Sigvard Bernadotte

Sigvard Bernadotte (1907-2002) was the son of a Swedish king, but he lost his title when he married his first wife and subsequently was given the title of count.

He studied ornamental arts and stage design and at first did theater work in Berlin. However, he was impressed with U.S. industrial designers Henry Dreyfuss, Raymond Loewy and Walter Dorwin Teague, whom he met in the early 1930s, so he redirected his talents into design.

Before starting his own design office in Stockholm, he worked with Acton Bjorn in Copenhagen. Their partnership resulted in the first professional industrial design office in Denmark. He and Bjorn designed for Odhner and Rosti, as well as Facit, Nils Johan, AB Husqvarna Borstfabrik, Bang & Olufsen and Pressalit. Bernadotte also designed for Rosenthal and for Georg Jensen, with whom he had a lifelong contract.

He became one of the first important industrial designers in Sweden, creating many of the country's early iconic designs. Moreover, his office trained and launched the careers of many later Swedish designers.

From hammersby.com

Armchairs
1stdibs.com

Armchairs
fajka.net.pl

Rocking chair
1stdibs.com

Sideboard
lauritz.com

Bowls
svenksdam.se

Picnic set
auktionsprisbanken.se

Can opener
kcomposite.com

Vacuum pitcher
royaldesign.se

Flatware
liveauctioneers.com

Facit TP1 typewriter
oztypewriter.blogspot.com

Another Eichler in San Rafael

A exceptionally beautiful 4 bedroom/3 bath Eichler has recently gone on the market in San Rafael, California. This spacious 2118 square foot home has beam ceilings, walls of glass, working radiant heat, a large foyer and kitchen, and a beautifully landscaped yard. The house is listed at $915,000.

From eichlerforsale.com

Weekend thoughts: Intent

The move back to Deep Ellum

A recent article on the D Magazine site begins:

Sometimes simple ideas are the best ones. It’s not a path that Dallas often follows. But there are some developers who are beginning to see that maybe the best way to make Dallas a great city is by tweaking what we already have.

If you read my post yesterday about our opening a new store, you'll realize that, on a personal level, those words describe our thinking about moving back to Deep Ellum. What we had there was simple and good. All we're going to do in the new store is tweak that a little.

Interestingly and not coincidentally, the D Magazine article is about the boom Deep Ellum is poised to experience. Developer Scott Rohrman bought up 27 buildings and 13 parking lots in the area and is in the process of transforming the neighborhood. His plan is to create a pedestrian-friendly urban destination that will attract locals and visitors alike..,one that respects the history and the 100-year-old architecture of the neighborhood.

Deep Ellum was developed in the late 1880s as one of the first commercial districts for African Americans and European immigrants. The neighborhood still boasts a number of historically significant buildings, one of which was designed by William Sydney Pittman, Texas's first black architect and the son-in-law of Booker T. Washington. 

However, Deep Ellum was best known as a hotspot for jazz and blues, hosting musicians the likes of 

Blind Lemon Jefferson, Huddie “Leadbelly” Ledbetter, Texas Bill Day and Bessie Smith. From 1920 till 1950 cafes and nightclubs dotted every block of the area.

By 1956, the neighborhood began to suffer. Streetcar service ended, as many people had cars and had headed to the suburbs. By 1969, a large section of the area was obliterated by Central Expressway, and Deep Ellum was in serious decline.

A group of young artists and musicians moved into Deep Ellum in the 1980s and 1990s, and in 2009, a light rail station connected the area with downtown, bringing even more visitors back to the neighborhood. Now, Rohrman's project promises to give Deep Ellum a chance to experience its best days yet.

And Mid2Mod is going to be right in the middle of it.

From dmagazine.com and deepellumfoundation.org

Harlem Theater - Deep Ellum
dallastxlofts.com

vodamagazine.com

Proposed pedestrian alley through old radiator factory
dmagazine.com

Proposed outdoor seating
dmagazine.com

razedinmilwaukee.com

Same song, second verse

Some things never change.

My SIL, daughter and I started Mid2Mod as an antique mall booth in early 2010 but decided after about six months that the mall scene wasn't for us. We figured that meant giving up being vintage furniture sellers too, so we spent two grueling days selling off all our inventory in a garage sale. We hadn't even finished counting the money from the sale when my SIL turned to us and said, "Tell the truth. Don't you miss it already?"

Within a few weeks, my SIL had quit his job, leased our first storefront, and we were open for business. The store grew...and then it grew some more.

With the move to the Design District, we began to sell almost exclusively to designers and other dealers, and while that allowed for high-end sales, Mid2Mod had grown into a business, rather than an adventure. Selling to people who were excited about finding the perfect pieces for their own homes had been a lot more fun.

For a year or so, my SIL had been kicking around an idea for a different type of store...a modern lifestyle store, rather than a furniture store. He envisioned offering modern housewares, accessories, clothing, and books, in addition to vintage modern and new modern furnishings.

