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Paolo Buffa (1903 – 1970) was an Italian architect and designer best known for his designs of mid-century furniture. Characterized by a melding of tradition and modernity, he used a combination of low-profile, rectilinear, and hardwood forms to produce his most classic pieces. This pair of Rose-colored Velvet Upholstered Armchairs from the 1960s are examples of his dedication to superior craftsmanship.
Continue reading Eye On Design: Mid-Century Armchairs by Paola Buffa
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Alvar Aalto’s bentwood furniture designs were among the many ground breaking utilitarian items to emerge from the Bauhaus school designers. The Model 41 Bentwood Lounge Chair (1931 – 32), designed for Aalto’s Paimio Sanatorium, demonstrates the radical possibilities of bentwood in its graceful, scrolling form, devoid of right angles and sharp geometry.
Continue reading Eye On Design: Model No. 41 Lounge Chair By Alvar Alto
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art does not often invite visitors to sit directly on the art, but they have made an exception for these Washington Skeleton Side Chairs (2013), designed by Ghanaian-British architect David Adjaye, which can be found in the gallery where the 2020 Holiday Tree is on display.
Continue reading Eye On Design: Washington Skeleton Side Chair By David Adjaye
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Rediscovered Venetian glass techniques inspired James Powell and Sons to experiment with making light and lithe shapes at its White Friars Glassworks factory.
Continue reading Eye On Design: Opalescent Glass Vase By Philip Webb
Photos By Gail
This set of French Doors was originally installed in the Sedgwick S. Brinsmaid House, one of the earliest examples of Prairie-school architecture in Iowa. The horizontally oriented building, with its stucco-and-wood surface, pierced details, and abundance of geometric leaded glass, relates closely to works by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Continue reading Eye On Design: Set of French Doors from Arthur Heun’s Sedgwick S. Brinsmaid House