Midcentury Magazine Issue 1

The Guide to Modern Retro

Finally a magazine dedicated to modern design and decorative arts, and not before time. It's really well produced as you would hope considering the subject matter. B5 in size with 68 pages, the first issue covers; articles, buying tips - in this instance the Eames Rocker and a wealth of home decor inspiration. I look forward to the magazine going from strength to strength in line with the interest in mid-century design.

Further information and subscription details can be found on the Midcentury magazine website - see links.

Manchester Art Gallery

Armchair
Designed by Serge Chermayeff
Made for Plan Ltd 1933

Oak frame, with woven cotton upholstery

This stunning chair on display in Manchester City Art Gallery was designed by modernist architect Serge Ivan Chermayeff, forming part of his 'Plan' range of furnishings, intended to provide a complete living environment.

Design Classic Spotted by Canal

Castlefield, Manchester.

Robin Day's Polyside, polypropylene chair.

One of the best known, mass-produced chairs of all time and seen everywhere from school classrooms to design museums, and due to its indestructibility anywhere else it was chosen to be discarded. Developed in 1962 by designer Robin Day the chair went on to be a design classic selling over 14 million world wide, indeed it is still made at a rate of 500,00 a year by Hille.

John Green's 'Simple' Chair

Hardwood Chair

As the name of this beautiful, minimally designed chair, 'Simple' would suggest, it is simple in every aspect - even the complex joints are literally made simple. This comes courtesy of being cut purely on a digitally automated milling machine via computer numerical control (CNC).

I love it and would like to own one in the European Oak of the two woods available, however as John Green's website states he is currently seeking manufacture and distribution for this product.

Visit John's excellent site for more information and further examples of his award winning designs.

http://www.johngreendesigns.co.uk

Also, find a great 'Show and Tell' feature with John Green on The Aesthetic Trust's website.

http://theaesthetictrust.co.uk/show-and-tell/embrace-john-green/

My Reading Chair

1960's teak framed arm chair

This is one of my own pieces of furniture that I picked up in the North East about four years ago. While it's unsigned, it has a strong Danish influence in its design, I particularly love the dramatic sweeping arms rising to a point from a wide bed.

The arm chair is produced in teak and upholstered in its original orange/brown woollen weave.

Ebay

A footnote to this post is that a lounge set matching my chair was sold on ebay this weekend (06/06/11). All three pieces, a sofa and two chairs had been re-upholstered and received an encouraging amount of interest and ended up selling for a decent amount.

The three seater sofa ended up with 26 bids and sold for £720.00 with the chairs making £290 and £270 respectfully.

Low Fell, Gateshead

Tessellated tiled entrance vestibule

I came across this nice example of a tessellated encaustic tiled floor in a stunning Victorian house in Gateshead a few years ago. The Minton type geometric pattern incorporates a star and block design consistent with the period of the property. It was also common for this flooring to continue into the hallway which no doubt provided a striking first impression for visitors.

Belsay Hall, Northumberland

Fashion at Belsay 2004

I love the architectural details in this image that I shot in 2004 at the exhibition, Fashion at Belsay, Belsay Hall, Northumberland. The cornice and frieze are stunning, featuring as the do the classic ancient Greek and Roman inspired amthemion frieze surmounting a further intricate fret work frieze in a Greek key style. The Greek influence is prevalent as Belsay Hall is an austerely Classical Greek Revival villa. Begun in 1807, it was built for Sir Charles Monck (formerly Middleton), a man inspired by Ancient Greece and the buildings he had seen on his honeymoon in Athens, to a design by architect John Dobson. The plaster work is then complemented by the window paneling and shutters complete with their fielded panels and bolection mouldings.