the real deal.

we recently were browsing through the wright auctions website, looking through the catalog of an upcoming auction of scandinavian design, and spotted this:

126

Kerstin Horlin-Holmquist

Eva chair

Nordiska Kompaniets Verkstader Nykoping

Sweden, 1958

beech, upholstery

29 w x 33 d x 38.5 h inches

Estimate: $3,000–5,000

um, looks rather familiar, right? (and also looks radically different in a plain linen, i might add).

now that we've seen the real deal with an auction estimate of 3-5K, i wonder if anyone's opinion of the anthro rip-off homage has changed?

also, be sure to sign up for email updates for my tumblr blog and be entered to win a free copy of Metropolitan Home Design 100: The Last Word on Modern Interiors by michael lassell. totes free, and heck, what's one more lil email every day? 

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design 100 book giveaway!

if you are anything like m21, you are missing the modern design coverage provided by the late, lamented, metropolitan home magazine. well, some of the best design from the last few years of that sadly shuttered title has been gathered in a great book, Metropolitan Home Design 100: The Last Word on Modern Interiors by michael lassell. no tassels, swags or ruffles in sight (well, maybe a lil bit); just good, contemporary design- some of it a bit cutting edge, and some a bit wacky- but always interesting.  so much preferable in our opinion then seeing some musty old period decor recreation (if we see one more 18th century farmhouse, we'll scream- swear!)

here are some of the fabulous interiors contained within that caught our eye:

like what you see? well, you can own these images forever, as we are giving our reveiw copy away to a lucky reader!

so how do you enter to win this lovely book?  there is a bit of a catch, but it's not so bad: simply follow our new tumblr blog, maison21: i'll tumblr for ya by clicking the RSS button under my picture on the right-hand of the maison21: i'll tumblr for ya page, and entering your email (US residents only please). once you subscribe,  you will be automatically entered to win. (don't worry, you'll only get one email a day from the blog, and you can unsubscribe at anytime- easy peasy!)  alternatively, if you already follow via tumblr, and don't wish an additional email in your inbox everyday,  email me the tumblr name you follow under, and then i'll go ahead and enter your email in the drawing). i'll draw the winner in a week, contact you via the email you've signed up under, and then ship your book out sometime after (warning, don't be in a hurry- you'll get your free book when ya gets it! it took me over a month to drag my sorry butt to the post office to get nita's book to her, after our last giveaway!).

see ya on the tumblrs to get your free stuff!

photo credits: 

pgs 10-11, by Joshua McHugh
pg 37 Photo by Catherine Tighe
pgs 168-169 photo by Nathan Kirkman
pg 196 Photo by Michael Mundy

book courtesy of Filipacchi Publishing 2010 (www.hfmbooks.com) 

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hoppy easter!

accept no imitations- the real easter bunny is a puppy...

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a tip when hiring an interior designer:

if they have this on their car...

RUN AWAY AS FAST AS YOU CAN!

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they're baaa-aaack

guaranteed to make any day brighter- the shiba inu puppy cam is back!




Free live streaming by Ustream

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the old switcheroo

we were originally going to post this chair to mock it- something along the lines of "we love color and we love pattern, but we don't love *this*", but then after saving it to our desktop, a funny thing happened and we had a change of heart-  we actually kinda love it now. we picture it in a very mid-century/boho sorta room- you know, shaggy rya rug, leggy fifties floor lamps, a little danish modern here and there, along with some brass tchotckes and maybe a morrocan pouf...

soren chair on sale at anthropologie for $699.95- even though they probably made hundreds of them, it's still a lotta one of a kind style for the price.

whaddya you guys think? should we switch back to our first opinion?
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napsters

we try keep the door to the guest room here at the atelier closed at all times, or richard would claim it as his own and it would be swallowed in a sea of fur (damn, that cat can shed), but every so often we forget, and leave the door open. so guess where we found our beasts napping this morning?

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travels with my aunt (RIP john mccracken)

back when i was just little m21,  my great aunt would visit from san francisco,  and she made a point of taking me to the la jolla (now "san diego") museum of contemporary art every time, as art, particularly modern art, was one of her great passions. she recognized my artsy bent as child (meaning she knew i was a budding homo who coincidentally loved to draw), and being a somewhat "bohemian" type herself (that's what my mom called her), she wanted to nurture and encourage the development of that side of my personality.

great aunt zenita truly opened my eyes about art, and listened to, and respected my opinions, even though i was just a smart-assed nine year old who thought he knew everything about everything. she explained to me that art could be whatever the artist wanted it to be, and if i were to respond visually to a piece, to not worry about what it was "supposed" to be, or to listen to anyone's opinion but my own, but merely experience the work, and enjoy it. great advice i still value to this day (she also advised me to move to san francisco as soon as i turned 18, as i'd "fit in much better there", advice i didn't understand at nine, but by the time i turned 18, i understood all too well ;-)

one of the pieces i remember vividly from our trips to the museum was a john mccracken "plank", which i liked, but i didn't quite understand-  how it could be art, when to my young eyes it was just a painted piece of wood, leaning against a wall. aunt zenita explained to me about painstaking craft behind the work, that the work blurred the lines between sculpture and painting, and was part of a tradition of art- the minimalist, pop  and color field schools- of which she then pointed out more examples to me around the museum (judd, lewitt, kelly).

somehow, after zenita's talk,  a little lightbulb went off in my head, and i've carried around a huge love of abstract art ever since. the art can be whatever i want it to be, and usually for me, being pretty is enough.  some people see a brightly colored plank of wood; others see a stunning sculpture; both  definitions are ok.

RIP john mccracken.  i'd like to thank you, and my great aunt zenita, for opening a young boy's eyes to the bigger world of art. i promise to walk up to LACMA this week, stand in front of a mccracken "plank" and mentally toast the two of you.
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here's to a lazy weekend...

with lots of naps in a sunny chair:

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cheap 'n chic color...

colorfully cute ikat inspired dish towels from crate and barrel. perk up your kitchen for just 3 bucks.
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what are you missing?

lots actually, if you aren't following our new tumblr blog! here's a peek:

visit "maison21: i'll tumblr for ya" today!

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fox on the run (with interactive tedimotion!)

click play on the first video...



wait about 45 seconds for the chorus to kick in, then click play on the second video:



my little ted is a pretty foxy guy...

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thinking of summer (brass n' grass)

summer is almost here- how chic would these classic modernist walter lamb reissues from DWR be on a terrace? (well, my terrace specifically- if m21 tried really hard, he might be able to squeeze one chair and a side table into the tiny terrace off our second floor bedroom... if our tiny budget were to permit it, that is).

our new motto for summer? brass n' grass.

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get the flock out!

one of maison21's all time favorite tables is the "traccia" table by meret oppenheim, available for $3318.00 though unica home, available in gold or silver leaf. expensive, yes, but considering it's also a work of art, probably worth the cash if you have it to spend:

we were certainly reminded of the traccia table when we spotted the "flamingo side table" in cast bronze and walnut from white furniture, offered for just $340.00:

verdict? in recessionary 2011, for a tenth the price, we'll go with half a bird.  ;-)
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you gotta be putin me on?

one billion dollars, and they used cheap, architecturally inappropriate, home depot quality windows? (via curbed).

oy.

and you know how *we* feel about the subject...

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