The Wire Leg Table
Available in 3 different shapes (and multiple sizes), the Wire Leg Table is a great choice if you’re looking for something that feels minimal yet has a strong presence. The Wire Leg Table achieves this with its delicate looking metal legs that support a 1.5″ H reclaimed teak wood top.
The Wire Leg Table is available as… Read more
Designer Spotlight: Chloethiel Woodard Smith
Chloethiel Woodard Smith (1910-1992)
Birthplace: Peoria, Illinois
Notable Works: Harbour Square (SW Washington), the National Airport Metro Station, the Waterview Townhouses (Reston, VA), and “Chloethiel’s Corner” (the corner of Connecticut Avenue & L St. NW)
Chloethiel Woodard Smith was an American architect and urban planner whose career was centered in Washington, D.C. She designed many commercial, government and residential projects are the metro area and was influential in proposing a national museum to celebrate buildings and architecture. That building became the Pension Building which was renovated and continues to house the National Building Museum today. By 1967, Smith ran the largest female-run architectural firm in the United States.
Emily Ehrens, a Design Clique reader and TTR Sotheby’s International Realtor, just recently informed us that an original Cloethiel Woodard Smith home is now on the market in Bethesda, MD.
For more images and information, read below!
Designer spotlight: Charles and Ray Eames
Charles Eames (1907-1978) and Ray Eames (1912-1988)
Birthplace: Missouri and California (respectively)
Herman Miller Products: Eames molded plywood chairs, wire chair, molded plastic chairs, chaise, executive chair, lounge chair and ottoman, aluminum chairs, walnut stools, molded plywood coffee table, desk, wire-base table, elliptical table, dining and low table
With a grand sense of adventure, Charles and Ray Eames turned their curiosity and boundless enthusiasm into creations that established them as a truly great husband-and-wife design team. Their unique synergy led to a whole new look in furniture. Lean and modern. Playful and functional. Sleek, sophisticated, and beautifully simple. That was and is the “Eames look.” That look and their relationship with Herman Miller started with molded plywood chairs in the late 1940s and includes the world-renowned Eames lounge chair, now in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Their own concepts evolved over time, not overnight. As Charles noted about the development of the Molded Plywood Chairs, “Yes, it was a flash of inspiration,” he said, “a kind of 30-year flash.” With these two, one thing always seemed to lead to another. Their revolutionary work in molded plywood led to their breakthrough work in molded fiberglass seating. A magazine contest led to their highly innovative “Case Study” house. Their love of photography led to film making, including a huge seven-screen presentation at the Moscow World’s Fair in 1959, in a dome designed by their friend and colleague, Buckminster Fuller. Graphic design led to showroom design, toy collecting to toy inventing. And a wooden plank contraption, rigged up by their friend, director Billy Wilder for taking naps, led to their acclaimed chaise design. A design critic once said that this extraordinary couple “just wanted to make the world a better place.” That they did. They also made it a lot more interesting.
(image and bio via hermanmiller.com)
“Art by the Yard” at The Textile Museum
The Art by the Yard: Women Design Mid-Century Britain exhibit opens May 15, 2010 and runs through September 12, 2010. The Textile Museum sites says:
The art of textile design changed radically after World War II as Britain was transformed from a country devastated by war into an optimistic consumer society. Three women designers were pivotal in this artistic revolution: Lucienne Day (1917- 2010), Jacqueline Groag (1903-1985) and Marian Mahler (1911-1983). Incorporating dramatic saturated colors and bold motifs inspired by artists like Alexander Calder and Joan Miró, these young designers transformed the market by inspiring elegant yet affordable product lines that brought the world of contemporary art into everyone’s homes.
Art by the Yard: Women Design Mid-Century Britainwill showcase the work of these groundbreaking women designers, highlighting the work of Lucienne Day, through the display of textiles together with preliminary drawings and collages, ceramics and period furniture, all drawn from the Jill A. Wiltse and H. Kirk Brown, III Collection of British Textiles.
Where: The Textile Museum | 2320 S Street, NW Washington, DC 20008
Etsy find: Jason Hill Design
We stumbled across the Jason Hill Design Etsy shop and just had to stop when we saw these screen prints of two Knoll mid-century modern classics – the Tulip chair and the Bertoia diamond chair. Great size, great colors, great gift!
Spotlight on: Florence Knoll Bassett
Born (Florence Schust) in 1917, Florence was just 15 years of age when she began spending summers in Finland with world renowned architect Eliel and Loja Saarinen. While a young student at the Kingswood School on the campus of the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Florence Knoll Bassett became a protegée of Eliel Saarinen. Read more
Knoll introduces “knoll kids”
Knoll now has a full line of children’s furniture, including seating and tables. The sizes of many popular Knoll pieces such as the Mies van der Rohe Barcelona chair and Eero Saarinen Womb chair have been reduced to suit a new clientele, the Knoll kid. Available in many of the Knoll fabrics (which include a number of very durable, easy to clean options), these pieces embody Knoll’s commitment to quality and modern design.
“While this is Knoll’s first foray into the children’s industry, these new offerings embody the modern design aesthetic and superior level of quality for which the brand is known”, said Senior VP, KnollStudio Liz Needle. “We believe the launch of knoll kids will set a new standard in the children’s modern furniture industry.”
Look what we found! #2
Stumbling upon Cherie Lester’s work inspired us to check out what other mid-century inspired work we could find on Etsy. Our second fun find comes from Nouveau Designs. Their Bertoia chair series cards are great!
Inspired by the chairs designed by Harry Bertoia, the series of cards showcases three variations. Images were created by digitally manipulating photographs of the Diamond Chair, Bertoia Side Chair and Bertoia Bar Stool. Each chair is set against a bright, saturated background. The cards, printed on thick textured cardstock, are 4.25″ x 5.5″ when folded.
Great for personal notes or to gift to your mid-century-loving friend.
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