truck and roll

Conserving and restoring mid century furniture is our preferred pastime, and with so much product still out there looking for love we can never understand why people opt for sub-standard new pieces, or cheaply produced (though seldom cheaply priced) knock-offs ... no not much respect for 'new' mass-produced stuff.

We recently came across the site of a Japanese company who seem to be crafting new pieces with absolute respect for the look and feel of vintage, though.

They are called TRUCK, and their stuff is super-cool ...

Heck, maybe we have been fooled into thinking they are doing something that they're not ... neither of us is too hot at reading Japanese - but whether it's all original vintage or all new stock with a great deal of effort put into making it look old, it's hard to deny the aesthetic ...

super-cool - we love it ... take a look sometime.

judging a book by it's cover?

Cath's got this knack of collecting that has a logic all of it's own.  We're currently hunting for a couple more bookshelves to accommodate a burgeoning stack of novels from Penguin Publishing - a stack which gets bigger each time she spots a different logo on the spine ...

We're just waiting for the apocalypse now, so we have a bit of time to hole up at home and read 'em all ...

boxfresh ... easy-pack living

Another 'via' find - saw these crazy things on 'what's blogging my view' (ever-reliable for pretty stuff and good finds) and we love 'em.

These pieces are all by TAF architects of Sweden (man - Scandinavians leave the rest of the world waaaay behind sometimes!).  There was a mini-feature last month on design*sponge ... plenty more fun stuff to see - check it out.

Sure, you might need to psyche up a bit before you take on the stairs with a hangover, but well worth the effort ...

... and how simple would the re-upholstering job be when you wanted a new look!

attention young modernists

Well hi there ...
As is often the case, we might be a little late in cottoning on, but a friend popped in to the store yesterday and directed us to ModernistAustralia - a great blog/site which is right up our alley.  These few picks are a sample of their mind-blowing content ...

They have a fantastic eye, and pay homage to local mid-century architecture with a great set of photos and links to current homes for sale.  Some great and thorough scouring involved for sure - they have so many great pics of those few places that haven't yet been demolished to make way for townhouses ... imagine if there were a few property developers out there with this much respect for the truly beautiful.

We are totally hooked and will be frequenting their site for sure ... wholeheartedly recommended!

more reasons why 2010's not so bad ...

so, we are totally blessed to have a like-minded friend on the other side of the world who helps us with our chair-sourcing ... he's got very similar taste in design to us, plus the energy to scour and hunt for hidden gems.  and he found us ...

we're not label-snobs looking for 'designer' items (heck - we appreciate design, but it ain't the label that gets us excited), but we can't believe that we will be sharing our lives with the lovely 'pernilla 2' by Mr Bruno Matthsson.  1941 - that's crazy! 

the next shipment should be here in late march, all going according to plan ... not sure that pernilla will be on display in our store tho' - haven't met her yet, but i think it might be true love.

travel safe baby!

big ups to bookhou

have you seen these guys?  a canadian couple, based in toronto, their work has been pooping up on a few blogs - artist/furniture makers with a really nice mid-century aesthetic ...

their name is bookhou (John Booth and Arounna Khounnoraj) and they have been collaborating since '02  in 2002 on some nice simple pieces using natural and recycled materials ...

we will definitely be keeping our eyes peeled for more of their designs ... they have a compact range of pieces on their site with a consistent them of really, really nice shapes.  oh - they do a lot more than just woody chairs ... we just have a bit of a bias is all.

lounge love ...

Well, it's definitely getting serious in the furniture-discipline department ...

We bought this great 70's Fler lounge suite about 4 years ago.  Took it to an antiques restorer to get the framework stabilized (he said it was the newest thing he'd ever worked on - by about 50 years), and it became the family favorite - comfiest seating ever.  When we moved and ran out of space, we did the logical thing and replaced it.
But, like the sensible furniture fanatics we are, we put it into storage - just couldn't say goodbye - and it has spent the last 24 months hidden away.  But the time has come ...

So, old friend, into the store you go ... you and we understand - it's because we love you that we want you to move on.  Find a new home and be the star of their loungeroom.  Still, it is mighty comfy - maybe we should hold on a little longer ...

YAY!

It's been an up-an-down couple of years for all of us Poalroid fans ... but it appears 2010 brings glad tidings.  Looks like the comeback is well and truly on the rails.

It's called the PIC-1000, made by the reborn Polaroid company, and is set to be released later this year.

Compatible with the classic 600 film as well as Polaroid 100 film, and will be released in silver metallic finish, AND in the super-classy faux timber that we could never say no to.  We're really glad to have read the news on gizmodo (more product photos on electricpig), and are guessing that the best bit will be that access to 600 films will improve for those of us who have held on to our 70's and 80's instant cameras.

It's a golden age we're living in.

 

another new year's resolution out the window ...

Well, here we all are - new year, new decade.  Hope yours has started out well ...

This was to be the year when we got our furniture collecting under control. 

We know it makes sense - if you collect swapcards you can go nuts and accumulate - always room for a few more - but if you have a weakness for chairs, a little self-discipline is called for.

We started the year well - were out of town for the first 4 days, and nowhere near opportunity.  Tragically, the next 3 days made up for it somewhat.  A quick mental inventory shows that we have picked up 34 new chairs between the 5th and 8th of January!

Naturally, we did need all of them - a set of Fler SC55 armchairs (see above) - just can't deny their beauty ... 5 very old Fler LC chairs, dating back to the early 50's (below) ... and then the usual assorted mid century dining chairs and stools.

So I guess the plan for 2010 is to build a very big extra room at the farm and give these guys a good home.  In the meantime, you are most welcome to sample their delights down at PRODUCT - they are in-store and available - unless we get too attached and sneak them off to the stash!

Let's get over to Hamburg!

Just been checking out this amazing shop in Hamburg, Germany ... imagining that one day we'll get Know Your Product looking this amazing.

The store's called 'Wohnkultur66' - and is run by a couple named Martina and Manfred - and specializes in Scandinavian mid-century furniture.  They stock a nice mix of pieces from some of our favorite designers - Wanscher, Juhl et al - and their display is nice if you're into that kind of thing.  We most certainly are.

We first came across them earlier this year when their home was featured on the apartmenttherapy site ... just nice all 'round!

Take a look if you have a few spare minutes - beautiful place in a nice setting.  Though I suspect they suffer the same problem we have where friends come to visit and often note that our house is just like our shop, but with a tv ...