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FOR SALE:
A mid-century statement piece for your delightful domicile
SYROCO DANISH MODERN SUNBURST WALL CLOCK
DETAILS:
A blend of Early American and Danish design!
This
beautiful mid-century modern wall clock from the treasured home
decorations manufacturer Syroco is the stylish, post-war touch your home
deserves. The fascinating sunburst-shaped clock proudly unites Danish
modern design and antique American furniture concepts. The 28 points of
the atomic age/Nordic-style star (or sunburst) have rounded tips,
scooped middle sections, and are of course tapered - much like the
contemporary Danish and mid-century modern furniture of the time. You'll
notice other great sections of rounded "wood" like the rim of the clock
face and the short extensions that become the points. Syroco stayed
true to their well-oiled wooden roots by using their patented
lightweight composite wood material to construct this clock, in part, as
well they focused on the aesthetic of Early American furniture woods
and stains. The wood finish Syroco appears to be going for is walnut
with a stain that varies, in sunburst fashion, from mahogany to natural.
In large part the wall clock is composed of plastic, which keeps the
sizable home decor piece a managable weight. The contrasting cream colored clock face has numbers with the same feel and wooden appearance of the rim and casing, and contrasting too are the
classic clock hands in black (we believe these hands are not original).
The clock's face also has a noticable hole above the "6" which is
necessary for an 8-day wind-up clock mechanism to fit. That's right,
this beautiful vintage piece was created to be used with either an 8-day
clock or battery-powered quartz clock mechanism. Metal loop on back
makes hanging super simple. Fun Fact: Syroco would later be acquired by
Rexall, a drug and chemical company that was renamed Dart Industries but
not before acquiring ownership of Tupperware - small world, right!?!
A new venture for Syroco!
In
the early 1960s the Syracuse Ornamental Company, known as Syroco, began
combining their old wood processes and newly embraced (at the time)
plastic molding technology; resulting in wonderful, well-designed, and
skillfully constructed household products like this wall clock.
"...Syroco,
was an American manufacturing company based in Syracuse, New York. They
were best known for their molded wood-pulp products that resembled
hand-carving.
Founded in Syracuse, New York in 1890 by immigrant
Adolph Holstein, the Syracuse Ornamental Company (Syroco) specialized in
decorative wood carving, especially for the local residential market.
Products included fireplace mantelpieces and other types of interior
decoration popular in late Victorian homes...
Syroco
added more lines of injection molded plastics when a new plant was
opened in nearby Baldwinsville in 1963 which was entirely geared to
plastics production, especially PVCs and polystyrene. The company began
to use plastic in new "modern" designs and new forms for clocks,
mirrors, tables and a range of household items."(library.syracuse.edu).
Dimensions:
Height: 22-1/4"Length: 22-1/4"
Width: 2-1/4
CONDITION:
In
good, pre-owned condition and working. The clock has visible
wear/damage. The "wooden" parts of the clock have a beautiful shabby
chic appearance from use over the decades. The clock face has a few
scrapes and the 8-day clock hole has many short thin craze lines
radiating from the edge. The face could look excellent again with some
paint touch up on the scrapes and even the craze lines. The
battery-powered clock movement works but the hands are bent - we
recommend replacing with a new movement and hands, or just a hand set.
We believe the clock movement and hands were previously replaced.
Hanging hardware has oxidized and shows age. Please see photos.
To ensure safe delivery all items are carefully packaged before shipping out
THANK YOU FOR LOOKING. QUESTIONS? JUST ASK.
*ALL PHOTOS AND TEXT ARE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF SIDEWAYS STAIRS CO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.*
"Biographical History
The
Syracuse Ornamental Company, known as Syroco, was an American
manufacturing company based in Syracuse, New York. They were best known
for their molded wood-pulp products that resembled hand-carving.
Founded
in Syracuse, New York in 1890 by immigrant Adolph Holstein, the
Syracuse Ornamental Company (Syroco) specialized in decorative wood
carving, especially for the local residential market. Products included
fireplace mantelpieces and other types of interior decoration popular in
late Victorian homes. To meet increasing market demand and sales
opportunities Holstein developed a material looked and felt like wood
but that which could be shaped, allowing multiple pieces to be produced
through a molding process. The new product, which combined wood pulp
brought from the Adirondacks with flour as a binder and other materials
to give it strength, was extruded and then cut to fit compression molds,
which had were made from original carvings in real wood.
