"Less is Better"

In September, my husband and I sneaked away to San Francisco a weekend away from the reality of everyday life. He had never been to the SFMOMA, so we spent the morning and afternoon there and discovered The Design Ethos of Deiter Rams. Deiter Rams has spend the better part of his life developing a products for Braun that embody a "less is more" ethos. Catnip to design addicts like me and the spouse.

The exhibit itself is comprehensive. All manner of everyday electronic and electric devices are represented. Although, I had mixed feelings about recognizing some objects from personal experience (am I really that old?), it was cool to see the evolution of both design and technology as devices shrink, design simplifies and technology expands exponentially.

The walls of the exhibit are marked with quotes from Rams. I shot a few that resonated with me. See if they inspire you.

 

Modern furnishings don't have to be complex to be interesting.

A Well-Loved Stacking Stool

Recently, I adopted this well-loved classic stacking stool at a local estate sale. The wood is in dire need of reconditioning and I'm riding a confidence high from my latest reno project, so I'm confident I can do this one on my own.

The photos don't do it justice. Believe me. It looks worse than the image reveals.

 

Despite the aged wood, the original fabric is in good condition. This is an opportunity for preservation. Re-examination of the past does not always require drastic change.  

This piece will be offered for sale...if I don't screw it up.

Stay tuned for the final result and more modern furniture.

It's A Danish Mixed Breed

 I needed some chairs for the kitchen table. It was a chance to experiment with MCM and I was up for the challenge.

I was after a Danish Mixed Breed, must be comfortable enough to hang out and linger with a cup of coffee and a friend or two. Fabric must be indestructible.

Danish modern dining chairs as discovered. They came from an estate consignment that included many top name pieces. That said, John, resident expert and proprietor of Moderne had never seen anything like it, nor did he have any information about them.

The chairs are more air than chair and they had stiletto legs.
   I had to have them.



I wanted black patent leather, but ultimately the seats were re-covered in white faux crocodile pleather. Why? Because it's f-ing cool, it's unexpected (meaning it's not some boring grey or green wool blend) and my kids can't destroy or stain it.  

 

The result.
I love it.

However, I have received less than enthusiastic responses from 2 separate MCM dealers. One reaction was polite, but nonplussed. The second opinion came from a dealer in Southern California named David Somethingorother. I was trying to buy 3 more similar chairs from his website, so I sent him a quick image of the renovated chair.  After telling me they had no pedigree (duh), he shared his opinion that I paid too much for the renovation, that they looked like they were from Pottery Barn (that's just spiteful) and that I had basically ruined them. Thus ended the sales negotiation.

Bottom line: I still need 3 or 4 more chairs. Similar in style, and yes, I will renovate them as pictured here. Clearly, they will not be coming from El Segundo. I am inclined to limit my interstate commerce to NorCal at this point.  

  

The legs are not teak, so I had no guilt about the black stain. Well, OK I had some residual guilt, but they weren't teak in the first place so I let it go.



The backs of the chairs look great with our red steel kitchen table.

  

So they aren't some fancy brand name and they had humble beginnings, but that doesn't mean that MCM can't be chic and fun anyhow.

Highballs, anyone?

One of the first vintage items to catch my eye were cocktail glasses. My grandparents had several sets from the 1960s and to my child's eye, the color, shapes and sheer exuberance of an everyday item made every drink special. Well, that turned out to be a blessing and a curse because if you appreciate a good vessel as much as a good quaff, a combination of the two can lead to a hangover of monumental proportion.

Back in the day, Granddad's highball was Jim Beam and 7UP with a few cubes to chill and tinkle. Not for me these days, but don't let that stop you from enjoying a tall cool drink in a swanky glass. I swear Pellegrino and lime tastes better in a glass with a couple of gold leaf amoeba.

I'm on the look out for some fabulous sets and I'll add them here as discovered. If you don't own one yet, get one. Then send me a shot of you tipping back for the blog. We can start our own online cocktail society.

Mid-Century highball glasses. A wedding gift from R and LC and sentimental favorite.

 

Gold rims are so swanky.



Mid-Century Mixology 101

A great vintage cocktail mixer duo.



San Francisco Tourista Highball Glasses.




State themed juice glasses. Not strictly cocktail, but what the heck, why not?




A single lager flute. This belonged to my grandfather. Note the especially manly Greco-Roman wrestling motif.





Field Trip To Again and Again

I took a field trip to the Design District today. My mission: to troll 2-3 shops for MH candidates. Leslie Pritchard's Again and Again took first place with the following gems. I had the delight of meeting Leslie and David today and look forward to seeing them often.

Fabulous white lacquer Asian influence credenza. It's on hold. Congratulations to the lucky winner. It's beautiful and very reasonably priced.



Black and white Asian cabinet. If it were up to me, I'd find lacquer it vermilion or bright green.

 

A pair of brass candle holders. You can't have them. I bought them



A pair of MCM swivel chairs. They are pretty beat up, but the mechanism is good. These are in the running for the MH treatment.

 

Profile of the swivels.



Squatty MCM chair. I've never seen one like it, and baby, I like it.



Pair of MCM lamps. And they're red, so I'm a big fan.



MCM traditional arm chair at White Elephant Antiques. An absolute MH contender. This one may end up as an ode to Jonathan Adler. I see orange fabric with white piping and high gloss white legs.



Another gem at White Elephant. There's a large and small size. They have a lovely patina and a glamorous mirror accent. I'm not sure who operates this stall, but you have fabulous taste. Email me and introduce yourself.

Care to view some more Modern Furnishings?

February 1st. Seventy Degrees in Dallas.

Unbelievable. It's a perfect seventy degrees here in Dallas. Winter is no where to be found this year. It's a strange Fall/Spring hybrid here. I'm not complaining. It inspired the fantasy shopping spree at Design Within Reach featured below.

I'm leaving my office and heading out into the sun.

I encourage you to do the same.

 

Check out some new examples of modern furnishing!