Homework assignment: download this book

I recently went to an show at the Bellevue Arts Museum in, funnily enough, Bellevue, Washington, on George Nelson, one of the giants of 20th century design. It was quite small, but I saw a number of examples of his work that I was not familiar with (unlike his bench, which I admire and make). The King county library system (you won't be surprised to learn that Bellevue is in King county) had a handout available at the show which lists of books by George Nelson, including this FREE download of "Tomorrow's House: a complete guide for the Home-builder" . I'm only part way into it, but it's a fascinating read on the how and why of modernism, especially in the USA of the mid century and the ideas can certainly be transferred to the mini domain. I'd love to hear other modern enthusiasts' opinions.

in De Stijl - so to speak

I know puns are the lowest form of humour but I can't miss a chance like this. 

Stephanie commented she thought there was some feel of Mondrian in the golden section display cases. He and Gerrit Rietveld belonged to the Dutch design group De Stijl (The Style). I understand that it was Mondrian who suggested the Red/Blue colour scheme to Reitveld - the original chair was plain wood. In any event here's my photo of the pieces together.

Red/Blue chairs and display unit

A Couple of Golden Section Display units

I mentioned previously I had a couple of other display units based to some extent on the golden section. These particular units are about 6" (15cm tall) but scale down quite nicely; the golden section is a ratio of side lengths, not a fixed number.

Golden sections and rectangles

I've recently completed a couple of books on the use of the golden section in design - yes I know I have to get a life - and made a couple of pieces trying to use the value as much as possible. This display unit is one result. It works both as a vertical and horizontal piece. 

About 6 " 15 cm tall

Here's a shot with one of Neil Carter's nice deco pieces on display. I have a couple of other units that I will take photos of and add here. There are some other examples shown in my modern furniture pages. I've also made some "clip on" led lights, so the individual compartments can be lit up. Putting a back on the piece is a good idea as it hides the wires - also means it's easy to make battery powered.

Same unit, horizontal orientation