The
process favored shallow molds with little undercutting, and this served
well for the creation of a wide variety of "carved" relief work to be
applied to different sorts of flat surfaces such as walls, furniture and
caskets. Production of this new molded product, known as SyrocoWood,
was the mainstay of the company's production through the 1940s. The
finished material could be smoothed and varnished to look like wood, or
it could be painted. Sales catalogues from the early 1900s through the
1920s offer hundreds of varieties of moldings, capitals, brackets,
volutes, and reliefs of vases, garlands, cartouches, scrollwork, and
other details in a variety of styles.
Syroco operated from a
large factory complex on 581 South Clinton Street in Syracuse acquired
from Smith Corona Typewriter Company. The company remained in the hands
of the Holstein family for three generations, with some of Adolph's
children and grandchildren taking over management and sales positions.
At its peak, about 400 workers were employed at the plant.
By the
1930s the company had also developed an extensive line of gift and
novelty items made of "SyrocoWood" and also "Woodite," a combination of
wood flour and polymer. In the 1960s the company began to use injection
molding for some of its products, but did not entirely abandon its old
processes.
Syroco added more lines of injection molded plastics
when a new plant was opened in nearby Baldwinsville in 1963 which was
entirely geared to plastics production, especially PVCs and polystyrene.
The company began to use plastic in new "modern" designs and new forms
for clocks, mirrors, tables and a range of household items. In 1968-1969
the company launched its "Lady Syroco" home products. Beginning in 1986
Syroco produced a popular line of lawn furniture.
In 1965 the
company was bought by Rexall Drug and Chemical Company (which soon
changed its name to Dart Industries). Dart owned Tupperware, from which
Syroco gained more knowledge of injection molding. Syroco was purchased
by the Syratech Corporation of Boston in 1986 which expanded its patio
furniture production. In 1995 Syratech sold Syroco to Marley PLC of
Sevenoaks, England, and in 2004 Syroco was purchased by Vassallo
Industries of Puerto Rico which closed the plant in 2007. In April 2010
Tessy Plastics purchased the 270,000 square foot Syroco plant to be used
for storage and distribution.
Sources:
"Corkscrews of the Syracuse Ornamental Company," online at vintagecorkscrews.com
Hannagan, Charley. "Syroco plant closes," Syracuse Post-Standard, June 18, 2007.
Alexander Holstein, interviewed by Sam Gruber, Syracuse, New York, Nov. 8, 2010.
Sorcher, Jamie. "Brits in deal for Syroco," HFN The Weekly Newspaper for the Home Furnishing Network, April 3, 1995....
Catalogs
Box 1 1908
"Syracuse Ornamental Company, Manufacturers of Cloth Covered
Casket Decorations, Corners, Ornaments, Mouldings, Panels, etc. in
Broadcloth, Plush and Satin, Furniture Ornaments" (1908), 62 pp
Box 1 1918
Period Carvings Catalog "K" (1918)
Box 1 1923
The Syroco Line of Fibre Wood Carvings and Mouldings: Period Carvings (1923), 432 plates
Box 1 1930s
Syroco Wood Products (undated)
Box 1 1940s
SyrocoWood: Creations by Master Craftsmen (undated, circa
1940s?), 18 pp., Catalog No. 4 (includes some items in Plastics
Artifacts Collection);
SyrocoWood: Art Products, Creations by Master Craftsmen (undated, circa 1940s?), 14 pp.;
SyrocoWood Devotional items (undated, circa 1940s?), Catalog No. 8, 8 ½" x 11 , 6 panel gate fold;
Syroco Wood Gifts and Decorative Accessories (1940), 6 pp. (photocopy), Catalog No. 9;
Syroco Wood Decorative Accessories (1947) (photocopy selected pages), Catalog No. 12
Box 1 1950s
Syroco Wood: How to Use Decorative Accessories to Beautify Your Home (undated circa 1950s?), 26 pp.;
Syroco Catalog No. 53 (1953), 48 pp;
Syroco Catalog No 54 (1954), 40
Box 1 1960s
Syroco Decorative Wall Accessories (1962), includes Danish Modern Collection, Early American Collection;
Carvings by Syroco (1963), 67 pp;
Syroco Wall to Wall Decorating;
New...Decorative Floral-Mates by Syroco, 4 pp;
Syroco Decorative Accessories 1967-'68, 63 pp;
Syroco Decorative Accessories 1968-'69, 48 pp;
Discover the colorful world of...Lady Syroco Accessories for Bath & Boudoir (undated circa 1968-1969)
Box 2 1970-1974
Syroco Decorative Accessories 1970, 48 pp;
Retail Pricelist 1970, includes "the Syroco Story";
Syroco Art (1970), folder with inserted sales materials;
Syroco Art (undated, circa 1970), 28 color print cards and pricelist bound in clear acetate cover folder;
"For Today and Tomorrow..." Syroco presents "Chrome and Chroma: Collection";
"Out of the past..." Syroco presents "The Pre-Columbian Collection";
"In the Beginning..." Syroco presents "Genesis";
"Table Manners..." Syroco presents: Parsons Tables for Every Manner of Home, Color Scheme and Use"
Box 2 1975-1979
Metal Wall Sculpture by Syroco (1975), 18 pp;
Life Style by Syroco (1976);
folder with 1976 Decorative Accessories Catalog and price list;
Syroco Decorative Accessories Catalog: 1977 (folder with catalog, price list and promotional sheets on furniture lines)
Box 2 1980s
Syroco Decorative Accessories Catalog: 1983 (includes Syroco housewares);
Syroco Decorative Accessories (1984)
Box 2 2000s
Syroco Home Accents Collection (circa 2005), 14 pp;
Syroco Home & Garden Collection, 10 pp" (library.syracuse.edu)
"Made by the Syracuse Ornamental Company, Syroco looks and feels like wood, but is a different kind of art form.
