Modern Squash by Christoph Niemann (And The Originals On Which they Were Based)

Here's a little eye candy...er, vegetable, for you. I came across this fun image created by illustrator Christoph Niemann for the New York Times and wanted to share it with you, along with the originals that it represents.

The image features mid century modern furniture classics, architecture - even a famous architect in his iconic eyewear - by well known designers crafted from squash and gourds.

In case you are unfamiliar with the originals that inspired them, I have culled them for you here.

1. Hang-it-All by Charles and Ray Eames, 1953


2. PH 4/3 Lamp by Poul Hennigsen, 1966


3. TWA Terminal in New York by Eero Saarinen, 1962


4. Philip Johnson (1906-2005)

above portrait by Luca Vignelli

5. La Chaise by Charles and Ray Eames, 1948


6. The Egg Chair by Arne Jacobsen, 1958


7. The Swan Chair by Arne Jacobsen, 1958



Christoph is best known for his work for the New Yorker Magazine. You can see more of his wonderful work at his website here.

Vintage Eames Lounge Chairs and Ottomans Get Maharam Makeovers for Moss.

Three unique vintage Eames lounge chairs and ottomans are being offered as one-offs by New York's Moss Gallery. Dutch designer Hella Jongerius and Moss take the 20th century icon and re-interpret these now 'classic' and ubiquitous symbols of Modernism as part of a one-off collection of special upholstered pieces they are collaborating on with Maharam. Over time, Moss hope to create an expanding dialogue between Maharam's contemporary textiles and strong iconic works from Moss' collective object-history.


above: The Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

These rare, vintage Eames lounge chairs and ottomans are produced in Brazilian rosewood veneers, the original wood chosen by Charles and Ray Eames for the iconic chair when it was put into production in 1956. In 1992, Herman Miller ceased producing the chair in Brazilian rosewood due to a worldwide embargo on the endangered species.



above:
designers - Charles Eames and Ray Eames
design year - 1956
manufacturer - Herman Miller, USA
materials - Brazilian rosewood; aluminium; upholstered with Maharam Repeat Dot fabric (55% Cotton; 24% Polyester, 21% Rayon)

The third is another vintage Eames lounge chair and ottoman made with Brazilian rosewood and aluminium. Moss has upholstered this special chair and ottoman in 'Voyage' fabric, a rich blue wool produced by the renowned textile house Maharam. As with many of their textiles, the fabric is produced with reduced environmental impact and is 'Greenguard' certified for reduced indoor air emission.:


above:
designers -Charles Eames and Ray Eames
design year - 1956
manufacturer - Herman Miller, USA
materials - Brazilian rosewood; aluminium; upholstered with Maharam 'Voyage' (100% wool)

dimensions:
chair: 32.75" x 32.75", height: 32"
ottoman: 26" x 21.5", height: 17.25"

price for each:
$12,000.00
buy any of the three here


Maharam
Maharam, a fourth generation family-run business, celebrated its centennial in 2002. First renowned as a supplier of theatrical textiles, in the 1960s Maharam pioneered the contract textile concept, developing engineered textiles for commercial application. Though performance is an essential element of every product, Maharam continues to create innovative textiles through the exploration of pattern, material and technique.

Maharam pursues a holistic approach to design, embracing a range of disciplines as fundamental to its business philosophy; showrooms, graphics and accessories receive the same attention to detail as product design.

The Maharam Design Studio is responsible for the development of Maharam’s extensive textile collection, ranging from re-editions of enduring designs of the twentieth century’s most noted visionaries to fashion-forward concepts and materials. The Maharam Design Studio maintains a strong focus on new technologies and cultural markers, often finding inspiration beyond the textile industry, including collaborations with avant-garde industry outsiders. Conceived to foster an open dialogue across varied design disciplines, these collaborative projects also serve to introduce a fresh perspective and unexpected media into the world of textiles.

Maharam has textile designs in their collection designed by both Charles Eames (Dot Pattern) and Hella Jongerius (Repeat and Layers).




