CasaSugar

Before and After: Midcentury Modern Sofa

Casa Community — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 07:30:49 -0800

Here's a post from CasaSugar Community member Carolynz from the Su Casa group:

Our 1968 deckhouse is a slow work in progress. One of the biggest projects I have gotten completed to date is this sofa. I bought it on Craigslist with 2 coordinating chairs (which are waiting patiently at the reupholsterer!) for $275 - it's 9 feet long!

Here is the before shot from the CL seller:

To see how it looked like after it was reupholstered,read more.

And here is the after - immediately after it was delivered by the upholsterers - obviously my daughter & her friend are thrilled with it.

Have you tackled any redecorating projects lately? Be sure to share photos and tales with our Su Casa group!

Guess Who Made This Chair?

CasaSugar — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 12:00:09 -0800

This master bedroom features a papa bear chair, which sits in a Frank Lloyd Wright house on the Potomac River. Can you tell me the name of the designer of the papa bear chair?

Guess Who Designed This House?

CasaSugar — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:00:54 -0700

This home's restoration was recently honored by the American Institute of Architects. Can you tell me who designed this house in 1954?

In the News: Revisiting a Modern Home

CasaSugar — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:30:01 -0700

Los Angeles is known for its modern architecture and architects, with homes built by the likes of Ralph Rapson, John Lautner, and Pierre Koenig dotting the urban landscape. One such house, which was featured in the LA Times 50 years ago, has just resurfaced in that paper's pages. Dubbed the Times Home Magazine House, it was designed by architect Edward H. Fickett and the interior was designed by Arthur Elrod.

The Encino home, which was built as "a suburban house that embodied forward-thinking design," was, similar to the case study houses, meant to be affordable for a middle-class family. Half a century later, the house still manages to appear private, beautiful, and of the moment. Now owned by Warner Walcott and Jonn Coolidge, whose prior residence was also built by Fickett, the current inhabitants have brought their own sense of coolness to the house while maintaining the home's integrity and original intentions. They also have, as the LA Times article notes, complemented the home's style "with an art and furniture collection that's at once retro yet contemporary - and unmistakably California cool."

While I'm a bit too scattered and cluttered to ever make a modern home like this work to its full advantage, I do admire the "California cool" look of these homes. There's something soothing in their clean lines, placid pools, and deliberate blurring of indoor and outdoor spaces. To see the house in all of its splendid glory, check out the whole article.

Source

Name This Designer

CasaSugar — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 07:00:54 -0700

A very important mid-century designer, who was featured in one of my Designer Spotlights, designed this chair. Can you guess who he is?

In the News: A Richard Neutra in Dire Straits

CasaSugar — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 05:30:05 -0700

The Los Angeles Times' "The Clock Is Ticking For Richard Neutra's VDL Research House II" is a story about the "fabled glass box on Silver Lake Boulevard in Los Angeles," designed by renowned midcentury modernist architect Richard Neutra and owned by nonprofit Cal Poly Pomona Foundation, and faces sale if upward of $2 million is not raised by supporters by the end of the year. Saturday tours of the landmark have recently begun to raise money for the cause, and awareness of its need for restoration. Visitors can witness firsthand some of its problems, including termite damage, asbestos, cracked and dried reflecting pools, jammed sliding doors, and an electric system that no longer functions. While midcentury modern design is experiencing a boom, and people like Diane Keaton are restoring equally important homes, you wonder why an architectural landmark could be in dire need of preservation. Neutra's son, Dion Neutra, who once worked to rebuild the house after a fire, says, "It’s a result of benign neglect for the 20 years since my family donated the house to Cal Poly." While it's understandable that a home that's been uninhabited for so long could be overlooked, the thought of it selling to a private party, and becoming unavailable to the public, is a glum one.
Source

In the News: The Midcentury Anti-Garden

CasaSugar — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:30:29 -0700

LA Times' More Stark Than the Desert Around Them takes an alarming note of the growing trend of "extending the spareness of home interiors into the garden, and wiping out natural habitat in the process," by midcentury modern homeowners in Palm Springs. These midcentury mod enthusiasts have begun to replace the natural and/or traditional landscapes surrounding their homes with minimalist "gardens" made simply of gravel, lawn, or geometrically-shaped arrangements of cacti and grass, or shaved palm trees. This new terrain is quite the departure from those surrounding well-known designs by 1950s architects like Albert Frey and William Krisel.
On one hand, it's nice to see homeowners realizing the relationship between the architecture of their home and their landscaping, and putting extra thought into it rather than accepting what already exists or what's "the norm" for homes of different architectural styles. But it's also sad to hear that "fig and lemon trees planted there 40 years before by the original owner" are being ripped out. I'm all for designing appropriately for architecture and climate, but this type of starkness will lead to erosion and desertification; a little tasteful xeriscaping, much more appropriate and eco-friendly for the Palm Springs climate, seems to be the perfect compromise. To see more images, check out the gallery.

Casa Shops: Janus Home

CasaSugar — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 15:00:18 -0800

If you're a fan of mid-century modern design, then you'll want to make a stop at Janus Home, a showroom located in downtown Portland, Oregon. The store stocks a variety of high-quality restored mid-century furnishings and decorative arts. They are available for design consultations and custom uphostery consultations as well. So, if you're passing through Portland, or are a permanent resident who hasn't discovered this store yet, stop in in person to check it out.

To see some of my fave finds from this store, just read more.
Have any Casa readers already checked out Janus Home? What's your take?

Source

Flashback: The Famous Eames Lounge Chair Debuts

CasaSugar — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 05:12:01 -0700

Even if you don't think you know the Eames Lounge Chair, you probably know the Eames lounge chair. Created by husband and wife Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller, the iconic mid-century modern design debuted in 1956, and it's still wildly popular five decades later. (One person even thought it would make a good tattoo.)

For a bit of background, Dwell Blog (via Design Observer) found this pretty hilarious video of when the Eames lounger debuted on NBC. The television host, who is just tickled by the idea that wife Ray actually works, talks at length to Charles Eames about the pair's manufacturing process and materials. The video is in two parts, and the dramatic unveiling is in Part II. To watch, read more

Midday Muse: Oh My Mod

CasaSugar — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 12:07:06 -0700

My decorating taste is very eclectic, but understated mod design is one of my old reliables. The highlights of this room, photographed by Hulya Kolabas, include Jonathan Adler pottery, hip green walls, and a divine mid-century modern dresser.

via Desire to Inspire