Chriss Swaney
Updated:
Sep 11, 2020
Original:
Mar 16, 2018
Alexander
E. Holstein is not bashful about extolling the entrepreneurial prowess
of his grandfather Adolph. His grandfather founded the Syracuse
Ornamental Company (Syroco) in 1890.
Syroco Family Ties
Holstein,
93, recalls that he was in charge of production at the manufacturing
facility that employed 500 during its heyday in the Syracuse, New York,
area. Initially, the company produced ornamental carvings for
embellishment of coffins and furniture. The company had patents and
copyrights on its processes and designs.
This set of four mid-century
Syroco® plaques depict the four seasons. Each diamond-shaped plaque
features a tree that represents one of the seasons.
This set of
four mid-century Syroco® plaques depict the four seasons. Each
diamond-shaped plaque features a tree that represents one of the
seasons.
“The company was best known for its molded wood-pulp
products that resembled hand carving,’’ said Holstein, who says his home
is a museum of popular Syroco products from mirrors to toothbrush
holders.
Other products included fireplace and mantle pieces and
other types of interior decoration popular in late Victorian-era homes.
Plus, the governor’s mansion in Albany, New York, features some Syroco
pieces.
To meet increased market demand, Holstein said that his
grandfather, an expert woodcarver from Warsaw, developed a material that
looked and felt like wood but that could be shaped, allowing multiple
pieces to be produced by a molding process.
Wood Pulp Into Art
The
new product combined wood pulp from the Adirondacks, with flour as a
binder and other materials. After extrusion it was cut to fit
compression molds. These molds were made from original carvings in real
wood by woodcarvers. These carvers originally came to the United States
from several European countries.
Production of this new molded
product was the mainstay of the company’s product through the 1940s. The
finished model could be smoothed and varnished to look like wood, or it
could be painted.
Sales catalogs from the early 1900s through
the 1920s offer hundreds of varieties of moldings. The advertisements
include various styles of brackets, garlands, cartouches and scrolls.
But
by the 1930s, the company had also developed an extensive line of gift
and novelty items. These pieces comprise of syrowood and also woodite — a
combination of wood flour and polymer. In the 1960s, the company began
to use injection molding for some of its products. But, it did not
entirely abandon its old process.
Furthermore, antiques dealers
and avid collectors vie daily for their most cherished Syroco pieces
from ornately carved mirrors to bookends and pipe holders.
Online Stores Showcasing Syroco
Many
collectors trawl the web for great bargains, and one of the more
popular sites is Ruby Lane, where Syroco remains and ongoing headline
grabber.
This vintage Syroco pipe holder holds up to six pipes and sold for $75.
This vintage Syroco pipe holder holds up to six pipes and sold for $75.
Courtesy of The Antique Chasers: rubylane.com/shop/theantiquechasers
“We’re
seeing lots of Syroco, including bookends, mirrors, brush holders, pipe
holders, and the very popular figural corkscrews our site and
collectors are bidding for them all,” said Zenna Inness of Ruby Lane.
Prices can range from $34 to $145.
Futhermore, Inness said buyers
are an eclectic mix of young and old. But many of the sentimental
buyers and collectors of Syroco are older.
Judy Bromly, 66, of
Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, said she recently purchased an ornate Syroco
mirror for her bedroom at an estate sale, and paid $65 for it. “My
grandmother was an avid Syroco collector, and I have several sets of
horse-shaped bookends I now keep in my den.’’
Sales Supports Legacy
For others, selling Syroco collectibles is a way to honor a long, lost beloved family member.
Mara
Balusek of Dallas, Texas, sells her Syroco collectibles via her
RareFinds shop on Ruby Lane. She collects pipe holders and miniature
boxes.
