I love these bowls from Design within Reach! Here's some info about them:
“I am excited
about shapes and structures,” says Danish designer Herbert Krenchel. “The
surface on a design object is important because it makes people want to reach
out for it.”
His
hand-finished Krenit Bowl (1950s), with a bold colored interior that pops
against a matte black exterior, serves as an inviting vessel for all sorts of
items. Its utility and form are purposeful: “I also believe that there has to
be a balance between function and aesthetics,” continues Krenchel. “A good
design must therefore contain more than one aspect to make the perfect overall
impression.” Krenchel’s now-iconic Krenit (a combination of his name and Eternit,
the name of a fiber cement he used in his work) was the recipient of the gold
medal at the 1954 Milan Triennial.
Introduced in the early ’50s, the bowl was produced until 1966 and reintroduced
by Normann Copenhagen in 2008. The Danish design company has stayed true to
Krenchel’s specifications, finishing each piece by hand, but has updated the
interior material from hard-to-maintain enamel to durable and lightweight
melamine. “
Lately I have been very interested in the mid century modern style as it is
the style I grew up with and I am working on a house of a similar era. I love
the classic but fun elements of that period and it is so fun to see revival of
the same pieces that I have loved for many years.
As a new designer 10 years
ago I never would have believed that lighting in kitchens, baths and other
rooms is so integral in functional design. Since I work in a lot of old homes
in South Minneapolis I have to look for lighting that will work in traditional
settings but has installations that do not disturb the current ceilings and
walls. Lighting in kitchens is so important that it is usually one of my first 5
questions to clients. Particularly as we age, we not only need adequate
lighting to see where we are working but we also need surfaces that reflect good
light. Black counters are particularly difficult for aging eyes and almost all
surfaces should have lighter colors and possibly not an abundance of very
distinct color contrasts. We still want to keep the space interesting by introducing some contrasts in a pleasing manner.
I am very
familiar with the furniture featured from Design Within Reach, however, when I
received the current catalog I was enamored with the traditional mid century
fixtures and how versatile they are that they can be used in many different
settings.
The photo at right is the
famous globe light used in threes over an island in a kitchen. Also notice the
stainless globe that is suspended over the table from a curved bar will be
shown more and described later in the blog.
“An
innovative take on a hanging glass globe, Jasper Morrison created his Glo-Ball
series of lamps for Flos (1998) to provide a range of blown-glass globes for
almost every imaginable situation. Featuring a clean, geometric appearance, the
Glo-Ball S1 Suspension Lamp is crafted with hand-blown opaline glass that’s
externally acid etched and flashed for a pristine surface that evenly diffuses
warm glowing light.”-
Here is that
same basic globe shape placed outside near the front entry way. I am pretty
sure this is California or another state when these lights would be o.k. with the
warmer temperatures. However, there is probably available the same globes for
outdoor use. Please check with a reputable lighting store for the proper lights
for outdoor use.
I love the
trio of globes (right) with different shapes placed in a living room for ambiance and a
great design element.
The same oval
shaped globe (below) can be used over a dining room or kitchen table. At my home in the
50's my parents used the very inexpensive white rice paper globes over the
table which are still available in multiple sizes and colors. These fixtures in
the DWR line are called Nelson Bubble Lights after the original designer George
Nelson.
This is from Design within Reach: “Architect
George Nelson, who was Herman Miller’s design director from 1946 to 1972, said:
“Every truly original idea seems to find its most important expression in a
chair.” And then he blew the doors off lighting design. When Nelson was
outfitting his office, he coveted a silk-covered Swedish hanging lamp but found
it prohibitively expensive. He then recalled seeing a photo in the paper of
Liberty ships being mothballed “by having the decks covered with netting and
then being sprayed with a self-webbing plastic,” said Nelson. “And then,
Whammo!” Inspiration struck, and by the next night, Nelson had designed his
first Bubble Lamp® (1947), using a spray coating of translucent plastic polymer
over a skeleton of steel wire. “When you put a light in it, it glowed.” A wide
range of shapes and sizes are now available. “
These classic
floor lamps (above) are called Arco Floor Lamp, originally designed by Pier and Achille
Castiglioni in the 1980’s. Achille would implore his students to “start from
scratch. Stick to common sense. Know your goals and means.” The lamp was
inspired by a street light. The lamp provides overhead lighting without
requiring ceiling suspension. Again this is a great modern option for the older
home which adding more holes to an old ceiling is not an option.
Of course this
lamp looks great and is functional in living rooms, kitchens (first photo) and bedrooms!
I love the
“fantasy feel” of a combinations of the globes and the Arco below. It is fun to
see the reflections of the globes on the floor. I hope that all of these lights
have dimmers which are another must for ceiling lights.
I love the overhead lamp below because it can provide illumination in and entire room with just
one hole in the ceiling. This could also be used in a kitchen instead of
recessed lighting.
Here's Product
Information From Design Within Reach:
“Serge
Mouille designed his angular, insect-like lights as "a reaction to the
Italian models that were beginning to invade the market in 1950," which he
criticized for being "too complicated." The Three-Arm Ceiling Lamp
(1958) is a hanging interpretation of his original Three-Arm Floor Lamp, and
maintains the original's kinetic, sculptural aesthetic. All of his lighting
solutions feature Mouille's hallmark signatures as a designer: the way the arms
are joined to the diffusers, the washer and six-sided screw hardware, the form
of the reflectors, and the refined lines of the steel tubing. Bulb (not
included): 75W/E26. Made in France.
- Three arms rotates in various
directions.
- Shades are produced using the
original molds, proportions, materials and techniques.
- Each lamp is stamped and numbered. “
So as we
enter these shorter days of light think about illuminating your spaces with
warm glowing lights!
