In 1964 United States Steel called upon the nation’s electric utility companies to reconsider the current look of our power stations and transmission towers to be both functional and beautiful. Two years later, Henry Dreyfuss and Associates were commissioned to investigate possible design alternatives, and I believe they were documented in a book entitled “Power Styling” which was produced by United States Steel in the mid-to-late 1960s. I discovered a copy not long ago, and the inside illustrations are absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, there is very little information listed, so I can’t say for sure if the concepts belong to Henry Dreyfuss and his team. I contacted the office of Syd Mead, who did several illustration projects for US Steel, to confirm the artwork, and sadly he was unfamiliar with this piece. If anyone has information on the Power Stylings project or the mysterious illustrator, please drop a note in the comments.
More images after the jump. Don’t miss this one!
This could double as a giant floor lamp. I’d buy one!
Makedonium monument in Krusevo
I recently stumbled upon a slideshow of modern memorials in former Yugoslavia over at Robert Burghardt’s FZZ Fanzine. The memorials date back to the early 1960s following Yugoslavia’s emancipation from the Soviet Union. In the preface to the slide show Robert mentions, “These monuments belong to the most important witnesses of Yugoslav memorial culture and stem from the most active period of Yugoslav modern art which has been described as socialist modernism or socialist aestheticism. As War-monuments they are unique: They do not express the fighting and death, but life, resistance and the energy by which they were carried. They are directed forward while they mark the starting point for a new society, whose products they are.”
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Also worth checking: Frederic Chaubin: Photographs of Soviet Architecture
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Vintage kids book Mi Diccionario is in the Grain Edit Shop
Grain Edit recommends Colo Pro A font designed by Font Fabric. Check it out here.
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Architectuur werk van leden poster c1959
Wim Crouwel fans rejoice!
The Het Geheugen van Nederland (The Memory of the Netherlands) is a dutch website that contains an extensive collection of illustrations, photographs, texts, film and audio fragments, all of Dutch making. They have an impressive archive of work by Wim Crouwel. Over 500 original designs by Wim and his partners at Total Design lay in wait for your perusing pleasure. Enjoy!
Huge thanks to Antonio at Aisleone for sharing this gem.
* Note - If the link doesn’t work type “Wim Crouwel” into the search engine found on the site.
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If you like this, check out: Wim Crouwel Interview 1, Wim Crouwel Interview 2
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Vintage kids book Mi Diccionario is in the Grain Edit Shop
Grain Edit recommends Colo Pro A font designed by Font Fabric. Check it out here.
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By: Dave,
on 2/3/2010
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Callahan Residence, Birmingham, Alabama 1965 - Rendering by Paul Rudolph
Architect Paul Rudolph (1918-1997) was known for his much-loved (and loathed) Brutalist yet spatially complex buildings. As one of the pioneering figures of the ‘Sarasota School of Architecture’ in the late 1940s, Rudolph gained a worldwide audience with his innovative design for the modern American home. His best known architectural masterpieces are the Yale School of Architecture, the Boston Government Center and the Crawford Manor. By the late 70’s and into the 90’s, Rudolph who was unmoved by the Post-modern dominance in architecture, steadfastly continued to design powerful Modernist structures now gracing the urban skylines of the Far East.
Burroughs Wellcome Company, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, 1969-1972
Aside from his built works, Paul Rudolph was also a master renderer known for his dynamic graphic presentations drawn with incredible precision much like a Victorian etching; from the building elements to the texture of the materials realistically amplified with light and shadows. His trademark presentation technique involves a black-and-white rendering of a building’s cross-section which is drawn to a large scale on a single-point perspective. Such accuracy enabled him to illustrate and investigate the realities of his buildings and their spaces, and thus allowing his designs to evolve as he further refined his rendering techniques.
Walker Residence, Sanibel Island 1952-1953
Resort Community, Stafford Harbor, Virgina 1966
Study of Lower Manhattan Expressway, Ford Foundation, NY, NY 1967-1972
For more information about Paul Rudolph and his works, check out The Paul Rudolph Foundation and the blog.
