In the store: Colorific

Much to our delight, we found recently came across some upholstered pieces that are a feast for the eyes. The two orange club chairs are part of a room vignette that includes lots of chrome and glass, a multi-colored abstract shag area rug, orange and yellow glass and an 8-foot orange fireplace.

Our newest piece is a 12-foot sectional sofa in bright red that has been beautifully reupholstered. I keep trying to figure out a way to smuggle this out of the store and into my house, but I get the feeling the SIL would notice.

Spring is the perfect season for this wonderful burst of color, which officially puts an end to the winter blahs.

The oft-ignored bench

Most people admire the George Nelson slatted bench, but it seems that the major seating oooohs and aaaahs are reserved for sofas and chairs. I think that's a shame, because there are some spectacular benches out there that deserve love too.

A quick search turned up benches by most of the major designers of the mid-century era. Enjoy!

Ebonized Nelson bench
treadwaygallery.com

Hans Wegner bench
worthpoint.com

Ib Kofod-Larsen bench
icollectantiques.com

Jens Risom bench
oneofakindantiques.com

Paul McCobb bench and cabinet
furniturefashion.com

Edward Wormley bench for Dunbar
1stdibs.com

T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings bench
pascalboyergallery.com

Knoll bench
1stdibs.com

Alvar Aalto bench
allmodern.com

Finn Juhl bench
modernity.se

Indulging my inner bibliophile

I come from a long line of unapologetic book hoarders. I was one too till I bought this house and sold all my precious tomes to Half Price Books before I moved...in an effort to simplify, simplify, simplify. I readily admit that I had every literature textbook I ever used in college, plus copies of out-of-adoption teachers' editions for every literature class I ever taught, not to mention the hundreds of novels, both hardback and paperback, I thought I could never let go, even though I rarely read fiction twice.

Since I started writing this blog, my taste in print has tended toward reference books, and I just bought five more a few days ago: Danish Modern by Andrew Hollingsworth, Collector's Encyclopedia of Metlox Potteries: Identification and Values by Carl Gibbs, Jr., Fifties Furniture by Leslie Pina, Blenko Catalogs: Then and Now by Leslie Pina and Blenko Glass: 1962-1971 Catalogs by Leslie Pina. Three of the five have already come in, and I just have to share some of the great images with you.

A must for any Metlox collector

 Freeform shapes: California Freeform, California Mobile, California Contempora

The fourth Freeform shape, Aztec

Navajo/Tempo shape

A feast for the eyes of any Danish Modern lover,
the cover showing a Niels Moller armchair and Arne Vodder coffee table

A unique sofa in burled walnut by Alfred Sjkot-Pedersen

Hans Wegner's CH318 table, Czech designed chairs
 and a Robsjohn-Gibbings chair

Rungstedlund sideboard and coffee table by Ole Wanscher

A Blenko collector's companion

Amazing blues

Spectacular decanters

Stunning simplicity

And the good news is that I still have two more books to look forward to...

In the store: Glass, glass and more glass

I'm a glass lover, so lately I've been in glass heaven. A buying trip turned up several great pieces, and then last weekend we had the opportunity to buy even more from a local couple that collects Blenko in a big way. How big, you ask? How about 1700 pieces collected over the last 7 years? That kind of big way.

Not only did we get some great pieces from them, but we got to pick their brains about Blenko. They've visited the factory, and they were lucky enough to meet Wayne Husted, the late Winslow Anderson and the late William H.Blenko, Jr.

In addition to Blenko, we got some Pilgrim and L. E. Smith that are also pretty, as well as some pieces we are still researching. Enjoy the color and sparkle of our new pieces.

Blenko cornucopia

Blenko dish

L. E. Smith bowl

Blenko owl

Blenko head

Pilgrim vase

Blenko water bottle

Blendo drink set

Bowl, unidentified so far

Candy dish, also unidentified yet

Gio Ponti

Giovanni (Gio) Ponti (1891-1979) was an Italian designer, architect and journalist. He studied architecture at the Politecnico di Milano. After completing his studies in 1921, he worked for two years as an architect and then took a position as artistic director of a ceramics factory.

During the course of his career, he also designed glassware, lighting, furniture and housewares. He was a professor or architecture and wrote a number of books on art, design and architecture.

In 1928 Ponti founded the design and architecture magazine Domus and remained its editor for many years. In 1933 he was a co-founder of the important Milan Triennale. The Pirelli Building is considered his architectural masterpiece, along with the Denver Art Museum. His best known designs are the Superleggera chair (1957) for Cassina, the glass and lighting he created for Venini (1946-1950) and the coffee machine he designed for La Pavoni (1948).

From ponti-gio.com

La Pavoni coffee machine
designmuseum.org

Superleggera chair for Cassina
cassina.com

Venini glass
antiquehelper.com

Venini glass
liveauctioneers.com

Chandelier
1stdibs.com

Distex lounge chair
icollector.com

Cane bench
treadwaygallery.com

White leather armchairs
center44.com

Display case
wright20.com

Executive desk
wright20.com

Rocking chair
1stdibs.com

Sideboard
icollector.com

Pronunciation Guide

I love a good trade

Back in February, I posted about my collection of Iroquois Harvest Time by Ben Seibel that I'm mixing and matching with pieces of granite gray American Modern by Russel Wright., and I mentioned that I might need a larger cabinet to store it in.

Yesterday I traded my SIL the blond glass front case it was in for a teak corner unit by Nathan. Almost all of the furniture we have in the shop is teak, walnut or rosewood, and we've been talking about setting up a small room vignette with blond furniture. Hence the trade, about which I'm saying yippee and other expletives of delight.

The cabinet fit perfectly in the corner of my dining room, and my china looks so much better in it than in the bookcase. I guess that's because, as the name implies, the case is for books...not china.  Here's the before picture:

Before

Now check out the after photos, and you'll see why I'm so happy with the trade. I finally have a proper place to display the china collection!

After

And more after

And a close up of the china in its new home