The discovery thread  

Smart foldable storage furniture
Fantastic and huge storage object by unknown designer and company. 200cm x 300cm x 30cm/deep.
Bronze covered iron! can be totally folded....
ps.: belive me, just a coincidence that dosen´t mention the designer. Don't know why, when I like a piece and can't find more info I like more.
http://www.designaddict.com/design_radar/index.cfm/fuseaction/design_rad...

And why not a new sponsors,
This one from USA, and.... no furniture!, fabrics and more,
First I thought contemporarycloth?,
and then a nice surprise!
I love some of their fabrics.
http://www.contemporarycloth.com/cgi-bin/Store/store.cgi?cart_id=6840177...

I was quite sure...
...that it would happen one day.
It might be too personal an experience to share with so many others, but this is a piece of furniture that I remember being made. It is somewhat older than indicated, late sixties would be more accurate, it was designed by my father and made by one of the five or sic people that worked with him. I remember having been upset by his choice to but the grain of the wood on the sides horizontaly. I would also have made the sides of the drawers in beech, but he preferd sapelli, well dryed beech was harder to get. It is a special pleasure to see it back after 40 years...and quite an emotional experience.
http://www.city-furniture.be/itemviewer.php?id=328

Ha !
What a pleasure, then, to see it again, in good photos, in fine shape after all this time ?
I can agree about the side grain -- especially because of the pronounced "shape" of that grain. Does it still seem today that your criticism was justified ?

Very handsome cabinet,
despite the grain controversy. Too bad it was sold-- perhaps you might liked to have acquired it (for reasons sentimental, or otherwise).
Still, you had the unexpected thrill of seeing it again, and the photos to keep. (How lucky we are to live in the age of the internet!)

Risom
I know he sometimes falls into the more mainstream category because of the strapped lounge chair, but I'm much more interested in Risom's lesser known pieces. The two dominating features of his work are functionality and his own quirky language: things sitting up on little stilts, a clear separation of the seating surface and the structure. It's almost naive, but somehow it works. I've pulled some of his more intriguing pieces. Now I just need to learn more about the man!

I'm glad this thread is back as I've been thinking about it...
What I find interesting is that pretty much everyone, except for Gustavo and myself mention furniture designers as those they admire most. And I'm the only one who mentioned designers of tools (cookware, in my case). I was really surprised by that. I know we talk about furniture a lot, but there's more to design than tables and chairs.
Personally, I find that I really value a well designed tool. If the thing can do it's job perfectly and look gorgeous doing it, well, then, I totally admire the designer who was able to create it. Koen's Mortar and Pestle are a perfect examples of that. He put a lot of thought into how the tool performs and then he stripped the form down to the most elegant expression of the function. That's the act of design in its highest form to my way of thinking.
Doesn't anyone else have a tool that they can't live without?

There's
no question that Rissom, Wormley, McCobb and other more conservative (or sedate) designers are usually passed over and the revolutionary "stars" like Nelson, Eames, Saarinen, Bertoia and Platner get a lot more publicity, appreciation and notoriety. It's just the nature of the game. (add Greta Grossman too).
I really like Rissom, Wormley and McCobb, but their stuff is a bit difficult to find and usually the good stuff is pricey.
The only McCobb I have is a handful of Planner Group pieces, which were the most popular and cheapest line he designed. The Directional and Calvin groups are much more elegant and pricey.
Of all, though, I think the Edward Wormley Dunbar pieces are timeless, elegant and very conversatively designed. Beautiful furniture.

So Barrympls,
you apparently have no tools that you admire the design of? 🙂

Sorry Olive
Furniture geek at heart, but I do admire all things that work well.
Moleskines are a favorite of mine - although I wish they would mix the paper-stock up a bit. Simple, clean, and soooo pretensious in their un-pretentiousness 🙂
I'm still on the lookout for the perfect mechanical pencil. Haven't found one that meets all my needs. Either the eraser is too wimpy, or the grip is knurled so sharp as to be unholdable.
I do love a good, old-fashioned pair of shears.
Probably the most useful tool in my arsenal is the little Swiss Army knife on my keychain. Found it on the side of the street. Knife blade, file, scissors, tweezers. Nuff said : can do anything from sharpen a pencil to give a manicure. And I dont even care that it's pink. 🙂
Olive - have you seen the Metropolis article about SuperNormal? It speaks to your last post about form being stripped to essential function. Made me almost forgive Jasper Morrison for the Air Chair. Almost.

Italian Designs and others (60's and 70's)
While I love the more "traditional" MCM furniture and designers, I love more 60's and 70's Designers the best.
Vico Magistretti
Joe Colombo
Massimo and Lella Vignelli
Olaf Von Bohr
Frank Gehry
Sergio Mazza
Giotto Stoppino
Anna Castelli
Eero Aarnio
Gian Carlo Piretti
Poul Henningsen
Arne Jacobsen
Hans Wegner
Hans Due
Raymond Loewy
and not to mention Vernor Panton
and there are others I cannot think of right now.
Another thing I REALLY like are the Stiffel pole lamps from the 1950's (Patented '57) Designed by Loewy, Parzinger, Wormley and Stiffel.

.
I love the newish OXO knives they work well and are not expensive.Fiskars scissors(esp made in finland)...old izod shirts...esp if from france with a blue croc.Love M. Lax stuff.Plain red wing work boots.oops,not supposed to mention clothing...the folle stapler ungodly expensive.

Great thread
The radar has been very eye opening for me as well. Love seeing new design. As for great design outside the California MCM greats, I love the Danish greats as well as even some of the more pedestrian pieces of Danish design. Fantastically honest and the craftsmanship is second to none. But for me, the French duo of Prouve and Perriand are possibly more intriguing than even those unmentionable in this thread. Even Mategot I love, although a bit more whimsical. What's so fantastic I think is the use of color which is unbridled yet so refined. In many ways, Prouve is the most mature designer of the lot for me. Utterly stunning. I've not seen a piece of his I don't love. And I should mention that I do love that Alexander Girard guy as well...

Elephant chair
Did you see this that was just put on the Radar? Has anybody ever sat in one? This is my dream, that I'm going to be over there in Europe for the next three years and find all of this great stuff that I'm not familiar with. I'd be curious to know how sturdy this chair is or if it is prone to tipping.
Edit-sorry the picture is tiny. It's on this website if you click on "Radar".

I've certainly never sat in one
but the construction of this chair seems suspicious-- it appears that there's a single screw attaching the frame at the back (presumably, there's a similar attachment in the front). Could the large, extravagant shell be attached at only two points, balanced in the middle? Looks dangerous!
------
Upon closer inspection, I see that the frame cups the seat at two points, in the front--