PrairieMod

The Wright Easel At Auction

Michael W. brings to our attention that an apparently rare piece of Frank Lloyd Wright history was was recently sold at auction in Scotland for £4,500: Wright's 1898 easel, which was given as a gift to Ernst Wasmuth in 1925. See more here.

Image via artfact.com

Eames Molded Wood Chairs

Herman Miller recently unveiled the Eames Molded Wood Chair, a beautiful new expression of a timeless design. Honoring the same organic shapes and sleek lines of their classic work, this design—made possible with 3-D veneer technology—celebrates the designers’ appreciation of honest materials. It’s offered in three wood finish options—white ash, walnut, and santos palisander—and three bases: wire (or “Eiffel Tower”), dowel leg, and 4-leg. Check them all out here.

Image via Herman Miller

Currier Museum Of Art Acquires A Little Wright Chair

The Currier Museum of Art recently aquired and put on display a rare armchair designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1902-3 for the first Little House in Peoria, IL. Read more about it here.

Image via artdaily.org

armchair designed for the Francis W. Little House in Peoria, IL

More Information: http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=61916#.UWtX9xkWEt4[/url]
Copyright © artdaily.org

armchair designed for the Francis W. Little House in Peoria, IL

More Information: http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=61916#.UWtX9xkWEt4[/url]
Copyright © artdaily.org

armchair designed for the Francis W. Little House in Peoria, IL

More Information: http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=61916#.UWtX9xkWEt4[/url]
Copyright © artdaily.org

Maher Furniture At Auction

Leslie Hindman's upcoming 20th Century Design auction on May 1, 2013 has quite a bit of architecture-related items of interest—and a few that are worrisome. Among the latter is 20 pieces of furniture from the George W. Maher-designed Magerstadt House in the Kenwood neighborhood of Chicago. The house sold last May for a hefty sum to new owners. I'm not certain that this furniture was part of that sale and is now being sold off, or if it was separated from the house previously and is now coming back to the market. Either way, it's a shame this integrally-designed furniture is not with the house it was only ever intended for. See all of the furniture pieces here.

Image via liveauctioneers.com

Looking For A Sweet Usonian Dining Set?

If you're in the market for Usonian furniture for your PrairieMod pad, then move fast and snap-up this one-of-a-kind Frank Lloyd Wright meets R.M. Schindler set of dining table and chairs that's been posted on Craigslist. Details and more pics here.

Image via Craigslist

Michael P. Johnson Within Reach

DWR recently caught-up with architect Michael P. Johnson while scouting photo shoot locations for DWR's March catalog. Read more about the meeting here.

Image via dwr.com

Building The Wright Chair

The good folks at Wright in Wisconsin have undertaken a fascinating project in bringing to life an unbuilt chair designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for one of the American System-Built houses at 2714 West Burnham Street in Milwaukee. Master craftsmen Stafford Norris III and Stephen D. Ritchings have been tasked with bringing this chair to life. Read about their intriguing efforts here.

Image via Wright Chat

Nakashima: A Design Survey

Rago Arts and Auction Center will be having an open house thursday, February 28, 2013 where Mira Nakashima will be giving a talk titled "Nakashima: A Design Survey." Get the details after the jump...
 

Terrific Teak

PrairieMod reader Paul R. sends a link to some really nicely designed teak outdoor furniture by Westminster Teak that would feel right at home on the patio of any PrairieMod abode. See the collection here.

Image via westminsterteak.com

Pop The Bubbly For These Chairs

PrairieMod pal, Adam Frint sent a link and his submission to Design Within Reach's annual "Champagne Chair Contest" which involves creating a chair design out of a champagne bottle's cork, foil, wire cage, etc. Adam's design is a lounge chair set called, "Elytra Lounge" — named after the outer shell of a beetle which protects the soft wings (or cork cushion, in this case). A great design DWR might actually want to consider putting into production. There are some other crazy cool ideas on the site you can check out here.

Image copyright Adam Frint

Herman Miller's Power Of The Poster

Fastcodesign.com recently featured furniture icon, Herman Miller's "Then X Ten" poster design project, which involved an open call for poster designs celebrating the company's most recognizable pieces, like the Eames lounge chair and Nelson’s Marshmallow sofa, and then selecting 10 for an exhibit. Read more about it here.

Image via Herman Miller

A Happy Homemade Christmas

Chicago artist and craftsman, Randall Kramer recently sent word and a link showcasing an en-lightning homemade holiday gift he crafted this year. Homemade gifts are always the best gifts! Check out more of Randall's work here.

