Colonial furniture shall not pass through my door.
February 13, 2002 8:36 PM   Subscribe

Colonial furniture shall not pass through my door. This site is simply the best compendium of modern furniture links that I have ever seen. Some link rot, but worth it if you fancy an Eames chair or Ron Arad shelf. It is all there folks.
posted by machaus (9 comments total)
 
As a modernist furniture/design fanatic, I can make a few suggestions of sites that I like visiting.

I have quite a collection of Italian plastic stuff from the late sixies and early seventies, as well as several beautiful Eames chairs (2 orange fiberglas lounge chairs, several smaller ones, and an Aluminum Group lounge chair)- all of which were found here at Yale in the last 2 years during their 'renovations'. They absolutely trashed so much beautiful mid-century furniture. I couldn't believe that buyers for institutions like this one ever had so much class to furnish offices and classrooms with Herman Miller and Knoll furniture.

I won't self link, but one of the first sites I built (still up on my site) was one featuring the designs of Achille Castiglioni, another Italian designer that I love. His Arco lamp remains a classic. I found one at a Moroccan Import store and ordered new arts for it from Flos. As with my earlier finds, much of this furniture can be had at auctions, flea markets and in dumpsters, if you know what to look for, you will find it, especially in smaller cities where the lust for mid-century mod is at at the level it is in New York. Scrounging for this beautiful furniture is a great pastime.

I must add that I also love Colonial furniture (only the real stuff, however).

Great post, machaus!
posted by evanizer at 9:09 PM on February 13, 2002


I've been going through the majority of these links looking for a computer desk just to see if I can getsomething stylish. Of course, it looks like its going to cost an arm and leg.

Its suprisingly hard to find a really slick disk (attractive and functional - a often hard sought combination to come across). In all of my recent searching, I've managed to come across www.ledadesk.com. Not to expensive, and somewhat stylish...

And ugly boring regular wood grain...

Does anybody have any other suggestions?
posted by bobadoci at 9:35 PM on February 13, 2002


And I just got this in email. how fitting.
posted by mathowie at 10:42 PM on February 13, 2002


Hmmm... Eames furniture - is someone pulling an elaborate John Lodge Johnson assistant-finding technique?
posted by GriffX at 10:47 PM on February 13, 2002


bobadoci- maybe try Design Within Reach, which has some pretty swanky stuff at a discount.

GriffX- ? I didn't get the reference. I didn't read the book, so perhaps that's why.
posted by evanizer at 11:40 PM on February 13, 2002


I'm sorry, but I just don't understand "modern" furniture. I do enjoy a few modern designs, but they're usually workstations, desks, etc. Things that, to me, should be contemporary-looking.

Furniture in living rooms and family rooms is all about comfort to me. Give me huge, overstuffed sofas that invite you to lie on them and fall asleep. I want to sit in a chair and sink back into the cushions and never, ever leave. Too much of the modern design genre looks like some godawful uncomfortable dentist's-waiting-room furniture, although the orange couch on this page could definitely be a possibility for an extended lounging session.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 12:11 AM on February 14, 2002


Addendum:

I almost cried when I saw the prices for the furniture here. My first real job was driver/mover/buyer/salesman for a second-hand furniture store, and I threw out dozens of sofas, chairs and lamps that are now marked at prices which, had I managed to sell a single item for such a sum, would have paid my monthly salary at that time.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 12:15 AM on February 14, 2002


Great post, machaus. Great comment and juicy links, Evan. Thanks both. Mid-century American furniture costs a fortune here in Europe and is difficult to come by. Never mind yhe Neutra house to go with it.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 1:50 AM on February 14, 2002


mr_crash,

I have one of these at my flat. While it is fiberglas, and sometimes extended sitting gets old, it is by far my favorite place to sit. I also have my grandfathers couch, and people tend to gravitate to the Eames Chaise. Not all "Modern" was clean edge and the like. The Eames' have a pretty humanist side, that when you experiance it, you enjoy their furniture. But you raise a good point, furniture [and design] has a subjective side that we have to take into account.
posted by plemeljr at 5:54 AM on February 14, 2002


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