Esoteric Survey

I had a good weekend. Getting pieces by Henry Takemoto and Doyle Lane on the same day doesn't happen often. It's funny that the Takemoto has weed pots on it ann the Lane isn't a weed pot. The cups are by James Makins.  George Nelson, Carl Aubock and Paolo Soleri.  Knoll tables and smalls. I'm not really a Danish guy. However, these are my favorite salt and pepper grinders. They're designed by Kristian Vedel. And if they're good enough for Sori Yanagi, they're good enough for me. Source: The Philosophy of Design. Essays by Sori Yanagi A new one for my ceramic mask wall. It's been a while.  Here's another look at the Lane bowl. The weed pots get all the attention and I get why. However, I like all utilitarian and odd ball pieces as well.  Plus, the world must have known I needed more Lane in my life. They picked up my loans to the Huntington today. They'll be gone until February. More about the exhibition here: Doyle Lane: Master of Clay

It was a wild weekend.  Let's just say that I didn't go out looking for a 9 foot knife. The usual fare.  That Soleri bell is a good one. The log holder is by Alfred Staples, a Canadian designer. I've had a couple of them over the years and just found that out recently. Max Filkenstein and Ed Thompson.  Also, Aalto with a nice patina.

  Eames Hang-It-All, Ate Van Apeldoorn, Arts & Architecture... Two early Doyle Lane pieces. I'm glad I braved the rain. Brent Bennett and Paolo Soleri

  Cosanti (1956) They've done a lot of tidying up over the years .

  A sofa designed by a Colorado architect Smalls, including Bill Lam and a Soleri bell Elephant bookends by Werkstätte Hagenauer Mosaic Original paste-up ad artwork by an illustrator. More on Curt Wagner later.

The Smith House by Frank Lloyd Wright (1950) Located in Bloomfield Hills, this Usonian was commissioned by two school teachers, Sara Stein Smith and Melvyn Maxwell Smith.  In 1939, during a graduate art history class at Wayne State University, Melvyn was inspired by a presentation on Wright's Fallingwater. Immediately in class, he declared his intention to have a house designed by Wright. Sarah and Melvyn were married in 1940. The Smiths went to meet with Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin in 1941 and he agrred to design a home for them. The project was delayed when Melvyn was drafted into the Army. He served from 1942 to 1945.  The couple used their entire saving to purchase the site in 1946 and Wright delivered the plans in 1947. Melvyn acted as the general contractor to save on costs. The Smiths must have been the most likeable couple because all the trades people and suppliers gave them generous deals. Even the notoriously arrogant and abrasive Wright was smitten by them. Arch...