Recommended by Courtney, this 2004 L.A. Times article also includes a great timeline of the Asian-Tiki trend – which the Times calls “Tropi-California”:
A century under the palms
Tropi-California décor has evolved from exotic to kitsch to the essence of contemporary casual. The highlights of 100 years of a homegrown style:
1904-19: East Coast emigres find their Victorian parlor wicker (once paired with potted palms in the solarium) to be lightweight and durable enough to use in and out of doors, as the climate of California encouraged.
1920-29: Sica, a thin round vine also known as stick rattan, is introduced into such furniture as casual angular armchairs with built-in magazine slots by companies such as Heywood-Wakefield, below. In Europe, Mies van der Rohe designs modernist tubular metal chairs with wicker seats.
1930-39: Inspired by Filipino craftsmen who bend thick rattan rods into organic shapes, American designers twist the pliable but weather resistant material into fanciful Deco and Streamline shapes. As a decorative accent, rattan, cane and sea grass are often mixed with Philippine mahogany. Ernest Beaumont-Gantt opens Don the Beachcomber, the big kahuna of Tiki restaurants.
1940-48: Rattan is the most prevalent furniture among American servicemen stationed in the Pacific. As imports grow, manufacturers such as Tropical Sun Rattan in Pasadena, above, and Ritts Co. in Los Angeles spring up. Furniture designer Paul Frankl’s pretzel-shaped armchair becomes an icon of the era. Rattan with loud floral upholstery becomes popular for porches and rec rooms across the country.
1949-52: Architect Paul Williams builds a new wing at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The Martinique banana-leaf print wallpaper selected by decorator Don Loper defines the postwar tropical look in Los Angeles. The hotel’s lunch counter, right, looks the same today. In 1952, Danny Ho Fong opens Tropi-Cal in Los Angeles.
1953-58: In the years before Hawaii became the 49th state, the look of Hawaii and Polynesia become popularized in “From Here to Eternity” (1953) and “South Pacific” (1958). Trader Vic’s becomes a national chain, opening an outpost in the Beverly Hilton that still stands. As U.S. manufacturers cut corners, rattan starts to look ratty and is soon surpassed in popularity by plywood and molded fiberglass modern furniture.
1959-65: “Gidget” and its sequel “Gidget Goes Hawaiian” are released and Elvis goes to the islands in “Blue Hawaii,” launching the surf craze in America and the beach movie genre around the world.
1966-70: Woven furniture is reinvented with sleek designs from Scandinavia and Japan. During this era, the often-imitated 1959 hanging egg chair, left, by Nanna and Jorgen Ditzel becomes a symbol of the swinging ’60s.
1971-79: Interest in Art Deco and Victoriana keeps classic rattan and wicker out of dumpsters, but the tropical look falls into dormancy.
1980-89: The sun-soaked style catches a new wave of popularity with set-in-Florida TV shows such as “Miami Vice” and “The Golden Girls.” Prewar rattan classics like fan-arm chairs, below, used on the set of the latter become highly collectible.
1990-95: The Sunset Marquis Hotel and Villas in West Hollywood, above, reinterprets Tropi-California in rooms decorated with floral prints on European furniture. The lounge music revival leads to a new appreciation of midcentury tiki kitsch. Former decorator Joe O’Brien opens the surf-centric Cabana Joe’s in Venice.
1996-99: As Buddhism becomes hip, Asian influences join Moroccan accents in Tropi-California design. Warisan, a Balinese antique emporium and design firm, opens a retail shop on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles. Schiffer publishes “Rattan: Tropical Comfort Throughout the House.”
2000-04: Orange County artist Shag mixes Polynesian imagery with midcentury furniture for gallery paintings and commercial illustrations. The tiki torch ceremony becomes must-see TV on “Survivor.” The 50-year-old rattan firm McGuire releases a collection by designer Barbara Barry. Tommy Bahama and Cabana Joe’s become household names. National Geographic licenses its name for tropical furniture by Palecek like the Serengeti chair, above.
Related posts:
- The fabulous Witco tiki bar goes to: Reader “Ghost of Elvis” GHOST OF ELVIS (aka Arne) recently scored the fantastic Witco...
- Vintage Witco tiki bar – the greatest one ever? This vintage Witco tiki bar – with a real...
- Tiki carvings by Dave Hansen My favorite artisan at the Luau on the Lake was...
- 50s interiors: Horse motifs everywhere I find it fascinating that primitive horse themes were...
- Tiki Lisa photographs 57 ranch home exteriors in her neighborhood Reader Tiki Lisa did major retro reconnaissance in her...
Want to stay on top of all Retro Renovation news? Subscribe to our Saturday email newsletter.
{ 1 trackback }
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
The whole mid-century Tiki Movement makes perfect sense now : Hundreds of thousands of US service men and women stationed in the Pacific for 4-5 years grew accustomed to the look and brought it back with them to the new homes they were able to buy cheaply under the GI Bill. And the look was a pervasive one, extending into areas and regions where it might not seem entirely appropriate. Here in Palm Springs, a desert region with less than 4 inches of rain per year, the tropical Tiki look really took hold amongst the cacti and blowing sands. Consider the Tropic Hotel with its Reef Tiki Bar (still in operation in all its tiki glory as the Caliente Tropics), the Hotel Trinidad (a Caribbean variation on the tiki theme, a former hangout for Frank Sinatra and his Rat Pack, and also still in business), and the Indianola Resort built in 1955 on a tiki motif and still going strong. There are also freestanding tiki clubs, bars, and restaurants, most famously Toucans Tiki Lounge. And let’s not forget retail outlets, including MacMillans Resort Wear, which still boasts “the largest selection of Hawaiian aloha shirts outside of the islands.” Palm Springs also offers a generous selection of tiki-themed private homes, as well as entire apartment complexes, such as The Kona Apartments, the Aloha Apartments, and the Royal Hawaiian Estates, all reflecting the influence associated with Hawai’i’s achieving statehood. I will send photos of some of the local tiki haunts later, but for now you can see some of them at http://www.roadsidepeek.com/roadusa/southwest/california/socal/desert/palmdsrt/palmarchit/palmtiki/index.htm.
Thanks, and good luck getting the site back to 100% !
Palm Springs Stephan
I know! I loved that timeline feature- so many ‘ah-ha!’ moments. Some ambitious research/writer should publish a book of these for every design movement. Nothing like a good list to bring my left and right brains into harmony.
- Courtney.
Stephan, you are so lucky to live in P.S in the midst of so much mid-century and tiki wonderstuff! I live in Yucca Valley and I think it would be a fun thing to get together with other like-minded folks from this group or others you might know. I’m kinda all on my own when it comes to my enthusiasm for architecture voyeurism!