Image copyright Randall Kramer

The Magic Of Ray Eames

As the 100th birthday of Mod icon, Ray Eames, draws near, Herman Miller pays homage in a recent interview of Midge Kaiser Martin (Ray's niece). Read the memories about her "magic" aunt here.

Image via Herman Miller

Mod Furnishings In Oklahoma City

After our recent post about Mike Brown's collection of mid-century architecture post cards, Oklahoma City design instructor Jim Watson paid a visit to Mike's OKC vintage shop. Jim reported back about his enjoyable visit with Mike and the treasure trove of mid-century goodies at Retrokc. If you find yourself in Oklahoma City, be sure to check out this part of midtown, which is undergoing an urban renaissance with many great shops and restaurants (one serves sumptuous-looking grilled cheese sandwiches). And if you can't make it to OKC, a sampling of Mike's goods can be found at his Etsy shop. The vintage fabrics are particularly fetching!

Images via Retrokc

Wright At Auction

Zachary M. sends word that a handful of Frank Lloyd Wright-designed works will be on the auction block in December 2012. Among the items are some very rare pieces of Wright-designed furniture from Wingspread, Price Tower, and the Sweeton House. See all the items here.

Image via artnet.com

Pull Up A Chair

London's V&A museum prepares to open its new furniture gallery of more than 200 chairs, tables, cabinets and wardrobes—covering 600 years of design (including works by Frank Lloyd Wright). Check out a video slideshow of what can be seen here and read more here.

Image via guardian.co.uk

Sleep In Brad Pitt's Bed

Well, at least one he designed. Architectural Digest reports that Pitt has collaborated with furniture designer, Frank Pollaro, to develop his first collection of furniture pieces (to be unveiled in New York November 13-15, 2012). Read more here.

Image via architecturaldigest.com

Fab Goes Wright

Fab.com's sales yesterday were all about Frank Lloyd Wright. If you don't want to miss the deals, check out the sales here.

Image via fab.com

Wright Furniture Acquired By The Huntington Library

13 pieces of original Frank Lloyd Wright-designed furniture from the Husser, Coonley, Heurtley, Willits and Little houses will become permanent parts of the Huntington Library's collection. Read more about it here.

Image via Huntington Library

Design & Architecture Crossword Puzzle

Design Within Reach and the New York Times just published this crossword puzzle based on design and architecture. Test your knowledge!

Image via NYT

Celebrating Ray

Herman Miller is celebrating the contributions of Ray Eames on the 100-year anniversary of her birth by offering the Select edition Eames Wire Base Low Table. Check out the limited edition piece and pick your favorite color here.

Image via Herman Miller

Pull Up A Chair

Join Unity Temple Restoration Foundation in the beautiful spaces of Room & Board at 55 E. Ohio in Chicago for a very special FREE event featuring art historian Rolf Achilles on the subject of "The Chair", Thursday, September 27, 2012, 7:00 pm. More details after the jump...

Don't Miss The Distinctive Furniture

Just a reminder, The first annual Distinctive Furniture Show closes tomorrow evening with a reception coinciding with Bridgeport Art Center's 3rd Friday, monthly event. Details here.

Image via cfdainfo.org

Sit In A Hot Mesh

Blu Dot recently announced their newest chair design, and it's a Hot Mesh! Sporting geometric lines and a cool patterned mesh, it's sure to turn heads and attract sitters. See more here.

image via Blu Dot

Mod Furniture Thrives

Paul R. sent a link to Thrive Home Furnishing's line of Mid-century Modern home decor, including a wide assortment of sofas that look like their straight out of a Mad Men episode. See it all here.

Image via Thrive Furniture

Copeland Furniture On Fab

Available this week on fab.com is Copeland Furniture's "The Frank Lloyd Wright Collection" — with free shipping. Check it out here.

Image via Copeland Furniture

Must See Cedar Planters

Looking for that perfect eco-friendly planter to grace your MCM home? Then make sure to check out these American-made geometric cedar planters from NMN Designs. You can see the full line of NMN Designs' new home, garden and pet furnishings at their website.

Image via nmndesigns.com

ODO Designs For Unity Temple

Every so often, two great things come together to produce something truly special. Case in point: The Organic Design Operatives (ODO) recently produced some exquisitely designed and crafted furniture for Unity Temple Restoration Foundation to use as part of their gift shop at Frank Lloyd Wright's Unit Temple. Read about the design process, execution and installation at the ODO website here. Then plan a visit to Unity Temple to see this fantastic furniture (and building) for yourself!