However, that would entail moving the store back to an area with more foot traffic, so it seemed easier for him to devote his time and energy to buying vintage modern furniture and selling by appointment instead of having a traditional store. Relaxed pace, nice trips, no set schedule...sounds good, right?

You'd think so, but after closing the store, it only took one big picking trip to Colorado and a return truckload of great pieces before he called me on the phone and said, "OK, maybe I'm crazy...but tell the truth. Don't you miss it already?" And, just like the last time, I admitted that I did.

Having a brick and mortar store can be addicting, and sometimes you simply can’t get it out of your system. This time, though, we think we've come up with the perfect solution…a store that my SIL will operate on Wednesday through Friday, giving him ample time for long distance buying trips...an employee to run the store on Saturdays and Sundays, allowing more family time...and sales by appointment the rest of the week.

We’re excited to announce our plans to open Mid2Mod: A Modern Boutique in the next few weeks. We’ll be back in Deep Ellum, just a few doors down from our previous location there. The space has been leased, and we’re in the process of painting walls, installing fixtures, selecting vintage modern pieces to showcase, and choosing the perfect vendors for a great variety of modern products.

Hot damn, we're having fun again!

Back to historic Deep Ellum

Future home of Mid2Mod

For kids: Caranica rocking horse

A number of mid-20th century designers created toys for kids. One of my favorites is the rocking horse designed by Gloria Caranica, a graduate of the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. She had just gone to work for Creative Playthings when she came up with this simple rocking horse in 1965.

From brooklynmuseum.org

1stdibs.com

1stdibs.com

Fifty years from now: Noriyuki Ebina

Noriyuki Ebina (1958- ) is a Japanese designer specializing in high-end furniture. He graduated from the Tokai University department of design in 1982. He then started his design career with Kenmochi Design Institure.

In 1987 he moved to Hokkaido and to work on the design staff of a furniture company, opening his own studio in 1992 to provide design services for many of Japan's leading furniture producers.

He won the Gold Prize at the Hokkaido Northern Industrial Design Competition in 2003 and the Silver Leaf Prize at the International Furniture Design Competition in Ashikawa in 2002.

His designs have been called "where Japan meets Denmark," and his work will undoubtedly be valued fifty years from now.

From condehouse.com and yamatoya-jp.com

Issa table lamp
kozaimodern.com

Lounge chair and ottoman
my-pleasure.dk

Sofa
design-note.com

Drum dresser and stool
jesunico.com

Coat rack
loopto.com

101 Spring Street, New York

While researching a post on Donald Judd, I ran across an interesting article on the Design Observer site about the residence and studio he maintained in New York City, even after he had moved permanently to Marfa, Texas.

The article included an essay written by Judd in 1989 about the history of the building designed in 1870 by Nicholas Whyte. Not only is the essay a fascinating read, but the photographs by Elizabeth Felicalla are beautiful.

Images from designobserver.com

Library

Studio

Kitchen

Bedroom

Weekend thoughts: Emergence

How designers live: Marc Newson

I really enjoy the videos from the web magazine Nowness featuring the homes of top designers. My new favorite is about the London home of Marc Newson and his family. Newson's wife is a fashion designer, and he admitted that their tastes and opinions are not always the same. Nevertheless, they have created an elegant space that works for them and for their young daughter.

Filmmaker Matthew Donaldson has captured not only home's character and beauty, but he also captured the essence of Newson's love for his daughter, which is an added bonus.

Don't be content to look at these screen shots. I think you'll enjoy the entire film.

From nowness.com

Ready Made Curtains

Yesterday I posted about the extraordinary designs of the Bouroullec brothers. As much as I like their furniture, I'm absolutely enamored of their Ready Made Curtain kits. Modern curtain rods are difficult to find, and these are not only modern but unique as well.

The kits come with 2 rectangular wooden hanging mechanisms, 9 peg-style clips, just under 200 inches (500 cm) of cord, and a 118" x 55" (300 cm x 140 cm) curtain in your choice of two non-fraying fabrics by Kvadrat that you can cut to size and hang without hemming. Both fabrics come in warm white, red, pale blue, and dark blue. Extension kits containing the same sized curtain, 1 wooden center support and an additional 9 pegs are available.

You simply attach the hanging mechanisms to your wall, attach the cord and adjust the tension by turning the handle on the rectangular hanging mechanism. Once the clips are attached to the curtains, they hook over the cord.

mocoloco.com

I think this is such a clever alternative to traditional looking curtain rods, and being able to have instant window treatments without pulling out the sewing machine is a real plus.

And look...there's the elegant L'Oiseau bird peeking out from behind the curtain. That's another Bouroullec design that's been on my Quest List for quite some time.

Still images from kvadrat.dk

Pronunciation Guide