Wednesday, December 30, 2015

REMEMBRANCE: 5 iconic mid-century designers we lost in 2015

This year, it seemed as though nearly every time I picked up the New York Times,
I found an obituary for a luminary of mid-century design.
So many of these artists designed products that have become an integral part 
of our interior landscapes -- from Irving Harper, 99, designer of the iconic 
Marshmallow sofa, to prominent Modernist architect Michael Graves, 80, 
creator of the wildly popular Alessi bird-whistle tea kettle.

Five of these design greats are noted below.

Irving Harper
Harper designed for George Nelson Associates from 1947 to 1964.
He has been described as "the greatest American designer
most people have never heard of." Harper's many
behind-the-scenes creations were exhibitions at the 1939 and 1964
World's Fairs in NY, department store interiors, furniture and clocks.



Harper's Marshmallow sofa and "atomistic" ball clock and
"hang-it-all rack", considered modern classics,
are included in the design collections of MOMA/NY
and the Smithsonian.

For his own amusement, Harper designed fantastical paper and balsa wood
sculptures, which he would never sell.

“I had all the money I wanted. If I sold my pieces, I would have lost 
my sculptures and just had more money.”

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Sarah Little Turnbull, pictured at work in the late 1930s

An editor of House Beautiful from 1942 to 1958,
she was a design consultant to dozens of major American corporations
including Coca Cola, 3M, DuPont, Elizabeth Arden, Motorola and NASA.
She also taught industrial design at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. 
Ms. Little, as she liked to be called, traveled the world constantly, 
seeking inspiration from nature and anthropological studies; 
this inspiration led her to invent new designs for furniture, 
cookware, storage systems, packaging, car interiors, toys, 
              food and fabric. She died at the age of 97, 
after an illustrious 65-year career.
°     °     °     °     °     °     °
Whenever I see a headline like

"Designer who Gave Soy Sauce its Graceful Curves Dies at 85"

I know there has to be an interesting backstory.

And so it is with Japanese industrial designer (and former monk) Kenji Ekuan.
He designed not only the ubiquitous dispenser bottle, but also the
the Komachi bullet train connecting Tokyo and northern Japan, 
and the Yamaha VMAS motorcycle.

photo of Ekuan taken in Tokyo, 2004


Ekuan's red-capped, teardrop-shaped soy sauce bottle is
the most widely distributed Japanese design item in the world.
It is included in MOMA's 20th century design collection.


Komachi bullet train


                                                                                                 Yamaha VMAS motocycle

"Design to me has always meant making people happy. 
Happy in the sense of creating items that provide comfort, convenience, 
function, aesthetics and ethics."

Here's an NPR interview about Kenji Ekuan with 
MOMA design and architecture curator Paola Antonelli

°     °     °     °     °     °     °


Industrial designer Jacob Jensen, 89,
employed a sleek, minimalist approach that came to exemplify
the Danish modern style. He is best known for creating stereo systems --
turntables, amplifiers, tuners and speakers --
and other electronic equipment for the Bang & Olufson company.


Left:
1973 Bang & Olufson turntable



Jensen's streamlined, highly stylish designs in brushed stainless steel
created a whole new aesthetic for home entertainment systems.
MOMA/NY devoted an entire exhibition to his work in 1978,
and a dozen of his designs remain in the museum's permanent collection.





                                                                                                         The classic Jensen wristwatch

°     °     °     °     °     °     °

Michael Graves, one of the most storied and prolific American architects 
of the late 20th century, designed more than 350 exuberant buildings around the world,
including many for the Disney company, numerous private residences, veterans' housing, libraries, museums, schools and hospitals.
He was perhaps best-known, though, for the whimsical bird-whistle tea kettle 
he created in 1985 as part of a line of housewares for Target.



The tea kettle that charmed the world

Graves was associated with the New York Five, a group of prominent Modernist architects who achieved cult-like success in the 1970s. He loved working with color, and
became an advocate for using more of it in the design of hospitals and
health centers. "It's not there to get you well, but to make you smile and 
think life is not as bad as that operation you had," he said. 

     The Portland Municipal Building, Oregon, 1982

St. Coletta of Greater Washington, D.C.
A school for students with multiple disabilities and autism


Coffee pot with built-in night light

For a revealing Washington Post article about Michael Graves,
link here.
                                                                  
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    °     °     °     °     °     
 °     °     °     °  

 °     °     ° 
farewell    


     

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

EXHIBITION: Graphic Passion: Matisse and the Book Arts

 
Running now through January 18, 2016,
the Morgan Library in New York is presenting
a joyous and colorful show of book art by Henri Matisse.
These works include cover design, page layout, typography, 
ornament and lettering by the modern master.


Between 1912 and his death in 1954, Matisse was involved in nearly 50 book 
illustration projects. Thirty of these masterpieces are on view for the first time in this landmark exhibition, which explores "the decisive role book production played in 
Matisse’s career. He planned these publications with his characteristic vigilance 
and zeal, seeking a perfect fusion of image and text."

Above and below:
Matisse magazine covers for Verve,
an artistic and literary quarterly published 1937 - 1960 


                                                                 Below: this quilt was inspired by a Matisse book cover.
                                                                 
For more information about the exhibition, visit the Morgan Library's website.

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

HOLIDAYS: We wish you a retro Christmas ♫✫*¨★.¸¸.✶★¨`♫

What could be more old-time Christmas-y than Bing Crosby crooning on the record player,
and sputnik ornaments hanging from the tree?




... not to mention, all over the living room ...


                                                                                                   ... or in department store windows?
                                          (These giant glass baubles are by Dale Chihuly, at Barneys in NYC.)

 It's time to pull out all the stops, light-fixture-wise.
If you're a collector, now's the time to put them all on display.


 Dinnerware, usable once a year.

I love this silver aluminum tree with turquoise baubles.
A warning, though: NEVER hang electric bulbs from
an aluminum tree. They're a serious fire hazard.

                                                    Merry Pinkmas! (In Pantone's 2016 Colors of the Year, sort of.)


 ... And to all, a good night.



 ♫✫*¨★.¸¸.✶★¨`♫

Friday, December 4, 2015

ODD BITS: Pantone announces two serene Colors of the Year

Every year, Pantone has a little fun with the public by forecasting a Color of the Year. In the past, these have been sophisticated, lively colors that express the mood of the moment, and instantly become popular in fashion and product design. I particularly liked 2010's Turquoise, and I loved 2014's Radiant Orchid.


And last fall's color of choice for weddings, 
Amethyst Orchid -- wowza!
For 2016, the company has departed from tradition and chosen two surprisingly quiet colors, Rose Quartz (baby pink) and Serenity (baby blue). Perhaps this choice reflects a desire to find calm and comfort in a world gone mad, but I initially found the colors rather dull and passive -- suitable for stereotypical nursery decor but not much else.
The look of 2016?


Pantone calls their selection "a snapshot of what we see taking place in our culture that serves as an expression of a mood and an attitude."


Now that I've seen some uses of these colors in
home decor and appliances, they are starting to grow on me.




Kind of irresistible -- a rose-colored hand mixer.

Kate Spade rug

For more info on color technology specialists Pantone,
link here.