“All my profits from selling my Syroco online goes into a
scholarship fund at Texas-based Stephen F. Austin State University in
the memory of my late son. So far, the scholarship fund sports about
$600,000.”
A vintage 1930s-1940s Syroco horse head bottle opener, $36.
A vintage 1930s-1940s Syroco horse head bottle opener, $36.
Courtesy of RMC Antiques: rubylane.com/shop/rmcantiques
Janice
Woods, a Denver, Colorado, antiques dealer, reports that the Syroco
horse-shaped bookends remain popular. “People love horses and any
equine-related Syroco collectibles are extremely popular,’’ said Woods.
Tom
Kelly, a dealer at Pittsburgh Antique Shops in the city’s bustling
strip district, said he just sold a pair of Syroco horse head bookends
for $50.
“I also sold a couple of Syroco round mirrors for $40,’’ Kelly said.
Functional and Fanciful
Kelly
points out that more younger couples are finding great value in Syroco
collectibles. “They think it is cool and very functional,’’ said Kelly.
Bill
Antonacceo of Ascendant Auction Galleries in Beaver, Pennsylvania, says
younger collectors are turning to Syroco because it is light weight and
extremely functional. “The younger collectors are buying Syroco clocks
and wall décor that can be easily put away quickly when a couples’
freelance job ends and they move on to another high-tech gig,’’ states
Antonacceo, an antique expert.
Still, other antique enthusiasts
report that younger collectors opt for Syroco because it is very
economical to purchase and begin a collection.
Mary Price of
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, said her daughter began collecting Syroco
during her college days when she needed some wall decorations to tidy up
a drab basement apartment in Boston. “My daughter now collects all
kinds of Syroco clocks and mirrors,’’ said Price, a retired history
teacher.
Mid-Century Syroco bookends, Rococo Revival, $35.
Mid-Century Syroco bookends, Rococo Revival, $35.
Courtesy of Antiques Inn: rubylane.com/shop/antiquesinn1
Fond Memories in Syracuse
In
addition, Robert Searing, curator of history at Onondaga Historical
Society in Syracuse, reports several changes of ownership of the Syroco
company. The company would end production in 2007.
“We have
several ornamental clocks and mirrors in our collection here at the
historical society,’’ said Searing. “The local population here in
Syracuse have fond memories of the plant and the enormous marketplace it
once dominated,’’ he added.
Still, perhaps the best way to find
your favorite Syroco collectible is to go online. One of the newer sites
– Spruce – offers an interesting assortment of Syroco pieces as does
the all-encompassing eBay.
But Inness of Ruby Lane admonishes buyers and collectors to do their homework before buying anything.
“Collectors
should first check for extant manufacturer’s labels because Syroco is
somewhat of a catchall term online and dealers often erroneously
identify items by that name even though it may be by a competing
company."
Syrocodecorative artcarving
By
Chriss Swaney" (greensburgdailynews.com)
"
SyrocoWood Products by Syracuse Ornamental Co.
Molded Wood Pulp Decorative Items and Jewelry
By Pamela Wiggins
Updated on 01/11/20
SyrocoWood Example - Wood Pulp Brooch
Photos by Jay B. Siegel
Have
you ever found a piece of jewelry or a decorative object that looks
like carved wood, complete with wood grain, but when you picked it up to
look closer something wasn’t quite right? Maybe what you have there is
SyrocoWood.
The Syracuse Ornamental Company
The Syracuse
Ornamental Company, Syroco for short, was founded in Syracuse, New York
in 1890 by a German immigrant named Adolph Holstein, according to
information shared online by the Syracuse University Library. The
company specialized in wood carving early on, supplying fireplace
mantels and other decorative wood interior detailing to local
residential builders.
Demand led to innovation as Syroco
developed a process to make products that looked like wood but were
actually made with wood pulp and fillers. The wood pulp was mixed with
flour as a binder along with other materials to make it stronger. The
result was a composite that could be molded into desired shapes to
simulate carved wood.
“The process favored shallow molds with
little undercutting, and this served well for the creation of a wide
variety of ‘carved’ relief work to be applied to different sorts of flat
surfaces such as walls, furniture, and caskets. Production of this new
molded product, known as SyrocoWood, was the mainstay of the company's
production through the 1940s. The finished material could be smoothed
and varnished to look like wood, or it could be painted. Sales catalogs
from the early 1900s through the 1920s offer hundreds of varieties of
moldings, capitals, brackets, volutes, and reliefs of vases, garlands,
cartouches, scrollwork, and other details in a variety of styles,” as
shared on the Syracuse University library website.
