EVENTS: Online auction of MAD MEN-orabilia starts June 1 !

Mad Men lovers take note: Everything from Don Draper's favorite neckties to his 1964 Imperial Crown Chrysler convertible -- not to mention Peggy Olson's typewriter and Pete Campbell's faux globe/booze delivery system -- will go on auction on Wednesday, June 1, at 12PM PST sharp, via Screenbid.com. More than 1500 props and costumes from the show will be on offer. Prices for smaller items are expected to start at around $100, but the sky's the limit for iconic items such as Joan Harris' red suede stilettos, Roger Sterling's Ray-Ban sunglasses, Don's orange office chairs and, of course, The Car.

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Sorry, ladies, the convertible does not include Don.

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Don at work, flirting with soon-to-be wife #2,

and a set of seductive orange Eames office chairs.

Above: Don Draper's Electric Dutchess BBQ 
"Take this BBQ home and grill something this summer like the man Don expects you to be. Item is in working condition."

Screenbid is considered one of the the world’s best sources for "certified authentic, screen-used Hollywood memorabilia and collectibles." The company joins forces with 

studios, producers, and directors to make available to the public objects 

that were used only onscreen or in production on a movie or television show. 

A certificate of authenticity from the studio accompanies each item.

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When Betty (Mrs. Draper #1) gained some weight, she employed every method known at the time -- including smoking like a chimney -- in order to lose it. The auction lot pictured above includes a Weight Watchers cookbook, a Diet-Rite cola bottle, a wheat sliced-bread wrapper, the book Glorious Eating for Weight Watchers, and a Sealtest low calorie ice cream box.

 Above: Pete's drink caddy/fake globe

Decorative objects used to hide alcohol and the glassware for serving 

it became all the rage during the Prohibition era.

Peggy's typewriter

 Seeing Peggy Olson's evolution from mousey secretary to strong,

creative  and feisty career woman was one of the greatest pleasures of

following Mad Men's seven-year run.

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Above: Don's cast iron skillet

Some of the most tender moments on Mad Men

centered around Don cooking for his children, especially Sally,

and sharing confidences over omelets or macaroni and cheese.

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For more info, link to ScreenBid.com
or the NY Times article How to Own a Piece of ‘Mad Men’
 

DESTINATIONS: Chicago reveals plans for dramatic aerial cable car line

"Make no small plans." ... Daniel Burnham

Visionary urban designer and planner of the 

1883 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago

As a big fan of Chicago -- its stellar architecture, splendid art museums, Lake Michigan panorama, and Italian food (!) -- I am delighted to hear that the city is planning to build a downtown line of sleek aerial gondolas that will thread their way through its iconic highlights. "The Skyline", expected to be a striking and lucrative tourist attraction, will link the Navy Pier, the city's Lakefront and its Riverwalk, via the heart of downtown. (see map below)

Below: The envisioned sleek glass pods would serve both as 

viewing points for, and elements of, Chicago's much-celebrated architecture.

Business leader Lou Raizin, one of the main planners of this project, 

said at a recent City Club of Chicago meeting:

"The Skyline [project] is a prime example of how we can move Chicago from old guard to vanguard. We keep  coming back to the same question: What's our unique feature? Where's our Eiffel Tower? Where's our Big Ben? These ideas are our attempt to answer 

this question and are intended to start a conversation in the city about what we 

would like our reputation to be in the future ... We need to think iconic. 

We need to be bold."

Above: Artist's rendering of cable car line suspended alongside the river

 

 Raizin, along with his colleague Laurence Geller, sees potential for the cable car line to draw up to 1.4 million visitors annually to their cash-strapped city. 

"Tourism, " says Geller, is the best way of quickly impacting the city's revenues 

and improving the quality of life for our residents." It is estimated that the cable line 

would cost $250 million and would be paid for by a public-private partnership.

No date has been set for groundbreaking on this project, and there will

surely be many bureaucratic hoops to jump through, but I'm 

keeping my fingers crossed that it will happen within the decade!

