This vase by Stig Lindberg was a real find. Lindberg was a prolific Swedish designer from the 40s right through to the 80s. He designed ranges for Gustavsberg, televisions for Luma, repeat textile patterns and bespoke ceramic vessels. He is also well know for his illustrations which can be found on ceramic pieces as well as in a number of childrens books.

I particularly like the abstract painterly patterns which are extremely evocative of 50s and 60s and influenced many designers and manufacturers of the period.

Guggenheim montage

Guggenheim, February 2009

Eames Lounge chair

I was reminded the other day why the Eames Lounge chair is such a great piece of engineering. Will Farmer spoke on the Antiques Roadshow (30/01/11) of the time he found an original edition at a bargain price whilst visiting a flea market in New York. He didn't buy the chair because of the anticipated complications shipping such a large item back to the UK. Shortly after Will discovered that the chair and ottoman break down into simple components that could have been packed down and taken onto the flight back as excess baggage.

I came across this video on you tube by Charles and Ray Eames which demonstrates just how easy the construction of this iconic chair is.

Calcutta chairs

I took this photo when I was working in India. The chairs were stacked in the grounds of Victoria Palace in Calcutta and I was drawn to the architectural patterns created by the legs. The beauty of chairs follows me everywhere!

Gulvase

I've been collecting Holmegaard Carnaby vases for a few years now but have recently started buying the red cased Gulvases designed by Otto Brauer in 1962. The Gulvase (floor vase) comes in 5 different heights, the smallest being 25cm right up to the largest at 50cm . There are 2 variants of the cased reds, Ruby which is the darker of the 2, produced in the early 60s and then Coral, produced from 1967 until the early 80s.

These vases are all handmade and so vary in thickness and colour. Factory seconds often have two parallel lines scratched into the bottom, but all that i've come across have unique irregularities, which i think adds to the appeal.

G-Plan

This is a piece of G-Plan furniture I found at a flea market. The underside of the stool has the E. Gomme G-Plan logo which dates from the 1950s when the brand G-plan was established by Donald Gomme. Grandson of Ebeneezer Gomme (the companies founder) Donald recognised the need to market products direct to the consumer. In 1953 he established the brand G-Plan, a name that has evolved through the decades and become synonymous with quality and innovation. Many pieces of G-plan furniture are much sought after today and have become design icons

For me the stool is evocative of danish design in it's functionality and understated design detail. Beautiful simplicity!