Welcome back from Memorial Day! Over the weekend between trips to the pool, and smoking ribs I stumbled across these Fika Cups and instantly fell in love with them. To say that their simple folksy/scandinavian art reminds me of Alexander Girard is an understatement. I had to check the description several times to make sure I wasn't missing something. I suppose we can just call them Girard inspired. Speaking of inspired, they also come in an equally charming decorated gift box.
Ralph Rapson isn't a name I had ever heard before, and I'm betting this may be the first time you have heard of him either. I recently received a book called Ralph Rapson: Sixty Years of Modern Design and I've been inthralled ever since. Though he's been designing furniture since 1939 it seems he may only just be getting the appreciation he deserves. Several pieces he designed back in the day are just being re released and can be found at Y Lighting. My particular favorites are the Greenbelt series (rocker shown above).
Has any else heard of Ralph Rapson? What's your favorite piece of Ralph Rapson Furniture?
I felt like I just won the lottery when I stumbled across "Kinzco's" flickr stream. There is so much well photographed MCM goodness I could barely believe my eyes. To sweeten the whole thing up even more, Kenny has a good amount of furniture that is available for sale. So it's not just eye candy, you could own some of that goodness.
I'm not going to lie. I'm really pretty easy. Just give me a poster of a bunch of fabulous chairs designed by one of my favorite designers and I start to get all swoony.
Sadly, this picture mostly reminds me of the Burke tulip base sitting in my breakfast nook waiting for restoration. Happily, the Visual Philosophy Etsy shop is full of wonderful mid century modern inspired posters and prints. Right now, I'm strangely drawn to the coffee related ones, but maybe that's just because I haven't had my first cup o joe yet.
Which is your favorite?
My friend is selling his amazing Mid Century Modern home. It's a few block away from my old place in olympus cove, and I remember walking by it many times in complete envy. If you area sucker for a good butterfly roof (which I totally am) this is one of the rare good ones in Salt Lake City. To sweeten the deal even more, the home is amazing original looking inside. It has some of the best built in partitions I have seen ever. Check out the photos below (courtesy of City Home Collective) and check out all the details on the MLS
From the MLS listing...
Amazing Oly Cove Mid-Century Modern with Fantastic Mt., Lake and Valley Views. This 1954 Parade of Homes was purchased from Original Owner. Very clean Unique 50's features like Butterfly Roof Design, Big Open Living Rm & Open Air Dining. Architectural features like Floor to Ceiling Glass, Mahogany Walls, & Exposed Brick make this home very eclectic and desired for original 50's modern design. Some updates done keeping the style intact! Grt Walkout Basemnt w/ Wetbar. Could be easy Mother in Law conversion.
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I'm super excited to be heading to Cali for the weekend to spend some time with the misses. I'll be in LA tonight, and then tomorrow we're going to Palm Springs to catch some end of Coachella madness. We are staying at the Ace hotel, and looking forward to putting in some serious hours poolside, even if it's supposed to be over 100 degrees. While I'm sure I'll be too lazy to blog about the stay, I'm sure you can catch some photo action on Instagram. Follow @creede for all the action. Speaking of photo's, I stole the fantastic one above from here.
Any advice for LA or PS? Hit me up in the comments.
I first found out about Four Eyes Furniture by reading some comments by one of our readers. Ever since then I have had the Four Eyes website open in my browser, and I keep on going back and looking at it. It's good design, solid construction, and it is made by one guy who is really passionate about what he does. What more could you ask for.
Check Four Eyes out on Facebook.
Lane by Post is a UK based graphic designer that makes wonderful prints for the home. Prints are very reasonably priced for the size and are available framed, or unframed. Which is your favorite?
When I was in Paris last month, I spent a decent amount of time in book stores browsing and looking for gifts. One thing that I stumbled upon that I probably should have picked up, but didn't is this fantastic Alexander Girard memory game made by Ammo Books. The book has a total of 72 cards featuring textile designs and illustrations by the MCM folk master himself.
It looks like local realtor / home remodeler Geoff Tice has done it again. You may remember him from his well detailed home on Jupiter way or Herbert. His latest project is located in Salt Lake City on the benches near capital hill. Once again he has taken a good solid MCM home and gone through it and updated all the important parts. Like his other projects, chances are this thing will be sold before it ever even makes it onto the MLS, so if you want to get a peak at it tomorrow may be your only chance. Check out his Facebook event for all the details on his latest open house.
