6.29.2005

Hans Wegner CH 07


Known as "the three-legged shell chair" or just as "the shell chair", it was designed by Danish architect Hans Wegner in 1963. Although Wegner joined with Arne Jacobsen, who designed the Series 7 stacking chairs we have with our dining table, and others to design the furniture for a city hall in 1940, I find much of his furniture overly traditional. The CH 07 is obviously a different story. It's available from Carl Hansen & Son in leather, fabric or solid maple.
To me it looks like a bird about to take flight. Or like a little scurrying animal. Which means it's perfect for our apartment.

6.28.2005

The Aalto vase:



Once I had this beautiful, classic vase designed by Alvar Aalto for the World's Fair in Paris in 1937. Supposedly, this vase (which comes in several different sizes and glass colors) is based on sketches made with the intriguing pseudonym “The Eskimo Woman’s Leather Breeches”. However, the word "aalto" is Finnish for "wave," so maybe it is just meant to invoke his name.
I loved having this vase. It looked quite nice on one of our end tables with two white candle holders that evoked the smokestacks of ships. But then one early morning the cats knocked it to the floor and it shattered. I miss that vase.
Now, I want a replacement.

6.15.2005

Futura Cufflinks:


Another pair of cufflinks I recently spotted. These stainless steel ones are ingenious— they just press into place. Of course they are designed by a Swedish company, Simplicitas. "Simplicity based on intelligent solutions" is the logo of the company. Cool. You know, I just can't get enough of all things Scandanavian (well, except for all the herring and meatballs).

6.14.2005

Grid Cufflinks by Jill Morton

I am back from my business trek to New Orleans, and while it wasn't nearly as painful as I imagined, the best part was as expected: Staying at the W Hotel New Orleans.
In one of my very few spare moments I flipped through the W The Store catalog (which is always left in every room) and found these very cool British cufflinks made by a designer I've never heard of. I love the various shades of blue.

6.01.2005

Nambe's Aurora vase:



Just because Briar had to use her blog as a space to complain about my love of vases and claim that it has a deep, Freudian implication, I have chosen to highlight another vase I covet.
This vase was designed by Fred Bould, who studied industrial design at Carnegie Mellon, my father's and grandfather's alma mater (also the alma mater of Jamie, our very favorite carpenter/wood worker/designer, who built our bookshelves, closet, baby changing table, etc).
Nambe makes beautiful items that look like scultpure. The company is devoted as passionately to form as it is to function. Louis Sullivan— who coined the phrase "form follows function"— would be proud.