Mid2Mod: Greta Grossman

Showing posts with label Greta Grossman. Show all posts

Monday, March 24, 2014

Greta Grossman home

Greta Grossman, designer of beautiful furniture, also designed houses in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas from 1949-1959. One of these was her own home in Beverly Hills. It was designed in 1948 and was originally 1500 square feet.

In 2009 the structure was expanded to 3171 square feet. Architect Tony Unruh worked with the owner to preserve the original Grossman aesthetic.

Here are several photos of the home. If you'd like to see more, check out the full Midcenturia article.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Room screens

I love room screens. I've never been able to figure out why I'm so fascinated by them, but I've worked them into my decorating scheme on and off...sometimes successfully, other times a little clumsily...ever since I had my first apartment.

Screens require the right type of space, as well as the right amount of space, in order to fit seamlessly into a room. Otherwise, the look seems contrived. But when they're well designed and placed in just the right spot, they're magical.

Screen by Greta Magnusson Grossman for Glenn of California, in situ
r20thcentury.com

Greta Magnusson Grossman screen
wright20.com

Eileen Gray in her rue de Bonaparte apartment with a Block Screen
designmuseum.org

Eileen Gray Block Screen
pedrosilman.com

Eileen Gray Block screen in white
1stdibs.com

Eames folding plywood screen
designquest.biz

Eames folding plywood screen
1stdibs.com

Alvar Aalto room screen
bonluxat.com

Alvar Aalto screen
1stdibs.com

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Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Greta Magnusson Grossman

Greta Magnusson Grossman (1906-1999) was born in Helsingborg, Sweden and remained there until she completed a woodworking apprenticeship in the late 1920s. She received a scholarship to the Högre Konstindustriella Skolan, where her focus was on furniture, textiles and ceramics.

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