The Growth of the Business
As
the business continued to grow, as many as 400 employees manned the
Syroco factory. By the 1930s, the company had expanded to make an
“extensive line of gift and novelty items” under the names “SyrocoWood”
and “Woodite.” The Scottie dog brooch shown here would fall into this
category. The pin backs on these pieces were simple and inexpensive,
likely a reflection of Depression-era economics. Other decorative pieces
made during this era varied in quality with some nicely detailed and
others lacking in design aesthetics.
The compression molds used
to make these wood-look pieces were actually created using original wood
carvings, which imparted a realistic look (at least at first glance).
You often don’t realize that a Syroco product is not real wood until you
pick it up and notice a decidedly different feel about it. In fact,
these items almost feel like dense plastic, although not as heavy as
Bakelite. Examining them closely under magnification, however, can
reveal that an exterior finish that has worn away on the edges revealing
the lighter-colored composite material under the surface (as exhibited
in the detailed photo shown above).
In the early 1960s, the
company began to include injection molding in the manufacturing process
for some of its products although the older methods were sometimes
employed as well. By 1963 more and more of the company’s products were
being made of plastics with the introduction of a “Lady Syroco” line of
home products and other goods such as clocks, mirrors, and tables.
Syroco
was purchased in 1965 by the company that would become Dart Industries,
the owner of a more familiar American brand: Tupperware. The company
changed hands several times and continued to produce plastic wares
including lawn furniture through 2007 when the plant finally closed.
Marks on Syroco Products
Some
of the products made of SyrocoWood found by collectors today include
trinket or cigarette boxes, wall hangings or plaques, mirror frames, and
candle sconces. Those made in the 1950s and ‘60s tend to have a more
gold-colored finish to them while earlier products more often simulate
genuine wood coloring more closely.
Older pieces may be marked
with a foil sticker, but these have sometimes been removed or wore away
with use over time. Those styles are most often identified by the
wood-look material rather than a sticker. Later pieces are often found
marked with foil stickers and/or a Syracuse Ornamental Co. stamp on the
back. Jewelry pieces believed to have been manufactured by this company
are usually not marked and are sometimes misidentified as genuine wood
by novice dealers and collectors." (thesprucecrafts.com)
"Atomic
Age in design refers to the period roughly corresponding to 1940–1963,
when concerns about nuclear war dominated Western society during the
Cold War. Architecture, industrial design, commercial design (including
advertising), interior design, and fine arts were all influenced by the
themes of atomic science, as well as the Space Age, which coincided with
that period. Atomic Age design became popular and instantly
recognizable, with a use of atomic motifs and space age symbols.
Theme Building in Los Angeles International Airport.
Vital forms
Abstract
organic forms were identified as a core motif in the 2001 exhibition of
Atomic Age design at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, titled "Vital forms:
American art and design in the atomic age, 1940–1960".[1] Atomic power
was a paradox during the era. It held great promise of technological
solutions for the problems facing an increasingly complex world; at the
same time, people were fearful of a nuclear armageddon, after the use of
atomic weapons at the end of World War II. People were ever-aware of
the potential good, and lurking menace, in technology. Science became
more visible in the mainstream culture through Atomic Age design.
Atomic
particles themselves were reproduced in visual design, in areas ranging
from architecture to barkcloth patterns. The geometric atomic patterns
that were produced in textiles, industrial materials, melamine counter
tops, dishware and wallpaper, and many other items, are emblematic of
Atomic Age design. The Space Age interests of the public also began
showing up in Atomic Age designs, with star and galaxy motifs appearing
with the atomic graphics.
Vintage atom-shaped ceiling light fixtures.
Vintage atom-shaped ceiling light fixtures.
The futuristic-looking Keraclonic television.
The futuristic-looking Keraclonic television.
An atom-shaped ceiling light fixture.
An atom-shaped ceiling light fixture.
Los Angeles International Airport's "Inside Encounter" lounge in its space age Theme Building.
Los Angeles International Airport's "Inside Encounter" lounge in its space age Theme Building.
1950s barkcloth tablecloth with a geometric design and a botanical motif.
1950s barkcloth tablecloth with a geometric design and a botanical motif.
Brussels Atomium (1958).
Brussels Atomium (1958).