Image via organicdesignoperatives.com

USONA Home Furnishings

Paul R. sends a link to some furnishings offered by USONA Home that would fit right into any PrairieMod pad. Check it out here.

Image via usonahome.com

Plan A Trip To See The Stickley Museum

PrairieMod reader, Dave Johnson, sent us a fantastic summary of his recent visit to The Stickley Museum in Fayetteville, NY. If your heart beats faster at the sight of quartersawn white oak, then read about his experience after the jump...

The Quest For The Perfect Office Chair

Slate.com provides a trip into the way-back machine looking at the history of the office chair. From the dawn of sitting to the space age, humans have been on the hunt for a work seat that offers both comfort and support...but have leagues of designers (including Frank Lloyd Wright) missed the mark? Read more about it here.

Image via slate.com

Little House Chairs At Auction

High-profile pieces of Frank Lloyd Wright furniture design continue to appear on the auction block. This time, it's two reclining armchairs originally designed for the first Francis W. Little House in Peoria, IL that are being offered for sale at Christies for the not-so-little price of $90,000-$120,000 each. Click the link to see the listings.

Image via Christies

Re-Slinging Schindler's Chairs

Modernica, purveyors of high-quality, Modernist reproduction furniture, was recently asked by MAK Center (the organization that oversees Rudolph Schindler's Kings Road House in Los Angeles) to replace the fabric slings which make up the seat of the home's famous original sling chairs. Read and see more here.

Image via Modernica blog

Sweeton House Tables At Auction

The Wright auction house in Chicago is offering two Frank Lloyd Wright-designed redwood plywood tables originally made for the J.A. Sweeton House in Cherry Hill, NJ. Estimated at a steep $10-$15,000, it's unlikely they will ever be reunited with their intended environment. Perhaps they could at least be recreated...it would be interesting to see if plans for these simple, yet elegantly geometric tables either exist or could be drawn up. Any woodworkers with Usonian flair out there? See the auction listing here.

Image via Wright20.com

Stickley Museum On The Road

We received word that Toms-Price in Lincolnshire, IL will be hosting a "Stickley Museum on the Road" event on May 17, 2012 from 7 to 9 pm. Sarah Lanigan, curator of the Fayetteville, New York, Stickley Museum will talk on the history of Stickley. She will also present in Skokie, IL on May 18, 2012 and Wheaton, IL on May 19, 2012. Attendees can see more event details and sign up online by visiting the Toms-Price website here and clicking on an event.

Image via stickley.com

Pick-Up A Pickwick Seat

Want to bring the experience of sitting in a historic movie theater home with you? Here's your chance! Seats from the main auditorium at the historic Art Deco movie palace, The Pickwick Theatre in Park Ridge, IL, are being replaced (which needs to occur in an opperating movie theater from time to time). Instead of throwing them away, the theater is offering the current seats for sale on a first come first serve basis as a fundraiser for the Iannelli Studios restoration. Seats are $75 for one or four for $250. Proceeds benefit The Kalo Foundation’s Iannelli Studios Heritage Center, continuing the story of Park Ridge’s art heritage legacy. For more information, call 847-261-4595.

Image copyright Herb Zuegel

Neutra Lamp Creates Buzz

Ever since it was announced that a very rare Richard Neutra-designed lamp was going to be auctioned-off at LAMA to benefit the VDL House restoration, the internet has been buzzing with the story--and speculations for how much the lamp could go for. Read a recent article from the LA TImes here.

Image via LAMA

A Landmark Stickley Auction

News reached us last week that the Treadway/Toomey Auction partnership has been entrusted to handle the sale of the The La Hacienda Collection of Decorative Arts, one of the most important private collection of early Gustav Stickley furniture ever to go to auction, on Sunday, May 20, 2012 at 10AM. We thought PrairieMod readers would be interested to learn and see more of this landmark Arts & Crafts auction, so we reached out to the John Toomey Gallery in Oak Park, IL for images and details. See them after the jump...

Designing For Unity Temple

We recently heard from John Moes, president of the Organic Design Operatives, about an exciting furniture design project they are working on at Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple. Find out about this exciting project, ODO's design process, and how to support Unity Temple's restoration here.