~oOo~

To watch a dreamy video of an imagined tour on the Skyline, link here.

DESTINATIONS: Mid-Mod interior design extravaganza coming to Paris, May 19-22

~oOo~

Ooo-la-la! Les Puces du Design, a visual feast of mid-century modern creations  encompassing furniture, ceramics, vintage fashion and lighting, will be coming to the City of Lights on May 19, running through the 22nd. The festival is noted for being the largest European market exclusively dedicated to post-war design; in keeping with its mission of showcasing democratic values and an avant-garde sensibility, 
it is free and open to the public.

Les Puces du Design is a singular event, in that it combines

chic presentation with a cheeky flea market ambiance.  One hundred
exhibitors from all over Europe will attend, and everything from 
Eames chairs to pocket-sized tchotchkes will be on offer. 

Ceramics will be featured at this spring's festival.

As their prices are usually lower than those of furniture or lighting, 

these items make a good first acquisition for a new collector.

Above: Set ©Camille Bachelerie

Above and right:
Samples wares from the
upcoming designfest.

If you're thinking of sprucing up your home office,

you might find inspiration in Roger Sterling's boozy lair from
Mad Men. (below) Remember rotary phones?


This year, the Puces du Design will settle into Bercy Village,
a section of Paris known for its specialty shops, the
French Cinematheque and the Parc de Bercy. 

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 Quel malheur ...
We should have bought that sofa ...

... or at least this Eiffel Tower floor lamp ...

~oOo~

CELEBRATIONS: Happy 100th to the ever-stylish Jens Risom!

 ~oOo~

Copenhagen-born designer Jens Risom, last of the iconic mid-century Modernists still living, turns 100 on May 8, 2016. Risom left Denmark at the age of 23 and settled in New York to make his way as a cosmopolitan designer in America. He is the man who brought sleek, comfortable and functional Scandinavian style to the fore in the US, extending his reach beyond home furnishings to decor for offices, hospitals and libraries -- even to the Oval Office, where LBJ used a favorite of the designer's swiveling desk chairs for many years.  

What a pleasure to celebrate the birthday of this design giant, rather than to be writing a commemorative piece about him!

Happy Birthday, Jens!

A video interview with Jens Risom can be seen here.

Below: In 1961, Playboy magazine assembled many of the most famed 

designers of the era for a spread about the future of "manly-man decor."

From left: George Nelson, Edward Wormley, Eero Saarinen, Harry Bertoia, 

Chaarles Eames, and Jens Risom. Photo via Co. Design. 

Below are photos of some of Risom's most popular designs.

Design Within Reach (dwr.com), which has studios all over the US, is re-issuing

some of these, in celebration of Risom's landmark birthday.

 The Risom Lounge Chair (1941) is considered "the most casual high end lounge chair 

of its time." Using woven cotton webbing with beech and maple, this iconic set

has become the definition of modern casual living. 

Below: 

Jens Risom Walnut Executive Desk with polished chrome hardware

(c. 1960)

 I just realized that my writing desk is a

(low budget) replica of this beautiful piece, 

down to the placement of the locks and shapes of the drawer handles.

Tandem Seat and Table Unit

Risom was a huge fan of built-ins. This seating unit allows for handy

storage of reading materials in the middle, while leaving

a small tabletop free for a coffee cup or cocktail glass.

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At the age of 100, Risom is still actively pursuing his career, and his home 

is well furnished with his popular creations. Above: An array of his 

utilitarian and stylish cabinets, with whimsical multicolored paneling. 

Below: A workstation in his office keeps a multitude of tools and papers organized 

both vertically and horizontally. Ephemera from the early days of his 

Jens Risom Design company decorate the wall.

Link here to see a short Wall Street Journal-produced video about 

Jen Risom's influence on and philosophy of mid-century modern design.

(Yes, Mad Men is mentioned!)

~oOo~