A creative dumping ground for issues that interest me personally and professionally, with the thought they may interest you too. Issues such as the business of design, the design of business, the design of objects, design strategy, creative direction, innovation, creativity, thought leadership, observations, as well as recommendations, mid-century modern decorative arts and architecture, and the state of my thinking (and currently the state of my heart).
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
1958. Like today, but better. And without twitter.
Can you imagine? A time when you had no idea what your friend was thinking of having for dinner. No Twitter in 1958, but somehow people found a way to function. In fact, they actually spoke to one another, not just at each other. And they spoke to each other in person! Yes, they had them over for dinner in each other's homes, and played cards. Those were the days.
ThisAintNoDisco is a brilliant site (and soon to be book) allowing agencies to flaunt their interior workspaces. I only now heard about the site via Rule29's space submission (my uncharacteristic lateness to the game is a result of more than a little social media burnout). Votes elevate the submissions into subcategories of best looking and most popular, and the site's simple blog like interface makes browsing and drooling a breeze.
A great inspiration if you're looking to spruce up the place, or a downer if not. (I warned you).
I noticed a great deal of vintage sprinkled in and around the IKEA and CB2, which leads me to believe thrift is the new black.
Photography is a hobby, and today I had a chance to shoot a few pieces of Jubilee Furniture's current inventory that caught my eye. If you haven't been there recently, you should. Susan, Dave, Connie and all the other great people at Jubilee put in a lot of work to keep the donations streaming through, and a few new business relationships with impressive local big name companies have made the prospect of getting interesting new donations a reality. Judging by today's inventory, I am personally excited by how this may make things really interesting. For those who trust my eye and thrifting skills, understand that Jubilee just got even more interesting. As these partners deliver new furniture all across Chicagoland, the old stuff they remove (sometimes in like new condition) will end up at Jubilee.
I didn't take a ton of photos, but check out the stuff that caught my eye.
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Lushpad: Steelcase Stow Davis Continuum Series Chairs
Lushpad is an amazing Mid Century Modern marketplace, and tonight I tried it out for the first time. For sale are 11 amazingly mod Stow Davis Continuum Series chairs by Steelcase. They have deep dark wood and original upholstery, and would look awesome in a design or photography studio, or similarly modern interior. If you know anyone who might be interested, send them to my first listing in what I hope will be more to come.
Those who've followed BarryBlog, especially through the three years of rather regular postings from Fall 2006 until Winter 2008, know that I have a rather informed design eye, combined with a consistent thrift store routine, which gives me a great deal of opportunities to find important design items at thrift store prices. As an example, one afternoon I came across a rare Olivetti Praxis 48 typewriter by famed designer, artist and architect Ettore Sottsass. Just to rub it in for my fellow thriftsters, it was $4.99. It just so happens that Sottsass is one of my long-time favorite designers, since I cut my design teeth in the late 80's, right about the time Sottsass founded The Memphis Design Movement. During this formative time in my young design career, Memphis was at full stride and had influenced the design thinking of Mark Johnson and Lauren Ciesa at JCI (JohnsonCiesa) – the design firm where I worked at in East Lansing Michigan. During this time, the bold, whimsical colors and shapes where a complete departure from the bland work being done in Corporate America, where the archetypal color combination was burgundy and grey. Lauren always sprung for great office lighting, modern decorative arts and high end furniture, and that passion for well design items made a lasting impression.
Though Sottsass’s iconic Valentine typewriter has eluded me, I do have a couple other fine examples of his work in the form of the Olivetti Lettera 36; Olivetti Lettera 32; and Olivetti/Underwood 319. The Praxis 48 is among my most prized items in my growing collection of important design. I keep hoping I will come across a piece of his incredible pottery, but that would surprise me considering they routinely go for $5,000 on up.
So this afternoon, savoring a newly sore throat and achy body, I came across this great Sottsass film by his last collaborator, Enesco Corporation. Ettore’s design fire was not extinguished until his death at the ripe old age of 90.
If you have any stories of Sottsass, or have any of his design work in your collection, do share it here.
I am not certain if these last two recent posts are a sign of things to come, but for some reason I am feeling the desire to contribute, and realize how I still have plenty to add to the conversation. We’ll see.
So I am messing around with new apps a bit, trying to cut my teeth with design that moves, and in this case, grooves. This is just a one-off test using my various mid century modern housewares, furniture, and things I sell on etsy. Well, a small disclaimer...I have a ton of things yet to post on the CUR8TOR Shop. Stay tuned. And give me some feedback. I can take it. Rather...I can delete it.
I just completed a new set of images to help my friends at Jubilee Furniture in Carol Stream IL document a bunch of new furniture donations they called me about. You may have heard of them before. These cool new vintage furniture pieces may be available via Apartment Therapy Chicago's classified ads, or via Craigslist, or at the Carol Stream store...I'm not quite sure yet. Suffice it to say there is some SWEET mid-century modern furniture goodness to be had, when they are ready to go. They are still pricing these items. Stay tuned.
