Esoteric Survey

Frank Bros.: The Store that Modernized Modern, at the   University Art Museum at CSULB  Curated by Cara Mullio and Jennifer M. Volland. The exhibition sources the Frank Brothers archives at the Getty Research Institute and the Frank family collection. Photo: Julius Shulman,  Frank Bros.: The Store that Modernized Modern Unlike the Eames, the Frank Bros. were actually brothers. Maurice and Edward Frank joined forces to continue on with the family's furniture business. They opened Frank Bros in Long Beach in 1938. It was first located in downtown, and then relocated to Long Beach Boulevard, where it remained until 1982. It was one of the great retail entities bringing modern to the masses in post-war America.  A wall of the store's Arts & Architecture magazine ads. I didn't see this one in the exhibition, but with Maurice Martine, Eero Saarinen and Jens Risom,  it's one of my favorites. Source: Arts & Architecture Fr...

Los Manantiales by Felix Candela, in Mexico City The restaurant was designed by the Spanish-born architect in 1958. The structure, comprised of four thin-shelled concrete hyperbolic paraboloids, is referred to as "la flor" (the flower) by the locals in Xochimilco. I spoke to the lady who runs the restaurant. She said the building was just awarded some sort of historical designation, but the government doesn't offer any funding for restoration. The mosaic mural on the wall in front of the building shows the Floating Gardens of Xochimilco, which are just behind the restaurant. Groups rent boats and have parties as they're taken through the canals. Smaller boats pull up and offer drinks and snacks for sale. I hired my own boat and went solo. I guess that doesn't happen often. I was getting a lot of funny looks, or maybe they just felt bad for me. How else was I going to get this view? Los Manantiales is  abo...

Mel Smilow

Bill Curry for Design Line John Follis studio pots Tom Tramel wood vases Tramel vases pop up here and there, but I've always wondered where the table from California  Design 10 went. Found it! Who knew there was a matching side table? Then there is the jewelry chest from California Design 11. Found that too.