This gem is from 1956!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
St. Ferdinand's (1956 midcentury church)
I loved the rather 30's 'fascist' lines of this church, near Belmont on the northwest side of Chicago.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
1958 MIRRO serving dish
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Starck building in Tokyo
Friday, May 29, 2009
Sputnik Table Lamp
I've obviously got a soft spot for 'vintage nuclear' inspired design. On another note, North Korea's clumsy, child-like posturing seems just as over-the-top and silly as a 1950's lamp. But the net results are quite different.
The best design, at first glance, seems strange and dangerous. The same qualities in a 'failed state' inspire panic. Truth be told, the 'Eames Era' was just as terrifying as it is now, though it was more under the radar.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Classic Art Deco Space
As I've said before, in my humble opinion, THE quintessential nadir of Art Deco, was the French liner Normandie. And the premier space on the ship was the 1st class dining room. Longer, and larger than the 'hall of mirrors' at Versailles, this room had more Lalique and Christophe than can be imagined.
I think the 'unsung' heroes of architecture, are Naval Architects. The Normandie, was the stylistic equivalent of the Chrysler building.....except that it was capable of traveling 35 miles an hour. Amazing
Thursday, May 21, 2009
1958 Cadillac Brochure
Monday, May 18, 2009
The future of our security?
Friday, May 15, 2009
"Ah.....Gee......thanks.."
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Yep, another crazy Jetson's lamp
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
A delicious, bleary-eyed utopia!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Tomorrow's Bathroom Today
Friday, April 10, 2009
Happy Easter Weekend!
Want to feel protected?
Monday, April 6, 2009
YSL Auction / Ingo Maurer Floor lamp / Alexander McQueen
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Speaking of David Bowie.....
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Time Warp
Zaha Hadid Paintings
Monday, March 16, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Art
My favorite 'contemporary artist' is Mark Tansey. Sort of an updated 'thinking-man's' Magritte.
Depictions of the complete absurdity of 'modern life' always appeal.
Also, scan back 50 years. Somewhat oblique/obscure, Belgian Surrealist Clovis Trouille (aside from having a wonderful name) provoked many debates with his images.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Hellish Times
Times are tough, and some people/governments appear to be evil to the core. I always liked Dali's 'Soft construction with boiled beans/premonition of civil war' from 1936.
Dali always seems to hover between 'in and out of fashion', but I think he 'got' the pain and carnage we inflict upon ourselves on a daily basis, in this surrealist masterpiece.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Philippe Starck cabinet
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Vintage sculptural lamp
Sunday, February 8, 2009
What is she thinking?
Squeaky Clean
Friday, February 6, 2009
Kitchen Faucet
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Beautiful Weapon?
Starck's iconic barstool......can be yours for roughly 5k.
It's a beautiful object that easily can be confused with some clandestine weapon. Turn it on it's side, and add a ramjet engine, and one could imagine it hovering over the mountains of Pakistan.
Form overtakes 'function' in a beautiful way. No wonder Philip Johnson loved Starck so much.
"Do you believe they don't have an atomic bbq yet!"
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Vintage travel posters can be beautiful, with simple, colorful idealistic images. I like this Air France poster from the 1950's advertising Lourdes.
It almost looks like the V.M. herself narrowly avoided getting clipped by the airplane overhead.
I wondered what an updated image might look like. With Bewitched's Endora making an appearance.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Design with an iron fist
Mussolini's EUR, the fascist city outside of Rome, was built in the 30's (and rudely interrupted by World War 2). 'Fascist Modern' at it's best. Esteemed Time Magazine art critic Robert Hughes, once called the 'square coluseum' the most frightening building on earth. I'm not sure about that, but having seen it 3 years ago, I know it succeeds in it's intent. Frightening intimidation. Reducing the spectator to a tiny participant.
I thought the whole EUR 'campus', looked like an incredible, beautiful, cemetery come-to-life.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Fashion As Stealth Technology
Thursday, January 29, 2009
London Power
I took this shot of the Battersea Power Plant in London a couple of years ago. (Immortalized on a 1977 Pink Floyd album cover).
The entire interior of this 30's building, which is huge, is an empty shell without a roof.
It really needs to be saved/renovated, much like the current Tate Modern museum, down the river Thames a bit.
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