Spaces: No-name room

Since renovations to the house are ongoing, I don't have any final full-room photos to share...and may not for a while. In the next few posts, I thought I'd show you a few corners, walls, and nooks and  here and there throughout the house.

These shots a room between the formal living room and the family room/dining area. We haven't decided quite yet whether to make it an office or a breakfast room. but for now it holds some of our favorite things.

My Remploy dropfront desk, full of pewter and silver treasures

Frank Lloyd Wright brass picture, vintage gooseneck lamp,
Bitossi bird, studio pottery, mid-century "flash cards,"
and various Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian pewter and silver

My daughter's vintage camera, Carstens floor vase,
and repro George Nelson clock

A favorite Ib Kofod-Larsen chair

Corner built-ins with some favorite Scheurich pottery,
Festivo candleholders, Frankoma pieces, along with
 vintage glass beaker and mortar and pestle
from my grandfather's drugstore

Bright spots and silver linings

If you've followed this blog for long, you probably know that I love the Easy Chair design by Ib Kofod-Larsen. Knowing how much I've dreamed of owning one, my SIL split the pair he had in the store and made sure my dream came true. (He's a keeper, I tell you!)

He also gave me a beautiful Italian vase, a Frankoma bowl and a huge art glass bowl that I've long admired. While I was loading up my goodies, my sweet daughter gave me two of her amazing Fabpats as a house warming gift. I was delighted and touched by their thoughtfulness.

The next time you see all these beautiful things, they will be in my new modernist nest. Till then, they reside in the temporary train wreck we call our home.

Yes, this is my life. Handbags stacked in the corner...because I sold the chest they were stored in. A box of extra lighting fixtures waiting to be sold/returned, topped by a steamer that needs to be used on our kitchen floor. (Toddlers are a lot messier day in and day out than they are when just staying with Grammo for a few hours.) Boxes of IKEA Expedit pieces waiting to be assembled. Disconnected cable box and Roku...because I sold the TV they were attached to. Bathroom lavatory in a box waiting for countertops. Displaced Eames rocker waiting for a new home. Pictures to be hung in the new apartment...and one to be sold without a frame, since it was knocked off the wall by a worker who was removing boxes of flooring from my bedroom.

Casting a glow over all this mess and giving me hope...my new Kofod-Larsen chair, Fabpats, bowls and vase.

To each his own

If you've followed my blog for any length of time, you know I have a serious thing for these shell chairs by the Danish designer Ib Kofod-Larsen. We have painstakingly restored three pairs of them, and they've all been breathtakingly beautiful.

Mid2Mod Set #1

Mid2Mod Set #2

Mid2Mod Set #3, currently listed on V&M

I love the rich wood, the wonderful nubby upholstery, the subtle sheen on the iron legs. So you can imagine my reaction when I saw these:

To add insult to injury, here's how the dealer described them:

Mid Centuty <sic> "Eames" Chair
USA
Mid Century
Funky mid-century "Eames" lounge chair in black upholstery and reed <sic> lacquers <sic> wood.

It looks as if someone hit the frame a quick lick with some flat black paint, threw some cotton fabric on the seats (which appears to be fraying underneath) and slapped some red paint on that gorgeous wood.

Now don't get me wrong. I know I'm not the sole arbiter of good taste, and I'm not completely against painting furniture. I realize that there are some pieces that have been too badly abused and are too far gone to restore, and I know some people like "funky"...but this broke my heart.

Tell me it will be OK...that someone will love them and give them a good home, in spite of the fact that they've been tarted up like Julia Roberts before her makeover in Pretty Woman.

In the store: Hoop it up!

Displayed proudly and prominently in the store is a fully restored set of hoop chairs by Ib Kofod-Larsen. These beauties have been refinished, reupholstered and even have a new set of fagas straps, so they're as good as brand new...better, in fact, because they're deliciously vintage.

Hoop chairs by Ib-Kofod-Larsen

Have I mentioned how much I love Kofod-Larsen design?

Déjà déjà vu

No, you're not seeing triple. I know you've already seen two other set of these on my blog, but we found our third pair of Ib Kofod-Larsen Easy Chairs.