Attention anyone who loves furniture in general, especially that with a rich history: I created a new Flickr home for all the vintage furniture images I have scattered throughout my various Flickr sets. The slideshow is here. It's fun and convenient to see everything in one place. Most of the images reflect my taste for mid-century modern, but there's a real mix here.
Illustrator Bob Staake is amazing. I've always enjoyed his work and wished I owned a piece of his art. But as I was looking through my Mid-Century Modern results in compfight (which I have mentioned before), I stumbled across one of his Flickr sets called Poster Palooza! Amazing Mid-Century European Advertising Posters. Slideshow here.
His Poster Palooza Flickr set description it says...
A gallery of imagery, graphics and designs sure to inspire anyone who truly appreciates and understands the history of the advertising poster. The European 'poster aesthetic' of the mid-20th century continues to influence countless illustrators, designers and visual artists -- and this sampling of iconic, awe-inspiring images shows why so many of us remain unabashed poster fanatics.
Saturday I popped into one of my local thrift stores and walked out with a gem. It's a Himark Air Coffee Pot, dated 1978, and designed by Saltera. I have no idea who Saltera is yet, but plan a second try later to find who this designer is.
The graphics are really cool, and quite elaborate. The coffee pot appears to be lightly used or possibly never used, and it is rather flawless, which is a bonus.
It was 1/2 off, so the $3.00 price tag is in fact a $1.50 purchase.
Recently I was emailing back and forth with a Flickr friend who has an amazing eye and fortune for all things thrift shop. We spoke about how often people misuse the word "modern" when they are describing something "new" or "now." But I believe it's worth clarifying that "Modern" really has more to do with design approach than time. Dieter Rams designed products in the 1960's which are nearly 50 years old now, and yet are all considered modern today. They are also retro and vintage.
Apartment Therapy recently featured a great post on eco-friendly furniture. Now Sarah follows up, listing all the environmentally conscious wood furniture that's been featured on AT in the past. What a great resource. She lists sustainably harvested, recycled, and second-hand wood in her line up, and in so doing, highlights Jubilee Furniture as a place to find "second hand solid wood."
For me, "vintage used" Mid-Century Modern (and older) has always been a favorite choice for hunting, researching, collecting and usually just admiring. There's something about "the hunt" for this stuff that makes it rewarding and worth repeating. The late thought leader Rob Roy Kelly does a nice job of shedding light on collecting, as he describes in detail what it means to him. For non-hunters and non-collectors, this article might explain where your collector friends are coming from.
I appreciate Sarah's article. It reminds me of how cool it is to reuse stuff. Especially when doing so achieves refreshing, unintended and inspired results. And for me, like Rob Roy Kelly, finding and researching these articles is often more enjoyable than buying. Many times I just take a picture so I can research it later without having to buy. That's fun too.
As background for those of you who have not heard of Jubilee Furniture in Carol Stream, the word got out several weeks ago through the generous help of a few bloggers I contacted for help, and by the images I took of the items there. I hoped my blog friends and contacts would share the news about Jubilee, and boy did they. Apartment Therapy, Nicole at Making it Lovely, Jess at Howaboutorange, ToKissTheCook, and others– they all got the ball rolling big time. Since then many have ventured out to Carol Stream for themselves, and some continue to blog about their experiences. I even saw some recent chatter on Domino Magazine's website. Some found deal of a lifetime, while others came up empty. And some really gave Jubilee high praise calling it "This trip may have been our best thrift store experience ever." I'm continually surprised every week by what's been donated from the week before. I have begun to see some of the same new faces there every weekend, which is cool.
Now that Jubilee is on the map so to speak, they have a need for more furniture donations. There's something satisfying about reusing and helping the environment, and an even better feeling knowing donation of furniture to Jubilee will help people who are shy on cash for whatever reason, and by knowing their profits go to the greater good. So if you or anyone you know is looking to donate something, call Jubilee and see if they can help. Dave and Susan can be contacted at 630.337.1467.
This is a set of images I took to continue to improve as a photographer and also as we prepare to open our etsy store and eBay some items to raise money in continued preparation for our adoption. If you want to see any of the images larger, click the "link" button in the pictobrowser interface. Some of the portrait/vertical shots get lost behind the pictobrowser interface.
During the last month or so I have been using one of these in my home office, and you know what? The Knoll Pollack chair is really comfortable. Time permitting, I may attempt the extra research on designer Charles Pollack as I have Warren Snodgrass in the past, to find out what went into the thinking and the design of this wonderful chair. I already discovered Pollack worked with George Nelson's office and went to Pratt. If I find out more, I'll share that here.
Worth note is the very 70's Retro upholstery. It has really grown on me when you consider my penchant for a late 50's, mostly 60's interior, decorative art and furniture look. I am sure the current 70's collectors will enjoy the look.
Introducing my newest thrift furniture finds – two fixed height Herman Miller Eames Aluminum Group Soft Pad Management Chairs (pictured above), plus it's big brother, the Soft Pad with swivel and adjustable height (not pictured). I picked them up this weekend. The big brother is my new home office chair, the two fixed height chairs will be on eBay soon. I also bought a Herman Miller Eames Aluminum Group Soft Pad Lounge Chair at a garage sale last year for $10. My crib is starting to look a bit like a Herman Miller showroom. Here's to hoping some day I'll find a classic bent ply lounge chair and ottoman at a garage sale!