In the above book, Maharam Agenda, Maharam takes a holistic view of design, embracing a range of disciplines including architecture and interiors, furniture, fashion, accessories, graphic and digital media. The Maharam Design Studio oversees the cultivation of an extensive textile collection, ranging from re-editions of enduring designs by the twentieth century's most noted visionaries to textile-based collaborations with industry outsiders including Konstantin Grcic, Hella Jongerius, Maira Kalman, Bruce Mau, Jasper Morrison, Nike and Paul Smith, among others. The publication provides a comprehensive overview of the company's history, cultural markers and design projects. Abstracted product applications are featured through "Useless Objects," a collaboration with Jasper Morrison.

You can buy this first edition 2011 hardcover book here

The Walnut & Maple Wood Boxeo Desk by Cliff Young, LTD.

I'm just in love with this modern walnut and maple wood desk with polished stainless steel legs. The design, with it's floating top and drawers tucked beneath, remind me of the classic mid-century modern George Nelson floating top desks for Herman Miller, only in a more modern and streamlined version.





The 300-10PCK Boxeo Desk, Dimensions: 78"W x 30"D x 31"H

* Stained plain sliced walnut with satin finish. All maple drawer interiors. Polished stainless steel legs.
* Features: Four touch latch drawers.
* Fully customizable


Request price and availability here

About Cliff Young:

For over 40 years, Cliff Young Ltd. has brought to life an extraordinary furniture collection that tastefully combines modern day sophistication with the warm, inviting feel of old world craftsmanship. Designs inspired by our modern lifestyles, luxurious wood veneers, clean sumptuous lines, perfection of style and a cutting edge, incredible textures and finishes, an organic mix of materials. The underlying strength of a well-thought functionality, solid engineering, eco-friendly mindfulness.

Adding Comfort To Culture. Vitra Launches Fully Upholstered Versions Of Classic Eames Chairs.

The famous molded side and armchairs by Charles and Ray Eames, originally created in fiberglass in 1950, then made in plastic, now made of polypropylene, have become a little more comfy with the fully upholstered versions recently launched by Vitra.



The Eames plastic armchair (sometimes called the 'potato chip' chair) and the Eames plastic side chair, available in eight shell colors, are now offered with your choice of 13 different colors of Hopsak upholstery and black or white piping.

Hopsak upholstery colors for the armchair:


Shell colors for the armchair:


Hopsak upholstery colors for the side chair:

Shell colors for the side chair:


When you add these options to the base options (R-wire, wooden, X-base and La Fonda base, you get a large number of possible combinations. Casters are also available on the armchair.


above: the four base options for either chair and casters.

Black piping:

White piping:

Detail of black piping:


all images courtesy of Vitra.

You can purchase these upholstered Eames chairs from twenty twentyone or find a dealer through Vitra.

MADMEN Your Living Room! DWR & AMC Promote Season 4 With A Sweepstakes

If you're a fan of the AMC TV period drama about advertising, chances are you've already MADMEN-ed yourself. So, what to do next? How about a chance to MADMEN your living room?



In celebration of the much-anticipated fourth season of AMC's "Mad Men," the network and modern furniture store and company, Design Within Reach, announce a collaborative promotion to give one winner a chance to "Mad Men" his or her living room with a collection of new furniture that embodies mid-century modern aesthetics.


The Grand Prize is two pieces from DWR's exclusive Raleigh collection, the Skagen Coffee Table and Nesting Tables, and the Strata Rug, and the AJ Floor Lamp designed by Arne Jacobsen. (The winner may choose from in-stock fabrics and colors.)


colors and fabrics:


Four first place winners receive "Mad Men" Seasons 1, 2 and 3 on DVD.

Raleigh Armchair and Sofa:


Raleigh is a comfortable, modern collection that draws from mid-century Danish design. Wrapping around the back of this Armchair is a solid walnut frame that brings visual lightness and satisfying aesthetic tension to the design. The collection includes an 85" Sofa, Two-Seater 60" Sofa and Armchair, available in various colors.

Skagen coffee table and nesting tables:

Inspired by the mid-century designs of Arne Hovmand-Olsen, the walnut wood Skagen Table Collection (2009) includes this set of two Nesting Tables, as well as a Coffee Table.