Free-form
biomorphic shapes also appear as a recurring theme in Atomic Age
design. British designers at the Council of Industrial Design (CoID)
produced fabrics in the early 1950s that showed "skeletal plant forms,
drawn in a delicate, spidery graphic form", reflecting x-ray technology
that was becoming more widespread and familiar in pop culture. These
botanic designs influenced later Atomic Age patterns that included
repeating organic shapes similar to cells and organisms viewed through a
microscope.[2]
There are similarities between many Atomic Age
designs and the mid-century modern trend of the same time. Elements of
Atomic Age and Space Age design were dominant in the Googie design
movement in commercial buildings in the United States. Some streamlined
industrial designs also echoed the influence of futurism that had been
seen much earlier in Art Deco design.[citation needed]
Space Age design
Whereas
Atomic Age motifs and structures leaned towards design fields such as
architecture and industrial design, Space Age design spread into a
broader range of consumer products, including furniture, clothing
fashion, and even animation styles, as with the popular television show
The Jetsons. Beginning with the dawn of the Space Age (commonly
attributed to the launch of Sputnik in October 1957[3]), Space Age
design captured the optimism and faith in technology that was felt by
much of society during the 1950s and 1960s, together with the design
possibilities afforded by newly accessible materials like fibreglass
that had become much more widely available since the second world war.
Space Age design also had a more vernacular character, appearing in
accessible forms that quickly became familiar to mainstream consumers.
Since the end of the 1970s, Space Age design has become more closely
associated with kitsch and with Googie architecture for popular
commercial buildings such as diners, bowling alleys, and shops, though
the finest examples of its kind have remained desirable and highly
collectible. "Space Age design is closely tied to the pop movement [...]
the fusion of popular culture, art, design, and fashion".[4]
Fashion
Go-go boots by Andre Courreges, 1965.
Issey Miyake's "Flying Saucer" dress.
Two
of the most well-known fashion designers to use Space Age themes in
their designs were Pierre Cardin and Paco Rabanne. Pierre Cardin
established the futuristic trend of using synthetic and industrial
materials in fashion, with "forward thinking" innovations in his early
1960s work. Cardin "popularized the use of everyday materials for
fashion items, like vinyl and metal rings for dresses, carpentry nails
for brooches, and common decorative effects such as geometric cut-outs,
appliqués, large pockets, helmets and oversized buttons".[5] In 1964,
Cardin launched his "space age" line, and André Courrèges showed his
"Moon Girl" collection, introducing the white go-go boot style and other
icons of the 1960s.[6] The Japanese designer, Issey Miyake from
Hiroshima, worked in Paris and New York from 1964 to 1970, and used many
atomic age forms, and technologically produced materials in his work.
In 1970 he moved to Tokyo to continue these innovations.[7] Miyake cites
his first encounter with design as being two bridges in his hometown,
Hiroshima, at the hypocenter of the atomic bombing in WWII.[8]
Vernacular architecture
Example of "dingbat" apartment facade.
The
dingbat apartment house, ubiquitous in the Los Angeles, California
area, was built between 1945 through the 1960s, and fused a purist style
with googie influence. The architect, Francis Ventre, coined the term
"Dingbat (building)" for these quickly built stucco and frame simple
structures.[9] These structures often had a single exterior ornament in
the shape of a starburst, boomerang, or pattern of rectangles.
Architecture
Chemosphere house, Los Angeles.
The
Chemosphere house, designed by John Lautner in 1960, has become an icon
of the atomic age home. The octagonal shaped house is cantilevered on a
steep slope in the Hollywood Hills, California. At the time,
Encyclopædia Britannica cited it as the "most modern home built in the
world." (wikipedia.org)
"Danish
modern is a style of minimalist furniture and housewares from Denmark
associated with the Danish design movement. In the 1920s, Kaare Klint
embraced the principles of Bauhaus modernism in furniture design,
creating clean, pure lines based on an understanding of classical
furniture craftsmanship coupled with careful research into materials,
proportions, and the requirements of the human body.
Designers
such as Arne Jacobsen and Hans Wegner helped bring about a thriving
furniture industry from the 1940s to the 1960s. Adopting mass-production
techniques and concentrating on form rather than just function, Finn
Juhl contributed to the style's success. Additionally, minimalist Danish
housewares such as cutlery and trays of teak and stainless steel and
dinnerware such as those produced in Denmark for Dansk International
Designs in its early years, expanded the Danish modern aesthetic beyond
furniture.[citation needed]
History
A row of brown, wooden chairs with a seat made of some woven material
Kaare Klint: Church Chair (1936)
Origin
Between
the two world wars, Kaare Klint exerted a strong influence on Danish
furniture making. Appointed head of the Furniture Department at the
Architecture School of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, he
encouraged his students to take an analytical approach, adapting design
to modern-day needs. Adopting the Functionalist trend of abandoning
ornamentation in favour of form, he nonetheless maintained the warmth
and beauty inherent in traditional Danish cabinet making, as well as
high-quality craftsmanship and materials.[1]
The development of
modern Danish furniture owes much to the collaboration between
architects and cabinetmakers. Cabinetmaker A. J. Iversen, who had
successfully exhibited furniture from designs by architect Kay Gottlob
at the International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts
in 1925 in Paris, was instrumental in fostering further partnerships.
