House Industries x Herman Miller Japan: HM Building Blocks

From our friends at House Industries, children's building blocks for Herman Miller Japan, based on original 1950's Herman Miller packaging:

"Each set includes eight basswood children’s blocks dressed in House Industries numbers, shapes and patterns. The puzzle sides are based on the original Herman Miller furniture box that was used to deliver American modernism. We then packaged the “box” in a miniature corrugated shipping carton. Took us a while to sniff out the tiny brown kraft packing tape, but solving specky details like “tape scale” allows me to sleep at night. It was all made in the USA (Grand Rapids, Michigan) by Uncle Goose and Advance Packaging."

via swiss miss.

Watch: Mitch Alfus, Leather King: A Selby Film

Todd Selby's inspiring look at a day in a life of Mitch Alfus, owner of Libra Leather. Via pedestrian.

Daily Dose: Perfect Blend

Photo by William Waldron from the latest Elle Decor, featuring the Von Mueffling Residence in New York by interior designer Iain Halliday.

Via dwellerswithoutdecorators.

Carine Roitfeld leaves French Vogue

Defining the phrase going out on top, Roitfeld steps down as editor of Vogue Paris after 10 years.  Rumor is she will be re-uniting creatively with Tom Ford.  Whatever the case may be, we are sure to hear from her again soon.  Here's a look back at a CNN feature on one of fashion's most influential figures:

Watch: Time Doesn't Stand Still

A beautifully crafted short by Asa Mader and Benjamin Millepied, starring Léa Seydoux.

Via charlie&lee.

Spaces: Shelton, Mindel + Associates: Residence 2750

A light filled apartment by Shelton, Mindel, and Associates, known simply as Residence 2750 on their online portfolio. Featuring a light neutral palette, and 2 large columns reminiscent of Yabu Pushelberg's New York Residence.  Sculptural 20th Century furnishings by Gio Ponti, Fabricius + Kastholm, Pierre Gauriche, Poul Henningsen, Arne Jacobsen, Curtis Jere, and Jean Royere, are juxtaposed against the space's strict clean linearity.

See more photos at Shelton Mindel.

Flashback: 1967: Twiggy in YSL by Bert Stern for Vogue

Via ilovewildfox.

Spaces: Frank Roop's Boston Duplex

The home of interior designer Frank Roop and his wife Sharon.  Drawing upon a background in fashion, Roop composes an elegant space rich in hues and textures,  that is at once both tailored and casual.  Throughout the home is an incredible assemblage of 20th Century Design that speaks volumes to Roop's fine taste.

From an article by Alexandra Hall:

"Months of renovation and Victorian-detail-scraping have culminated in contemporary interiors as finely crafted as an haute couture gown. The canny, sophisticated blend of art and vintage and custom-made furniture is influenced by the years Roop spent working for the luxury clothing shop Louis Boston before opening his interior-design business. "I look at a room like it’s an outfit or a wardrobe," he explains as he straightens a curtain of pale gray wool that is deeply cuffed with silk and suede in two shades of green—moss and acid. "All of the materials I use are inspired by clothing, as are my methods for choosing texture and color." A major style influence was his onetime boss, Murray Pearlstein, the famously dapper former owner of Louis Boston. From him, the designer says, "I learned that things that don’t match can look fantastic together.""

Furnishings include lounge chairs by Sergio Rodrigues and Hans Brattrud; coffee tables by Jacques Adnet, lamps by Marie-Claude de Fouquières, Fortuny, and André Arbus; a T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings stool and dining table;  chairs by Laverne, Kai Kristiansen and Ib Kofod-Larsen, and sculptures by Curtis Jere.


Photos by Eric Roth, via Elle Decor.

Reminder: 20th Century 7: Auction ends Sunday

Listen: Warpaint: Undertow

Yourstru.ly Presents: Warpaint "Undertow" from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

Classic Spaces: Ezra Stoller at Yossi Milo Gallery

A sample from Yossi Milo Gallery's upcoming Ezra Stoller exhibition, coming January 6–February 12, 2011.

"Ezra Stoller’s gelatin silver prints include images of architectural interiors and iconic landmarks. Based on his background in architecture and industrial design, Stoller used a large-format camera to photograph monumental 20th century buildings, including the Guggenheim Museum, the TWA terminal at Idlewild Airport (now John F. Kennedy International Airport), the Seagram Building, the Salk Institute, Yale Art and Architecture Building and Fallingwater. In addition to well-known photographs of these locations, the exhibition will include lesser-known photographs of small homes and guest houses which provide a fresh look at the masterful eye that established Stoller as the preeminent photographer of modern architecture."

From top to bottom:

Walker Guest House by Paul Rudolph.

Fallingwater by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Guggenheim Museum by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Seagram Building by Mies van der Rohe with Philip Johnson.

TWA Terminal at Idlewild (now JFK) Airport by Eero Saarinen.

Via designaddict.

Modern Love 20th Century 7: Selections

A few selections from our current Cancer Society charity auction.  Place a bid or see the full online catalog at Modern Love:


A rare sculptural Giorgina Castiglioni Stacky Stool.

A sleek chrome lounge chair by Ingmar Relling.

A Brutalist necklace in the style of Paul Evans.

A Modernist comet-shaped letter opener.

A Surrealist letter opener featuring 3 pairs of female legs, each slightly different from the other.

A lyrical Paavo Tynell chanelier in polished and perforated brass.

A pair of solid brass candlesticks in the style of Tommi Parzinger.

A rare set of Harris Strong tile mosaics.

A tapestry in the style of Alexander Girard.



20thC7 is our 7th annual auction of 20th Century Design to benefit cancer research and support services. Held in support of the Canadian Cancer Society, a portion of each sale will be donated to the cause. Each sale will also help promote educational materials on prevention, and help fund emotional support programs for those living with cancer during all phases of their illness, from diagnosis through treatment and surgery, and well into recovery.

This featured collection offers a range of works both iconic and obscure. Hopefully something interesting for everyone.

Bidding on all lots is now open. The final day to bid is December 12th, with all items closing in sequence that evening.

This holiday season, help make cancer history.