Pierre Balmain Pierre Balmain was born in 1914 at Saint-Jean de Maurienne in France. His father was in the drapery business and his mother ran a fashion boutique with her sisters with the name, Galeries Parisiennes. He started early by studying architecture at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts while also doing drawings for the designer, Robert…Continue reading Fashion of the 50s and 60s (Part 3)
Month: July 2015
Lesser Known Designers (Part 3): Vladimir Kagan
Vladimir Kagan was born in Germany in 1927, but emigrated to the US with his parents in 1938 as the result of the rise of fascism in that country. He started out with an interest in painting and sculpting, then went to the School of Industrial Art where he graduated in architecture in 1946. He…Continue reading Lesser Known Designers (Part 3): Vladimir Kagan
20th Century Art: Andy Warhol
When doing an Internet search for “Andy Warhol” the resultant list is most likely to include many images of the artist himself. Much like Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol (1928-87) was addicted to media attention, even if that attention required perverse or bizarre behavior. This is a pattern followed today of the insane, stupid (or combination…Continue reading 20th Century Art: Andy Warhol
Lesser Known Designers (Part 2)
The Australian designer, Grant Featherston (1922-95) is unusual in that he was self-taught, with a wide range of experience in design. Inventive and unique, his constructions are without the theoretical baggage that many academically trained designers many times carry. Like another famous design couple, Grant’s wife Mary completed a dynamic duo that finished a wide…Continue reading Lesser Known Designers (Part 2)
Store for Modern Furniture
Modern Furniture, Modern Furnishings, & Modern Lighting | YLiving
Lesser Known Designers (Part 1)
Sven Ivar Dysthe is a Norwegian designer especially known for the 1001 Armchair from 1959. His designs are firmly in the trend of Scandinavian furniture designs, mainly wood and fabric, sleek and mainly rectilinear. Many of his designs fulfill a commercial function in that they are expandable to sofas or quite amenable to use in…Continue reading Lesser Known Designers (Part 1)
A Clockwork Orange Comparison
Mannerism and A Clockwork Orange Film is unique among the arts. Compared with the lyrical cave paintings of Lascaux or Altamira, film was invented only yesterday, its influences are those entirely of modernity. More significantly, the art of film-making is not the exclusive province of artisans employed by aristocracy, but the domain of artistic republicanism, relying on the…Continue reading A Clockwork Orange Comparison
Kitchen 2025 or Edison’s 1930 Casa Elettrica?
Extremely interesting article about concept kitchens. Ikea looks to the future much like Edison did back in the 1930s. Are You Buying Ikea’s Concept Kitchen 2025? First You Need To See Edison’s Casa Elettrica 1930 – ForbesLife
MCM Groovy News 7 – 14 – 2015
NEWS Forbes At MoMA, Midcentury Architect Frederick Kiesler Shows What You Really Should Want In A Smart … Forbes … Kiesler exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art. A prototype was to be erected in the museum garden. Kiesler made preparatory drawings and models, … Curbed National 3-Bedroom, 1.5 Bath Mies Van Der Rohe Townhouse, $249K…Continue reading MCM Groovy News 7 – 14 – 2015
Tiny House, Andrea’s (Due to Popular Demand)
Tiny House, Andrea’s Due to many requests after viewing Tiny House, Miley’s, I am presenting a different design, also based on the square. More in line with the International style, this model is rectilinear with large round windows. It could easily be adapted to large areas of glass rather than expanses of painted walls and…Continue reading Tiny House, Andrea’s (Due to Popular Demand)
Modern Architectural Forms of the Mid Century (Part 2)
Modern Architectural Forms of the Mid Century (Part 2) In the previous part, Frank Lloyd Wright organic architecture was examined. His philosophy was deeply intertwined with his ideas on society and culture. However, Wright was not the only architect to advocate organic architecture. Below is a list of organic architects: Alvar Aalto Arthur Dyson…Continue reading Modern Architectural Forms of the Mid Century (Part 2)
Tearing Down Mid Century Modern Buildings in NYC
Here is an interesting article on suggestions to tear down what some call insignificant “copies” of architecturally important buildings. Report Suggests Demolishing Unsustainable Mid-Century Skyscrapers in New York
Mid Century Modern News
Are We No Longer Mad for Mid-Century Modern? The medicine cabinet seemed to be precisely what my friend Gretchen Siemers was looking for at the Long Beach Antique Market. The lighted, chrome-mirrored piece was priced around $75, a true bargain for a mid-century piece in near-mint condition. Well-Preserved Mid-Century Modern With Pool in Westchester Asking…Continue reading Mid Century Modern News