All three of these new chairs from this weekend have just 4 legs–the most vintage and desirable configuration that thanks to OSHA in 1990, all changed to 5 leg versions. 4 leg versions are no longer made. Aside from my original Eames Time Life chairs, which will also be on eBay soon, these chairs are second to none. And don't forget my work chair.
I often wonder what the dot-com Aeron chair is like. Though not vintage or classic looking enough for me (like the Aluminum group), I understand it too is an awesome chair.
Spin through the photos above. They were taken for a variety of reasons. For one, I am using my Canon Digital Rebel 300D more and more, and this was more practice. Secondly, much of these shots are for use as I go to sell this stuff. Not all, but some. And last, these photos are just plain fun to look at, and a big portion of BarryBlog readers respond to posts I have about such things. Plus, and perhaps the most important reason to me, and the reason I started BarryBlog in the first place, is because I'm enthusiastic about craftsmanship, charm, and innovations of the past, and so I share these mostly vintage treasures so you can appreciate them as well.
Tangible proof I finally coordinated getting these bad boys from the warehouse to my house. Seven in total. A sneak peek into a recent entry into my string of mid-century modern furniture, collectible and decorative arts good fortune. Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce to you the Herman Miller Aluminum Group Executive Management Mid-Back Work Chair, or Time Life Chair– "BarryBlog Edition." Buy one for yourself at a store near you...coming soon.
Grab some goods if you're a Eames nut like me. I threw together a t-shirt design which you can customize to your heart's content. Or send some postage in style. To be frank, these items are crap. But I wanted to experiment with Zazzle, set up a store, work the back end, and see how the process goes. Yes I received my brown long-sleeve T and yes it rocks the house. Hanes Beefy-T to be exact. So now I'm familar with how to do this when we may need this for work, to create a couple one off designs for my wife and I, or when we want to make some extra cash. Whatever. Let me know if you want a shirt. I'll go in to the back end and lower the %. I really marked it up. But hey, all proceeds (zero and counting) go to my wife and my El Salvador adoption fund.
Quiet, sleepy, Carol Stream Illinois (a suburb of Chicago) is home to an amazing vintage, mid-century modern, retro and gently used furniture market so secret, that, well, I finally decided to put my greed aside to help them get the word out. For months now on Saturday's only,Jubilee Furniture Companyhas opened it's doors at 9 am – the exact time I show up. For months I've had practically unfettered access to all this incredible and ever changing furniture and collectibles. A smorgasbord of vintage and retro items that sell for at or below garage sale prices. I kid you not, I've found Vitra, Steelcase, Herman Miller, Weiland, Knoll, Kimball, d_SCAN, Haworth, AllSteel and a ton of older American and Danish lines there. I blogged aboutmy SteelcaseWarren Snodgrass474419W Encore Series guest chairsthat are in the Museum of Modern art a few weeks ago. Each Saturday a new selection awaits at Jubilee.
You see, during the week, Jubilee accepts furniture donations, as the whole concept is to assist individuals and families in need throughout the suburbs through this ministry called Community Outreach. All proceeds from the Jubilee Furniture mart go to this worthwhile cause.
So why do I ask you to help me get the word out when I could continue my cherry picking under the radar, so-to-speak?
Well, each week I've noticed they've not had adequate resources and people to get the word out as they would like. Consequently, the place does an "okay" business, while the vintage gems go largely unnoticed (except for by me of course). Since the market is a ministry, I feel a call to help them. Especially as you consider they are a bunch of spirited, friendly, energetic and hardworking folk, and I know that they would oh-so-appreciate your help in spreading the word.
I spent 45 minutes there recently and took all the photos you see at the beginning of this post with my Canon Rebel 300D.
The yellow, low flourescent lighting at Jubilee is practically non-existent, but this dark, dusty, huge warehouse is what I find so charming. It's not polished; it's not pretty—a distinctive that may in fact be it's charm. While it provides really affordable furniture to a community in need, it's also a diamond in the rough for collectors and dealers.
Let me know what you think about my photos, and if you have any questions just ask. I've volunteered there a couple Saturdays in the past and am tight with the two full time staff members, Dave and Susan. They're located on the corner of North Avenue (64) and Schmale in Carol Stream. Jubilee can be reached at 1-(630)-337-1467. Susan just told me that they are now opening on Fridays, too, from 3pm - 8pm. And always Saturday 9am – 4pm.
I appreciate your help spreading the word. Tell them BarryBlog sent ya'.
A creative dumping ground for issues that interest me personally and professionally, with the thought they may interest you too. Issues such as the business of design, the design of business, the design of objects, design strategy, creative direction, innovation, creativity, thought leadership, observations, as well as recommendations, mid-century modern decorative arts and architecture, and the state of my thinking (and currently the state of my heart).
Senior Art Director publishing; Follower of Christ; Boxing fan (and one time promoter); Collector of mid-century modern furniture, decorative arts and housewares.
