Modern Inspired

Modern homes for the birds. (via)

It can't be as well made (walnut veneer and engineered wood?) as the danish modern originals, but it is nice to see Crate and Barrel making furniture that replicates some modern classics. CB calls it a media center hutch. It could also work as a bar, buffet, credenza or a bookshelf. If you end up using the cabinet in the dining room why not throw in the Eva's Classic Century Dinnerware.

Why?

Would you tear down this Mid-Century beauty? (via here and here)

Eames Stamp

Eames Demetrios recently announced on flickr that 16 stamps will be released this summer celebrating the work of Charles and Ray Eames. Images included in the series include the crosspatch design, stackable plastic side chairs, Eames House (Case Study #8), lounge and ottoman, La Chaise, house of cards, LCW chair, Aluminum chair, Cover of Arts and Architecture (May 1943), wire chair, storage unit, bent plywood, the film tops, Hang-it-all, and LTR table. What a great reason to send a letter.

The Library of Congress and Flickr

(circa 1943, LoC on Flickr 1930's-1940's photoset)

The Library of congress has created an account on Flickr and obviously people are excited about the project. LoC has uploaded 3,100 images so far and have over 1 million images available to upload. An exciting endeavor to definitely keep an eye on!

Julius Shulman, Iconic Mid-Century Architectural Photographer

This is Julius Shulman's photograph of Pierre Koenig’s Case Study House #22 which overlooks the Hollywood Hills. This photograph has become one of the most widely published images in the history of architecture. According to Shulman the two women in the photo were girlfriends of two of the architects working with Koenig on the house.

There are a number of resources available covering Julius Shulman's photographic career. Here are just a few to learn about the man and his work:

The J Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles California houses an archive of his work. The museum boasts a collection of over 260,000 images and has used the catalog to produce various exhibits of his work. Shulman's work is as well known as the modern architecture which he photographed including building by

The publisher, Taschen, has produced two amazing works which chronicle the photographic career of Julius Shulman:

Julius Shulman, Modernism Rediscovered (3 vols.)
This 3 book set has over 300 photos selected by Shulman to include in the book
Julius Shulman: Architecture and It's Photography
The west coast modern architecture from the 1930's through the 1960's.

An interview with Shulman in which he explains the importance of photographing people inhabiting the architecture to show the functionality of the space.

The online image collection at The University of Southern California (USC) provides a quick overview of Shulman's more famous works.

Charley Harper

"Birdie" work by Charley Harper

I love the catalog of drawings available in the publication Charley Harper: An Illustrated life. His images are simple, colorful, and amazingly beautiful. Todd Oldham explains the attraction to Harper's work. Many have expounded on the beauty of this book much better than I ever could so here are some entries about the man, his work and the book (A write-up in Cincinnati paper after his death, wikipedia, and this Harper tribute are just a few words on an amazing man and his work).

I saw this table runner and it got me thinking there must be a line of fabric. Silly question I thought, but a couple of quick searches did not unearth a treasure trove of fabrics. These images would look amazing on curtains, blankets or stretched over a large canvas. The closest I came to a harper fabric was found in this DIY project here.

I will have to get that table runner, but I would love the option to see his works translated to fabric. It would make me smile wide to have his work decorating my home. I will have to save up for this splurge.

Thanks Charley for leaving us such amazing illustrations!