You read it here first: On Monday Feb. 13 Rejuvenation will be officially launching their new Samba doorset escutcheon. But I saws the catalog posting Friday, jumped on it and posted the first photos last night. This morning, I got these fullsize photos from the PR department, along with some additional info. According to Rejuv, the Samba is a reproduction of a doorset introduced by the Weiser Company in the latter half of the 1960s. Then, it was simply named “Modern Escutcheon.” About the design, Rejuv says, “It spotlights the dynamic dance between dramatic mid-’60s sophistication and the clean simplicity of Mid-Century Modern design.” I would call it brutalist.
Overnight I also asked Rejuvenation industrial designer Tim Wetzel for his thoughts:
This is one we really had a hard time figuring out. I disgree with Bo’s Brutalism tag, but you can be the judge. Brutalism is one of those terms that sends most people (self included) off to Google for a definition. I found this site that seems to explain Brutalism well: http://criticundertheinfluence.wordpress.com/2011/11/20/brutalism-the-word-itself-and-what-we-mean-when-we-say-it/ [Note from Pam, here is my story on Brutalist Furniture: https://retrorenovation.com/2010/10/13/brutalist-design-furniture-from-lane/]
To me Samba is all about decoration for decoration’s sake, which is 180 degrees opposite of the concepts of Brutalism. But what the Samba style is seems really tough to pin down. Maybe there is some vaguely Polynesian reference. Maybe it was just a crazy fun doodle that we are over-thinking. We still have the package it came in, but there is no clue on that as to the style – it was labeled simply “Modern”. One thing for sure- it is striking, unusual and beyond the motifs typically seen on fancy door sets.
It will be interesting to see if your readers have a name for this style, or if they can point to other items with a similar motif.
Continue on for big honkin’ photos of all the finishes — and a lovely room shot.
“At a height of 16in., the Samba comes with the Schlage Orbit locking set and everything you need for a door with a 2-3/8in. or 2-3/4in. backset, plus an optional matching deadbolt.” It comes in three finishes — polished brass, polished chromes, and brushed chrome. Looks like it is $280. If that fazes you, you can occasionally find these vintage, but be sure they fit. See this story for some additonal examples of fabulous door escutcheons found via this blog, now mostly sold.
The first reader who finds me a photo with an authentic vintage one of these wins my everlasting admiration and if I get my act together, one of my vintage Fuller Brush salesman spatulas. Link: Samba doorset from Rejuvenation.