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Elizabeth Surya is the editor of Pleatfarm: an informational blog about folds in design.
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Also worth checking: Mid Century Modern Home Plans.
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I had a chance to check out Visual Acoustics this weekend and I highly recommend it. The documentary is about the life and work of Julius Shulman, a brilliant architectural photographer whose photos captured the history of modernist architecture in Southern California. During his prolific career he worked with nearly every modern architect since the 1930s including John Lautner, Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, PIerre Koenig, Charles and Ray Eames, Craig Ellwood, Raphael Soriano and Gregory Ain.
The release of this film seems especially timely, given that Julius recently passed away. If you are unfamiliar with his work, you are in for a real treat.
Recreation Pavilion. Mirman Residence, Arcadia, California, 1959. Architects: Buff, Straub & Hensman.
Photo of Case Study House 22 (The Stahl House) c1960 - designed by Pierre Koenig.
(images via the Visual Acoustics website, Design Public blog+ The Mid Century Modernist)
You can check for screenings of the film in your area here.
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Also worth checking: Saul Bass Case Study House #20.
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Congrats to B. Rane! She is the winner in the Photo-Lettering giveaway.
Grain Edit recommended reading: A Russian Diary
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By: Dave,
on 6/22/2009
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I’d like to thank Rena Hopkins of the Charley Harper Art Studio for passing on the good news that a lost trove of original Charley Harper paintings have been rediscovered. These paintings were commissioned for the Ford Times and Lincoln Mercury Times Magazines and include many pieces from Charley’s beloved bird series. You can find out more info at the studio’s exciting new blog. Original Harper prints for Ford Times magazine are available for purchase here.
Charley’s son Brett will be on hand to personally introduce this new collection at an opening at Fabulous Frames and Art, one of our longest standing retailers, from 11 am-5 pm Saturday, July 11th. This local show will run from July 11th through August 8th.
Fabulous Frames and Art
10817 Montgomery rd
Cincinnati, OH 45231
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Congrats to Jenny Eng. She is the winner of the Kevin Dart giveaway.
©2009 Grain Edit
Kaufmann House designed by Richard Neutra in 1946
This looks like its going to be a must see flick for modern architecture fans.
Filmmakers Michael Bernard and Gavin Froome have created a documentary that will take you on a journey through three generations of modern architecture on the West Coast of North America.
This film speaks with the architects and their patrons, and asks if Modernism’s time has finally come or did it ever really go away.
Opdahl House designed by Edward Killingsworth in 1957
Smith House designed by Arthur Erickson & Geoffrey Massey in 1964
You can see the trailer for the film here. They have a blog as well.
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Also worth checking: Arthur Erickson: Graham House
& Saul Bass Case Study House #20
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Congrats to our two winners in the Human Empire/Andreas Samuelsson t-shirt giveaway. 1st place winner jessicat - 2nd place winner - Hamsterfish
©2009 Grain Edit
By: Dave,
on 3/17/2009
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I want this chair! It was designed by Jupp Ernst and manufactured by Polstermobelfabrik Eugen Schmidt Gmbh during the 1950s. If the chair wasn’t cool enough, Helmut Lortz nailed it on the design of the AD. Someone needs to buy me this chair along with a Robin Day Form Unit Sofa. Please?
also worth checking Hans Hartmann: Swiss Graphic Designer.
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Enter the Grain Edit Design Stimulus Giveaway! featuring goodies from Steven Harrington, Aesthetic Apparatus, 2K Gingham and many more! We're giving away over $1000 worth of goods. Enter now!©2009 Grain Edit
My chair "after"So recently I was in a shop coveting some refurbished mid-century modern armchairs but they were over $500 each and we're feeling poor lately. Just like everyone else I'm guessing?
the chair "before"But a few days later I found a chair at Goodwill that was really similar. The arms didn't have the exact shaping of the other chairs, but the joins were dovetailed rather than butt-joined which I liked. Of course the upholstery was really shabby and the wood finish was also very worn and patchy.
Also one of the arms was dislodged at the join. The woman at the cash looked at me like I was a bit pathetic for buying this dodgy chair and charged me $5.99.