Image via ODO

Steelcase And Wright

Following-up on my previous post about Steelcase's centennial, here's a link to an article at mlive.com about the furniture company and it's long connection to Frank Lloyd Wright, including the Grand Rapid, MI company's superlative stewardship of the Meyer May House. Read it here.

Image via mlive.com

A Century Of Steelcase

Steelcase, the Grand Rapids-based furniture giant turns 100 years old on March 16, 2012. In that time, they have made some notable contributions to the world of furniture design--most interesting to us "Wrightophiles" would be the streamlined designs for the SC Johnson Wax Administration Building in Racine, Wisconsin. Read more about the history and other notable furniture contributions here.

Image via mlive.com

Woodworker Recreates Wright

Here's a link to an article about the efforts of master woodworker Timothy Coleman in recreating the large dining room table and library tables from period photos, plans, and remnants at the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Darwin D. Martin House in Buffalo, NY. Read it here.

Image via wright-up.blogspot.com

Affordable Wright At Auction

Looking to add the Wright vintage touch to your PrairieMod pad? Then you'll want to check out the various Frank Lloyd Wright-designed furnishings that will be for sale at the March 4, 2012 auction at the John Toomey Gallery in Oak Park, IL. Of particular interest are several fairly affordable pieces of Heritage Henredon furniture that Wright designed in the 1950s. See these and all of the auction lots here.

Image via the John Toomey Gallery

Rapson Rocks

John C. sends word of two items of interest to anyone who loves the furniture designs of architect Ralph Rapson. First, the Winter 2011 issue of Modernism magazine features an article on Rapson as a chair designer. Secondly, an exhibit titled "Ralph Rapson: Chair Design in the Architect’s Studio" will be held at Danish Teak Classics + DTC | X (Northeast Minneapolis in the Northrup King Building: 1500 Jackson St NE # 120,  Minneapolis, MN) from Dec. 29, 2011- Jan. 31, 2012. Details here.

Image via Rapson Inc

Wright Back To Oak Park

Here's a link to an article on oakpark.com about Frank Lloyd Wright's great-grandson, S. Lloyd Natof (a woodworker), and his recent relocation to Oak Park, IL. Read more here.

Images via oakpark.com

The Wright Drawer Pull...The Wrong Hotel?

Art.net recently featured 10 questions pitched to Miami dealer and collector, Sloan Schaffer.

Of interest was mention of and photos showing an Edward Wormley cabinet in Schaffer's collection that incorporates what the article calls "a prototype for Frank Lloyd Wright’s Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. Wright designed the drawer pulls."

There's one problem with that statement: The design shown on the pulls closely resembles a portion of the concrete block design for the Arizona Biltmore Hotel (whose architect of record is Albert Chase McArthur — Wright was ultimately considered an architectural consultant on the project). It does not look like any of the carved oyo stone designs I'm familiar with from the Imperial.

Anyone have any more info they could share on this interesting furniture collaboration? Read the article here.

Images via art.net/pamprice.blogspot.com

Wright Chairs At LAMA Auction

The December 11, 2011 Los Angeles Modern Auctions features two items of specific interest to "Wrightians", since they hail from extant Frank Lloyd Wright-designed buildings:

• An oddly footed chair from the Robert Winn House in Kalamazoo, MI

• A four-legged version of the famed Johnson Wax Administration Building office chair

PrairieMod readers may remember the controversy that occurred when a similar J-Wax chair was up for auction back in 2008. Not sure if anything similar to those events will happen this time, but we'll keep an eye on things to be sure.

Images via lamodern.auctionserver.net

Magerstadt House Furniture At Auction

The John Toomey Gallery's next auction on December 4, 2011 will feature several impressive and important 20th Century items. As I perused the electronic catalog, one offering stuck out on page 68: Lot 350 George W. Maher-designed game table and two chairs from the 1906 Ernest J. Magerstadt House in Chicago's Kenwood neighborhood. Read more after the jump...

Usonian Occasionals From Copeland

I came across a tantalizing peek at new Frank Lloyd Wright-designed licensed furniture from Copeland Furniture and thought I'd share. It's what many of us Mod-minded lovers of Wright's design have been waiting for: Usonian Furniture! Find out more after the jump...

Lily Pad For Your Pad

I was checking out BluDot's website the other day and came across some cool new furniture designs perfect for any Mod home. I especially like the intriguing lily pad coffee table--looks like something out of Wright's SC Johnson Wax Building! See more here.

Image via bludot.com