Boat Basins and Swap Meets

Sun-bleached lobster claw, sun-bleached old Cape Cod t-shirt, typewriter case stuffed with paints, and more old LL Bean bags.

Ciao Chow

Our old Mr. Chow matchbox, front by David Hockney, back by Ed Ruscha, finally depleted despite my 35 questions to Linda, "You're not using the Mr. Chow matches, are you?"

Ceci n'est pas une pipe

Decorative-only connection between the hot and cold taps in an old Portland mansion's kitchen. Neat idea. 

.0:-)

Bruno Munari's faces, from Dot Zero magazine #1, 1966.

Layout by Massimo Vignelli.

Going Green

Nesting ceramic hedgehogs, Marimekko panels, lilypads,

and other green things on a shelf in our green bathroom.

Happy Valentine's Day!

The 1940 Book of Small Houses

A few pages from The 1940 Book of Small Houses, a treasure trove of International Style. 

Above, for a competition between modern and traditional styles put on by LIFE magazine, Frank Lloyd Wright presents his modern Usonian "good time space" to the Blackbourn family, who, out of four families in the competition, are the only ones to choose a modern house. From the book: 

"The Blackbourns like both houses. The traditional house includes everything they were sure they wanted. They chose the other house. "It is completely different," they say. "It is the only house of its kind in the country. We chose Mr. Wright's design entirely on its own merits." The Blackbourns are now convinced that they want to live not as they have always lived, but in the manner made possible by the modern house." 

Kudos to them. Below are some other designs, including two by Richard Neutra, one which came in second place in a Ladies Home Journal contest, and another which merited only an also-ran in an American Gas Association contest. If you're ever thinking about building your own house, this is an excellent book.

Click to enlarge them all.

another LIFE modern house not chosen, even with the awesome ping pong room.

Are you ready for some football, task lamp?

Superbowl Sunday project from the book Wary Meyers' Tossed & Found

Patrick Rylands fish

Yellow plastic fish bath toy designed by Patrick Rylands for Trendon Toys Ltd in 1970. Our son's favorite toy to stare at, auspiciously, ...or I suppose because it floats about an inch in front of his face while he's in his Tummy Tub, or maybe because it was his mom's when she was little. Winner of the Duke of Edinburgh's Prize for Elegant Design, 1970.

More on Patrick Rylands- including a little Spiel Naef and Creative Playthings connection-from the January 1970 Design Journal magazine (via the awesome VADS) (click to enlarge):

See more at the VADS Design Council Slide Collection