Enduring Design at Placewares
Placewares is having a show at LyndonDesign. Fifty items from their store, curated in their gallery. Here are a few . . . a sneak peak.
#1 – Penguin Pump
Cute little pump holds 15 oz. of liquid dish soap or lotion. Easy to fill, easy to use, easy to see how much is inside. Designed by Luciano Lorenzatti for Umbra, Canada. Made in China. $15.95
#2 – Braun Clock
Braun’s legendary travel alarm clocks were loved by many even after production stopped. Originally designed by Dietrich Lubs with Dieter Rams in 1994, beginning in April 2011, the newly licensed production of these clocks became available. Pared down, very small but reliable, this little clock has no snooze function, but a clear crisp crescendo alarm, and runs on one AA battery, many say, for a solid year. Silent German movement. $30
#3 – Aalto Vase
The Aalto Vase, also known as the Savoy Vase, is a world famous piece of glassware and an iconic piece of Finnish design created by Alvar Aalto and his wife Aino Marsio. It became known as the Savoy vase because it was one of a range of custom furnishings and fixtures created by Alvar Aalto and Aino for the luxury Savoy restaurant in Helsinki that opened in 1937.
The vase was also entered into a design competition for the Ahlström-owned Karhula-Iittala glassworks factory in 1936. The design was inspired by the dress of a Sami woman. Called Eskimåkvinnans skinnbyxa (the Eskimo woman’s leather breech), the design consisted of a series of crayon drawings on cardboard and scratch paper. Aalto created initial prototypes by blowing glass in the middle of a composition of wooden sticks stuck into the ground, letting the molten glass swell on only some sides to create a wavy outline. The vase was originally manufactured by the glassworks factory using a wood mold which was slowly burned away. It was later displayed for the 1937 World’s Fair in Paris. The original height of the Savoy vase was 140 mm. Since then many sizes of the vase are in production in a variety of colors. The wavy shape of the vase creates small pockets for flowers to facilitate their arrangement. Produced in Finland by the Iittala glass factory.
#4 – Chemex
The ultimate purist coffee maker, invented in 1941 by German chemist Peter Schlumbolm. In 1956 it was selected by the Illinois Institute of Technology as one of the best-designed items of modern times; it is in the permanent collections of museums such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Smithsonian, the Philadelphia Museum and the Corning Museum located in Corning, NY. The original shape is still produced of hand-blown glass; this more affordable version is manufactured in Taiwan of borosilicate glass, with a wood collar and hand-tied leather band. 6-cup, $35.95; 8-cup, $37.95. Paper filters, box/100, $7.95
#5 – Dish Doctor
This dish drainer is the best! Having used ours for over 10 years, we can attest to its usefulness and durability. The drain is made of two interlocking parts. The bottom half collects any water from your dishes, making an additional drain tray unnecessary. The top half has slightly flexible prongs which hold dishes and glassware upright. Two cylindrical pockets hold flatware and small utensils. Designed by Australian-born Marc Newson for the Italian design firm Magis. Made in Italy. $70
#6 – ELAS Candle holder
The flexible opening of this candleholder makes it easy to fit in candles of various diameters without having to cut them to size. The surprising weight in the bottom provides the necessary stability and gives the candle a nice retro look. Made of silicone with a heavy copper-plated zinc base. Designed in 2011 by Dutch designer Jorre van Ast whose work is in MoMa’s permanent Design & Architecture collection in New York. $29.95
#7 – Toddler Flatware
The design of the Toddler baby cutlery is specifically adapted to the distinct way in which a small child grasps objects. While cutlery for grownups is designed to be held delicately and loosely, the ToddlerTable cutlery is round and chubby in order to completely fill the palm of a hand, making it easier for a child to control its knife, fork or spoon until its motor coordination is fully developed. Recommended for ages 6 mos. – 2 years. Microwave and dishwasher safe. Designed by Josephine Bentzen, Red Dot Design Award Winner 2010 and Formland Design Award Autumn 2009. $39.95
Take them to the beach, fill one with ice to chill drinks, fill one with small toys, use one to compost…these little buckets come in three sizes and five colors to brighten up any space. Manufactured in Japan by a 50+ year old plastics company whose quality and design is impeccable. $10.95 – $19.95
#9 – Areaware Bottles
2-ounce leak-proof travel bottles enable you to carry a small amount of lotion, toothpaste or other liquids on the plane. Flip-open top unscrews to make the bottle easy to fill or clean. Silicone bulb-shaped container is easy to squeeze to dispense just the right amount of liquid. Designed by Paul Koh and awarded a Silver Certificate by the IDSA in 2008. Packaged as a set of two, one white and the other blue. $19.95
#10 – PlayPlax
Invented by Patrick Rylands in 1966, PlayPlax went on to sell over a million copies. Patrick was an art student when he first came up with the concept of these brilliant interlocking squares. He went on to win many awards and to invent hundreds of toys. Now retired, he has been invaluable in helping to bring PlayPlax back. Made in the original Cheshire factory that still had the dye recipes so the original colors could be perfectly reproduced. PlayPlax is in the permanent collection of the V & A Museum, London, and demonstrates perfectly that the best toys are the simplest. Made of polystyrene. 48 pieces. $32.95
#11 – Café Bowls
Handcrafted stoneware from Sebastopol by part-time Sea Rancher Aletha Soule. Each piece of this durable stoneware is slip cast, or ram-pressed from plaster molds, then dipped by hand to high-fire glaze. The modern colors and organic shapes create a versatile collection you can use everyday. In production since 2000.
#12 – Lots of Dots book by Craig Frazier
In this exuberant book, acclaimed graphic designer Craig Frazier does more than simply showcase a vast variety of dots, he encourages young readers to look closely at the world around them. Through his energetic images, the ordinary becomes extraordinary. Buttons are dots. Wheels are dots. Ladybugs have dots. And so do the fried eggs on your plate. Lots of Dots is lots of fun! $15.95
Lu Wendel Lyndon and Maynard Hale Lyndon
The reason we decided to present this exhibit in the gallery is that first of all, we wanted to showcase some special items from the store that sometimes get lost because there is so much to see. And we wanted to focus on industrial design as an art and to begin to explain the amount of effort it takes to bring a product to market. We call the exhibit Enduring Design, because most all of the items have withstood the test of time; they aren’t just cute little gismos to be discarded with the next fashion. And it all gets wrapped up in our idea of sustainability–good design is enduring, lasting a lifetime and maybe more. Some of these items are the antiques of the future, things we treasure because they do their job and please us with their presence in our lives. We sometimes talk about ‘more beautiful everyday things.’ One firm we represent in our store puts it this way: “Don’t make something unless it is both necessary and useful; but if it is both necessary and useful, don’t hesitate to make it beautiful.” It is an old sentiment; the Shakers had this attitude as did William Morris in England.
-Lu Wendel Lyndon
Thank you, Maynard for showing me around the gallery before the opening and many thanks to Lu for taking the time to describe, in such wonderful detail, a few of the pieces from the show. All descriptions courtesy Lu Lyndon.
Don’t miss this show, it’s is definitely worth the drive.
