THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING MODERNIST

On The Wire: Wire Chairs by Charles and Ray Eames- Designed in...

Mon, 20 May 2013 22:15:05 +0100

Eames Wire chair

Eames Wire chair

Eames Wire chair

Eames Wire chair

Eames Wire chair

On The Wire: Wire Chairs by Charles and Ray Eames-

Designed in 1951, the Eames wire chairs take the same form as their plastic cousins, the world famous plastic side chair. The Chairs are made from welded steel with a double layer of thicker rods forming the outline of the chair. I took these images at Vitra’s (The European licence holder for Eames products) factory campus in Weil am Rhein in Germany. I loved how they were dotted around the campus outside the factory and showroom buildings. They can be seen here mounted on a tandem base outside factory buildings by Frank Gehry (white building), Alvaro Siza (red brick building) and Nicholas Grimshaw (metal clad building).

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Star of Bethnal Green: Keeling House By Denys Lasdun Bethnal...

Thu, 02 May 2013 22:16:00 +0100

Keeling House- Denys Lasdun

Keeling House- Denys Lasdun

Keeling House- Denys Lasdun

Keeling House- Denys Lasdun

Keeling House- Denys Lasdun

Keeling House- Denys Lasdun

Keeling House- Denys Lasdun

Keeling House- Denys Lasdun

Star of Bethnal Green: Keeling House By Denys Lasdun Bethnal Green, London-

Nestled between rows of Victorian terraces, on Claredale Street in London’s Bethnal green, Keeling house was designed by Denys Lasdun and Partners in 1958. Lasdun’s most famous project was the brutalist National Theatre on London’s Southbank. The fifteen-storey cluster block contains 56 maisonettes and 8 studios and is formed of 4 blocks angled round a central shaft containing the services, stairs and lift. The block orginally designed as council housing was grade 2* listed in 1993. In 1999 was renovated and redeveloped by a private developer and the flats are now very desirable.

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Too Cool For School: London Zoo Penguin Pool by Berthold...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 22:15:00 +0100

Berthold Lubetkin Penguin pool, London Zoo

Berthold Lubetkin Penguin pool, London Zoo

Berthold Lubetkin Penguin pool, London Zoo

Too Cool For School: London Zoo Penguin Pool by Berthold Lubetkin-

Happy world penguin day everybody! In celebration, today’s post features three of my favourite things: Modernism, monochrome and penguins!

Russian architect Berthold Lubetkin, who emigrated to England in the 1930s, was probably most famous for Highpoint, a block of flats in North London. He was a pioneer of the modern movement in Britain and worked on many projects. He designed the penguin pool at London zoo in 1934 which housed the penguins until recently. The pool is still at London Zoo today and is now grade 1 listed but unfortunately the penguins have been moved to another enclosure.

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Museum Piece: The Minguren Museum by George Nakashima- The...

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 22:30:00 +0000

Museum Piece: The Minguren Museum by George Nakashima-

The Minguren Museum was completed in 1967. It features a curved thin shell roof, something that Nakashima experimented with throughout his career. The mosaic by Ben Shahn was installed in 1972 posthumously from sketches that he had made. As with all of Nakashima’s architecture the flow between inside and outside spaces is important and these boundaries are blurred. The museum also features a cantilever staircase.

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Stahl and Substance: Stahl House by Pierre Koenig- Designed in...

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 22:31:00 +0000

Stahl House by Pierre Koenig

Stahl House by Pierre Koenig

Stahl House by Pierre Koenig

Stahl House by Pierre Koenig

Stahl and Substance: Stahl House by Pierre Koenig-

Designed in 1960, Stahl house is probably Koenig’s most famous building. The house featured in John Entenza’s Arts and Architecture magazine Case Study House program and was also known as case study house 22. Stahl house is perched high in the Hollywood hills overlooking L.A. and these images taken by Julius Shulman have become absolutely iconic. Making the most of the amazing view was at the top of Buck Stahl’s design brief and it is safe to say that Koenig delivered, designing the house with floor to ceiling windows on three sides.

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Ant-thropology: Ant Chair by Arne Jacobsen- Arne Jacobsen...

