Category Archives: History Lesson
History Lesson: Smeg
What word comes to mind when you think of a fabulously retro fridge? If it’s Smeg, welcome to my world! The Italian appliance company was founded by Vittorio Bertazzoni, a member of a family of blacksmiths and kitchen builders since the 17th century. In the late 1950s, Smeg launched one of the first gas cookers [...]
History Lesson: The Swan Chair
The Swan Chair was designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1958 for the lobby and lounge areas of the Royal Hotel in Copenhagen. Its elegant and organic shape lent itself to the common areas, and soon it found its way into homes. Jacobsen used Styropore to create the continuous fluid shape of the seat. Available in [...]
History Lesson: Janine Abraham & Dirk Jan Rol
Dirk Jan Rol and Janine Abraham met in 1955 at the studio of Jacques Dumond. The pair discovered their style was a perfect mesh of structure and fantasy, and began collaborating on design projects. They showed their work for the first time at the Salon des Artistes Decorateurs in 1956 and in 1957 they created [...]
History Lesson: Eames Molded Plastic Chair
In the 1940s, Charles and Ray Eames were focusing on designing with plastic- molding it into organic shapes that conformed to the body. The bent, welded wire base was added to the shell and the first mass-produced one-piece plastic chair was born. The chair was introduced in 1948 at the Museum of Modern Art, and [...]
History lesson: Acapulco Chair
The classic Acapulco Chair was designed in Mexico in the 1950s from steel and plastic. Rumor has is that the chair is based on Mayan hammock weaving techniques, but the design and designer continue to remain anonymous to this day. Whatever the actual story is, there is no denying their vibrant plastic splendor reminiscent of [...]
History Lesson: Tivaevae
The applique, embroidery and crochet skills introduced into the Cook Islands by members of the London Missionary Society are the origins of the hand-stitched Tivaevae- a form of applique and embroidery art specific to Polynesia. The name “Tivaevae” refers to the items produced, and literally means to stitch or sew. The Tivaevae are either made [...]
History Lesson: Chambray
Chambray always seems to hide out in the shadows of denim, except for the few months out of the year when we’re into beachy and nautical-inspired fashions. But we love it- for its softness, color, and high thread count. Legend has it that French weaver Jean-Baptiste Cambray first created chambray sometime in the early 14th [...]
History Lesson: 45 Chair, Finn Juhl
Finn Juhl (1912 – 1989) was a Danish architect, interior designer and industrial designer. He is best known for his furniture design, and was a pioneer in the creation of Danish Modern Design in the 1940s. In 1945, Juhl designed the 45 Chair, which was one of the first to break the current tradition for [...]
History Lesson: Bin Pulls
Adding new hardware to your cabinets is a great way to give a room a quick facelift. Whatever your style, there are knobs and pulls in all shapes and colors to choose from. Bin pulls, also called cup pulls, are a type of drawer pull that looks like an upside cup or half-moon shape, enclosed [...]
History Lesson: Ero|s| Chair, Philippe Starck
The Ero|s| was designed by Philippe Starck for Kartell in 1999. The egg shape design is available in a fixed or swivel base, and is constructed out of polycarbonate and polished aluminum. This ultra mod armchair is enhanced by its color and transparency, and comes in a variety of colors, both transparent and opaque. (Images [...]