In 1927, with a view to encouraging innovation and stimulating public
interest, the Danish Cabinetmakers Guild organized a furniture
exhibition in Copenhagen which was to be held every year until 1967. It
fostered collaboration between cabinetmakers and designers, creating a
number of lasting partnerships including those between Rudolph Rasmussen
and Kaare Klint, A. J. Iversen and Ole Wanscher, and Erhard Rasmussen
and Børge Mogensen. From 1933, collaboration was reinforced as a result
of the annual competition for new types of furniture, arranged each year
prior to the exhibition.[2][3]
In 1931, another key institution
in the development of Danish Modern formed; The Association of Arts
(Danish: Forening for Kunsthaandværk) founded a permanent venue for arts
and craft called Den Permanente [da].[4]
Start of the Golden Age
In
the postwar years, Danish designers and architects believed that design
could be used to improve people's lives. In the late 1940s, the growing
middle class in Denmark began to show interest in Danish Modern and
helped fuel further investment into the style.[5] Particular attention
was given to creating affordable furniture and household objects that
were both functional and elegant. Fruitful cooperation ensued, combining
Danish craftsmanship with innovative design. Initially, the furniture
was handmade, but recognizing that their work would sell better if
prices were reduced, the designers soon turned to factory production.
The
scarcity of materials after World War II encouraged the use of plywood.
In the late 1940s, the development of new techniques led to the mass
production of bent plywood designs by Hans Wegner and Børge Mogensen,
both of whom produced chairs with a teak plywood seat and back on a
beech frame. In 1951, Arne Jacobsen went even further with his
sculptural Ant Chair with a one-piece plywood seat and back, bent in
both directions. Collapsible chairs dating from the 1930s include Kaare
Klint's Safari Chair and propeller stools which were also developed by
Poul Kjærholm and Jørgen Gammelgaard.[6]
Danish furniture exports grew from just DKK 0.8 million in 1939 to DKK 6.8 million in 1944.[7]
The international market
Interest
in Danish Modern in the United States began when Edgar Kaufmann, Jr.
from the Museum of Modern Art purchased some items for the Fallingwater
home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.[8] This ultimately led to
mass-production in the United States, too.[9]
Furniture exports
from Denmark rose from DKK 9.8 million in 1953 to DKK 257.8 million in
1964. This was aided in part by Denmark's decision to copy the British
30% devaluation in September 1949, which brought the price Danish goods
drastically down for American consumers.[10]
From the beginning
of the 1950s, American manufacturers obtained licenses for the mass
production of Danish designs while maintaining high standards of
craftsmanship. Later, the designs were altered to suit American tastes
and American parts were introduced to reduce costs. When Sears and
Woolworth's entered the market, the Danes countered by producing new
designs based on new materials.
One of Wegner's works was used by
Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy in a 1960 televised debate and is now
known simply as The Chair.[11]
Decline in popularity
Sales
peaked around 1963, but when American manufacturers introduced molded
plastic and wood-grained Formica as cheaper substitutes, they started to
decline in favor of Mediterranean designs which became popular in
1966.[8][12] In addition to changes in style preferences, customers'
shopping habits had changed to favor affordable and lower-cost furniture
over a single investment that would last their lifetime.[13]
A
1980 New York Times article observed that Danish modern "went out of
style" in the United States, due in part to counterculture, "which would
have none of the earnest establishment image of Scandinavian design",
and the "new culture, for which only the shocking is chic".[14] Many
factories closed during this time and the Cabinetmakers' Guild
Exhibition held its final event in 1966 after too few cabinetmakers
remained in Copenhagen to sustain it.[15]
Resurgence of interest
In
the late 1990s, Danish modern, and the broader mid-century modern
movement, experienced a revival in international interest.[16]
While
the mass-produced works of Wegner, Juhl and Jacobsen are still in
demand, collectors are increasingly turning to limited production items
from these and the other designers. In the United States, while prices
have increased, they are still at reasonable levels compared to similar
items of new furniture. Licensed manufacturers have started reissuing
key designs, while others have used Danish Modern for inspiration.[17]
The Danish furniture industry today
Employing
some 15,000 people each year, Denmark's 400 furniture companies produce
goods worth around DKK 13 billion (€1.75 billion). A highly productive
sector, over 80% of the furniture produced is sold abroad making
furniture Denmark's fifth most-important export industry. Most of the
items produced are for the home, but many are designed for the
workplace. In addition to its classic designs, Danish designer furniture
benefits from a new generation of innovative players. As a result,
Denmark has maintained its place as the world's leading furniture
producer in relation to the country's population.[18]
A number of
firms continue to be active in producing both classic Danish Modern
designs and in introducing variants designed by a new generation of
artists. They include Republic of Fritz Hansen, Fredericia Furniture,
Carl Hansen & Søn and Normann Copenhagen, all of whom exhibited at
the 2011 Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan.[19] Other
significant producers include PP Møbler, Kjærholm Production and One
Collection, formerly known as Hansen & Sørensen.[citation needed]
However,
a large amount of Danish furniture is now produced outside of Denmark.
