24 New York Times story about the modern home he designed for his family in the Hamptons. While the house is 4,000 sq. ft. and cost $1 million to build, it appears smaller than the two cottages on the adjacent properties. "The spectacle shouldn't be the house," Brillembourg said. "It should be the life that takes place in the house." Does anyone really need a 12,000 sq. ft. home? Will it make them happier? Maybe, but I doubt it.

Scenes from MOMA

2008-07-09T22:30:00.007-04:00

A few shots from a recent trip to MOMA. Also check out images from the upcoming exhibit on pre-fab modern housing. Watch time-elapse videos of the pre-fab homes being built in the heart of New York City.

Vintage Eames Molded Plywood Dining Chair, DCM

Marcel Breuer Wassily Chair and Laccio side tables and LC4 Chaise Lounge by Le Corbusier

Ribbon Chair and Mushroom Chair by Pierre Paulin

Chairs by Jean Prouve. The exhibit focuses on Prouve's mass-production efforts.

Paintings by Mark Rothko. My walls need some of these.

Johnson's Alice Ball House Saved

2008-06-29T08:00:00.003-04:00

The New Canaan News-Review reports on the deal that will save Phillip Johnson's Alice Ball House from the wrecking ball. From the story, it sounds like the the home will now serve as a pool house.

Modern Design for Modern Pets

2008-06-24T17:07:00.004-04:00

I'm not a pet person, but my brother is. He forwarded me a link to this site that sells modern furniture for cats and dogs. Check out more info on the Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired abode pictured above.

Cool House, but Good Investment?

2008-06-11T16:10:00.008-04:00

Something to think about as you shop for that multi-million modernist abode. Slate's Daniel Gross explores whether the modernist houses being sold, or auctioned, as pieces of art are good investments or money pits for preservation organizations and individuals alike. He also notes at the end of his pieces that the recent sale of Richard Neutra's Kaufmann House in an auction has fallen through.

Herman Miller Sale

2008-06-07T11:26:00.003-04:00

Ten percent off. Free shipping. Well, with gas prices going through the roof and the stock market getting crushed, I guess any savings will help. Authorized Herman Miller dealers such as DWR, Highbrow Furniture and Jules Seltzer are marking down Eames, Nelson and Noguchi classics starting today and running until June 21.

Philip Johnson's Alice Ball House Endangered

2008-05-26T20:08:00.006-04:00

If you have $3 million you can help save Johnson's Alice Ball House in New Canaan, Conn. The current owner tells the New York Times that if she can't turn the the 1953 1,773 sq. ft. house into a pool house or sell the property, she will knock it down. The 6 bedroom, 3 bath home sits on more than two acres. The CT Trust for Historic Preservation is urging the owner, Christine Ross, who is an architect, to scale back her plans and is warning her that bad press will likely result if she destroys the house.

Selling MCM Homes as Art

2008-05-20T13:05:00.006-04:00

With the iconic Kaufmann House by Richard Neutra selling for $15 million at a recent Christie’s auction, the Wall Street Journal reports on the emerging trend of selling real estate as art. The other mid-century modern property up on the auction block recently—Louis Kahn’s Esherick House in Philadelphia— did not get any bidders at its auction this past weekend.

Mod Atomic Ranch Flickr Pool

2008-05-16T09:09:00.002-04:00

More than 800 images of cool MCM homes, furniture, art and house plans for your viewing pleasure.

Preservation's Modernism Issue; The 'White City' of Tel Aviv

2008-04-27T22:34:00.008-04:00

Check out the new issue of Preservation, the magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which focuses on modernism. Paul Goldberger, the architecture critic of The New Yorker and a trustee of the National Trust, highlights why it so important to preserve buildings from the recent past in his Modernist Manifesto.

Other articles highlight the architecture of Palm Springs and Tel Aviv, known as White City because of the concentration of 4,000 Bauhuas buildings. In 2003, UNESCO recognized Tel Aviv as a World Heritage site. I was just there and had a chance to tour the city. If you go, check out the Buahaus Center for tours, maps and books. Also, make sure to see the recently opened Bauhaus Museum. The first exhibition includes original furniture, graphics, lamps, and glass and ceramic ware, by Mies van der Rohe, Marcel Breuer, Christian Bell, Wilhelm Wagenfeld and others. Unfortunately, when I stopped by it was closed.

Knoll Space Annual Sale - May 2-11

2008-04-16T21:46:00.006-04:00

If you're planning on buying anything from Knoll, put your credit card away. At least until May 2, when the Knoll Space Annual Sale kicks off. It runs through May 11.

Clothes for your Tiny Modern Snob

2008-04-06T10:41:00.005-04:00

Cool clothes from tinymodernist on Etsy. Wearing the designs of Charles and Ray Eames and Arne Jacobsen are perfect for scouting out all those MCM open houses on Sunday.