So I bought the chair, took it home and took it all apart. The first step was using some carpenter's glue to fix the arm at the join. After adding the glue, it was just a matter of tapping it gently back into place with a hammer over a tea towel (so as not to mark the wood).
Then I sanded the whole thing with a fine sandpaper to keep the smoothness of the wood. Then I stained the wood with a dark colour (Royal Mahogany) then varnished with Polyeurethane. Then one last sanding and one last coat of varnish. I think the wood is mahogany but I really don't know my woods. It's definitely a nice hardwood.
The last step was reupholstering the chair. I really wanted to use something I already had, so there wasn't a lot of choice. I actually got the fabric I used at the workroom fabric swap, it's a creamy white chenille that has a texture of tiny squares. I had just enough! This kind of upholstery is quite easy, just wrap the fabric and staple on the underside. Just take care to tuck the fabric neatly around the corners.
The final touch was a pillow made from an old cashmere sweater. I've been meaning to do this for ages, I see them in magazines all the time and they always look so nice. The best part is this one is also so soft and cosy because of the cashmere. Perfect for that last little patch of winter.
By: Dave,
on 11/3/2008
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SAS Airlines dinner menu 1958
Dinner Menu celebrating the 1st Anniversary of the Scandinavian Airlines North Pole Route from Copenhagen to Tokyo.
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By: Dave,
on 10/28/2008
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Posters for Centre de Creation Industrielle 1969-1972
Beautiful work form the highly underrated French designer Jean Widmer. These posters were created for the Centre de Creation Industrielle. Jean designed the logo as well as all the exhibition posters for the Centre until 1975. He’s mentioned in interviews that his work was influenced by some of the Swiss modernists including Josef Muller Brockmann and Max Bill. You can easily see that influence in this poster series.
also worth checking:
Publicity and Graphic Design in the Chemical Industry by Hans Neuburg
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New giveaways coming soon at Grain Edit ©2008 Grain Edit
Anna Sui has teamed up with the Estate of Alexander Girard to present a series of T-shirts for Spring 2009. One of the T-shirts features an image very similar to this Girard Nativity Poster we featured here last year. You can see all the T-shirts here.
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New giveaways coming soon at Grain Edit ©2008 Grain Edit
Marilyn Neuhart dolls for the Textile & Objects shop circa 1961 - photo credit Todd Webb of maXimo
The Scout has an excellent interview with Marilyn Neuhart. Marilyn along with her husband John worked as designers in the Eames Office during the late 1950s. She also worked with Alexander Girard in developing the graphics as well as a line of dolls for Girard’s Textile & Objects Shop in New York City. In part of the interview, Marilyn mentions that she would drive around Los Angeles with Girard looking for toys and folk art. That must of been a blast.
Well enough of me rambling. Read the whole interview here. Check out the rest of the Scout while your there. It’s a great site.
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We have our winners in the Grain Edit 1 Year Anniversary Giveaway Shindig thing! WINNER #1 is Colleen Redmon. She will get first pick from all the prize options - WINNER #2 is Adam Mullet. He will get 2nd pick - WINNER #3 - Caroline Armijo. She will get 3rd pick. WINNER #4 is Stacee Millangue
Thank you everyone for taking part in our giveaway! ...and thanks to all our wonderful sponsors. Without them this wouldn't of been possible. Stay tuned for our next giveaway, coming soon.
©2008 Grain Edit
‘Form’ Unit Furniture by British designer Robin Day for Hille 1961
I thought I’d switch it up a little bit today and post my dream sofa for the workplace. I love the color combinations and the black finished steel base frame. The unit has wide generous seats, yet doesn’t look bulky or heavy. The table top can be surfaced with a mahogany veneer. A drink cabinet can added instead of the corner table.