Production has been outsourced to aboard where costs are lower, mainly
Baltic countries and eastern and southern Europe. Republic of Fritz
Hansen, for example, has moved their production to Poland.[20] New types
of Danish design companies have emerged with both national and
international appeal in recent years. Normann Copenhagen, HAY, Muuto,
Kähler are among new firms that carry Danish modern design principles
forward.[20]
Innovative design work is also encouraged by the
Wilhelm Hansen Foundation with the annual Finn Juhl Prize which is
awarded to designers, manufacturers or writers who have made a special
contribution to the field of furniture design, especially chairs.[21]
Main contributors
Kaare Klint (1888—1954)
As
a result of the furniture school he founded at the Royal Academy in
1924, Klint had an impact on Danish furniture, influencing designers
such as Kjærholm and Mogensen. His carefully researched designs are
based on functionality, proportions in line with the human body,
craftsmanship and the use of high quality materials. Notable examples of
his work include the Propeller Stool (1927), the Safari Chair and the
Deck Chair (both 1933), and the Church Chair (1936).[22]
Table and chairs, Danish Design Museum
Table and chairs, Danish Design Museum
Library at the Danish Design Museum
Library at the Danish Design Museum
Poul Henningsen (1894–1967)
Poul
Henningsen, an architect, with a strong belief in the functionalist way
of thinking, was an important participant in the Danish Modern school,
not for furniture but for lighting design. His attempt to prevent the
blinding glare from the electric lamp bulb succeeded in 1926 with a
three-shade lamp, known as the PH lamp. The curvature of the shades
allowed his hanging lamp to illuminate both the table and the rest of
the room. He went on to design many similar lamps, some with frosted
glass, including desk lamps, chandeliers and wall-mounted fixtures.
Although he died in 1967, many of his designs continue to be
popular.[23]
PH Lamp (1925) variation with frosted glass
PH Lamp (1925) variation with frosted glass
PH desk lamp (1941)
PH desk lamp (1941)
The PH5 Lamp (1958)
The PH5 Lamp (1958)
The PH Artichoke
The PH Artichoke
Mogens Lassen (1901–1987)
In
addition to his architectural work, Lassen was also a keen furniture
designer. Influenced both by Le Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe,
he developed a unique approach to Functionalism.[24] As a result of his
fine craftsmanship and his search for simplicity, his steel-based
furniture from the 1930s added a new dimension to the modernist
movement. His later designs in wood still form part of classical Danish
Modern, especially his three-legged stool[25] and folding Egyptian
coffee table (1940) originally produced by A. J. Iversen.[26]
Arne Jacobsen (1902–1971)
Graduating
from the Royal Academy in 1924, Jacobsen quickly demonstrated his
mastery of both architecture and furniture design. With the completion
of his Royal Hotel in Copenhagen and all its internal fittings and
furniture in 1960, his talents became widely recognized, especially as a
result of the chairs called the Egg chair and the Swan, now
international icons. His stackable, three-legged Ant Chair (1952) with a
one-piece plywood seat and back and its four-legged counterpart, the
Model 3107 chair (1955), were particularly popular with worldwide sales
in the millions.[27]
Wooden-legged Grand Prix Chair (1957)
Wooden-legged Grand Prix Chair (1957)
The Egg (1958)
The Egg (1958)
The Swan (1958)
The Swan (1958)
Three-legged Ant Chair (1952)
Three-legged Ant Chair (1952)
The 7 Chair (1955)
The 7 Chair (1955)
Ole Wanscher (1903–1985)
Inspired
by Kaare Klint under whom he had studied, Wanscher later followed in
his footsteps as professor of the Royal Academy's furniture school.
Particularly interested in 18th-century English furniture and in early
Egyptian furniture, one of his most successful pieces was his delicately
designed Egyptian Stool (1960) crafted from luxurious materials.
Another successful item was his Colonial Chair in Brazilian
rosewood.[28] He was awarded the Grand Prix for furniture at Milan's
triennale in 1960.[29]
Finn Juhl (1912–1989)
Though he
studied architecture at the Royal Academy, Juhl was a self-taught
designer of furniture. In the late 1930s, he created furniture for
himself but from 1945 he became recognized for his expressively
sculptural designs, placing emphasis on form rather than function, so
breaking traditio