199 E South Sandrun Rd. Open House
I seem to have amazing luck when it comes to Tulip tables. When I first moved to Salt Lake City, I found an old tulip table base behind my apartment next to the dumpster. While that particular one unfortunately met an early moving related demise (long story) I have recently stumbled across a similarly amazing deal. A good friend and owner of local, and absolutely amazing MCM furniture store Green Ant, hooked me up with a base and laminate top for a screaming price. The top is a bit larger than I need, so I'm thinking about cutting it down smaller, and the base needs a good sanding and repaint.
Does anyone have any good restoration resources for Saarinen Tulip tables?
Looking for your own Tulip table? Check out The Green Ant, or these Tulip Tables for sale on Ebay.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. It seems that everything that House Industries does is golden to me. Such is the case with their new Flour Sack Towels. Available in black, orange or gray, it seems the only questions left unanswered is which one do I get?
Flour Sack Towels available in sets of 3 for $30.
Which is your favorite?
I was looking on ebay this morning for some MCM goodness to dream about over the weekend, and I came across this great Eames Soft Pad Chair. Part of the aluminum work group, these chairs ooze style and comfort. Like all good pieces of furniture I think a gently used version looks even better than a brand new one. Don't believe me? Check one out yourself. If you are in SLC you are in luck, because The Green Ant just got two of these beauties in.
I have had the pleasure of being on the Salt Lake Modern committee for a couple of years now. As a part of Utah Heritage Foundation, Salt Lake Modern is dedicated to preserving and promoting the region's mid-century modern architecture and design. I'm excited to announce that we now have our own official website, full of great information about local MCM architects and buildings. Make sure you check it out, join as a member, and register for our upcoming modern homes tour. We have some amazing homes lined up.
When it comes to furniture, chairs are my first passion, but tables are a close second. I often overlook the coffee table partly because there are so many cheap coffee tables out there, but there are a lot of amazing ones too. I'm currently getting ready to move into a new home, and I'm looking to upgrade from my Ikea table I got in the "as is" section. Besides the fact that I used a sharpie to make all the scratches disappear, it's just too hight for my taste. Below is a quick round up of some that have recently caught my eye. Which one is your favorite?
(above "two leg table")
Muji aluminum coffee table $185
DIY Factory style cart via HGTV
Conrad Coffee Table : Misewell $1,150
Repurposed flat file. I'd love to find an old wood one of these. Image via Treehugger.
Also, there are the classics….
The Jielde lamp. Few have heard of this French pinnacle of industrial lighting design. But highly sought after by those in the know. Designed in the late 1940's by Jean-Louis Domecq (hence the initials and name JLD) as a factory or work lamp, the Jielde came into production in the 1950's. The ingenuity of the design is both amazing and timeless: No wires extend through the metal articulating arms! They come in one arm, two arms, up to 6 arms or more. Both the arms & the heavy ball joint conduct the electrical circuit to the light fixture, so no wires to worry about. The bulbous lamp shade has a 'crash guard' that is used to pull the lamp into position- no toasting your fingers on the metal lamp shade. The base is quite small as it was designed to mount to a wall or screwed to a workbench. Today, disc brake rotors or similar shapes are used as a stable base for use on a desk. The Jielde is still made today. And is very expensive. But the vintage lamps are where its at. On the recent Two and a Half Men sitcom, Walden had one on his desk!
While many people think of the iconic egg chair or swan chair when they think of Arne Jacobsen, he also enjoyed a successful career as an architect. One of his earlier commissions was the Århus City Hall in Denmark. Even if you haven't heard of the building there is a good chance you would recognize a picture of the amazing staircase.
One of the little known details of the building has recently been resurrected. Arne created all the typography for the interior signage in the building, and you can now have a little piece of it in your home. These Alfabet Cups can be ordered with the Arne Jacobsen designed letter of your choice.
I wish I lived somewhere where I could run a MCM rental business. Alas I don't. Instead I'll just keep watching this video of two cute people living the dream. Thanks Benni for the tip!
YEAH!rentals from Son of Shark Pig on Vimeo.
Video below. Have a good weekend everybody!