For some reason, we seem to be Kofod-Larsen chair magnets. We may subconsciously seek them out because we're so crazy about them. Or it may be that our love for the design is so strong it draws them to us. Whatever the reason, we're quickly becoming the go-to store if you're looking for them. The other two sold as soon as we put them on the floor, so if things run true to form, these will be snapped up in no time.

When we found them, someone had upholstered the gorgeous seats...and backs...in a nondescript pale green. To me, the backs are what make these chairs stand out, and to cover them with fabric was a sacrilege. We had them restored and refinished in a dark ebony stain, and now they're stunning again. The fabric we used for the seats is a favorite of ours that we used on the first pair we sold. It's a nice neutral tan shot with black threads and just a bit of brick red and moss green. Its nubby texture works well with the smooth back and iron legs.

Set #3

The fabric we used (from Jo-Ann's)

Here are the other two sets we've sold. One of these days, I'm going to keep a pair for myself. I love, love, love these chairs, not just for their looks, but also because they're incredibly, ergonomically comfortable.

Set #1

Set #2

In...and on...the store: New signage and sittage

We got the new door/window signs installed.  The ones we had at the old store were on the inside of the glass, and the company we went with this time said they could only make signs with clear backgrounds that install inside. While I think they look fine, my SIL doesn't like them, so these are coming down as soon as he can order new ones from the company we used before.

Our main sign will be on the new awning we're having made. I'll post photos of that when it's finished.

New store signs

We added four more chairs to our inventory...two fully restored Ib Kofod-Larsen chairs exactly like the ones we had a few months ago, only this time with orange nubby upholstery fabric instead of a neutral. They provide a beautiful pop of color. (I used my new air stapler when I recovered the seats, and it was fantastic! More about that later.)

Ib Kofod-Larsen easy chairs

We also have a pair of Eames La Fonda chairs, which were originally designed for the La Fonda del Sol restaurant in New York that was decorated by Alexander Girard.

Charles and Ray Eames La Fonda chairs 

Additionally, we completed our Fabpat wall. We've hung a sample of the prints and colors available both in the brick and mortar store and in Jenn's Etsy store. Stay tuned for exciting news about Fabpats being featured on fab.com.

Fabpat wall

In the store: Dine, shine and wish-they-were-mine

As a result of another out-of-state picking trip, more new pieces have been added to our inventory this week. My SIL found a great dining set, a shiny little Lucite and glass side table and another pair of Ib Kofod-Larsen chairs.

The dining set looks somewhat like Broyhill Saga, but it's not. We haven't started trying to identify it yet, so if you know the designer/maker, please share.

The pair of Kofod-Larsen chairs we sold a few months ago were so beautiful after we had them refinished and reupholstered that we can't wait to start looking for fabric for these two. We haven't decided yet whether to have them done in the same dark finish as the other ones or go a little lighter. That will probably depend on our fabric selection. I'm sure, just like last time, I'll be sad to see these go. I love the design, and I wish I had a place for them in my house.

Mid-century dining set

Lucite and glass side table

Ib Kofod-Larsen chairs

One last look

2011 was a great year for Mid2Mod. We opened our brick and mortar store, as well as an Etsy store. We have bigger and better things planned for 2012, which we'll be announcing very soon, but even as we move forward, I'm giving one last admiring glance over my shoulder at some of the pieces I would have been thrilled to bring home for myself.

I actually considered buying a few of them, but my SIL and I have the clear understanding that if he offers me the super-duper MIL rate and someone comes in willing to buy a piece for the full price, they take it home. The standing joke is that we're in business to make money, not to decorate my home. (Trust me, the same rule applies to things my daughter wants for their home!)

Here's my countdown of the 10 items in our store in 2011 that I loved most...the ones that got away.

10. C. Jere' Trees Metal Wall Art

9. Salterini Outdoor Chairs

8. Danish Lounge Chairs

7. Packard Bell Space Age Stereo

6. Teak Room Divider

5. Paul McCobb Northcraft Lamp

4. Ib Kofod-Larsen Shell Chairs

3. Alvar Aalto Paimio Chair

2. Adrian Pearsall Gondola Sofa

and the one I wanted most...