FrontDoor's Modern Primer; Rudolph for Sale

2008-03-29T09:27:00.003-04:00

A short modern architecture primer and video from HGTV's FrontDoor Real Estate.

FrontDoor also highlights mid-century properties for sale in Palm Springs, Atlanta and Florida, the Cohen House by Paul Rudolph in Siesta Key. Not sure if the others are still for sale, but the Rudolph is. The price has dropped from $1.6 million to $1.58 million.

All Eames All the Time Redux

2008-03-28T16:07:00.004-04:00

Likes eamescollector.com, eames-chair.com is a treasure trove of all things Eames. A "community fan site dedicated to the designs of Charles and Ray Eames," this is a must read for all you Eamesaholics. Here's a classic short video showing the assembly of the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, first released in 1956.

Moderately Priced Modern

2008-03-16T20:03:00.006-04:00

Check out portfolio.com's article on scoring moderately priced modern homes. The slide show features homes from around the country: a Wexler in Palm Springs, a Rummer in Portland, a May in Long Beach and more.

Federal Facade, Modern Inside

2008-03-01T07:16:00.002-05:00

An interesting story in the New York Times about the transformation of an 1890s West Village town house into a mid-century modern space inspired by the Eames House.

New Life for Saarinen's Terminal 5

2008-02-23T11:07:00.008-05:00

Eero Saarinen's iconic Terminal 5 at Kennedy Airport moved a step closer to reopening. Closed since October 2001, the main terminal building, which was completed in 1962 for TWA, is being incorporated into jetBlue's new terminal at the airport. From Friday's New York Times story:

The [Port] authority’s board approved a $19 million project to perform the essential repairs needed to allow travelers to pass through the 46-year-old terminal on their way to the enormous new JetBlue Airways terminal that wraps around the T.W.A. building in a crescent shape.

Both buildings are known as Terminal 5. The hope is to open them simultaneously this fall, said William R. DeCota, the aviation director for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. If not, he said, the T.W.A. building — an official landmark designed by the architectural giant Eero Saarinen — would reopen soon thereafter. Except for a brief stint as an exhibition gallery in 2004, the Saarinen terminal has been closed since T.W.A. ended operations in October 2001. The main terminal building, called the headhouse, and two tubular departure-arrival corridors have been preserved. Those corridors will connect the Saarinen and JetBlue terminals.

“When Terminal 5 launches in fall,” JetBlue says on its T508.com Web site, “customers will have the option of checking in at a JetBlue kiosk in the Saarinen building and taking in this landmarked architectural wonder’s exquisite modernist design on their way to our new terminal.” The airline has already adopted the gull-winged profile of the T.W.A. building into its Terminal 5 logo.

Herman Miller's Discovering Design

2008-02-06T13:31:00.000-05:00

This Herman Miller site is cool. Simple as that. The site features an interactive web of the key people, places, ideas and products of mid-century modern design. You can find images of the designs, vintage ads and catalogues, and video and audi clips. Click on the image of Ray and Charles Eames on their motorcycle to find a video from 1956 of the couple unveiling their lounge chair and ottoman on national televsion. Click on the picture of George Nelson to hear an audio clip of Nelson admitting how he did not even design his famous ball clock. Can you say Noguchi?

Noguchi in New York

2008-01-26T14:43:00.000-05:00

Next time you are in New York, check out the Noguchi Museum housed in a former photo-engraving factory in Long Island City. The museum opened in 1985 and presents a comprehensive collection of artist-designer-sculptor Isamu Noguchi's works. The building is undergoing some renovations, but all of the exhibits and programs are open to the public.

All Eames All the Time

2008-01-17T21:02:00.000-05:00

If you are looking for all things Eames, check out Steve Cabella's site, eamescollector.com. Cabella has been gathering Eames Things, as he calls his collection, for the past 30 years. The site has links to articles from the 1940s, '50s and '60s, info on the Charles and Ray Eames' films and contributions to Hollywood and what he describes as "Eames Moments," or "interesting facts, details and stories that make up some of the Eames 'connections' one finds in the history of the design world."

Modern for the Masses

2008-01-08T11:07:00.000-05:00

Affordable modern housing for the masses. Wasn't that the original thinking behind the modern movement? The philosophy of the Bauhaus style was to create the "perfect worker housing," as Tom Wolfe wrote in From Bauhaus to Our House. Today, a new breed of architects are seeking to create modern, well-designed and affordable housing for those who can't afford to buy the homes designed by the Bauhaus denizens (here's one in Andover, Mass., by Marcel Breuer) or their successors. Read the Wall Street Journal article detailing these new modern projects.

Saving Modernism

2008-01-03T12:11:00.000-05:00

If you have an idea to help preserve a modern architectural landmark or are looking for financial or technical assistance to help save such a site, check out the Modernism at Risk program established in 2006 by the World Monuments Fund and Knoll.

