ACK. This house is Gorgeous beyond belief. Rest assured, I have provided links to all of Chuck’s great slide shows, below. Why is this house and its kitchen so famous? Wikipedia says:

John deKoven Hill and [Frank Llloyd] Wright designed a number of buildings together where Hill acted as Chief Architect.Hill was the chief architect and designer for the echt-Wrightian J. Ralph and Patricia Corbett House on 2501 Grandin Road in Cincinnati, Ohio. The 2501 Grandin Road house was House Beautiful’s 1960 Pace Setter and is considered the culmination of Frank Lloyd Wright and John deKoven Hill’s collaborative designs. Many features first seen in houses like Fallingwater and Taliesin are incorporated into the 2501 Grandin Road house.

It is unbelievable: The beautiful modern homes Everywhere across America!

I follow Formica on Facebook, and based on a tip they posted (thanks!) yesterday, I talked to Chuck Lohre on the phone right away. He said that he bought the kitchen out of total modernist love, and had hoped to use it in an upcoming. That project is not going ahead, so now it working to find a buyer. He is currently in talks with the local art museum, which has shown interest. If that doesn’t work out, he is planning to auction the kitchen in March. I suggested he talk to the Museum of Modern Art — remember their terrific modern kitchen exhibit last year? I bet they would love to have it, but Chuck said that first, he is working to keep it in Cincinnati.

Chuck gave me permission to feature a few photos that he took to chronicle the salvage operation. Oh my, the beauteousness. This definitely seems to have been a high-end, all-the-bells-and-whistles 1960 kitchen. Luv.

Chuck also explains that all of the Formica used in the kitchen was custom designed just for it, and apparently the laminate was ever not sold retail. The cabinets are laminated wood — the peninsula would double-decker shelves is covered in laminate, etc. Stay tuned, I am doing more research – and I also have reached out to Formica to see if they can provide any original photography of the kitchen.  Thank you, Chuck, you are a hero. Thanks, too, to the new owners; even though they did not want to keep the original kitchen, they were kind to let Chuck salvage it.

Following are some important links for more information:

• Chuck Lohre’s Green Cincinnati blog’s story about the preview tonight.
• Chuck’s slide show of the demo of the kitchen.
• Chuck’s slide show of the exterior of the home.
• Good article by Cincinnati City Beat online magazine about the kitchen and Chuck’s story.
• Wikipedia bio of John DeKoven Hill.

While on the subject of Cincinnati, Retro Renovation also is a sponsor of the 20th Century Cincinnati vintage art, furnishings and fashion show coming up in two weeks — Feb. 25-26. Go! And tell them you heard about it here

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Many thanks to Scott of furniturelounge on ebay for permission to use his photos

This “Think” egghead design — which looks to be the wittiest of the series of egghead designs — showed up in my ebay search yesterday morning. By the time I cleared my screen and went back to research it, it had sold — almost immediately — for the Buy It Now prices of $425. I called seller Scott of furniturelounge in St. Joseph, Illinois, to find out more and to get permission to use his photos. He said he found this Tackett Think egghead at an antique store. I forgot to ask him if he wished he’d set the price higher — I bet he does!

On my big monitor, this is pretty much actual size -- 9" tall

I am in love with this story in Connecticut Explored about LaGardo and Virginia Tackett and their life - click photo to get to full story

Tackett — who was known as “Tack” — and his wife Virginia — who was a very involved partner in his work — spent the last 20+ years of their life in Connecticut. It’s in a recent issue of Connecticut Explored magazine that I found this wonderful story describing his and work by F. Peter Swanson, M.D.

Tackett was born in Henderson, Kentucky, in 1911. His first career was at May Co. in New York, and just before World War II, he headed out to their California offices. He did not begin studying and creating ceramics until around 1946 — by then he was well into his 30s. He had an eye for the field, and for the time, it seems, because his work took off quickly. He was an early discovery of the couple that created the firm Architectural Pottery. His works were used to accessorize the famous Case Study houses, and showcased at the Museum of Modern Art in 1951. Interestingly, Tackett was especially fond of the evolution of cooking and eating utensils. This led to a plethora of designs for food preparation and serving, including gorgeous coffee sets. When you’re on ebay (below), be sure to look at his cookie jars! Me want coooookie jar.

LaGardo Tackett on ebay — be sure to check Completed Searches, too, to see other eggheads:

Seriously, though… I am barely skimming the surface. Please read Dr. Swanson’s story (links above)– it’s really quite informative, uplifting even. I really would love to have met Tack and Virginia LaGardo.

Thank you, Scotty / furniturelounge, for sharing the egghead photos
Check out Scott’s finds from in and around St. Joseph, Illinois, below.

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These interiors are a veritable primer — a treasure trove of inspiration and ideas — about how to create stunning — yet timeless — interiors for your midcentury home. Linda, the real estate agent, writes: 

Hi Pam,

I loved reading the article in the NYTimes! I’m a Realtor in Montclair NJ and have a house listed that is the most amazing home that I have seen in 25 years of real estate. Built by the owners in 1962 and decorated by Wiliam Pahlmann, a Manhattan decorator w/a newspaper column in the ’60s. The house is exactly as decorated when new… It looks as if it was done yesterday!  The jelly beans in the bowls in the living room are color-coordinated to the “summer” slip covers and they will change with the season!

-Linda

Now, I must admit: Until I received this email, I didn’t know anything about William Pahlmann. I am sure that students of interior design must study him. But his name does not seem to be mainstream widespread like many of the most famous architects from back in the day. By the way, I find this to be true time and time again — the names of many professionals who were incredibly influential in the world of interior design and consumer goods in the postwar era have faded — and it’s time that they are resurrected! Another of my goals!

I started to do some online research, and quickly found that Pahlmann was incredibly important in the history of interior design.

He is credited with launching the “eclectic style” that, for the most part, permeates our culture today.

That is: Mixing modern pieces with vintage and exotic pieces. I think these interiors are ALL incredibly livable. And, they look as current Today as ever!

I will write more about Pahlmann coming up. He is someone We Need To Know!

Sigh.

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