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 22:31:00 +0000

Ant-thropology: Ant Chair by Arne Jacobsen-

Arne Jacobsen designed the Ant chair in 1952. The chair has 3 chrome legs and the seat is made from bent plywood. The chair was Jacobsen’s international breakthrough and became very popular. Fritz Hansen have produced the chair since 1952 and now also make a 4 legged version. The chair has been succeeded by many similar chairs by Jacobsen all featuring slightly different shapes, the most successful of which being the series 7 chair. Click for series 7 chair.

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Print Screen: Fabric print by Alvin Lustig- Alvin Lustig...

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 22:30:00 +0000

Print Screen: Fabric print by Alvin Lustig-

Alvin Lustig designed this intaglio fabric print in 1949 for L.Anton Maix fabrics. Lustig, best known for his graphic design, was also a well respected interior, furniture and textile designer. In the 1940’s and 1950’s fabrics designed outside of the textiles industry became more widely produced. A trend for architects, furniture designers, intetior designers, graphic designers and even painters and sculptors trying their hand at fabric design emerged. As the creatives were already established in their fields and understood the principles of modern design it was a natural progression.

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Miller Light: Miller House by Eero Saarinen- Designed in 1953...

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 22:30:45 +0000

Miller Light: Miller House by Eero Saarinen-

Designed in 1953 and completed in 1957, Miller house was commissioned by industrialist and promoter of modern architecture J Irwin Miller. The house situated in Columbus Indiana, was designed around a large central living space, with bedrooms, kitchen and bathrooms all adjoining. The house is filled with light due to the large floor to ceiling windows and the grid of skylights that criss cross the house above the corridors. Alexander Girard was called in to design the interior and he was responsible for the famous ‘conversation pit’ sunken seating area in the living room. The interior is typical of Girard’s playful style but also personalised to the family. The dining table features a fountain as a centre piece and the seats of the Saarinen tulip chairs that surround it, were individually monogrammed for each of the family members. Girard also designed the long shelving unit which spans the width of the house as well as the free standing fireplace. Completing the who’s who of mid century design legends that worked on the house, is Dan Kiley, who designed the gardens.

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Concrete College: Yale Art and Architecture Building by Paul...

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 22:29:39 +0000

Concrete College: Yale Art and Architecture Building by Paul Rudolph-

Designed by the then head of architecture, Paul Rudolph, the Yale Arts and Architecture building was completed in 1963. It is located in New Haven Connecticut. The cast in place concrete building, brutalist in style, was uncommon at the time and probably one of the first brutalist buildings to be constructed in the U.S. Unfortunately only after a few years a fire in 1969 destroyed a lot of the building. The building was renovated after the fire but altered heavily from the original design. There have since been several major renovations changing the original design which have lead to Rudolph disowing the building. These images were taken by Architecture photographer Ezra Stoller of the building in it’s original form before the fire/ alterations.

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Cover Girl: Arts And Architecture Magazine Covers by Ray...

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 22:29:00 +0000

Cover Girl: Arts And Architecture Magazine Covers by Ray Eames-

John Entenza bought Arts and Architecture magazine in 1938 to publicise modern design art and architecture. it was also used to publicise his case study house program. Ray Eames designed 28 covers for the magazine between 1942 and 1947. Ray who was trained as an artist created covers that were understated, however, her use of colour and shape was always eye catching. The magazine’s title font was designed by Alvin Lustig.

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Doing It Justice: Brasilia Justice Ministry by Oscar...

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 22:30:26 +0000

Doing It Justice: Brasilia Justice Ministry by Oscar Niemeyer-

Designed in 1962, the justice ministry was one of many buildings Niemeyer designed, for the then new capital of Brazil, Brasilia. The building is surrounded by a moat and water cascades from large concrete gutters suspended from the columns that form the facade of the building. Huge concrete louvres to the sides of the building, shield the internal glass walled ministry form the sun. Roberto Burle Marx, Niemeyer’s long time collaborator designed the water gardens.

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The Little White Chapel: San Vicente de Paul Chapel By Felix...

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 22:30:43 +0000

The Little White Chapel: San Vicente de Paul Chapel By Felix Candela-

Designed in 1959 and completed in 1960, San Vicente de Paul Chapel is situated in Coyoacan, Mexico City. From the outside the wing like roof takes on the form of a bird in flight. The stained glass windows that run from the peak of the roof, almost to the ground, cast a dramatic coloured glow on the interior. The combination of the roof only being supported at several points and the largely glazed outer walls give it an almost weightless quality.

