Just in time…
April 10, 2014
to celebrate. As I was trying to make up my mind on the glaze for my order of a modern cup from Heath, they introduce their new seasonal collection. What perfect timing for not one, but two…in a larger capacity…12 ounces…and the perfect finish…Basalt. The tall modern cup. One for my coffee and the other for a handful of white hyacinths. And, as long as this Spring here has taken a decidedly black and white turn…and I have some simplequietmodern basics covered…some tacky birthday cupcakes with a little neon frosting couldn’t hurt.
tall modern cup photo via http://www.heathceramics.com/catalog/product/view/id/1656/s/tall-modern-cup-pair-basalt/category/3/
Heads it’s black…
April 6, 2014
tails it’s white. You might have to flip a coin to make this decision. After fifty plus years as an icon of modern interior furnishings, the Saarinen table is now available for outdoor use. As the white top/white base configuration of the 1957 original has been my all time favorite, I can’t see changing things up now…or can I ?
photos via http://hivemodern.com/pages/product7267/eero-saarinen-outdoor-dining-table-knoll
Black Fences
March 31, 2014
If “good fences make good neighbors” * what would Robert Frost have written about black fences? Chic neighbors? There is no denying the sophisticated good looks of these black fences or how they elevate the green elements around them to a new level entirely. Picture them running down a property with their long horzontal lines… can you see the forced perspective? Even the simple picket has more appeal when given a modern facelift of a beefier profile and black finish. With an injection of a little drama like this you might even be able to skip using color at all in your garden this year. Just a thought.
photos via http://www.gardenista.com/posts/trend-alert-black-fences
* “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost
Sometimes, a little order…
March 12, 2014
is all that is needed. Trees in neat rows, simple tight clipped forms, a straightforward place to rest…a small piece of soft turf like a rug anchoring the whole. A simplequietmodern look at a personal oasis contrasted against the naturalized wooded areas beyond this intimate enclosure. And after the winter we’ve had…OK, are still having… who wouldn’t want to come home to this? Mother Nature is clearly giving us the time to prepare for a space like this of our own as it doesn’t look like we will be moving outside to our own yards anytime soon.
first three photos via Gardenista http://www.gardenista.com/posts/landscape-architect-visit-a-london-courtyard-gets-a-grownup-update-del-buono-gazerwitz-landscape-architects
and the allee of locusts and lawn at the Miller House in Columbus, Indiana via http://www.imamuseum.org/visit/miller-house/landscape-architecture
Taking Full Advantage
March 6, 2014
Marcel Breuer favored maximizing both the view and the available natural light. As illustrated in this living room he designed around the middle of the last century, even the fireplace wall has been punctuated to take full advantage of both. There is so much to be learned from the work of the mid-century modern masters…details like this, extensive use of floor to ceiling glass, the wood ceilings and even the soffits to house the casements. simplequietmodern details. When it’s clear that these ideas could easily be implemented now, it makes me wonder why so many McMansions still continue to pop up at every turn.
photo via http://www.improvisedlife.com/2009/01/21/marcel-breuer-sun-and-shadow-the-philosophy-of-an-archtect/
Just Right
March 3, 2014
You’ve looked everywhere and have had no luck finding the perfect lamp. A lamp is a lamp right? You’d think so, but not when you’re trying to find something that has the right sensibility for an interior you’ve put your heart and soul into. And something with the quality and luxe you have come to expect from every other piece you have already purchased. Now is not the time to settle. Enter Porta Romana. Large or small, short or tall…they have you covered. Molten forms of Czech glass in shades from brights to watery neutrals, there is something to put the crowning touch wherever it’s needed…a pair flanking an Ed Wormley sofa or a single to illuminate the surface of the Saarinen table you are using as your desk. All reflecting the modern style of the middle of the last century without any of the kitsch. If you decide to say you found them at a great garage sale in Beverly Hills, well, that secret is safe with me.
all photos via http://www.portaromana.co.uk/north-america/glass-perspex-lamps
Wise Investment
March 1, 2014
Happiness and good fortune by the bunch. For a couple of bucks you can’t beat an investment like that. Make that a twenty-dollar bill and spread it around to ten others and wait for the return on your investment. I’m guessing you won’t be waiting too long. Daffodils…the birthflower for March. You just can’t beat that shot of yellow, the gentle fragrance only they can provide…their foretelling that Winter is near its end.
Doesn’t it always come?
February 26, 2014
Spring…yes, it does eventually get here. Patience is key as Spring is officially still weeks away. This experimental watercolor by Lourdes Sanchez reminds me how faint washes of color appear through the wet melting gray that was winter. A peak of blue through the heavy skies…the pinking of buds awakening in a monotonous landscape…the slow greening of moss with the help of a little sun.
photo via: http://buysomedamnart.tumblr.com/post/68986769276/sparse-experimental-watercolors-by-lourdes
or see more of her work here:http://www.lulisanchez.com/home
A single sheet…
February 19, 2014
a single fold. There is no need to repeat how much I love plywood. That said, when a single sheet is manipulated with a single fold …well, I’d rather let the art speak for itself.
top to bottom:
Folded Plywood 9, Folded Plywood 6, Folded Plywood 10 Artist: Harry Roseman
All photos via Mr. Roseman’s site: http://faculty2.vassar.edu/haroseman/?p=10268
Indulge Me
February 16, 2014
I might just have a touch of “cabin fever”. Indulge me this little bit of a simplequietmodern escape. On the grounds of Phillip Johnson’s Beck House in Dallas is this modernist pool house designed by architect Sven Fruit. I can’t think of anything better to meditate on than an afternoon by that pool… warm dappled sun, gentle breeze and a giant Mojito within arms reach.
photos via http://blog.thedpages.com/flash-back-flash-forward-philip-johnson-1906-2005
simplequietmodern 