To finish off the week I thought I’d highlight Alvar Aalto’s Muuratsalo Experimental House, a place that’s been on my mind for a while now. You may remember me mentioning my project for 2013 was to make a piece of furniture, well before I get to that point I’ve decided it might be worthwhile drawing chairs every night to get a feel for what I want. This will obviously involve replicating chairs that I …
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Ernst Gamperl is a bit of a legend in the craft circles, I’m surprised we haven’t talked about him before because his wooden forms are spectacular to say the least. It seems like a good time to visit his works and showcase some exciting shapes that might get you all inspired, it certainly had me intrigued. I personally felt bringing over photos of his work in a singular fashion could of been one dimensional, so I put together a selection from …
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I better insert a spoiler alert before we begin today as I’ve once again raided the blog of photographer Leslie Williamson as she puts together the second edition of her handcrafted modern book. Now I really hope I’m not revealing too much that is to reach the final publication, I’m assuming these are really great outakes that Leslie has decided to tease us all with online. With every new …
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New Zealand born photographer Mary Gaudin has been impressing me lately with a selection of photography over on her portfolio website, particularly a section of it which documents a variety of architects homes and builds. Three of my favourites feature here, Alvar Aalto, his home and and office in Helsinki, Mies van der Rohe, The Barcelona Pavilion in Spain, and Le Corbusier …
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Have you been looking for some furniture inspiration? I have to admit we’ve been slacking on the furniture front, we barely came across anything last week and I’ve been on the lookout myself. Regular checking spots include Artek, Fritz Hansen and Carl Hansen, obviously there are multiple shops and auction sites as well, they all add into the mix. One thing I don’t see all that often though is any videos of these pieces and how they lo …
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Last time I talked about Iittala I highlighted their new ceramic collection titled Sarjaton which is based on Finnish heritage with a crafted touch. At the time I was actually hunting for some photographs of the glassware that Iittala produce being made in their workshop, I was particularly interested in this because I heard they used a wooden mould which is hand carved. This instantly peaked my interest and I had to hunt around for …
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Our good friends John and Juli Baker of Toronto based store Mjölk have just released their new web shop over the weekend. It’s been a place that I’ve checked on a weekly basis for a number of years but over the past few months there has been little to no movement from them online, this is partly because the’ve been renovating a house, I know this through their great personal blog Kitka, and also because of the new design of their online …
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I was pleased this afternoon when I came across the video that can be seen below produced by Iittala, originally a glass factory in Finland but they now make all sorts of objects to “enrich people’s everyday lives”. You may know them for one particular collaboration that took place with Alvar Aalto, producing a vase collection that was both fluid and organic, to this day they’re still mouth blown and it takes seven craftsmen working as …
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You probably already know this but I’m a massive fan of Finnish architect and designer Alvar Aalto, his works never fail to inspire and impress me. Also, every time I research the man I come across new information that I’ve never seen/heard before, the Alvar Aalto architecture file is a particularly great resource to use. A website that has fantastic explanations on every build that he’s ever design …
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One of my favourite blogs and shops at the moment is Mondo Cane, they always have an interesting selection of modernist items, whether it be furniture or sculptures, and the owner Patrick Parrish has a stunning eye for all things design. We can really see this through his blog at Mondo Blogo, worth bookmarking if you’ve got a chance. Today I thought I’d bring across some photo …
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Today I decided to revert back to a video that I watched a few weeks ago produced by Artek which was an interesting introduction to Finnish designer Ilmari Tapiovaara. It got me thinking about his furniture and his eye for curves and fluidity, all of his pieces have a functional approach but at the same time they hold a real beauty about them. Ilmari was taught by many mid-century style masters, Alvar Aalto in particular where he work …
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Desk designed by Cees Braakman for Pastoe in 1958. Well before I’ve even started writing this post I’ve lied, in the title it says this furniture is all from the Mid Mod Design website when actually it’s a mixture of two sites, Mid Mod Design and Mass Modern Design. But since both of these sites/shops are owned by the same person I thought it made sense to group it together, the furniture and products on offer are really fantas …
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