Esoteric Survey

   The William H. and Barbara Kaiser Levit House (1961) by Richard Neutra is the setting for the fourth BLAKEHAUS, curated by Peter Blake Gallery.  As described by the gallery, BLAKEHAUS BEVERLY HILLS is a site-specific installation traversing the disciplines of art, design, and architecture, bringing historically significant modern design and museum-quality contemporary art into dialogue with Neutra's geometric architectural sensibilities. Willy Guhl Scarpa, Angelo Mangiarotti and Pierre Laporte A classic Neutra fireplace KEM Weber Percival Lafer Ettore Sottsass and Carlo Mollino Sculpture by  Stephanie Bachiero The site is pretty incredible. The wildfires in LA were still burning when I was there so the view that day was eerily smokey. However, on a clear day, the San Gabriel mountains can be seen on one side, the skyline of downtown LA on another side and the Pacific Ocean can be seen from the poolside of the house. I remembered the name William Levitt a...

  Sculpture sold through Peter Pepper Products Ernie Kim Dansk Forms & Surfaces / Panelcarve and Alexander Girard

Sam Bell Beach House & Tramway (1955-65) by Dale Naegle It's also known as the La Jolla Mushroom House. I've done a few posts on the house over the years. In fact, this photo was taken a decade ago. It was built on Blacks Beach in La Jolla, California, as the guest house of the Samuel L. Bell summer residence. Sam Bell was of Bell's Potato Chips and heir to General Mills. He was also related to Henry Ford. Apparently Sam Bell also had Eero Saarinen design a house for him. Here is the model of the unbuilt Saarinen house in New Hope, Penn. (1941) Source: Courtesy of Cranbrook Archives, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research A perfect circle 30 feet in diameter, its roof and walls are poured concrete and concrete block.  It features a private funicular connecting the “satellite” into the main house on the cliff. The construction cost in 1965 was $100,000. The original 1950s main house at the top of the cliff was demolished in 1990 and was not designed by Naegle. Nei...

Eames cats cradle. Does it get anymore architectural than this? Laura Andreson bowl, Paul Evans menorah, Piet Hein puzzle and a crafty ecclesiastical take on an Enzo Mari animali puzzle.  A grasshopper for good luck. We need it.

  This was my first weekend out shopping in the new year.  Bauhaus dishes by Isamu Kenmochi They were sold at Pottery Barn and similar retailers in the late 1970s and 80's. Bloomingdale bags by Ettore Sottsass and Sergio Baradat In 1979, John Jay Senior Art Director of Men’s and Home Furnishings and then Creative Director of Bloomingdale’s advertising and design, launched an art bag series. Michael Graves and Neville Brody also designed bags for the series. More about it at The Daily Heller . More books