Arts and Achitecture Archives

2007-12-23T17:18:00.000-05:00

I love the online archives of Arts and Architecture magazine, which sponsored the case House Study Program under editor and publisher John Entenza. You can view the table of contents from all the issues from 1945 to 1967 and a selected article from each issue. You can also view the entire articles of each of the Case Study Houses. If the web collection is not enough, you can buy the Case Study House book by Taschen featuring the entire collection of homes for $200. Taschen is expecred to publish all the issues of A&A in book form this spring. I wonder how much that one is going to cost.

Modern Stuff for Modern Kids

2007-12-23T11:35:00.000-05:00

My wife and I are expecting our second child this week. We were looking for some modern things for the new baby--a rug for his room, a new high chair--and found Modern Tots. When in Brooklyn, you can check out the showroom here.

Alvar Aalto Stocking Stuffer

2007-12-22T07:36:00.000-05:00

Here's a good stocking stuffer for the modern fans in your life. Although I doubt this will actually fit in a stocking, this ice cube mold by Alvar Aalto will help your loved ones stay cool when the temperature heats up. You can also check out this site for more Aalto designs . Happy Holidays.

Nakashima Chair Returns

2007-12-17T23:39:00.000-05:00

Design Within Reach is the only store carrying Knoll's reintroduction after 53 years of George Nakashima's Straight-Backed Chair, which was designed in 1948. The chairs are $650 a pop. Check out the short video on Nakashima by Todd Oldham.

Midwest to Manhattan: Blu Dot Opens Store in NYC

2007-12-12T22:02:00.000-05:00

Blu Dot, the funky modern furniture company based in Minneapolis, has opened a the Dot Spot on the fourth floor of ABC Carpet & Home in NYC. It's Blu Dot's first store in the city. One of the company's founders, architect Charles Lazor, designed the Flatpack, which is part of the Dwell modern prefab home collection.

Celebrating Saarinen

2007-12-09T21:10:00.000-05:00

I just bought a Eero Saarinen Tulip coffee table for our den and I was reading more about the history of the design. I found the fascinating 1956 cover story Time did on Saarinen (just five years before he died) in which he gave his famous quote that the goal of the yet unfinished pedestal was to "clear up the slum of legs in the U.S. home." The Tulip Collection, which is now celebrating its 50th anniversary, was released to public in 1958 and took 6 to 8 weeks for delivery. So why does it take 16 weeks today? Anyway, check out this Yale University database of nearly 1,300 Saarinen-related photos and drawings.

La Crazy

2007-12-08T08:57:00.000-05:00

Isn't a little ironic that the Eames La Chaise originally designed in 1948 for MoMA's International Competition for Low-Cost Furniture Design now cost's more than $8,000? At the time of its design, it did not even go into production because it was too expenisve to make. It was first produced in 1990.

Celebrating Pierre Paulin

2007-12-08T08:41:00.000-05:00

To celebrate the French modernist designer's 80th birthday, the French Cultural Services and MoMA's Department of Architecture and Design is holding a free exhibit of Paulin's mid-century furniture designs through Jan. 25. You can find the exhibit in the Stanford White building at 972 Fifth Avenue (at 79th Street).

The Images of Julius Shuman

2007-12-06T23:07:00.000-05:00

Here's a good collection of iconic Julius Shulman images of mid-century modern architecture and a nice multi-media package on the photographer from PBS station KCET in Hollywood. I recently inquired about the price of this famous image of Case Study House #22 and was told it was $14,000 for a print. Snob, or no snob, that is a lot of cash.

Warm Up at Jetsetter Lounge

2007-12-04T18:50:00.001-05:00

With the cold and wind today, I was thinking about Florida--and the Jetsetter Lounge. If you plan on heading down to Palm Beach County this winter, check out Jetsetter in Lake Worth for some good food, cool MCM vibe and classic designs by Saarinen, Eames, Nelson and Noguchi. My wife and I had an especially good time hanging out after dinner in the lounge's Ball Chair by Eero Aarnio.

Dwell Does Modern Kitchens

2007-12-03T18:01:00.000-05:00

I've received a lot of questions about what to do for kitchens, especially in mid-century modern homes where the last updating might have been done in the 1980s. Here's a new resource for ideas: Dwell recently launched a Kitchen Blog. Eat your heart out, especially over that Poggenpohl-Porsche kitchen for guys. Now if I only had $80,000 for kitchen cabinets. Come to think of it, I would buy an actual Porsche for that kind of cash.

Posters Pay Homage to Classics of MCM Design

2007-12-02T21:00:00.000-05:00

Blue Art Studio has created colorful and cool (not to mention cheap) posters paying homage to the classics of mid-century modern furniture design from Alvar Aalto to Eva Zeisel.

Modern Twist on the Gingerbread House

2007-11-30T22:39:00.000-05:00

Tired of the traditional gingerbread house for the holidays? Not to worry. Red Envelope has created a mid-century modern version of the classic holiday treat. Palm trees and rock garden included.