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Drop a comment and enter to win lots of cool prizes in the Grain Edit 1 Year Anniversary Giveaway Shindig thing! ©2008 Grain Edit
By: Dave,
on 8/4/2008
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From top to bottom:
1. SWB ausstellung c1950 designed by Hans Neuburg
2. Anwendungstechnik moderner anstrichstoffe c1963 designed by Franz Fassle
3. Franz Roh: aenne biermann – 60 fotos c1930 designed by Jan Tschichold
4. Wettbewerb für einen neubau des stadttheaters zürich c1961 designed by Walter Bangerter
The book covers above come from Felix Wiedler’s excellent book ( design ) stories website. We’ve mentioned book design stories on grain edit before, but I’d like to thank Richard at Ace Jet for reminding me just how awesome this site is.
Prepare to put aside a few hours to browse this site. Felix has done amazing job of cataloging design work from Siegfried Odermatt, Richard Paul Lohse, Josef Muller Brockmann, Armin Hofmann, Max Bill, Max Huber and others.
Also worth checking:
Swiss Graphic Designer: Donald Brun
Karl Gerstner and Markus Kutter - Die Neue Graphik
Publicity and graphic design in the chemical industry - Hans Neuburg
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By: Dave,
on 8/4/2008
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From top to bottom:
1. SWB ausstellung c1950 designed by Hans Neuburg
2. Anwendungstechnik moderner anstrichstoffe c1963 designed by Franz Fassle
3. Franz Roh: aenne biermann – 60 fotos c1930 designed by Jan Tschichold
4. Wettbewerb für einen neubau des stadttheaters zürich c1961 designed by Walter Bangerter
The book covers above come from Felix Wiedler’s excellent book ( design ) stories website. We’ve mentioned book design stories on grain edit before, but I’d like to thank Richard at Ace Jet for reminding me just how awesome this site is.
Prepare to put aside a few hours to browse this site. Felix has done an amazing job of cataloging design work from Hans Hartmann, Siegfried Odermatt, Richard Paul Lohse, Josef Muller Brockmann, Armin Hofmann, Max Bill, Max Huber, Hans Erni, Otl Aicher, Gottfried Honegger-Lavater, Nelli Rudin, Anton Stankowski and many others.
Also worth checking:
Swiss Graphic Designer: Donald Brun
Karl Gerstner and Markus Kutter - Die Neue Graphik
Publicity and graphic design in the chemical industry - Hans Neuburg
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By: Dave,
on 7/31/2008
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Plantão Fatídico é de c1967 -O Assassino Nudista c1968 - No Calor da Noite c1968.
Beautiful book covers by Brazilian designer/ illustrator Gian Calvi. Very similiar to the Penguin book covers of the same time period.
I’m very interested in Brazilian design from the 60s and 70s, so If anyone has any images or info please send it my way.
(via design ref’s wonderful flickr set)
also worth checking:
Japanese book cover art from the 1960s
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View Next 25 Posts
What a great chair! I feel so funny when I buy something at the Goodwill that I am super excited about, but many people don't see the potential. I love that look, I get by the register... I am laughing out loud inside. :)
Awesome job!
claire
the 'new' chair looks great
love the pillow too
I think you need your own show - your makeovers are always so tasteful and inspiring :)
That's just beautiful, Claire.
That looks lovely! How clever.
Beautiful work!
What a beautiful job you did. It looks so modernly pretty now!
wow! You are so INCREDIBLY handy and crafty! Its the kind of stuff I wish I can do, but for me it will turn into a disaster lol.
The chair is looking so awesome and perfect sweatery pillow. I want a whole set! :-)
It looks beautiful! And that pillow is a nice added touch.
You did a fantastic job, really professional looking! I applaud your work, I would never get past the sanding stage!!
That is such a nice renovation! Being able to identify a treasure that needs a little work when looking at something shabby is a great ability.
wow claire, that chair is great :)
That's fantastic - both the chair AND the pillow!
What a fantastic job you did! The cushion is the icing on the cake!
I love this! I have a chair similar to this that needs to be refinished. You've inspired me!
this is amazing!
really nice re-do! i hope this doesn't show twice. i wrote one comment and it sort of disappeared. :o)
Wow, that's incredible! I'm generally terrified of big projects but you took that on like a pro! And in winter! Good for you :)
Your chair is lovely! I like how you refinished the wood, too--I would have never thought of that.
Beautiful!!!!!!!!