Story and All Photos By Gail Worley
A definite “Oh, Wow!” moment at the recent BDNY show — (boutique design for the hospitality industry) at Javits Center — occurred when I walked into the booth for Century Industries. Because: David Bowie Chair.
Continue reading Eye On Design: David Bowie Aladdin Sane Chair
All Photos By Gail
Trained as a cabinet maker, Wenzel Friedrich immigrated to the US in 1853, settling in San Antonio, Texas. In 1880, he realized the potential of the Texas stockyards’ plentiful supply of steer horns for use in the making of furniture. It is likely that Friedrich was inspired by furniture he had seen in Europe, where antlers and other emblems of the hunt were used as décor as early as the 15th century. Friedrich’s horned furniture fulfilled the Victorian fancy for the unusual, as well as symbolizing the Wild West. Heating the horn made the material pliable, allowing Friedrich to create exaggerated curves for his pieces. If you happen to live in San Antonio, you can see examples of his work in the historic Oge House, which is now a Bed & Breakfast.
You can read more about Friedrich Wenzel’s horn furniture designs at This Link.
Photographed in the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum in Manhattan.
All Photos By Gail
German emigre Kem Weber (1889 – 1963) designed original and colorful furniture and interiors devoid of overt historical references and evocative of modern times. Weber came to the US in 1914 to supervise construction of the German Pavilion at the Panema-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. He settled in Southern California, where he developed a thriving design practice. Continue reading Eye On Design: Serving Table and Arm Chair By Kem Weber
All Photos By Gail
Don’t think that I didn’t struggle with the decision of whether or not I should make the awesome YOMI chair a Pink Thing of The Day, because I did. But, ultimately, the design aspect won out. Because who doesn’t want to sit on an Inflatable Pink Chair? Plus it comes in other colors. Continue reading Eye On Design: YOMI Inflatable Chair By Mojow
Installation View with Eames Shelving Unit (All Photos By Gail)
This cane side chair was the product of a team research project led by Marcel Breuer (1902 – 1981), a celebrated architect and émigré known for his tubular metal furniture, and designer of the original Whitney Museum Building on Madison Avenue in NYC. Collaborating with the US Forest Products Laboratory, Breuer applied knowledge accumulated over fifteen years of experimentation, as well as new developments in high-frequency gluing, to plywood construction.
Continue reading Eye On Design: Cane Side Chair By Marcel Breuer