AJ Floor Lamp:

Arne Jacobsen's AJ Floor Lamp (1960) echoes the oblique angles of his Series 3300 furniture, which included the Egg Chair and the Swan Chair. The heavy cast iron base of the lamp is a sloped wedge with a circular cutout that was originally designed to hold an ashtray and to maximize the lamp's functionality as a reading light, Jacobsen created a shade that tilts up or down, directing maximum light to where it's needed.

Strata Rug

The hand-knotted Strata rugs (2009) are handmade from wool using a technique that was inspired by a method for tying Tibetan knots. To create the structure of each knot, a stainless steel rod is temporarily placed along the width of the rug. The yarn is then wrapped around the rod, knotted and then wrapped again, with the process continuing for the entire length of the rug. The quarter-inch pile height won’t interfere with the opening and closing of most doors. The manufacturer is a member of Rugmark, the global nonprofit organization fighting to end child labor and improve educational opportunities for children in India, Pakistan and Nepal.
Available in various colors.



"Viewers of 'Mad Men' are already fans of the elegant, iconic furniture on the show, so a promotion with AMC was a natural for us," says DWR President and CEO John Edelman. "We are passionate about modern design, whether it's a contemporary take on mid-century lines, such as our Raleigh and Skagen collections, or original designs licensed by the manufacturer, like the AJ Floor Lamp by Arne Jacobsen, legendary creator of the Egg™ Chair."

Now through August 4, the "Get the Look of Mad Men" Sweepstakes is promoted in every Design Within Reach retail location, in more than 50 stores throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Visit dwr.com/madmen to enter the sweepstakes and to view the complete Official Rules.


The season premiere is on Sunday, July 25 at 10pm EDT/CDT.

Bruxe X Uranium Tiny Little Chairs Pendants Now Available!

There was much brouhaha a few months back when the news first broke that Bruxe Design of Montreal would be pairing up with Uranium to create modern chair classic pendants. Now, the first five charming three dimensional casts of mid-century modern chairs are finally available for purchase online.

I must confess, I was disappointed to see that the gold was only 10k (however, you can order custom versions in 14k, 18k, 24k and even platinum). They cost a little more than I was hoping they would, but they are still incredibly lust worthy. And finally available.



Tiny Little Chairs is a series of collectible pendants celebrating mid century design. Each pendant represents a vintage chair which revolutionized furniture production and the design process (however, you'll notice, they couldn't use the actual names of the original chair designs by Eames, Saarinen, and Mies van der Rohe).




The designers of this era have forever changed the way we interact with design objects and their harmony within of our home, office and environment. These miniatures allow you to wear your love and appreciation for these pioneering designers and their iconic objects which continue to be benchmarks for today's designers.

The first series consists of five chairs (all shown below), The Scoop Chair, The Dining Chair, The Work Chair, The Bent Chair and The Pavilion Chair, each offered in solid gold, silver or bronze.


The Scoop Chair (modeled after the Eames Fiberglass Shell Chair):

SCOOP CHAIR - 10K GOLD $700.00
SCOOP CHAIR - BRONZE $180.00
SCOOP CHAIR - STERLING SILVER $230.00

The Dining Chair (modeled after the Eero Saarinen Tulip chair)

DINING CHAIR - 10K GOLD $500.00
DINING CHAIR - BRONZE $140.00
DINING CHAIR - STERLING SILVER $180.00

The Work Chair (modeled after the Eames Time Life Chair)

WORK CHAIR - 10K GOLD $1,250.00
WORK CHAIR - BRONZE $270.00
WORK CHAIR - STERLING SILVER $350.00

The Bent Chair (modeled after Eames LCW Chair)

BENT CHAIR - 10K GOLD $600.00
BENT CHAIR - 925 STERLING $200.00
BENT CHAIR - BRONZE $160.00

The Pavilion Chair (modeled after Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Chair)

PAVILION CHAIR - 10K GOLD $1,600.00
PAVILION CHAIR - BRONZE $340.00
PAVILION CHAIR - STERLING SILVER $500.00

Buy them here.