In 1934 she and classmate Erik Ullrich opened Studio, a store and workshop in Stockholm. That same year, she married jazz bandleader Billy Grossman and immigrated to America. As soon as she arrived, she opened a shop in Beverly Hills, where she sold her designs, as well as Swedish imports. She is probably best known for the furniture and fixtures she designed for Glenn of California, but she also worked with Sherman Bertram, Martin/Brattrud, Cal-Mode and Modern Line, Inc.
In 1947 Grossman began designing exclusive pieces for Barker Brothers' Modern Shop and taking interior design commissions. A line of lamps she produced for Barker Brothers' was included in the Good Design exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Grossman designed at least fourteen homes in Los Angeles between 1949 and 1959, as well as one in San Francisco and one in Sweden. Her work was featured extensively in John Entenza's Arts & Architecture magazine, as well as in numerous international exhibitions. She worked on several projects with famed landscape architect Garrett Eckbo.
Grossman taught industrial design courses at the University of California Los Angeles and at the Art Center School in Los Angeles. She retired from design and architecture in the late 1960s.
From modernsandiego.com and r20thcentury.com
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| 3-disk coffee table midcenturia.com |
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| Bar set stylehive.com |
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| Coffee table icollector.com |
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| Credenza tumblr.com - claudineise |
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| Coffee table 1stdibs.com |
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| Desk for Glenn of California icollector.com |
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| Sideboard 1stdibs.com |
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| Brass and walnut coffee table for Glenn of California deconet.com |
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| Grasshopper floor lamp icollector.com |
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| Cobra table lamp hauslondon.com |
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| Table lamps retrotogo.com |
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| Grossman residence - Leucadia, California modernsandiego.com |
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| Grossman residence - Leucadia, California homedsgn.com |
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| Greta Grossman portrait modernsandiego.com |
I love how the front elevation of Greta's home is so simple and unassuming, and the back is so wow-wee look at me fancy, view-tastic. Her earings are lovely too (and take a look at that diamond!)
ReplyDeleteI thought the same thing about her home. From the front, you'd never guess what beautiful surprise was waiting in the back. I had also noticed the jewelry. Another wow-wee! I guess jazz bandleaders could buy their wives some sizable rocks!
DeleteI'll take the boomerang coffee table, the credenza and the matching orange lamps. *heheh*
ReplyDeleteOK...that will leave the sideboard and the Grasshopper lamp for me. :)
DeleteLove all the designs! What a talented woman! Thanks for the post...
ReplyDeleteShe certainly was talented, and she deserves to be more widely known.
DeleteThat desk just blows me away! I wonder who that "Glen of California" is?
ReplyDeleteI'm also loving that credenza, the contrasting black works so well with the wood.
I plan to do a post in the near future on Glenn of California. I think many of my readers will enjoy seeing the furniture that the company produced.
DeleteHer house looks spectacular. Dana there was an article about her in the Los Angeles Times on Oct 27, 2012. I have it sitting on my desk! There is a small show at the Pasadena Museum of California Art that recently opened. I have been meaning to run up to it (about an hour or two away), but won't get there for a few weeks. I'll take a lot of pictures (as usual). I can be your West coast reporter! Yes, I would like the Glen of California post. They mention them toward the end of the article.
ReplyDeleteI think there has been a resurgence of interest in Greta Grossman. I look forward to seeing your pictures!
DeleteTripod lamp, earrings, diamond yes please!
ReplyDeleteAll that and more!
Delete