Retro Renovation

Have a great weekend!

pam kueber — Fri, 25 May 2012 08:30:27 +0000

I finished the punch list (with just two cheats), and am actually back working — and doing my vintage collage — in my remodeled office studio. No “real” furniture or storage is installed yet — we’re having a photo shoot on Saturday with just the bones of the room, then the rest will go in, probably little by little. I am the kind of person who likes to live with a space as I decorate… I know it sounds corny, but over time, the room reveals to me what it wants… what’s next. Anyway, I’m all aflutter getting ready for photos… and hey, I heard it’s a long weekend coming up. Renovate safe, be safe out there on the roads — and don’t poke anyone with that barbecue poker. I’ll be back here Monday morning. xoxo, Pam

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4 vintage modern tiles — pretty as a peacock

pam kueber — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:50:42 +0000

I love midcentury modern decorative wall tiles — so tactile, so rich in their colors and fanciful in their design. These are great collectibles and “mix it up” in terms of adding texture and visual interest to your walls or tabletops. I went poking around Bungalow Bill’s website to see what new/old eye candy he had to entertain and delight (or buy) and found a flock of peacocks that made me very happy indeed. If you got it, flaunt it. If you don’t got it, get it. Above: “A large mid century modern tile by Ruscha. It has all the colors popular in the early 60′s decor; red, persian blue and emerald green,” Bill says. Three more birds of a feather follow –>

Above: Peacock tile designed by Inge Exner 1961-1962, for Knabstrup, Denmark. Yes: A tile can be “Danish Modern,” too.

Above: The maker of this pretty guy seems to be a mystery. Bill say it’s German.

Finally, above: Okay, so this is not mid-century modern, it’s earlier. But it is quite beautiful — and the most valuable of the bunch. Bills says:

This 7-inch round tile has an embossed figure of a peacock with his tail spread wide. It was made by Helen Greenleaf Lane. Similar examples can be seen in on the cover of Volume 4 of the Encyclopedia of American Art Tile by Norman Karlson, and in Volume 2 of California Tile: The Golden Era 1910-1940. Lane studied pottery at the University of Southern California under Glen Lukens. Her output from her studio in Upland was short, only between 1920-1929. Seldom do tiles from this artist surface for sale. The condition remains excellent with no chips, cracks, or repairs.

Thank you, Bill, for giving me permission to feature these photos. Readers, check out all of Bungalow Bill’s beautiful wares on his website here.

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Luna chairs — affordable, authentic, funky 1970 interior design still available today

pam kueber — Thu, 24 May 2012 08:30:56 +0000

When I was writing all those stores about where to buy 28 affordable midcentury and modern sofas, and then 29 sofa-sectionals and then 11 round sofas, I also discovered these fantabulous chairs: The Luna chair, first spotted at Dania/Plummers, for what looks to be a terrific price, $398 for the low-back Luna chair, $498 for the high-back Luna chair. $198 for the ottoman. In leather! *Yes: Confirmed: Yes, this is the pricing from Dania/Plummers/Scandinavian Design (same company); more info from my call, below. I did more online research and found that this chair is made and marketed by IMG Comfort. They are based in Norway, and their website explains the provenance of this cozy chair:

An instant classic since 1970 when acclaimed Norwegian designer Odd Knutsen introduced his Luna Chair. Knowing IMG’s passionate pursuit of perfection, Knutsen assigned our company the exclusive rights to manufacture and distribute his groundbreaking design worldwide. Underlying the Luna Chair’s unobtrusive design is a level of comfort rarely obtained by even the most expensive chairs. This you must experience first-hand to believe.

The Luna chair seems to be available via various retailers within the U.S. In my cursory research, Dania/Plummers/Scandinavian Designs appeared to have very competitive prices. I talked to a super helpful manager at Scandinavian Designs in Berkeley, Calif. She confirmed the prices I listed above. She said that these chairs are now made in Thailand, which is what has kept prices low. The leather is from Europe. She said they do not do online sales. However, if you call Berkeley, she said she could give you the shipping dimensions and if you take responsibility for the shipping, you could buy one that way. The chairs do require assembly, and she said it’s a pain. If you are buying for pickup at the store, they do the assembly for you in advance. Finally — they no longer do custom orders — there are a handful of colors of leather regularly available, and two wood colors.

I love the groove-tastic look of these chairs, but I also want to point out: They are not ginormous on-steroids — like so many American easy chairs today. They are just 29″ x 29″ x 29″ (I rounded), with a 22″ space for your tush to nestle into. This is a very small footprint — great for our smaller houses, perhaps?

There also is an ottoman.

On the Mauk’s of Jonesborough website, I found some additional options that you may be able to find if you want to shop around (and probably, pay more):

8 Chair Colors

Black

Bronze (light brown)

Cherry (maroon)

Off White

Havana (dark brown)

Latte (sand)

Red

5 Base Colors

Teak

Cherry

Natural

Black

Dark Brown

What terrific chairs! They deserve to be big sellers in today’s retro-crazed market! These are so pretty, I am using lots and lots of exclamation points!

Links:

Luna chairs, ottomen and table at IMG Comfort (manufacturer and distributor — not a retailer).
Luna low- and high-back chairs at Dania. This company also owns Plummer stores and Scandinavian Designs — with the same product line, but different and more locations. This is just one retailer in the U.S. – but they had juicy prices; use the Google and demand a great price!

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