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Sun, 03 Mar 2013 20:30:08 +0000

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Glass half full: Nesting glasses by Kaj Franck- Kaj Franck is...

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 22:30:41 +0000

Glass half full: Nesting glasses by Kaj Franck-

Kaj Franck is famous for his work at the Finnish glass company Nuutajarvi and ceramic company Arabia (now both under the Iittala brand) where he designed many products. He designed These nesting tumblers and pitcher and 10 glasses in 1955. The pitcher’s capacity is 90cl with the ten stacked glasses each having a capacity of 9cl. Unfortunately the glassware is not in production anymore but Iittala do produce Kartio, which the stacked glasses evolved into.

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Gas Up: Tramway Gas station by Albert Frey- designed in 1963,...

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 22:30:00 +0000

Gas Up: Tramway Gas station by Albert Frey-

designed in 1963, the tramway gas station in Palm Springs California was a modernist monument to greet people as they entered the town. Frey was famous for his desert modernism and designed many buildings in Palm Springs. The Gas station was closed in the early 90’s and earmarked for demolition but luckily it was saved in 1998. The building is constructed from concrete blocks and features a large, wing like, cantilevered steel roof.

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Honey Glazed: St John’s Abbey and University by Marcel...

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 22:30:42 +0000

Honey Glazed: St John’s Abbey and University by Marcel Breuer-

Breuer designed St John’s Abbey and University in 1953 and it was completed in 1961. Breuer was picked from 12 well known architects in 1950 by the Abbot Baldwin Dworschak who wanted the Catholic Church to be more progressive in their architecture choices. The Abbey is situated in Collegeville Minnesota. The Abbott wanted the church to be an architectural monument to the service of God and Breuer did not disappoint. The huge North side of the building is made up of 540 hexagonal concrete sections, giving the glazed wall a honeycomb like appearance. The freestanding bell tower is a monument in it’s own right and the huge concrete structure, complete with crucifix, greets congregants as they make their way under it and into the church.

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Lucky Number 7: Series Seven Chair by Arne Jacobsen- Arne...

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 22:29:51 +0000

Lucky Number 7: Series Seven Chair by Arne Jacobsen-

Arne Jacobsen designed the series 7 chair in 1955. It has been in continuous production ever since and has gone on to be one of the best selling chair designs of all time. Unfortunately it has also been one of the most copied and many inferior copies have been produced. Danish company Fritz Hansen have had the license to produce the chair since it was first launched and still produce the chair today. This image was taken at Gentofte City Hall.

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Chasing Waterfalls: Fallingwater by Frank Lloyd...

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 22:33:00 +0000

Chasing Waterfalls: Fallingwater by Frank Lloyd Wright-

Fallingwater is arguably the most famous house of the 20th century and definitely one of the most photographed. These photographs were taken by architecture photographer Ezra Stoller. Frank Lloyd Wright designed Fallingwater in 1935. The house was constructed between 1936 and 1938 and a further guesthouse was constructed in 1939. Situated in South-western Pennsylvania’s Appalachian mountains, Fallingwater was designed for Edgar Kaufmann. The house is anchored into the bedrock of the river that runs directly beneath the cantilevered rooms and terraces. The design of the house is very geometric from the outside with its concrete shelves. However, the strong is broken up with the natural stone and the inside is much less formal with stone walls and floors.

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Got the Knack: Showroom by George Nakashima- George Nakashima...

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 22:29:22 +0000

Got the Knack: Showroom by George Nakashima-

George Nakashima designed and built this showroom, situated on his family compound in Pennsylvania in 1954. In typical Nakashima fashion the showroom is a fusion of East and West, featuring both shaker style hanging pegs and tatami mats. A wealth of natural materials can be found in the house, the fieldstone walls support a wooden beam construction, the floors are all exposed cherry wood and there are shoji screens opening onto the terrace. There is also a Japanese inspired gravel garden and reflecting pool outside. The simple understated but elegant showroom is the perfect backdrop for Nakashima’s furniture.

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Climbing The Walls: Garden Screens by Arne Jacobsen- Arne...

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 23:49:37 +0000

Climbing The Walls: Garden Screens by Arne Jacobsen-

Arne Jacobsen designed these tiled partitions in 1945, for the garden of Soholm house, situated in Klampenborg, Denmark. The regimented white tiles are almost like a canvas with the creepers creating a living artwork.

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