Esoteric Survey

  Eventually Everything Connects: Mid-Century Modern Design in the US This exhibition at  Cranbrook Art Museum  was the impetus for heading out to the Midwest. I met two friends in Detroit for six days of architecture and design sightseeing.   Inspired by Charles Eames’s quote, “Eventually everything connects: people, ideas, objects,” the exhibition   included over 200 works by100 designers and artists.  It centers on the Cranbrook Academy's role in the evolution of modern design along with emphasizing the often-overlooked contributions of women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and designers of color. The exhibition and accompanying book were curated by Andrew Blauvelt and Bridget Bartal.  Near the beginning of the exhibition is the Wartime Experiments section, with pieces from the 1941  Organic Design in Home Furnishings  competition, which was sponsored b MoMA. On the left is a chair design  Eero Saarinen and Charles Eames submitted to the co...

I'm behind on posting. I went to Michigan to do some design and architecture sightseeing. A little shopping happened and this is what I was able to bring back with me on the plane. So far nobody has ever seen these Alexander Girard trays before. That includes the Girard geeks. They came from the estate of a designer who knew Girard. I have some thoughts but I'll keep digging. Early Richard Fisher bell Smalls

  Weekend Stuff from the Bay Area.  The candle holder in the middle came from the estate of Muriel Coleman. We have Victor Bisharat on the right.   That's a Heath plate in the center. Val Robbins, William Chappelow and Panelcarve

  I was able to get this Bill Lam lamp back in a horse trade. I'm not sure who did the perforated spun brass clock. Smalls Kenji Fujita

This weekend I went to the estate sale at the  Dr. Edgar and Allison Mauer  House by John Lautner (1947). It's  located on Mount Washington in Los Angeles.   It's in a state of disrepair after decades of deferred maintenance and a severe hoarding situation.  What must have been at least15 years ago, Scott from Ten10 took me on a tour of Mount Washington. This was one of the stops. It looked horrible then.  David, the grandson of the Mauer's inherited the house. Along with his partner, they are at the beginning stages of restoring the house, with plans to live there. Edgar F. Mauer House (1939) by Frank Lloyd Wright  Pre-WWII, the Mauer's were working with Frank Lloyd Wright on a house for the site. The plan was for a small one bedroom home that would have been by many accounts, the first Usonian. The war got in the way and it went unbuilt. Post-war, they had children and needed a larger house and it was too expensive for the couple to have Wright ...