1. Richard Schultz Daybed for Knoll

Even though I would have loved to own these beautiful pieces, I want to thank the customers who bought them and let you know that we appreciate your business. I am certain all the pieces went to wonderful homes where they will be treasured and handled with care.

You look so familiar: Part 4 - Shells

The wrap-around back, the concave seat...whether they're made of molded plywood, metal or upholstered with wood or metal frames, these chairs all seem to take their cue from the Børge Mogensen shell chair designed in 1949 or the Hans Wegner chair designed in 1952. The legs may vary widely, and there may or may not be arms, but the contours remain quite similar.

Just as these shell chair evolved from the design of earlier molded plywood chairs, so will some of these shell chairs inspire design elements in other styles.

Børge Mogensen shell chair, 1949
danish-furniture.com

Hans Wegner shell chair - 1952
craigvandenbrulle.com

Ib Kofod-Larsen shell chair - 1950s
1stdibs.com

Maurizio Tempestini for Salterini - 1950s
trocadero.com

Hans Olsen - 1957
visavu.nl

Pierre Paulin for Artifort - 1959
edition20.com

You look so familiar: Part 1 - Tall legs, wraparound arms

Ever notice how designers have freely "borrowed" design elements from each other over the decades? I'm not talking about fly-by-night manufacturers or hack designers who generally get our upturned noses. I'm talking about well-known designers with impeccable reputations whom most of us revere.

I decided to examine lookalike chairs, and what I found most interesting was how one designer borrowed a seat idea. Then another copied a back or a pedestal or an arm. Before long, one chair design morphed into the next, so that it was hard to draw clear lines between categories...and sometimes between designers.

For the next few weeks, I'll feature some of the distinct lookalikes, as well as the specific design elements that have shown up frequently over the years. It makes me wonder: How many ways are there to design a chair, really? Why do some people dismiss Burke tulip chairs as mere knockoffs while celebrating the designs of Robin Day (one of my favorites), such as the last chair below that bears just as strong a resemblance to Wegner's The Chair?  Is there anything new under the sun, when you get right down to it? And are we designer snobs?

Note: For a more in-depth look at the topic of actual knockoffs/reproductions from the point of view of a collector, from a manufacturer and from the heir of a designer, you can read a three-part post I did about the article "Is It Real?" from Jet Set Modern in February and March of this year.

Tall, Skinny Legs and Wraparound Arms

Hans Wegner The Chair - 1946
danish-furniture.com

Ib Kofod-Larsen - 1956
glo-1stdibs.com

Neils O. Moller - 1958
treadwaygallery.com

Robin Day for Hille - 1960s
twentiethcenturyretro.com

In the store: Danish twist on the shell chair

Ib Kofod-Larsen alert!!!  I did a post about the Danish designer and architect back in June, and now we have added two of his signature chairs to our inventory. These are his shell back chairs with metal legs, which were rightfully dubbed the "Easy Chair."

These are some of the most beautiful chairs we've ever had in the store. They are truly top-notch.

Close-up of chair back

Close-up of upholstery

Vanishing art

Most of us are so accustomed to firing off a quick email from the computer at our utilitarian desks that we forget people in the mid-Twentieth century sat at exquisitely crafted pieces of furniture and composed letters by hand with elegant instruments called fountain pens.

I hope these beautiful desks, along with a glimpse of an extremely rare Parker T-1, will inspire you to pick up a pen and write a note to someone you love.

Images from 1stdibs.com unless otherwise noted

Extremely rare titanium Parker T-1
fastcompany.com

Arne Vodder

Bullet-shaped Danish teak, designer unknown

Edward Wormley

George Nakashima

Hans Wegner

Ib Kofod-Larsen

Jens Risom

Kidney-shaped Danish with tambour doors, designer unknown

Milo Baughman

Nanna Ditzel

T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings

Vladimir Kagan

Walnut desk with tambour doors, designer unknown